[NOTE: There is material in the old newspapers relative to membersof the Grand Army of the Republic, including women who dressed like soldiers.Little by little I have begun to put some of these articles in various filespertaining to the G. A. R. This file begins with the first big celebrationin Cowley County of "Memorial Services" for our honored dead.The speeches given on this occasion strike me as being very special andcontaining statistical information relative to the "War of the Rebellion"as it was known during that time span and later referred to as the "CivilWar." I have also added data furnished to me by Jerry Wallace froma later paper covering cemeteries in the Winfield area. MAW February 10,2001]
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 14, 1885.
Post commander and comrades of Winfield Post No. 85, G. A. R.: Your committeeappointed to report to the Post a program for memorial and decoration servicessubmit the following as their report.
1st. The committee recommend the following as the order of services forMemorial Day, Sunday, May 24th, 1885.
That there be memorial services held in the 1st Baptist church of thecity of Winfield on Sunday morning, May 24, at 11 a.m., and that this Post,with visiting comrades and all old soldiers, with their families, be requestedto attend said services and that Dr. Kirkwood, of the Presbyterian church,be requested to deliver the address or sermon at said time and place, andthat memorial services be held in the Methodist Episcopal church in theevening of said day, the address to be delivered by Rev. J. H. Reider, andthat the Post march in column from their hall to each service.
The following committees are suggested to carry the above recommendationsinto effect.
Committee of 3 on procuring churches.
Committee of 3 on procuring speakers.
Committee of 3 on decorating churches.
Committee of 3 on seating and ushering.
Decoration services May 30th, 1885.
The Post to meet at their hall at 9½ o'clock a.m., and immediatelythereafter to send committee of three to Vernon township to assist the citizensin decoration of soldiers' graves at Vernon Center cemetery. A committeeof five to decorate the graves in the Catholic cemetery; also a committeeof five to decorate the soldiers' graves in the cemetery south of the city.These committees to perform their duty and immediately thereafter to reportthemselves to the Post commander.
At one o'clock p.m., an address in the Opera House by Rev. H. Kelly,with appropriate music.
At 2 p.m., the parade will form on Main street facing west, the rightresting on 10th avenue.
1st, twelve little girls dressed in white and twelve little boys withblue jackets and caps with flowers in the van.
2nd, Winfield Courier band.
3rd, Visiting Posts, Winfield Post, old soldiers not members of Post,ambulances with disabled soldiers and Woman's Relief Corps and wagons withflowers, in the order named.
2nd division, Winfield Union Cornet band, Company C, State Guards, 1stLight Artillery, Kansas National Guards, Winfield Fire Department.
3rd division, Adelphia Lodge, Winfield Chapter, Winfield Commanders,Winfield Council, Winfield Lodge, K. of H., Winfield Council, No. 5, N.U., Winfield Lodge, No. 18, A. O. U. W., Winfield Lodge, No. 16, S. K.,Winfield Lodge No. 101, I. O. O. F., Chevalier Dodge, No. 70, K. of P.,Winfield Lodge No. 20, I. O. G. T., and W. C. T. U.
4th division, Winfield Juvenile Cornet Band, Mayor and city authoritiesand citizens.
Line of march, north on Main street to Eighth avenue; east on Eighthavenue to Harter street; north on Harter street to Fifth avenue; east onFifth avenue to Michigan Avenue, in Highland Park, and thence north to cemetery.The services in the cemetery to be held on the mound in the center of thecemetery. The officers conducting the manual services of the G. A. R. andMiss Campbell, who will recite the original poem to be on said mound; thecomrades and soldiers to be formed in double rank around the drive-way nextto said mound. After the poem and manual services by the G. A. R., the twelvelittle girls and boys and a detail of twelve veterans with baskets of flowerswill follow by the column and proceed to first decorate the soldiers gravesin the southwest portion of the cemetery, then in the northwest portion,then in the northeast, and then in the southeast.
The committee recommend that the Post Commander command the column andappoint such assistant commanders and aid de camps as he may desire.
We recommend that the committee on securing tombstones from the nationalgovernment be appointed a committee and be ordered to secure small, whiteheadboards, and have the name of the dead soldiers in our cemeteries, withcompany and regiment printed thereon, and placed at each grave not so marked,first obtaining the consent of the family of the deceased soldier, and toalso mark each grave with a flag of the United States.
The committee would further recommend that the Post Commander appointan executive committee of five, who shall have the power to appoint allsub-committees to carry this of the programme that may be adopted into effect.
The committee suggest the following committees for Decoration Day:
Committee of three on Invitation.
Committee of three on Music.
Committee of three on Procuring Children.
Committee of ten on Flowers.
The committee would further recommend that the Woman's Relief Corps bemost cordially invited to cooperate with us, and that they be requestedto act with us on our committees.
Your committee further recommends that the Mayor of the city be askedto request, by proclamation, our businessmen to close their places of businessfrom 1 to 3:30 P. M., on Saturday, May 30th, and participate in decorationservices.
Committee on Invitation: J. S. Hunt, chairman, J. B. Nipp, J. C. Long.
On churches: E. S. Wilson, chairman, T. H. Elder, D. S. Sherrard.
On speakers: S. C. Smith, chairman, F. S. Pickens, W. E. Tansey, J. M.Fahnestock.
On decorations: A. B. Arment, chairman, B. J. States, W. H. Cayton.
On music: Geo. H. Crippin, chairman, F. E. Blair, J. E. Snow.
Seating and ushering: H. H. Siverd, chairman, John Flint, J. N. Fleharty.
Committee on girls and boys: F. H. Bull, chairman, J. A. McGuire, E.A. Baird.
On marking graves: Samuel Parkhurst, chairman, Wm. Sanders, B. B. Wells.
On Flowers: D. L. Kretsinger, chairman, W. W. Painter, J. W. Millspaugh,F. M. Lacy, J. C. Roberts, Adam Stuber, M. S. Scott, J. W. Fenway, H. H.Harbaugh, Farnsworth, D. L. McRoberts.
Decoration of Catholic Cemetery: T. J. Harris, S. Parkhurst, Ed. Haight,Jno. Gill.
Decoration of Vernon Center Cemetery: H. H. Siverd, W. W. Painter, J.W. Millspaugh, Thos. Thompson, J. M. Householder.
By order of T. H. SOWARD, J. J. CARSON, H. H. SIVERD, A. H. LIMERICK.T. A. BLANCHARD, Executive Com.
The Chairman of each subordinate committee is requested to report tothe Chairman of the Executive Committee, at the Court House, for instructions,not later than Thursday next, and any comrade on the committees who cannotserve will please report to the Executive Committee at once. T. T. SOWARD,Chairman. H. H. SIVERD, Secretary.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 21, 1885.
Notice is hereby given that during decoration services on May 30th, 1885,no teams will be allowed on the grounds of the Winfield Cemetery Associationexcept the ambulance wagon, and the public are respectfully requested tokeep off the mound in the center of the grounds and the lots of privateindividuals.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 21, 1885.
The executive committee, "Grand Army of the Republic," haveappointed the undersigned committee to decorate the graves of soldiers buriedat Vernon cemetery, May 30, 1885: H. H. Siverd, W. W. Painter, J. W. Millspaugh;J. M. Householder, and Thomas Thompson. Comrade W. W. Painter will receiveflowers and make all necessary arrangements, and friends are requested tofurnish him the names, rank, and regiment of deceased soldiers. The publicare invited to meet the committee at the above named cemetery not laterthan 9 o'clock a.m., May 30. H. H. Siverd, Chairman.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 21, 1885.
