The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-08-21
LESSON I.
Vour Post of Honor.

LESSON I.
Your Post of Honor.
You are called to serve as a soldier
in the National Army, because that
is one of your obligations as a citizen
| Of the United States. The citizens of
a Republic must always be ready in
| the hour of need to leave their own
homes and take up arms in defense
of their rights and principles. Other
wise the Republic could not long
continue to exist. The men who now
enter military service deserve the
gratitude and respect of their fellow
| citizens.
You are doubtless making heavy
| sacrifice in order to perform this
duty to your country. Hundreds of
thousands of other young men and
their families are face to face with
similar sacrifices. All our citizens
will sooner or later be called upon,
each to bear his or her share of the
burden. Men or women, rich and
poor, all alike must do whatever is
necessary and must give up what
ever is necessary, for no personal
interests or feelings can be permit
ted to stand in the way at a time
| when the safety and honor of the
country are at stake.
for a post Of special distinction. Am
| erica is justly proud of the soldiers
of the past who have won for us the
rights today denied and put in seri-
Gus danger by the high handed at
tacks of the German government.
America will be no less proud of you,
as you fight to uphold those rights.
Your personal responsibility is
great. AS warfare is today conduct
ed, the individual soldier counts for
more than ever before. Your own
skill and bravery, no matter how
humble your rank, may easily be
important factors in deciding wheth-
er an engagement is to be won or
lost. You cannot depend upon any
one else to carry this personal
responsibility for you; you must de-
pend upon yourself.
Some American Soldiers.
Americans are well fitted to meet
this test. During the Civil war, at
the battle of Antietam, the Seventh
Maine Infantry lay. hugging the
ground, under a furious storm of
shot and shell. Private Knox, who
was a wonderful shot, asked leave to
move nearer the enemy. For an hour
afterwards his companions heard his
rife crack every few minutes. His
curiosity, "crept forward to see what
he was doing, and found that he had
driven every man away from one Sec
! ton of Confederate battery,
/ tumbling over gunner after gunner
as they came forward to fire. 80"
At the end of an hour or so, piece
of shell took off the breech of his pet
rife, and he returned disconsolate;
| but after q few minutes he gathered
| three rifles that were left by wound
ed men and went back again."
In the Confederate armies jndi-
vidual soldiers were no less skillful,
cool, and brave. On both sides they
/ were Americans.
Here are a few cases quoted from
! official records. You must read be-
| tween the lines to get the full benefit
| of the stories they tell of resource
fulness and courage.
| On June 8, 1882, Pvt. John Gray,
Fifth Ohio infantry, mounted on an
artillery horse of the enemy and cap
| tured a brass 6-pound piece, in the
face of the enemy's fire, and brought
| 1t to the rear"
on May 6, 1900, Pvt. William p.
Maclay, Forty third United States
Volunteer Infantry, charged an oc-
cupied bastion, saving the life of an
officer in a hand -to-hand combat and
destroying the enemy"
In all these cases medals of honor
were granted. The incidents, how
eve, are typical of the army. Thou
sands of similar Stories might Re