Year: 1875




same might been said of all other
corps. Alter the close of the war |
read in Southern paper an account
of battle between Wade Hampton
and Sherman, down in South Caro-
lima, and | asked the latter about it.
He said, 81 know nothing Of it. |
never had fight with him. Some Of
the boys struggled on ahead, bum
ming around in enjoyment of the
landscape, and they found Hampton
and, without an officer, each com
mading himself, deployed as skirm-
ishers, developed the enemy's lines,
rallied on the centre, charged, broke
and drove him. | never had a re-
port of it from an officer" The world
holds record Of no other instance Of
soldiers in the enemy's country strag-
CLING to the front. Cheers. | say
it in no disparagement of these Off
GERS, that it was easy to win victo-
RES with such men, Loud cheers.


All honor to them. May the people
of this country never forget to rem
der them the honor that is Justly due
the boys who bore the musket and
the flag.


President Grant was then called
upon, and came forward to deliver
one of the longest speeches with
which he has ever been credited, and
one which contains as much terse
sound sense to the square inch as
can readily be compressed into
words:


Comrades. 1t always affords me
much qualification 10 meet my old
comrades in arms of 10 to II years
ago, and to live over again in memory
the trials and hardships of those
days, hardships imposed for the
preservation and perpefuation Of our
free institutions. We believed then
and believe now that we had a gov
ernment worth fighting for, and, if
need be, dying for. How many of
our comrades of those days paid the
latter price for our preserved Union.
Let their heroism and sacrifices be
ever green incur memory. Let not
the results of their sacrifices be de-
stroyed. The Union and the free
institutions for which they fell should
be sheld more dear for their sacrifices.
We will not deny to any of those
who Tough. against us any privileges
under the government which we
claim for ourselves. On the contrary,
we welcome all such who come for
ward IN good faith TO help build up
the waste places, and to perpetuate
our institutions against all enemies,
as brothers in full interest with us in
a common heritage. But we arc not
prepared to apologize for the part we
took in .he war. 1t is to be hoped
that like trials will never again be-
fall our country. In this sentiment
no class of people can more heartily
Join than the soldier who submitted
to the dangers, trials and hardships
of the camp and the battle field, on
which ever side he may have fought.
No class Of people are more interest
ed in guarding against recurrence
of those days. Let us then begin by
guarding against every enemy hreat
ening the perpetuity of free Republi
can institutions. do not bring into
this assemblage politics, certainly not
partizan politics, but it is fair sub
ject for soldiers in their deliberations
to consider what may be necessary
10 secure the prize for which they
bat,led. In Republic like ours,
where the citizen is the sovereign
and the official the servant, where no
power is exercised except by the
will of the people, it is important
that the sovereign--the people
should possess intelligence. The
free school is the promoter of that
intelligence which is to preserve US
as a free natiol. If we are to have
another contest in the near future Of
our national existence, | predict that
the dividing line will not be Mason
and Dixon's, but between patriotism
and intelligence on the one side, and
superstition, ambition and ignorance
on the other. Now in this centennial
year OF our National existence,
believe it good time to begin the
work Of strengthening the founla-
tion of the house commenced by our
patriotic forefathers one hundred
years ago at Concord and Lexington.
Let us all labor to add all needful
guarantees for the more perfect Sc
curity OF Free Thought, Free Speech,
and Free Press, pure morals, unfet
tered religious sentiments and Of
equal rights and privileges to all men
irrespective Of nationality, color or
religion. Encourage free schools
and resolve that not one dollar of
money appropriated to their support,
no matter how raised, shall be appro
priated to the support Of any Sec
tartan school. Resolve that neither
the State or Nation, or both COM
bined, shall support institutions Of
learning other than those sufficient
to afford to every child growing up
in the land the opportunity of a good,
common school education, unmixed
with sectarian, pagan, or atheistical
tenets. Leave the matter Of religion
to the family altar, the church, and
the private school, supported entire
ly by private contribution. Keep
the Church and State forever separ-
ate. With these safeguards | be-
lieve the battles which created
"The Army Of the Tennessee" will
not have been fought in vain.


"Old Probabilities" General Myer,
being called ou, made the following
Characteristic speech:


Comrades, La1ies and Gentlemen ;.


I ,rla,ct.n1 oil o1nprr that - xpa.