To all old soldiers and friends of soldiers in Pleasant Valley township:You are respectfully invited to be present at the South Cemetery on May30, at 9:30 sharp, to take part in the decoration service to be held atthat place. All that can are requested to furnish flowers and wreaths forthe occasion. Any flowers from Pleasant Valley prior to decoration willbe thankfully received at Harris & Clark's office.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 21, 1885.
The committee on decorating churches for memorial services, Sunday, May24, request all who have cedar or arborvitae trees or hedges, and who cancontribute cuttings, to deliver them at Arment's furniture store, or atthe Methodist or Baptist church, Saturday, by 2 o'clock. A. B. Arment, Chairman.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 21, 1885.
The Woman's Relief Corps held an interesting meeting at their hall Wednesdayafternoon, and made appropriate preparations for assistance in the ceremoniesof Decoration and Memorial ceremonies. These days promise this year to beamong the most notable Winfield has ever had.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 28, 1885.
Winfield celebrated Memorial Day in a truly memorable manner. It wasa perfect May day, cool, calm and bright, and all nature was at her loveliest.And the exercises, inaugurated and conducted by the Grand Army and Woman'sRelief Corps, in honor of the country's dead heroes, were as perfect andenchanting as the day itself.
Long before the hour of morning services, standing room was unattainablein the Baptist church. The G. A. R. and Woman's Relief Corps met at theirhall and marched to the church, over a hundred strong, where seats had beenreserved for them. The floral decorations were lovely. Over the pulpit,embowered in evergreens, were the portraits of Lincoln, Garfield, and Lyon,embellished with stars and the words, "Im Memory of our Dead Heroes."On either side hung the stars and stripes, while at the left of the pulpitstood a marble monument, festooned with crape and wreathed with flowers.The front of the pulpit was a perfect sea of beautiful flowers and plants;all the decorations exhibiting the taste and energy of the ladies of theWoman's Relief Corps. The music, vocal and instrumental, was sublime. Thenational airs by the cornet orchestra, Messrs. Crippen, Roberts, Bates andShaw, with Miss Lola Silliman, organ accompanist, thrilled the audienceand elicited the highest praises. "There is one vacant chair"and "Lincoln's Funeral March" were especially fine. The musicto the latter was rearranged for the orchestra by Mr. Crippen and as renderedby them stands absolutely unexcelled. The strains were as low, sweet, andperfect as though wafted from fairy land. The selections of the choir, Mrs.J. S. Mann, Miss Lena Walrath, and Messrs. Buckman and Silliman, with MissSilliman at the organ, also exhibited unique musical taste and ability."Rest, Soldier, Rest," by Sargeant, and "Cover them overwith Beautiful Flowers," one of Will Carleton's most beautiful poeticproductions, were rendered entrancingly. Rev. B. Kelly and Rev. J. H. Reiderassisted in the pulpit exercises.
The Memorial address was delivered by Dr. W. R. Kirkwood. For depth ofthought, pathos, polish, and practical application, it shines as a diamond.With much pleasure THE COURIER presents it in full.
And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordon, did Joshua pitchin Gilgal. And he spake unto the Children of Israel, saying, "Whenyour children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, what meanthese stones?
"Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came overthis Jordon as dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordonbefore you, until ye passed over, as the Lord your God from before us, untilwe were gone over: that all the people of the earth might know the handof the Lord, that it is mighty; that ye might fear the Lord your God forever."Joshua iv:20-24.
In the sermon I am called to preach today it is necessary to revert tomatters which, of necessity, are painful to many--may I not say to all?Yet more painful to some than to others.
I trust you will remember I am to deal with historical facts, and thelessons they teach; that the facts stand out in bold relief and cannot bechanged; that the lessons follow necessarily, and are of the gravest importancefor all, now and hereafter. I trust you will be candid enough to believethat I do the work before me in no spirit of bitterness, but only in thespirit of reverence for the truth, regard for the best interests of posterity,and kindliness to all.
It is always becoming to erect memorials of past deliverance. They serveto keep the memory green in the hearts of posterity, and awaken gratitudeto the God of providence and grace. With the deliverance of Israel fromthe bondage of Egypt, and their safe conduct to their own land, you areall tolerably familiar. That the memory of this deliverance was devoutlycherished, you know. That they set up memorials thereof, you know.
It seems to me, under the present circ*mstances that this instance oftheir building a memorial pillar furnishes a good foundation for the lessonsI wish to teach today. We, as a people, have passed through a great andbitter trial and it is fitting that our deliverance should be properly remembered.Of this, what memorials are set among us?
1. The cemeteries owned by the general government, where sleep the longlines of soldiers who died in behalf of the great republic.
2. The cemeteries in which are graves marked by the stones bearing theinsignia of war, and the dates of service rendered by the men who sleepbeneath the sod.
3. The day, annually observed as Decoration day, wherein the people gatherin companies to wreath the graves of the dead heroes with flowers and evergreens.
4. The Grand Army of the Republic, composed of the men who survived thetremendous strife, but whose members are fast diminishing, and of whom thelast will soon be gone.
5. The legislation growing out of that long struggle and its results.
6. The written histories which tell the story of the strife as it wasseen and felt in the hour of the nation's agony.
Of these, there comes before us today, more especially, the cemeteries,the Grand Army, and Decoration day.
Of what are these memorials significant to us who yet do our work inthe world, and to the posterity, which is rising to take our places?
Do they mean no more than to remind us of the strife of brute force,and victory won by those who could stand the struggle longest without breakingdown? Is that all? Then, they are nothing worth maintaining. If that beall, they simply point to the apotheosis of physical courage and prowess.
But that is not all. That is only the last, and very least, thing theyare designed to commemorate. First of all, they point back to the evilsof unsound principles, of false teaching. It is perhaps unavoidable that,in the present condition of humanity, false principles should be held bymany, and that these should be taught by those who hold false principlesand teach them and are aware always of the falsity of their principles.Beyond a doubt, many hold and teach false principles under a profound convictionof their truth. But while such conviction may, in some degree, excuse, itcan never justify the person who makes the mistake. We are under obligationto know and do right, and, failing therein, we are under obligation to sufferfor doing wrong.
Of the false principles to which I refer, there are three which speciallydeserve to be named.
1. That the slavery of the black race existed by Divine warrant, andwas therefore right: a part of the constitution of nature.
2. That the government of the United States was only a federal compact,existing by the will of the sovereign states. From this, two conclusionsnecessarily followed, viz: (a) The individual citizen owed supreme allegianceto his state, and only a subordinate, or secondary, allegiance to the governmentof the United States. (b) That, when they chose, any of the states had theright to withdraw from the federal compact; peaceably, if they could; byforce, if necessary.
3. That the right of the few was to rule; of the many, to be ruled. Inother words, the principle of blue blood--of oligarchy, of empire.
These were the three great principles which lay at the foundation ofthe rebellion of 1861-1865. I am not now to argue them. The argument hasbeen made. The case has been decided. I call them false, not only on theground of sound logic, but because a higher logic than that of schools,senate chambers, and equity courts--the logic of events in the march ofProvidence, has proven these false. Yet the memorials before us today requireus to look back, to remember the time when they were held by a large proportionof the American people to be true.
They were taught in our schools. The boys in many of our colleges, withtheir Greek Testaments in their hands, were taught that the prophets ofJehovah inculcated the doctrine of slavery as the proper condition of alarge portion of the human race. "Of course," it was admitted,"there were abuses of slaves, but the principle of slavery was essentiallyright." This doctrine was reiterated in theological seminaries. Itwas advocated in church courts. It was taught in the newspaper press. Itwas upheld in periodicals aspiring to the dignity of Reviews. It was taughton the platform by political leaders. It was upheld in congress. It wasembodied in legislation--that of the nation, and also of many of the states.It was sustained by the courts.
