Year: 1866

! railroad. The estimates of the numberi


present vary from twenty-five to forty
thousand persons. There were probably


not less than thirty thousand in atten.


dance, drawn thither in a great degree


by the fact thatit twas primarily a soldiers
festival, and by the announcement that


Gems. Sherman and Logan and Gov
Oglesby were to speak. The speakers


stand was beautifully decorated with the


tattered battle flags of various Illinois


regiments and notices complimentary


to General Sherman, Governor Oglesby


and General Logan, while various mot,


toes from the former declarations of Presi


dent Johnston were conspicuously posted


all through the grove. Magnificent arches


covered with appropriate notices spanned


the street leading to the grove.


Gen. Sherman's Speech.


Gen. Sherman was the first speaker


He said:


We have right to come here and say


that this is our national day, and that


we will celebrate it Just when and how


we please. We will fire guns, display


badges, and read what we please, for it is


our day-your day-my day. We are all


free in this country. And when did


we acquire this freedom? Just ninety


years sgo-these young ladies haYe sung


to us in melody so sweet, that | remem-


Der it well-just ninety years ago a few


men assembled away off there on the


Atlantic, and told the world that a new


nation was born. wish they had called


it Columbia then, but they called it the


United States of America. We have in


herited the name, we have inherited the
| freedom. Now it becomes US to-day to
transmit both to those who may come af-


ter US, and we will do it. Applause


But like'all people we are not govern
ed by reason alone; we are full of passion.
l am full of passion and act wildly; so
do you, and so do all men. We do not
always follow the dictates of pure intel
lect and reason, and are swayed hither
and thither by reason and by passion
Passion carried US into one foreign war
with England and into the Mexican war,
and finally, into the great war-the great
war which | rejoice is now over, thank
God, and you the living witnesses of its
results. Great applause. know that
you associate my name in this last war.
L see that almost every face before me is
that of returned soldier; men Drowned
and brOnzed with the sun of the South.
Every one of you have seen and compre-
hended the whole problem. Part of our
people, supposing that they had sustain
ed wrongs, endeavored to break down our
history. You said mo" They said
Eyes" There was no use in discussing
it further; it had to be fought out. You
boys OF Illinois knew it-knew it had to
be fought out. All argument, all reason,
all discussion should have ceased on that
1or ENrav.1r RI
as you all did, should have seized his
musket, rushed to the standard of his
country, and rescued it from danger
LGreat cheering.l


But it was difficult for time, as you
all know, for yourselves to comprehend
that any part of America should rebel
against the other part; could not believe
II until | saw it. You didn't believe 1t. :.
l doubt if any man in Illinois compre-
hended for the first month that we were
to be swamped in civil war But when
at last it flashed upon US all, how males
tically arose your people. l say that it
IS one of the proudest points in our his
tory that our young men, regardless of
party, regardless of former history, re-
gardless of everything, ran to the rescue
of that flag which is the symbol of our
nation, and you did rescue it. Great
cheers. hope that never, never again
will you be called upon to be exposed as
you were to the dangers and vicissitudes
of that occasion; and l believe that you,
and such as you, the men who filed up
our Western country, and even far off to
the East, will soon solve and make plain
that course which will bring US all back
to our Constitution, our national rights,
and national duty. Applause.


As remarked in the first place, gen.
tlemen and ladies, did not, nor do in
tend, to make Fourth of July speech
here, ard | am very glad to see the Gov
ernor coming to my rescue. CCries of go
on, General, 60 on."l


Governor 0glesby here took his seat
upon the stand


''Oh, no." said the General, in reply to |
the people, 81 never talked an hour in |
my life but there are two or three points |
in the last history of the war, about which |
l want the Illinois boys to understand. |
L do so, for in those days, you well re-
could not talk to you then SO |
confdentially." Great laughter.


THE STRATEGY OF THE WAR.


believe, as a general rule, there was
a full understanding among the Generals
OF the army. But we often had to be
very careful lest information of our in
tentions should get abroad, and it would !
result in your loss, the enemy being at /
once prepared. If l had informed you
in advance that was going. for instance
to do certain thing, as matter of course
our enemy would provide against it, and
many of you who are now alive might
not be here. Now it was our desire, the
desire of every officer, every general off
GER, to accomplish a certain thing for YOU.
and to restore you back healthy TO YOUR
families. We did not like to see blood
shed, but we were determined to produce
results, and now what were these results?
Make every man, woman and child in the
South feel that if they dared rebel against
the flag of their country they must die
or submit. Immense enthusiasm


That was the problem we had to solve.
AS long as they met us man to man and
ace to face, we went at them directly in
,ront. Laughter. But when they tried
70 play the game of drawing us on fur
her and further, and compelling us to
cave garrisons here and guards there,
absorbing our main strength, intending
% whip the remainder, it became neces-
iary for US by intellect to defeat that
scheme of theirs. We therefore had to
make them believe that we were going to
10 one thing and 60 and do another
Laughter.


Now, you all may remember that when
We had taken Atlanta fairly and openly,
t looked as though our army would be
trung out on a line of six or seven hun
ired miles, and the head of the column
would be but few divisions and brigades.
We were strung out from Nashville clear
iown to Atlanta. Had | then gone ON
tringing out our forces, what danger
would there not have been of their attack
ng the little head of the column and of
it? You, soldiers, are Generals
'nough to see that. Therefore, l resolved
n moment to stop the game of guard {
ng their cities, and to destroy their cities.
II


Now, friends, know that, all the world {
yer, there are parties that denounce me [
S being inhuman. THAT'S so"-"Can't {
ee it." 1 appeal to you to say if have /
Iot always been kind and considerate to 8
on 18th boEJr - 7 ao-o L. Al d.