Year: 1869

The following is the address Of well
come by Lieutenant General Sherman,
at the Grand Army Reunion, at Chi
cago, December 10Th and 18th:


FELLOW SOLDIERS lit is made my
pleasant duty to address you this eve
ming words 1Of welcome to the feast
that is to be spread before US. From the
city and the country, from the town
and the village, you have come to-
gether, the representatives. of four of
those grand volunteer armies, which
responded at their cOuntry's call in
her hour Of danger, fought her battles
sometimes, side by side; sometimes,
far apart; yet always in unison, and
then, at her bidding, returned to your
homes as farmers and. mechanics, as
artisans and citizens


After a short rest you have again
assembled, to stand, as it were, on a
high pinnacle and look back across
that wide valley wherein you strug-
gled solong, to point out to each
the spots of greatest interest, and
to live over again those hours and
days and months of deepest anxiety
and of joy.


I know that you have laid aside for
ever all feelings of animosity and an=
ger, then so natural and proper, and
that you have dropped into oblivion
all the little jeslousies and rivalries of
the hour, and that tonight you stand
here with hand extended in fraternal
friendship to every soldier in the land,
whether he served in your regiment
or in your division, whether in your
army or any other, whether upon the
land or sea, provided only he fought
for the Union of our fathers and the
flag of our whole country, No mere
feeling of selEglorifcatiOn animates
you, but just pride in your own ac-
tions, and a deep and intense love for
the eomrade who stood by your side
in the day of battle aud shouted with
you in the hour of victory.


Happily, my friends, YOU did not be-
long to that class of our people in
whose very youth were planted the
perniclOus doctrines that the highest
allegiance was due to the place Of
birth,pr of residence, and that a citi-
zen should love part of his country
better than the whole. You were
reared in, a better school, and taught
to revere the constitution of your
whole country, and to believe that
under its wise and genial influence
man would here attain the largest
measure of security and happiness
consistent with the general safety
We believe, that by the law of majOri-
ties and a frequent resort to the ballot
box, we had discovered a panacea for
the ills that had from earliest history
afflicted the human family, and that
we should escape the conflicts and
ravages which war had caused in all
preceding ages. But we were DOOM
ed to realize that we were not axcep-
tiOns to the general rule, that miHOri-
ties would not always submit to so
peaceful a decree, and that we, too,
must fight to maintain the privileges
of our birthright.


You may search history in vain for
a more fragrant violation of faith, d
more causeless breach of national
compact, than those which resulted in
our civil war. Never before was an
lessly dragged into a long and bloody
unwilling people so ruthlessly so heed
conflict and never before was a gov
ernment SO utterly uuprepared for it..
All attempts to avoid its outbreak
were charged to cowardice, and the
whole civilized world was made to be-
lieve that the bright particular star
which had for some time shone so
clear in the western armament, had
sunk forever, and to believe that the
fair fabric which had been dedicated
to liberty had vanished as a dream, be-
fore the first storm of passion that had
assailed it.


Here at home treason was unseated,
The laws were derided and scorned (;
the public property was seized and
appropriated as though it were a wait
upon the ocean. Good men every
where begged and implored for a lit
tie forbearance, offering the blank
sheets whereon to write their own
terms of compromise, and were an
swered back with insult the orator
wasted his eloquence in vain the
statesman exhausted his last peaceful
remedy and then, and not until then,
did war, the last arbiter of kings and
of peoples, assume absolute dominion
over the great land of freedom.


The volunteer soldier steppd upon
the arena, and offered his life and his
services to defend and maintain the
government against all its enemies
and oppressOrs whomsOever. He
swore the oath that rebellion and an.
archy should not rule this land ol
ours, but liberty, justice and law
should be restored to their rightful
throne. Hehas kept his path, and
we now behold again our good ShiE
of State, fuil-rigged, once more or


her destined course to that future


which is hidden from all mortal eyes


and the flag is still there, unchanged


not star Obliterated, nor a stripe


dimmed-that same old flag that We
have followed so often in the glare o.


a scorching sun, by the moons pale


beams, and the lurid light of the blaz
ing pine torch.


| Shall I not, then, claim for you VIII
represent this ideal volunteer, tn
higher honor, yea, the highest homo
that is conceded to mortal on earth {?


You can easily recall how long tin


war seemed.to US in its progress, bu


how short, even now, looking bacl


upon it after a period of little owe


three years How inconceivabl,


short, then, will it appear to thos
who, hundred years hence, will


grope through the pages of history t
learn of events and causes that led fiv


millions of people to rebel when n


single act of oppression or tyrann,


was even alleged We owe it t
: them, while still in the vigor of lif


and health, to record the parts W
played in this grand drama of life