In the same manner the doctrine of state rights--state sovereignty--wastaught though it never figured so broadly in the church courts. It was heldin the North and South, in the East and West, and was earnestly advocatedby a very large proportion of the people. It was the fundamental doctrineof sectionalism. In the South, especially, a citizen was, first of all,proud of his state; next, of the South; and last, and least, of the factthat he was a citizen of the great republic.
The right of the few to vote--the fundamental principle of empire--nevercame so clearly to the surface during the days of debate. It lay not dormant,but carefully hidden from the public eye, except in so far as it was manifestedby the assumptions and conduct of those who held it. It was held as firmly,and nursed, in a quiet way, and its vitality and power were no less thanthose of the other principles named.
On these doctrines there was a division among the people from the first.
There was an ever-increasing number who believed the principle of slaveryto be wrong. Their convictions gained in power with every passing year.And, as they saw the hold of the false principles upon the minds of many,they were filled with profound anxiety for the future of the republic.
So, too, in regard to the doctrine of state sovereignty, there was alarge, and ever growing number, who denied the correctness of the principle--whobelieved that the general government--the United States--was supreme; thatthe United States was not a confederacy of nations, but a nation--ONE nation,and that therefore supreme allegiance was due from every citizen to thenational government; and that there was no shadow of ground for the doctrineof the right of secession whether proposed by Massachusetts or South Carolina.
For the principle of empire, there was always an overwhelming majorityagainst it, and it was never openly debated; and yet, for a long period,those who held it ruled the affairs of the republic. Up to 1860, "Nopresident of any party had ever been elected who was opposed to their supremacy."
As early as 1787, the question of slavery began to emerge as a gravefactor in political affairs. As the years passed debate waxed loud and warm.A temporary check was imposed by the adoption of the Missouri Compromisein 1820--a measure proposed by Senator J. B. Thomas, of Illinois, and supportedby Mr. Clay. Before 1882, the doctrine of state sovereignty began to makeitself heard and feared by thoughtful men. Without tracing the history,it is enough to say that, through after years, these questions grew moreand more absorbing until the repeal of the Missouri Compromise on the 30thof May, 1854, when they became the burning questions, and the people ofthe nation rapidly arranged themselves on the one side or on the other.
At length there came a time when it was evident that debate could settlenothing: that it could not end the strife or allay the rising tide of feeling.Majorities could not do it. Both debate and majorities embittered ratherthan calmed the public fever.
Meanwhile, the leaders of those who held by the principles of slavery,state sovereignty, and empire, acting in accordance therewith, determinedto destroy the existing United States government. To do this, they madeappeal to the highest court--the court of Almighty God. The courtroom wasthe battlefield. The pleadings were made with the sword. It may well bedoubted, if they had known the men they were to meet in that pleading, whetherthey would have undertaken it. Yet who can tell? Most of them were bravemen, who had long been accustomed to rule, and who had never been taughtto fear consequences. What might have been, we know not. What was, we know.The appeal was made. The trial was long, fearful, terrible. It was the struggleof Titans. But it ended. The court of last resort gave its decision. Bythat decision, slavery was wrong--is wrong; the doctrine of state sovereigntyis wrong; the principle of empire is wrong. The court ruled that freedomfor all men is right; that supreme allegiance is due to the nation and itsgovernment; that a "government of the people, for the people, by thepeople" is right. And that doctrine was sealed in blood at Appomattox,on the 9th of April, 1865.
There are men who talk of violations of the constitution by the legislationof congress touching these great principles, since the controversy was decided.But such men should remember that the Supreme Court of the Universe haspassed upon these questions, and has written on the principles of slavery,state sovereignty in the Southern sense, and empire, "Mene, mene, YekelUpharsin." They have been weighed in the scales of stainless, perfectjustice, found wanting, and cast out. There is no place for them in theconstitution. There is no place for them in legislation. There is no placefor them in the rulings of earthly courts. They are legally dead by thejudicial decision from which there is no appeal. And the man who seeks torevive them by teaching in the schools, the churches, the platform, thepress, or in legislative halls, is guilty of a crime against his fellow-menso heinous that the human mind is not mighty enough to measure its enormity.
Gentlemen, on appeal of these principles by their advocates to AlmightyGod by wager of battle--an appeal recognized in all ages as the highestand the last--the appellants lost their cause!
The constitution of the United States has been amended on these points--andso amended that its intent can never be mistaken--by the Lord God of Hosts.And woe, woe to the men who shall seek to tamper with, or nullify the amendments.
Of these principles, their evil influence, the appeal to God, the decisionrendered, and the amendment to the constitution thereby, these graves, thisfragment of the Grand Army, this Decoration day, in which the graves ofthe men who died in the strife are strewn with flowers, are memorials.
They are memorials also of the terrible cost of the trial.
Under the circ*mstances, I may well be excused for omitting more thana mere mention of the pecuniary cost. Vast as it was, it is the most insignificantitem in the cost of the trial. And, vast as we know it to be, I doubt ifmany have any conception--any definite conception--of its real vastness.We have government reports of direct expenses; but we have no authenticknowledge of the cost to the South in money and in the destruction of property.Nor can we more than estimate the cost of taking nearly four millions ofmen in the flower of their age, and, for four years, making them destroyersinstead of producers. All these belong to the pecuniary cost of the trial.
But leaving this, we have to face an item of cost that is appalling.I mean the cost in men.
On the side of the government there were enlisted 2,850,132 men. On theconfederate side, the best estimates show an aggregate of 1,100,000 men--atotal of 3,950,132 men called to the battlefield.
Of these there died, during the war, on the side of the government, 304,366.The number discharged from service for disability, caused by wounds or chronicdisease, was 285,545--an aggregate of killed and disabled men amountingto more than half a million. It is fair to estimate the confederate losson the same scale, which gives that loss at more than a quarter of a millionmen. That is to say, the cost of this trial, which grew out of the teachingsof false principles, was, in killed and wounded men alone, more than three-quartersof a million--nearly one in four of all enlisted men--a number equal tothe population of this great State in 1870, twice told; nearly equal toits population in 1880. Imagine, if you can, the engine of death let loosein our State until four-fifths of our population are dead or maimed, andyou may get some idea of what these frightful numbers mean.
But measure the cost in this particular, you must not stop with the factof death. You must take into account the sufferings borne by these men.Stricken in battle, they lay where they fell, while brigades and divisionscharged back and forth over their mangled forms, and the roar of cannon,the peal of musketry, the shriek of shot and shell, drowned the groans andcries of the wounded and dying. There they lay in agonies unutterable, rackedwith pain, burning with the fever of their wounds, parching with thirst,and no hand to help them till the battle was done. They were bearing theagonies of death, and they were fathers whose children were far from them;they were husbands whose wives were mourning in sorrowful homes; they weresons and brothers going through the gates of death in awful pain, with nomother or sister near to wipe the death damps from their brows--to moistentheir burning tongues with a drop of water, to breathe a prayer for theirparting souls, or press a farewell kiss upon their lips--they were dying,and oh, who would care, in the stormy days, for those they left behind?
And when the battle was done, there was the gathering of the wounded,the fresh agony of removal, the keener agony under the saws and scalpelsof the surgeons, and the long suffering in the hospitals. More yet: therewere the prisoners--let me leave the veil over the scenes and sufferingsof that prison life. Nor can I tell the utter woe of widowed wives, of orphanedchildren, of childless parents made by this fearful struggle. When you takeall this in, you have the framework for the picture of the sufferings whichthis trial of these principles, by battle, cost. Can you fill it out? Canyou bring it full before your minds? Neither the pen of Dante nor of Shakespearecould write it in full. The pencil of a Raphael could not paint it. No wordsof mortal man could utter all its horror. Shrouded in appalling gloom, itmust remain forever untold, untellable, in its awful weight of woe.
