Soldiers, ladies and fellow citizens, it is somewhat embarrassing for me to try to deliver an address to you For I have experienced none of the realities of war. I know nothing of the late war or any other except. from the pages of history. There I find your great and heroic deeds recorded. But surely a man who reads of war can not draw its picture as well as he who had participated in the real act. The grand army of the Republic was organized in 1884, and it is the remainder of that noble body of men who were called forth by Lincoln to save the Union. This word Union here used, means power of each state concentrated into one great power. This great power was obtained by the heroes of the Revolution and before they obtained it, their blood flowed from their veins as freely as the water that runs. Our great and glorious ancestors became tired of the oppressive band, and hence they thought they would build for themnelves a government which would fit their own asperations of freedom. In 1789, such a government found expression in the Constitution of the united States. The new government went into effect and prospered such as no other in the known world. Time passed and men spent their opinions. It was pronounced good, not only good, but that it was the greatest code of true principles that ever emanated from the brain of man. The dauntless forefathers did not construct this grand government for themselves alone but they looked forward to us and to the generations that are to come. They gave it to their children, trusting that they would not put any of it to naught, but that they in turn would give it to their children untarnished and so on until the future generations would be benefited by it. Oh, how quick we grew into a mighty nation under it. We outstepped Europe, we went beyond Asia, in fact we out prospered anything in the shape of a government. Prudence indeed would dictate that such a government should not be abolished nor torn into. But here are those that always oppose good and glourious measures. And one of these was John C. Calhoun. John C. Calhoun stepped upon the pathway of life with principles that would not only ruin a Republican government, but would ruin anything that had for its motto, prosperity and happiness. The constitution had done its good work for about 59 years, and had received the sanctions of the genisus of its days, yet John C. Caihoon came out in the open resistance against it. This runious states rights theory was hatched in his brain, and was sowed without shame among his fellow men, It took root and branched over all the southern states. what was this theory? His theory was that South Carolina had a right to disanull some parts of the Constitution. If she had a right to disanull parts she could by the same right disanull all of it. And if she could disanull all, she was more powerful than the Constitution itself. Finally Johnny ran his theory into secession. Finally Johnny seceded and played the devil so much that Jackson sent troops to South Carolina to whip them back into the fold. After it was all over Jackson said he had not left undone but one thing that he should have done and that was, that he hated that he did not hang John C. Calhoun. Behind secessin, oh soldiers, was crouched slavery in its most horrid forms. Indeed slavery prompted secession. The appearance of the negro in America is coeval with the land of the Pilgrim fathers in 1620. Although our Revolutionary heroes sacraficed their life's blood to unrivet the chains of English oppression, They forced like chains upon the negro. The negro is adapted to a warm climate, therefore the southern states planted the vine there, and it grew with such wonderous rapidity, that it apread all over the southern states and began td twine its tendrils around the northern borders. But, sirs, ever since slavery began to be fostered in this country, it has had its enemies. Daniel Webster spoke of it as "a dangerous principle to be taught among a people.' In proportion as the South nutured and sustained slavery, with equal force and effect did the North abhor and denounce it. The decision of the supreme Judge Tanny, in the Dred-Scott case did a great in kindling the animosity between the North and the South. The electing a president to succeed Buchanan gave the finishing touch to that great issue that was to come before the American people. Lincoln was elected. He believed that let come what would, the Constitution not be abolished. The hatred of the South grew so much against Lincoln that they tried to assassinate before he could get to the White House. Oh soldiers, Lincoln had to slip to the White House after night, and at a time that they did not look for him. For they lined the road all along to kill him. This is the only instance in our government where a President had to slip after night to the capitol. The issue was now before the people and it opened the way for the greatest trial that was ever witnessed in America. Abe Lincoln was lawyer for the North, Jefferson Davis was lawyer for the South. They presented the case, not before man but before Him who guides the destiny of nations. Jefferson Davis filed in his declaration that secession was right. Abe Lincoln said in reflections that cecession was not right, hence he demurred. When each one had filed his claim before the Supreme Judge of nations, the trial began in earnest. You, oh, soldiers, were witnesses in that great trial, And herel shall name a few places with which you? are familiar, You, oh soldiers, fought your first battle at Wild Cat. I guess you thought that there was a little wolf and panther mixed with it. Do you remember, oh soldiers1 how afraid you were as it was the first battle? Did not your hearts rise in your throats? Did not your hair make your hats climb up on your heads? The next battle was at Mill's Springs after which you had a little skimish in Powell's Valley. You were seventeen days and nights, oh soldiers, evacuating the gap on your way to Gallipolis in Ohio. You remember how tired and sleepy you became on that trip. You remember too, how you made gritters out of your canteens, and what a noise was among you when you ~ould draw the ears of corn over them that you might grind a cup full of meal. And don't you remember that Colonel Bird told you to stack arms immediately? what was that for? Why he saw a gang of hogs in a field close by and in less than half an hour you took the