Year: 1867

Oh, how these noble boys come tramp
Ing up before our memories us we stand
around this spot that Is to be hallowcd
In the future and rendered sacred by the
fond recollections that are so long to
cluster around it. Oh, how we remem-
Der the wildness with which they rallied
around the old starry banner when she
was nssailed by traitorous hands; how
they bid adieu forever to home and FAM
lily and loved ones; how bravcly they
fought the advancing columns Of the
rebel boards, and day after day stood by
their colors, and laid on their arms how
patiently they endured the hardships of
dreary marches, or suffered so cheerful
ly in hospitals and loa,hsomc prisons;


how they sHurned with contempt all


brides offered to shake their fidelity to
the government, and when the offer was
starvation or promotion to rank and
position, and with death the most awful
before them, they said, ''f.e will gladly
embrace death rather than prove false
to our flag, or a stain shall rest on our
PATRIOTISM


How sublimcly grand was the sight
when their term of service had expired
and they could have returned home,
when their arms could have pctn honor
ably lad aside; when they could have
truthfuliy said, we have done our part
In this great struggle and we Wilt let
Others take our places. But when the
the government said, we want YOU, we
cannot safely dispense with your mill
tary skill aud unwavering courage, and
We ask, not command you 10 stay with
us until victory is ours. They came by
companies, and regiments, and brigades
and almost by divisions, and said we
VI vii, stand ;s n up flag as long as shred
patcd these men would have ali return.
ed; we had expected some to fall, but
there were none we had selected and
said wecould spare; we thought that each
one of them deserved n long life in " hich


TO ENJOY the blessings of a government
they had rfsked every thing to perpetuate


Many were the plans we had for their
reception, when they came bearing their
laurels from so many well fought iields.
We thought of the grand reunion, such
as the nation alone could give, of the
public entertainment, and our addresses
OF welcome. But above all, and the
highest the reception at their own happy
homes. Where the reception speech
should be a wife's impressive kiss, or a
lather's KIND embrace or q mothers Joy
ful smiles, or sisters cordial greeting,
or the atfianced bride long waiting for
her lover, would consumate the engage
ment and plight their mutual vows be.
fore the hymenial altar, where the en-
tertainment should be the well spread
table with the snowy covering long laid
aside for the occasion by wife's own
loving hands or by the mother who had
breathed thousand prayers for her boy
and had prepared the room in her own
mlnd, where camp kettles, aud camp
dishes should have no place, and when
the ro"Si. FED" Il. s"'a l. "~"',."raa for
the delicacies of refined life With
thousands this was realized, but with
hundreds it was not, more than two
hundred from this county never partici-
patcd in this reception, and more than n
thousand hearts were made desolatc aud
sad because such n reception was never
to be realized. They are with US to-day
and they certainly have our sympathies
and our devout prayers that a kind prov
tuence may sustain them through all
their future years


We have come to rear column to
these lost loved ones and render their
names memorable and sacred by every
patriot in this county, and by all who
may dwell therein in all future time.


But, citizens, we not only de-
clare our veneration to these men whose
names shall be engraved upon this mon
ument, but also our appreciation of the
principles for which they sacrificed their
lives. Because this war was emphatic
ally war for principles. These men
did not enter the army for piece of
bread they were not men of ignorance
ready to follow any dcspot who would
promise them spoils of war, but they
were men of intellect and discriminat-
ing judgment, who well Knew that
proper government was based Oh the
principles of justice and right. a gov
ernment has its glory and has its
strength or power but that glory and
power does not consist in her well filled
Golfers, or her well trained armies, but
1t consists In the purity and correctness
of her principles. This has been excm-
plifled in our own past history as a
nation. When we have adhered to the
right snd stood up for righteousness we
were lnvincible to every foe, and our
glory as nation filled the world Pns
principles Of truth and right, wo have
become weak and our nations life has
been imperiled. BY paudering to false
principles and unjust compromises how
near we came wrcckiug our grand old
ship OF state. The rocks we're Just be-
fore us, the seething breakers were
already breaking against her PROV, the
heavens were all black and angry. The
furious winds of treason and rebellion
were driving her towards the rocks Of
destruction, when God in his providence
raised Us up IL deliverer in Abraham
Lincoln, who uttered these memorable
words: that ''sooner than our national
standard should be dishonored, lie
would be assassinated on the spot 4
half million of men rose mp almost in
simultaneously to support him and VOW
ed that the principles of justice and civil
liberty should be maintained though
their lives should pay the forfeit. The
helm OF the grand old ship instantly
obeyeI his hand and was turned toward
the open sea, and these principles OF JUS
tice and right were sacredly maintained
through the long weary hours Of our
nations conflict, and when the war cloud
had passed away we found that not one
of these principles had persisted, though
to maintain them our nations chief had
to forfeit his own tile. Hut he went TO
his grave maurned a5 10 military or


Il