And you are never to forget this cost. It is to be remembered foreverand forever, as the cost of the trial and condemnation of the false principleswhich produced it. You are to tell it to your children, with its causes.It is an everlasting part of the heritage you are to transmit to them. Weare sometimes told that all this dreadful past is to be buried; and leftin oblivion. Bury it? Leave it in oblivion? Never! Never! If you do, youare unworthy of the trust committed to you by the dead hands that lie foldedin silent graves today--committed to you, rather by the immortal spiritsthat passed from earth in the storm on battle plains--no; rather, committedto your hands by Almighty God who, through this awful trial, passed sentenceof condemnation on the wrong--sentence from which there is no appeal--sentenceto be remembered forever and forever; and in doing so, committed to yourhands the principles of righteousness, to be held and transmitted in perpetuityto your children.
But why remember it? Why perpetuate the memory?
Because it conveys lessons of vital importance to posterity.
1st. The first lesson is the danger of holding and teaching false principles.They always develop into practice. The founders of our Republic, thoughthey believed slavery wrong, yet could not agree to cast it out. They incorporatedit in the constitution of 1787. Out of its necessities grew the doctrineof states rights as taught by Mr. Calhoun. Out of the form of society towhich it gave birth, grew the idea of empire. The dragon's teeth were againsown on the fair fields of America, as of old on those of Greece, and themen of our generation reaped the harvest of armed men and slaughter andblood on a hundred battlefields. Let it never be forgotten that evil principlesbeget evil conduct, and the result is proportionate suffering and sorrow;and let the memory of this great calamity stand, pointing posterity to thelesson.
2nd. Another lesson, equally important, to which it points, and for whichit should be remembered, is the peril of blind adherence to party, and blindfollowing of partisan leaders. In the south where the war began, there werenot more than three hundred thousand (300,000) slave-holders, out of anentire white population of 8,000,000. Of these, only a small number wereprominent as leaders. Yet, by long custom, they held the power, and, asI have already said, "up to 1860, no president had been elected fromany party who was opposed to their supremacy."
But suppose the people had been readers in the true sense of the word.Suppose that instead of reading what would tend to make them only more bitterpartisans, and therefore the easier dupes of partisan leaders, they hadread both sides of the questions at issue, seeking to find the truth--theright. Suppose this--would the course of affairs have been the same? Couldit have been the same? I do not hesitate to say that if such reading hadbeen done by the people, north and south, the war would have been an impossibility.But instead of this, most of the people read only their own partisan papers,saw only one side, thought that side right, and never realized that therewas another side, or that there was any peril until the storm broke. Thesouthern leaders stigmatized everything contrary to their view, as incendiary,and it was shut out from southern people. The people of the north were hedgedin by party lines, many of them so strongly that they could not see theother side, either of the principles involved in the war, or of the waritself. The result was "evil, only evil, and that continually."The bondage to party was unworthy of men. It was more specially unworthyof those who, as descendants of the sires of 1876, called themselves freemen.
There must be parties and party leaders, but those parties are subordinateto the country and to the people, and the party leaders don't own the people.Brethren, beware of renewed peril through this same partisan blindness.There is always danger of this. We are, under law, freemen. Let us keepour intellects, our judgment, free; and, maintaining our manhood, let usnot permit any party to own us, and blind us, and use us for tools to accomplishthe ends of partisan leaders. Our generation has suffered enough, both northand south, for our fathers and our own sins in this particular. Let us learnwisdom from the suffering, and teach that wisdom to our children. And letthese young men who are yet but little past their majority, and these boyswho are coming to it, as well, learn the lesson also.
The memory of the struggle which we recall today ought to grave in ourhearts, as "with an iron pen and lead in the rock, forever," thislesson, viz: That God observes evil, makes it return to plague those whowork it, or lets it return upon their children to plague them, and overthrowsit in just judgment, with bitter sufferings to those who are involved init. The history of the world exhibits this lesson on every page. But todayI need not call in other history for proof. The history we remember now,is the proof. The northern states owned no slaves; but they were part andparcel of a government that embodied slavery in its constitution. The northernpeople had no exalted ideas of state supremacy, but many of them advocatedthe doctrine as a party necessity, and many of their leaders, fully believedin it. Their teachings and their votes gave increased power to both evils.And the war gnawing out of these evils, smote the north with tremendousblows, while it literally overwhelmed the south. It was the judgment ofGod against evil principles and the wickedness arising therefrom. We areto remember that Jehovah is king of kings and Lord of lords; and that hepunishes the wickedness of the wicked through their own devices. Yes, brethren,remember it all, and remember its lessons, and teach those lessons to posterity.Do so, not in arrogant pride and bitterness against the men of the southwho inaugurated the war, but as men who have "passed under the rod,"who have been chastened with stripes by the Almighty for their complicitywith the south in those wrongs prior to the war; and do it in charity forthe people of the south, who suffered so much sorer chastisem*nt than weof the north. Remember the agony, the lessons, solemnly, earnestly, reverently,faithfully; and teach them to coming generations in the like spirit, thatgood may arise from them through all time to come.
And now, at the appointed time, go to the cemeteries where the sleepingheroes lie. Let the shrilling fife and muffled drum sound the dirge; and,while it sounds, strew their graves with flowers whose fragrance is emblematicof the fragrance of their self-sacrifice upon the altar of their country.Wreathe the graves with evergreen, in token of the undying honor in whichthe nation, while it remains worthy of a place among the nations, must everhold the memory of the sleepers. Plant the starry flag they loved so well,for whose preservation they died, whose folds their dead lips would yetkiss if they could--plant it on their graves, and let it wave in joy overtheir fame, streaming in the breeze, glittering in the sunshine; or, mourningover their loss, drooping its folds around the staff, let it weep, tricklingwith the tears of heaven--the summer rain. Give them all a soldier's honors,ere you turn away. They deserve all. Peace be to their slumbering dust.But, let their memory live while men shall live on earth. Let them be hadthe everlasting honor.
As in the morning, all other services in the city gave way to participatein the Memorial exercises at the Methodist church. The church was filledfrom floor to gallery--so full that a long line extended to the sidewalk.The Grand Army and Woman's Relief Corps again marched from their hall andoccupied reserved seats. The floral decorations exhibited much labor andtaste. At the rear of the pulpit was an arch bearing the inscription, "Fraternity,Loyalty, and Truth," skirted by the stars and stripes. At either sideand in the center were the portraits of Lincoln, Garfield, and Grant. Thefront of the pulpit was artistically festooned with garlands. Winfield'spride in her musical culture is ticked on all occasions. The music on thisoccasion was of the highest order, from a quartette composed of Messrs.O. Branham, Chas. Slack, Louis Brown, and W. W. Jones. They had practicedtogether but very little, but their voices blended beautifully and theirselections were very appropriate. Miss Mabel Kelly presided ably at theorgan. The Crippen orchestra was again present to the delight of the audience,and by special request repeated "Lincoln's Funeral March," whichrepetition was even more highly appreciated than its first rendition. Rev.B. Kelly, Dr. Kirkwood, and Elder Myers assisted in the pulpit devotionals.Rev. J. H. Reider delivered the sermon, one bristling with scholarly, pithypoints, and in the Reverend's most eloquent and forcible manner. It is worthya place in the mind and scrap book of every loyal citizen.
