Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-13
Lesson l..
YOUR POST OF HONOR.


You are called 10 serve as a soldier
in the National Army, because that il
one Of yom 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 Dl 'h,ir
rights and principles Otherwise the
republic could not long continue -
exist. The men who now enter mill
tary service deserve the sradilade
and respect Of their fellow citizens.
/ You are doubtless making a heavy
sacrifice in order to perform this duty
I TO your country Hundreds of thuu
/ sands of other young men and their
families are face to face with similar
sacrifices All our citizens will soon
er or later be called upon each to
bear his or her share of the burden.
Men and women, rich and poor, all
alike must do whatever is necessary.
For no personal interests or feelings
can be permitted to stand in the way
at a time when the safety ana honor
Of the country are at stake
As a citizen soldier you are chosen
for post Of special distinction Amer
lea is justly proud Of the soldiers OF
the past who have won for us the
rights today denied and put in serious
danger Of the high-handed attacks
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 conducted, the
individual soldier counts for more than
ever before Your own skill and bray
cry, no matter how humble you rank,
may easily be important factors in
deciding whether an engagement is
to be won or lost. You can not de
pend upon anyone else to carry this
personal responsibility for you: YOU
must depend upon yourself.
Some American Soldiers.
Americans are wellftted to meet
this test During the Civil War, at
the battle Of Antietam, the It'll Maine
Infantry lay, hugging the ground, un.
der a furious storm Of shot and shell.
| Private Knox who was wonderful
shot asked leave to move nearer the
enemy. For an hour afterwards his
companions heard his rifle crack
every few minutes. His commanding
officer finally, from curiosity, "crept
forward to see what he was doing. and
found that he had driven every man
away from one section of Confede,
rate battery. tumbling over gunner
/ after gunner as they came forward TO
| fire. At the end of an hour
| or so, piece of shell took off the
breech of his pet rifle, and he return
ed disconsolate; but after a few min
utes he gathered three rifles that
were left by wounded men and went
back again"
In the Confederate armies indivi-
dual soldiers were no less skillful
cool and brave On both sides thew
were Americans.
Here are a few eases quoted from
official records. You must read be.
tween the lines to get the full bene-
fit of the stories they tell of resource.
fuIness and courage.
On June o. 1862, Private John Gray
5th Ohio Infantry, mounted on an
artillery horse Of the enemy and cap
tured a brass G-pound piece, in the
face Of the enemy's fire, ana brought
it to the rear.
On October -, 1863 Private Mic.
hazel Dougherty, 18th PENNSYLVANIA
Cavalry, at the head of detachment
OF his company, dashed across an
'p'H AiAih, ~ pOStN W IL UFdUIN IRE
from the enemy, and succeeded in dis
lodging them from an unoccupied
house which he and his comrades de-
Tended for several hours against re.
peated attacks, thus preventing the
enemy from thanking the position Of
the Union forces"
From May to II, 1864, Private
John y. Lynch, Sd Indiana Cavalry.
carried important dispatches from the
President to General Grant passing
through the enemy's country, escap.
ing capture, delivering his messages
and returned TO Washington with re.
plies thereto
On April n. 1899, Private Edward
White, 10th Kansas Infantry. during
a fight with insurgents in the Philip.
pine Islands, Swan the Rio Grande
de Pampanga in face OF the enemy's
fire and fastened rope to the unoc-