hides off every one of those hogs. Oh, what a joy throughout camp. The stomach, oh soldiers, which had been empty on most of this march was now filled with that good pork, such as kings would admire. You were commanded by Bird like Peter was commanded in his vision, 'arise Peter slay and eat." From Gallipolis you went to Canoy Salt works in Virginia. Here you fought the Rebels a little spell and went to West Point on the Ohio. From West Point you went to Cincinnati on the steam boat. Since your limbs and muscles had become much fatigued by your long marches, it must have been pleasing to you to take this trip upon the waters of the Ohio. Thence you went to Louisville, thence to Nashville, Tennessee. After standing picket here five nights, you turned your faces to Nurfreesboro, a place that was to witness the bloody battle that was fought there. Some of you fought this battle standing in a ditch full of water. Many men marched with you to this battle, who never went away. You saw them fall by your side, either crippled or lifeless. Most of them who fell were your friends, they marched by your elboes in your previous marches, they fought by your sides in previous battles. Oh, how you must have grieved to see your fellow comrades fall to rise no more. After the battle was over, what a solemn picture lay before you. The ground was strewn with Union men and Rebels, who were bleeding, who were dead and dying. One minute you were drawn up in line of battle, facing each other as foes, the next some of your number lay wounded, bleeding, dying, some were doomed to wary weeks of torture, to silence and the grave. Many of you soldiers contracted diseases here, which will follow you to the end. You slept in the mud, putting~your knapsacks over your faces, that the rain might not strike your faces. You remained at Murfreesboro about two months. After which you went to Nashville. From Nashville to the mouth of the Cumberland River by steam, up the Ohio to Lousyille, changed boats here and went to Frankfort, from Frankfort to Lexington, from Lexington to Camp Dick Robinson. Oh, how that word makes you think of the passed. You drew horses here from the government, and mounted as infantry. From Camp Dick Robinson you went to Stantford, Kentucky to drill, preparing for the Bird and Sanders raid. After you had drilled sufficiently you put spurs to your horses and away you rode to accomplish whatever you had in view. You struck the Chattanooga and Knoxville railroad at Lenores and burnt the depot John Mclione and one of the Wolf enbargers did the igniting. From Lenores you went to Knoxville1 from Knoxville to Mossy Creek and after burning a bridge here, you made for the Cumberland Mountain, crossing Clinch River at Ousley's Ford. From the mountains you went to Boston and camped. From Boston you went through the Crab Orchard to Landcaster1 and here you camped that you might rest. When you had rested your tired limbs, you took after Morgan and you knew whether or not he out ran you. In August, 63 you came to Kingston, and took winter quarters here, after which you went into the Georgia campaign. The places r have referred to kindles, no doubt, your memories as to the hardships which were enjoined upon you. As I have said, slavery was embodied in secession. For the South seceeded that they might throw a strong army around it. When Lincoln answered the Bill which Jeff Davis filed, he only demurred to the first count and that was N secession is not right." But since parties are allowed to amend during the trial, in January the 1st, 1863, Lincoln answered the second count which was "that slavery should not be tolerated in the South.' Lincoln demurred to this by saying "from now forth salvery in the..United States shall be abolished.' Soldiers, the war was now at its hottest. It went on with increased force and momentium, until the alwise Being gave judgement against the South and named them part of the cost. So Abe Lincoln won the case in every particular. But before the war came to a close, the North and the South wrestled like mighty giants, a chip under the heal of one party might have changed the victory of the other. To refer you to Gettysburg, the Antitams and the Manassas Junction, would make you think of the thousands who fell there. Soldiers, the war is over. You have been resting upon your oars for nearly a quarter of a century. The canoes have been hauled to their lurking places. Your muskets are lying in the garret, your swords are sheathed in their scabbards. May they remain there forever. Soldiers, I reverence you as the greatest class of men now upon the earth, you fought for the prosperity of your country, you fought for the Union and for the freedom of human flesh. Greater deeds than these can not be accomplished by mortals. You left your peaceful homes and enlisted where there was strife and bloodshed, you left your fathers and your mothers to grieve for you, while you made yourselves tragets to be shot at. You swaped your comfortable beds at home, for the base earth around the camp fires and you swapped the delicious food prepared by a mother or a sister, for bard tack, for beef which you had to chew for five minutes and then you had to take it out and spit on it before it could be swallowed. You did this to put down secession and slavery. So I say again, soldiers, rest upon your oars. The cataracts are passed, the ruffled waters lie behind. You have torn away the dowdy veil that covered infants in their cradles. Soldiers, the places where you fought, and where thousands of your comrads have fallen, will never be fogotten. The passerby
For more information on this article or any article or publication of the Union County Historical Society please write them at:
Union County Historical Society
P.O. Box 95
Maynardville, TN 37807
Or
E-mail the Union County Historical
Society.
This page created and maintained by Chip Brown and Maynardville.Com
This page is ©1999 Chip Brown. All Graphics used on this page were created by Chip Brown and may not be duplicated or reproduced in any way without his consent. Questions or comments about this page may be e-mailed to morom01@aol.com. Submissions to these pages may not be sold or transfered at any time. By submitting, you grant Chip Brown permanent use of your work on these pages and for no other purpose than to appear on his webspace. They do not in any way become the property of the UsGenWeb \ TnGenWeb \ TnGenNet.