At the close of the sermon, Dr. Kirkwood made a touching prayer for GeneralGrant, that, should it be the will of heaven, his health be restored andhe permitted to live many years yet in the country for whose happiness,safety, and prosperity he has done so much. But, should he be taken away,may his be a bright entrance to the pearly gates, and may the Lord be withthe wife and children, pointing and encouraging them to a like eternity.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, May 28, 1885.
The Grand Army will extend an invitation to the U. S. cavalry, shouldthe three companies remain in camp here to participate in the exercisesof Decoration Day. The officers have signified their willingness to accept.This will be a splendid feature of the procession and add interest to thewhole ceremonies. Decoration Day promises to be one of the most notablein the history of Winfield.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, June 4, 1885.
Saturday was a grand day for Winfield. A brighter, calmer, or more lovelyday was never seen; it was perfect. At an early hour the streets began toshow unusual animation and by noon all was crowd and jam. People from everywherewere present to exhibit patriotism in honoring the fallen heroes. By oneo'clock the Opera House was jammed full for the address of Rev. B. Kelly.The Grand Army and Woman's Relief Corps marched in platoons and occupiedreserved seats. The Cornet Orchestra and Messrs. Crippen, Roberts, Bates,and Shaw were again present to the delight of the audience. Among severalbeautiful selections, they again rendered "Lincoln's Funeral March."If there is a more sublime piece of music than this, as rendered by thesegentlemen, it has never been heard. It arouses enthusiastic praises everytime rendered. The vocal music by the quartette composed of Mrs. Fred Blackman,Miss Lizzie McDonald, and Messrs. Charles Slack and Louis Brown, accompaniedby Miss Maude Kelly on the organ, was grand and appropriate. Their appearanceon the rostrum is always an assurance of music unexcelled. The audiencearose in prayer by Post Chaplain, A. B. Arment, when Rev. Kelly deliveredhis address. It was a magnificent production, and delivered with Mr. Kelly'sgreat enthusiasm, stirred the soul of every hearer, and brought forth loudand frequent applause. It is with much pleasure THE COURIER presents itin full.
When Mr. Lincoln stood upon the battlefield of Gettysburg and participatedin the dedication of the national cemetery, he said: "The world willlittle note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forgetwhat they did here." He was in the presence of the graves of the fallenfrom eighteen different states. As the surviving members of the G. A. R.and citizens of the nation have met this day--not in the presence of thegraves of the fallen from eighteen states--but of all the states of thisgreat and mighty nation, the truth of Mr. Lincoln's prophecy is confirmed.
The nation has not forgotten what was suffered, sacrificed, and accomplishedmore than twenty years ago. Forget the men who made the Declaration of Independencea reality? And that it was not written for Americans, but for men? Can weforget my brother in the presence of your empty sleeve; your sightless eye;your stiff and lamed limb? Can we forget in the presence of the tatteredflags, so torn with shot and shell? Forget the great price paid for thenation's life? Forget in the presence of the widows and orphans, whose lovedones cheer their homes and gladden their hearts no more? Forget the menwho are not here, and who sleep at Richmond, Pittsburg Landing, MissionRidge, Gettysburg, Andersonville, and a hundred battlefields? Forget thelonely hours where widows and mothers wait in sorrow and silence for a meregovernment pittance to buy their bread? Forget the cause which cost us suchsacrifice?
Comrades, these things are too deeply chiseled in our memories. "IfI forget thee O, Jerusalem!" We meet today, not only to crown the immortals--ourfallen comrades--but to keep alive the principles of liberty and of humanprogress, for which they contended, and to evolve patriotism.
It is right that on this afternoon May day, we should lay aside the businessand pleasures of life, and men and women and youth, and even children, shouldwander thoughtfully among the green mounds which mark the last resting placeof our departed heroes and cover their graves with flowers. Some have objectedto the continuance of this day. It is alleged that its continuance is irritatingand alienating; keeps up the strife. This is not its object nor its effect.We proclaim, as the sentiment of this occasion, the immortal utterance ofour martyred Lincoln: "With malice towards none, with charity for all."And yet we do not mean to be sycophants. We shall not apologize for ourpast record. We are willing that all should look upon us when we gatheraround the graves of our comrades, and read in our manner, that we werehonest and meant it, when we said, twenty-five years ago, "The Unionmust and shall be preserved, now and forever, one and inseparable."
Let us decorate the graves of our fallen comrades. It does not mean war.It means peace. I firmly believe that if Decoration Day becomes universaland as generally kept in the nation as the Fourth of July, we shall neverhave another war. Let every devout heart pray to Almighty God to hastenthe time when nations shall learn war no more.
Some say it is a waste of time and money that might otherwise go to therelief of the families of deceased soldiers. That looks right, but is itsincere? Does such a declaration come from the men who haul the largestloads of coal, or send the richest hams, or the purest flour to the homeof the soldier's widow? No. Men who make such objections intend to do nosuch thing. Their conduct strikingly reminds one of an incident in the lifeof the Savior. When Mary anointed His feet with precious ointment, Judassuggested that it was a waste and ought to have been sold and the proceedsgiven to the poor. I make no application. The men who inaugurated this customof decoration are the men who founded the home for soldiers' orphans, andthe men who sustain this observance are the men who do the most for thesoldiers and their families. Your presence here today, without regard topolitical, social, or personal distinctions, is the best assurance to methat no worthy soldier, their widow or orphans, will be forgotten. I rejoicein this occasion because its spirit overlooks the boundaries of artificialdistinctions amongst men and recognizes the tie that binds us together ascomrades. Various distinctions existed amongst the departed, but they werebound together, and we are bound to each of them by a common bond. Someof them were white and some were black. Some of them were natives of Americaand some of other lands. Some of them were Roman Catholics and some wereProtestants, and many not connected with any church on earth. But as Americancitizens we cannot but feel today that every patriot soldier who gave hislife for the republic was her worthy son, and our worthy brother.
All distinctions are this day modified or lost. The orphan daughter willdecorate the grave of the colored soldier who fought and fell in the battleby the side of her father of a more delicate hue, and the protestant maidenwill affectionately plant the wreathed cross at the head of the sleepingCatholic. By the undying love for freedom of all named, no less than bytheir anatomy, it may be known that "God hath made of one blood allnations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth."
Our first lesson for the observance of today is, "The brotherhoodof man and the unity of a race." Our second lesson is an increase oflove for our country and appreciation of its worth.
By the recurrence of this day reflections are awakened in our minds ofa very tender character. Throughout the preparation, the gathering of flowers,the twining of garlands, the procession, the music, the beautiful exercisesof decoration, our minds are reverting to the past and contrasting it withthe present. Parents are here who have given their all to this cause. Widowsare here whose minds recall the happy hours when they were the honored bridesof those whose graves we today adorn, and over which they will bend withaching hearts and tears of affection. Orphans are here who will remembertheir once dear father's, and look mournfully on the graves covered withflowers. As they return to their homes their agonizing hearts will ask:"What have we for our sacrifice?" We point them to our nationalflag, rescued from dishonor, raised from the dust, and now floating proudlyover a nation of freedmen, and say to them that by the blessing of God thisis the work accomplished by your fathers and sons and husbands. We pointthem to a nation preserved, united, purified, and made stronger than itever was before, and we say to them this is the temple of liberty, whichby the blessing of God the hands of your sons, brothers, husbands, and fathershave built. The sacrifice was great; the loss beyond computation. But therichness of the heritage by them bequeathed to the millions who shall yetrise up and call them blessed justifies such a priceless expenditure. Yoursis the honor of having given such soldiers to their country--of having savedthe struggling republic.
Fellow-citizens, let me remind you of the obligation you owe to the survivingcomrades of the fallen and of the families of those who gave their livesfor you and yours. Over twenty years have passed since the last rebelliousgun was fired. Through all these years thousands of soldiers have been enduringsickness and disease entailed upon them in the army days, and year by yearlife after life has yielded to them. Around us we see the sleeveless coat,the missing leg, the sightless eye. Oh, citizens! Young American brothers!Do you realize the fact that for you and yours these patriots suffered,endured, and died? If you do, you will see to it that the rights of thewidows and orphans of these fallen men are protected and preserved. If youdo, you will give your votes to soldiers in preference to others. If youdo, you will see to it that no editor or speaker writes or speaks sneeringlyof the pittance paid to disabled soldiers, their widows and orphans.
Ingratitude is always base. I trust it will not become our dishonor andsin. It seems to me that out of a right estimate of the value of a preserved,purified, and prosperous nation, and a just appreciation of the sufferingand struggle through which it was secured, a never ceasing gratitude mustarise. For the patriot dead this gratitude can be but a sentiment. For theloved ones behind, it can take practical form. For the patriot living, itdemonstrated itself by active works for their comfort, benefit, and happiness.
Dear friends, the observation of this occasion is both commendable andappropriate. It is appropriate that we should observe it in the spring-time.This season is the fittest type of the Resurrection to which we so fondlylook as the time when this precious dust by the almighty power of God shallbe restored us, clothed with immortal life and beauty. It is fitting thatwe should strew flowers on the graves of our loved ones. They will fadeand wither, but while they remain--by their beauty, delicacy, and sweetnessthey are the fittest gifts of love.
My comrades, how vividly all these war experiences come back to you today.On the dial of memory the hands are turned backward. You think of the daysof pleasant companionship. You call back the admirable personal traits outof which grew brotherly regard and genuine love. The bond which common dangerand suffering forged is again welded. The days which are gone, and the comradeswho departed with them are here again recalled by these memorial services.Through your own service in the cause of freedom and the nation, and youruntarnished record as faithful soldiers have you gained the right to wearthe badge of the Grand Army of the Republic, for without such record younever could be mustered into its ranks. You well know the claims of yourdead comrades to have their memories cherished, for you shared their trials,sufferings, and their glory.
They have gone, but their memories, patriotism, and achievements continueand will last as long as the republic lives. If these are forgotten, thenation ought to die. Let us hope that in the long years to come the proudestboast of the future American citizen will be that he can trace his lineageto one who fought, endured, and died that the nation might live with allits countless blessings for humanity. In thousands of cemeteries on thisday are flowers strewn over the last resting places of the patriot dead,and we are guarding their memories by the proudest titles men ever bore.
Soldiers of the Republic! Comrades of the G. A. R., let us feel in ourselvesthe future life by deeds of kindness to each other. We are like a forestin which nearly two-thirds of the trees have been cut down. The wintershave snowed their years upon us and we begin to fall. Comrades, let us saywhen we go down to the grave, I have finished my work! Not I have finishedmy life. The tomb is not a blind alley. It is a thoroughfare. It closeson the twilight to open on the dawn.
Heroes are waiting us from Bunker Hill, Yorktown, Antietam, Gettysburg,Richmond, Ft. Donaldson, Pittsburg Landing, Mission Ridge, Dallas, Atlanta--inshort, from every battlefield of the Republic. When the great final roll-callshall occur, may we all so have lived that we shall be able to say, in thelanguage of a great soldier: "I have fought a good fight--I have finishedmy course," and be able to answer present.
The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
The soldier's last tattoo;
No more on life's parade shall meet
These brave men and these true,
On Fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tears are spread,
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead.
Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead,
Dear as the blood ye gave;
No impious footsteps here shall tread
The herbage of your grave;
Nor shall your glory be forgot,
While Fame her record keeps,
Or honor points the hallowed spot
Where valor proudly sleeps.
Mothers, wives, sisters, and lovers of the heroes of the Grand Army ofthe Republic--living and dead! What words or thought can I use that willproperly present your devotion, sacrifice, loyalty and patriotism? We donot forget the time when your womanly hearts and patriotism nerved you tobuckle on the sword, imprint the kiss of affection, and send us forth indefense of your country and for the protection of your homes and the interestsof your children. We do not forget the tokens of love sent us to the campand hospital--the letters, containing words of cheer and hope, and thatseemed wet with the tears of affection. We know that every form of benevolencethat woman's heart and head could devise was developed and used for ourcomfort during the dark and stormy days of war. We are too manly and braveto forget or undervalue your work and sacrifice, or to think that the Rebellioncould be put down without you, and know that when the proper history iswritten, it will appear that woman's devotion, sacrifice, and work did asmuch to save the nation and the valor and courage of the men. And, now,in the tender, delicate, and arduous work you have willingly and enthusiasticallyundertaken to do, caring for and helping the needy, you have the blessingof God, the approval of all good men and angels, and the gratitude of themen who compose the G. A. R. May you all at last hear the Great Commandersay, "She hath done what she could."
At two o'clock the procession was formed and the march to the cemeterytaken up. The order of march was as follows.
1st. The Courier Band, led by its handsomely caparisoned Drum-Major,J. E. Snow.
2nd. Winfield Post, G. A. R., with visiting Comrades and Co. C., StateGuards.
3rd. The Winfield Juvenile Band.
4th. Twelve little girls dressed in white and twelve little boys, followedby flower wagons.
5th. Woman's Relief Corps.
6th. Citizens.
7th. The Winfield Union Cornet Band.
8th. Winfield Fire Department.
The parade was in charge of Post Commander S. Cure and aid-de-camps,H. H. Siverd, J. J. Carson, A. H. Limerick, W. B. Caton, C. Trump, JohnEvans, and Dr. States.
The handsome uniforms of the Bands and Fire Department gave the paradefine display.
The line of march was north on Main street to Eighth avenue; east onEighth avenue to Harter street; north on Harter street to Fifth avenue;east on Fifth avenue to Michigan avenue, in Highland Park, and thence northto cemetery.
The services in the cemetery were held on the center campus. The BeautifulManual and ritualistic services of the Grand Army was here rendered, andMiss Florence Campbell delivered an original poem. Miss Campbell's renditionexhibited culture and elicited high praise. It is a splendid productionand speaks for itself. Here it is.
And now, when roses are blooming,
When the world is all in tune,
When the air is heavy with fragrance,
And the garden's all abloom;
When the fair young hand of summer,
O'er forest, field and plain,
Has heaped a thousand garlands,
Till nature's wide domain
Is strewn with tinted blossoms.
We come to this place so blest,
And learn the magical meaning,
The beautiful lesson of rest.
In this quiet camp of the dead we stand,
Where no sentry paces his beat.
Nature's deep silence the countersign
The "All's Well," the winds repeat.
As silent as thought the hours creep by,
Bringing their shade and shine
To many a grassy curtained tent,
Where our noble dead recline,
As billows the field before me,
So billows many a plain.
In unkept fields, by lone mountain side,
Are sleeping our noble slain.
The silence of a score of years,
Are whispering o'er the tomb
Of those who fell in battle
Amid the smoke and gloom;
Thinking of all those troublous days,
Thinking of naught beside,
I've drifted back through the sea of years,
On memory's dreaming tide.
There are notes of martial music,
In a low, sad, minor strain,
Floating forever and ever,
Though unsettled, through my brain.
And I have caught the echo
Of freedom's wordless song.
Swelling from thousand unseen throats,
To a chorus glad and strong.
Live a wild bird loosed from its cage.
It flies through the balmy air,
Each ear is a twig where it perches,
Each heart the warm nest where
It broods new chords and new fancies.
They, too, will soon take wing.
And to future generations
The noble song will sing.
We all are mediums to glean
These ghosts of sound from the air,
To interpret these loyal whispers,
That are floating everywhere.
"I'm tired of this soldier business;"
Oft times we hear it said,
By those who we urge to keep this day,
And honor our royal dead.
It seems to me there was time,
When ever a man but grew
So "tired of this soldier business,"
Yet, stood by his colors true.
Mid the clouds on Lookout Mountain,
When Sherman marched to the sea;
When Grant went on to Richmond,
When a Nation's destiny
Hung wavering in the balance;
When hope well nigh expired,
On weary march, and in prison pen,
There were many heartily "tired."
But grandly they proved to a bonded race,
A race oppressed, down trod,
That one man was a majority,
If he only stood with God.
To that one man give homage today,
His "soul is marching on."
He was the vanguard of Liberty,
Brave, noble, old John Brown.
I think of those weary marches,
Of the stifling battle smoke.
Of the women waiting and watching,
Of the hearts that well nigh broke.
Again I return to the present hour,
From the misty realm of time,
And see before me those living ones
Who fought in that terrible war,
And living ones, though maimed and scared,
I deem you a plumed Navarre.
Something so tender and sacred,
This day of days should be,
Like words from some grand old poet
Set to sweetest melody.
Bring hither your floral tribute,
Of nature's choices and best,
'Till "God's acre" shall glint and glisten,
A beautiful haven of rest.
Bring hither the choicest treasures
Of the finest month of the year.
In each fragrant blossom there dwelleth,
The dew of an angel's tear.
Come each and all with your garlands,
And cover these graves at our feet,
Let them lie in their tinted glory,
As if dying men were something sweet.
Bring lilies, white as the wings of peace,
And deck each hallowed spot,
Bring twining vines, and evergreens,
A silent "forget-me-not."
Bring roses, because we loved them so,
Strew daintiest blossoms between,
Bring pansies, they are for thought you know,
And we "keep their memory green."
Three comrades present a year ago,
To the roll do not respond.
They are learning the mystic secrets
Of the beautiful beyond.
The turf is not green above the last,
Whom death claimed for his own.
Thank God on this sunny hill side,
No grave is labeled "unknown."
Though the blaze of rebellion has faded,
From out the southern sky.
"A charge to keep" we yet have,
These graves to glorify.
In our hearts, and with our hands,
Let us keep this sacred day.
Let the heroes "bivouac" forever,
Be decked with bloom each May.
They fought with a bravery born of truth,
That bore with it conviction,
Each life, a sermon strong and true,
Today brings the benediction.
Comrades, who stand before me today,
The death to which they bowed,
Yet bravely met in those troublous years,
When the nation cried aloud.
Let each camp fire brightly burning,
Break through the mist of years,
With your garlands each May returning,
And water them with your tears.
Now bow the head for a moment,
And pray to God that he,
The hero of Appomattox,
And the famous apple tree,
May he be spared a little longer,
Ere he answers the muster on high.
His famous deeds of valor,
We'll remember until we die.
'Twas he who recommended,
This day to be set apart,
And a memorial service offered,
From a nation's grateful heart.
Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield,
Grand trinity of men,
We deck each brow with laurels
And the nation cries "amen."
And now I look to the future,
How shall we this day keep,
When the last of this noble army,
On the hill shall fall asleep?
Shall we have "no time for such things,"
As the years go speeding on?
Why they had time for so many things,
Way back in sixty-one.
Oh, a liberty's sun to the living ones,
A watch fire for the dead.
Undying truths shall feed the flame,
As years wing their flight o'er head.
With no thought for the boys in gray,
Save pity and regret,
We forgive the work of years ago,
But cannot now forget.
And as each spring comes floating down
From the isle where years lie asleep,
As o'er each mournfully silent grave,
The stars their vigils keep.
Adorn with flowers each soldier's grave,
Whether blue or gray.
But tell honestly, tell truthfully,
The cause of keeping this day.
Shall we drown the memory of loyal ones,
Who sleep in their peaceful graves,
With heaven's tri-colors above them,
'Neath the soil they died to save?
They were right, eternally right,
The others were in the wrong.
Shall we play with facts, fantastic tricks,
And tell in story and song,
That you are sorry you ever tried
To face the shot and shell?
To give to the balmy summer air
The flag we love so well?
We pen each day a historic page.
Shall we send it blindly on,
That the work completed so long ago
Was illy, cowardly done?
Even the commonest soldier,
Who went at his country's call,
At rest on the field or living still,
Should receive the honor of all.
Shall we bow to a cowardly policy,
And let it lightly go?
From the dumb lips of a million slain
Comes back the answer "No!"
In the name of all heroes living,
In the name of all those dead,
I pray you teach to your children
The truths for which they bled.
As the old comrades are "mustered out,"
And "fall in" one by one,
With that silent army waiting to hear,
"'Thou faithful servant, well done,"
When the drum beats fall on no veteran's ear,
We'll remember your cause was ours,
And on this our nation's Sabbath day,
We'll cover you over with flowers.
The service of grave decoration then began. The garlands were depositedby a bevy of Misses and boys, in charge of Mr. A. E. Baird and Dr. F. H.Bull, and composed as follows: Maude Conrad, Alma Rogers, Maggie Hendricks,Hortense Kelly, Maude Cooper, Lottie Caton, Lottie McGuire, Mattie Paris,Lulu McGuire, Winnie Limerick, Katie Beck; Master Charley Stewart, RobertScott, Clifford Stubblefield, Clyde Albro, Johnnie Scott, Robbie McMullen,Waldo Baird, Charley Greer, Harry Hunt, George Carson.
A. A. Buck, Capt. Co. F, 13th Ill. Inft.; James McGuire, Co. H, 10thIll. Inft.; Samuel W. Greer, Capt. Co. I, 15th Kansas Vol. Cav.; A. T. Shenneman,Co. D, 1st Ill. Cav.; Miles A. Bailey, Co. D, 24 Kansas Inft.; S. G. Gray,Co. H, 2nd Iowa Inft.; James H. Finch, Co. D, 13th Kan. Vol.; Jacob Riehl,in Colorado Art. Co.; Thos. Welch, Co. I, 13 Kan. Vol.; James Carmine, Co.F, 19th Ind. Inft.; B. N. Rutherford, Capt. 98th Ohio Inft.; C. L. Flint,Co. I, 40th Ill. Inft. Vol.; D. P. Herndon, Co. H, 7th Ky. Cav. Vol.; I.N. Corkins, regiment unknown; N. E. Mansfield, 92nd N. Y. Inft. Vol.; J.N. Vandorn, 130th Ill. Inft. Vol.; Henry H. Parks, Co. K, 83rd Ind. Vol.;Enoch Bembarger, 4th Iowa Cav. Vol.; Nate Fisher, regiment unknown.
Mr. Taylor, regiment unknown; Chas. I. Dunkin, Co. B, 1st Bat., 16thU. S. Inft.; Wm. H. Sarson, 1st Vermont battery; Harvey Swindler, Co. G,4th Mo. Cav.
John M. Connor, Co. E, 9th Kentucky Cavalry.
The Vernon Cemetery was decorated by Capt. H. H. Siverd, Dr. D. J. States,W. W. Painter, J. W. Millspaugh, T. A. Blanchard, and other old soldiers,with 150 Vernon citizens.
The decoration of the Catholic cemetery was conducted by Messrs. WalterDenning, H. W. Stubblefield, and D. C. Beach, assisted by citizens.
The committee of decoration of the South Cemetery were T. J. Harris,S. Parkhurst, Ed. Haight, and Jno. Gill; with citizens.
[Note: Jerry Wallace sent me a xerox that was evidently takenfrom microfilm for a 1910 news item in the Courier. Thank you, Jerry. Someof the names was partially obscured. I also suspect that some of the nameslisted are incorrectly spelled. For instance, A. T. Shenneman was spelledas "Shinneman." This has been typical of all the newspapers inthe early days. Sometimes I could not tell whether initials were correct.For instance "C" and "O" appeared almost the same tome. MAW 11/4/2000]
Winfield Daily Courier, Thursday, May 26, 1910.
Bailey, Niles O.
Baricklow, Frederick.
Becker, Soloman P.
Beringer, John L.
Binkey, John.
Booth, W. S.
Boyer, Wallis M.
Boynton, James S.
Brumbarger, Enos S.
Buck, A. A.
Bull, Frank H.
Burge, Chauncey.
Canine, C. I.
Carr, Samuel H.
Catlin, Horace C.
Cessna, Jonathan.
Chafey, M. N.
Cogdal, Wm. H.
Cogswell, Lewis S.
Cole, Joseph.
Colt, James H.
Condit, Simon S.
Cook, Daniel.
Copeland, Wm. C.
Corbin, Americus V.
Corkins, J. W.
Crary, E. L.
Cutting, L. G.
Denning, I. N.
Douglass, J. W.
Douglass, John
Droz, E. H.
Day, Charles.
Eastin, Charles.
Ely, J. W.
Endaly, J. H.
Evans, Jerry C.
Everett, J. C.
Emery, David M.
Esler, William J.
Everett, Carlos.
Finch, James H.
Fisher, Nathaniel.
Fisher, Wm. V.
Firebaugh, Samuel.
Floyd, Thomas J.
Flint, C. L.
Gardner, Henry.
Gary, Simon G.
Gates, Stephen.
Gay, A. T.
Goodrich, John B.
Graham, John F.
Gray, George.
Greer, Samuel W.
Guy, Harison.
Hahn, T. C.
Height, N. A.
Hale, Henry C.
Hamm, F. M.
Hickok, Elisha P.
Hilyard, Simon J.
Herndon, D. P.
Hopkins, James.
Hanna, Bryson D.
Hart, Wm. H.
Harrod, Benjamin F.
Hensley, James.
Jones, Joel M.
Kent, Philo.
Klingle, George A.
Kraig, John C.
LaMott, James P.
Lewis, H. D.
Lee, William R.
Louis, Charles Walter.
Loomis, H. C.
Lundy, W. J.
McCarty, William W.
McCreary, James D.
McCloy, Joseph.
McGregor, J. G.
McGuire, James E.
McKee, John.
McKibben, Hugh.
Mansfield, W. Q.
Martin, G. W.
Martin, James F.
Martin, W. L.
Mattox, Charles A.
Merriam, Sims A.
Miles, John.
Miller, Adam B.
Miller, Robert A.
Moore, William.
Mounts, J. H.
Murphy, B. E.
Musgrove, Jacob.
Millspaugh, J. W.
Morris, Thomas W.
Miller, George W.
Olive, George.
Page, John G.
Paris, C. W.
Parks, H. H.
Pugh, John.
Powell, John.
Putnam, John S.
Race, Ezra D.
Reynolds, Ernest M.
Reynolds, John M.
Rhodes, George W.
Riehl, Jacob.
Roberts, John C.
Robertson, Darius.
Robinson, M. L.
Ross, John.
Robinson, Gabriel.
Ross, T. B.
Rowe, Morris P.
Rutherford, B. W.
Saunders, Charles W.
Shearer, W. H.
Sheel, Daniel.
Shering, Caleb.
Shenneman, A. T. [Note: They had "Shinneman."]
Siverd, Hugh H.
Small, A. M.
Smith, J. H.
Stalloop, Benjamin K.
Stalter, David.
Salmons, James D.
Smith, John R.
Smith, Samuel O.
Sumpter, John R.
Smith, S. C.
Shearer, Wells H.
Thomas, Allen J.
Thompson, William.
Troup, M. G.
Troxell, J. B.
Twigg, Gilbert.
Van Dorfen, J.
Van Hart, Jesse M.
Wade, A. [?].
Weaver, Henry C.
Welch, Thomas.
Williamson, W. H.
Weimer, John.
Wilson, A. R.
Wilson, Robert S.
Wise, Lafayette.
Wilson, Nathan J.
Wood, C. M.
Wicker, Lewis F.
Crabbs, William.
Dunkin, C. J.
Daniels, C. L.
Robertson, Nathaniel B.
Sarson, W. H.
Swindler, Harvey.
Wells, B. B.
Wright, Nimrod T.
Maher, Daniel.
Noel, John.
O'Connor, John M.
Arright, Antonio.
Allen, Edward A.
Allen, Marshall W.
Binkey, Jacob.
Camlilonn [?], John. [LAST NAME DISTORTED ON XEROX COPY.]
Fruits, D. M.
Greer, Henry J.
Henderson, Edwin H.
Iry, William.
Long, Jacob.
McAllister, Martin V.
Mock, William.
Overly, William.
Oldham, Zadok.
Paynter, Jacob R.
Painter, Charles P.
Pennington, Samuel W.
Pratt, William.
Taylor, J. R.
Tryon, W. S.
Davis, John R.
Halfley, Ablom.
Hon, Isaac D.
Marshall, William.
Rhodes, Milford B.
Boone, Solomon.
Hall, John H.
Longshore, R. R.
Shorter, Charles H. [? Could be M.]
Foster, John L.
Huston, David A.
McKibben, Joseph C.
Moore, Franklin J.
Patton, A. A.
Schofield, Marshall S.
Simon, David B.
Sipe, Adam.
White, William.
White, Charles.
Bogner, Jacob.
Ruggles, J. E.
Salee, Oliver.
Bosworth, J. D.
Buss, Henry H.
Dillman, Henry.
Grant, L. G.
Hammon, Jefferson.
Hill, George G.
McCollister, John.
Odell, A. B.
Pitman, G. M.
Rusher, George E.
Stout, Leonard.
Bradshaw, C. A.
Chaffee, T. L.
Copeland, Uriah.
Good, William.
Snyder, John.
Shaw, Wilson.
Bradbury, James.
Haney, John.
Cook, J. B.
Conklin, John A.
Greenland, Alfred.
Moffet, E. R.
Walker, .
Lett, W. C.
Wilson, Philander.
Walker, George.
Bradbury, Charles J.
Fuller, Alexander.
Grimes, Joseph T.
Geiser, Charles.
Jenkins, D. W.
Moore, W. H.
Nelson, Isaac.
Trout, James E.
Soldiers buried in Union and Graham cemeteries since Memorial Day, 1909.
Hayes, Levi.
Haskell, Wm. C.
Hardzog, Henry.
Honnold, Benj. W.
Limerick, Alex. H.
McClelland, Geo. T.
Mather, Ebenger.
Miller, Thomas H.
- Winfield Public Schools - Part One - From Miss Bliss's First Class to 450 Students - from 1871 to 1878.
- Winfield Public Schools - Part Two -Many Teachers, Buildings, Students, Events - from 1879 to 1882.
- The Story of Mrs. J. E. Seeyle (of Ft. Scott) in Winfield Courier, 1885. She spent 3 years as a man in the Army in The Civil War.
Items from The Winfield Courier about The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Organization in Winfield. - Winfield Public Schools - Part Two -Many Teachers, Buildings, Students, Events - from 1879 to 1882.
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