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pESfe^"' -,i * f . . ?. i}. i M?? |: ANNUAL ORATION, j BY GENERAL MANDERSON. j BEFORE THE MEETING OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. AT CHATTAvrnnns CPBT Id 1RQK nV/vun? * *v, -wvw. A Suloii?li?l Ellort by a JlaHlor of Ili*i Snbjccl?Amlience Apprfcinlril the j Add res*. Mr. President, Ladies, Gentlemen i and Comrades of the Society of the! Army of the Cumberland : We celebrate an event. We do more, we make an epoch ! We commemorate a conflict. Wei do more. We record a new era! That the celebration of the event, the commemoration of the conflict; the marking of the epoch and the recording of the new era should be at the some place, with identical natural surrouudings, is most fitting. Mighty hosts battling: for. the mastery made these hills and vales a scene of desolation a third of a century ago. The earth was torn and seamed by the dread enginery of war. The fruitage of those autumn days was gathered by the grim reaper, whose name is death. A generation has passed away since that shock of arms. For thirty-two years the spring rains have fallen, the summer's sun has shone, upon the soil, once crimsoned by the blood of the country's best and its bravest, and how great the change ! v.STERN ALARUMS CHANGED TO MERRY GREETINGS. Time, the great healer, and nature the sweet restorer, have labored haud in hand to wipe out the traces of conflict and heal the scars of "grimvisaged war." The salient and the bastion, behind which shone the m' glistening steel and which threatened the blackmuzzled caunon, are now leveled to the crop-producing earth. > . The soil that then drank, with fearful thirst, of the enriching blood of battle, now feeds the plant and nourishes the flower. Broad fields of nodding corn and waving grain, yielding abundant harvest to the knife and scythe of the husbandman, gladden the sight. Where was heard the cannon's roar, the sharp rattle of musketry, the shriek oF shell, the hiss of bullet and all the discordant din of the votaries of "Moloch, horrid king." now the consonant harmony of piping peace pleases the ear, the 9ong of birds " ? ' 1! Uk Kom melodiously miuguug wuu mc uum ; of industry, leisurely rising and gently falling in symphonic unison. "Our bruised arms hung up for monuments" have gathered the rust and dust of the advancing years and nigh forgot their bvf- mission. All tells of change I The veterans returning to the field of "high surprise" meets difficulty in finding the "dark and bloody ground," where once the red tide of battle ebbed and flowed. There are those of us here presenc who have seen where? "Tracks of blood, even to the forest's depths, 1 ' Aod scattered arms and lifeless warriors, Whose hard lineaments Death's self coold change not, luarituu LUC UICUUIUI patu ^ Of the outsally tag victors." l>at to find that path today is a vain vand fruitless eudeavor. STATELY EDIFICES TAKE THE PLACE ii[ ' OF LOWLY STRUCTURES. Peace hath emphasized her victories! The scattered hamlet, the objective poiut of military endeavor in 18G3, is the thriving city, the center of commercial distribution in 1895. Stately public edifices, business palaces and artistic homes lining the wellpaved streets of a metropolis, afford most marked contrast to the lowly and homely structures that were strung along the country roads a generation ago. The quiet of the agricultural village has given place to the activity of the manufacturing city. Fed by the rich deposits of iron and coal the pulse of trade throbs with vitalized energy, i'ne vibration of mighty machinery, the whirr of revolving wheels, the tremendous movement of the mighty mills, fills all the air and shakes the very earth itself. A few people in numbers with petty ambitions has given place to a greater population of enterprising citizens, instinct and energy, pursuing their varied vocations with forceful power. LOOKING OVER THK CONFINES OK FIVE MIGHTY STATES. It is a transformation wonderful in.f deed! And yet mingled, with the new v and strange is the old and familiar. With the old time resemblance to the crouching lion with paws extended, lofty Lookout mountain still lifts its proud head, looking out over the confines of five mighty states of a mightier nation. Mission Ridge, with its steep sides and thin backbone, yet forms the rim of the semicircular amphitheater in which lies Chattanooga. Moccasin Point is as I ** +Ka lnr\/lc<nnnft n o r\ f [HULUIUCUL ill LUC ladunuupu ao vi yore and Orchard Knob is in evidence before us. The Tennesse, like "Tagus making onward to the deep," still sweeps along carrying its weight of water to "La Belle Riviere," the old boundary line of the middle North and South, it rushes on tojoiu the turbid flood of the Father of Waters, which now indeed "flows unvexed to the sea." Chickamaugaand Chattanooga creeks, as their waters are swallowed by the greater stream still tell the story of the past that dignified their names aud even little Citico is hereto whisper of that first day's advance of the Army of the Cumberland upon the line in gray on Orchard Knob. WITNESSES OF THE ] AST? NOT ALL ?& ARE HERE. These witnesses of the memorable past are here to observe the new condition. liftinrv tr%r\ Sf io fhnt the* qMaki . . ' in the tragedy played here ageneration gone by shoiila agaiQ be on the stage. Alas ! not all are here ! We recall with aching hearts the tens of thousands of braves of both contentions who paid the supreme sacrifice for the cause for which they fought and who proved their belief in the faith professed by layiugdown their young lives for its advancement. By Instant killing from grievous wounds; with blighting disease aud from criminal neglect; upon the field of honor, under the hospital tent, in the pestcau\p, within the prison pen, they perished. To the glorious list of tbe honored dead who thus fell we add the many others, who surviving the conflict ol four long years have crossed the dark river. How rapidly are our mighty lines shortening. The years that briug old age, infirmity and death are making greater havoc in our ranks than djd the fire of the foe. Time is our mo.<?t relentless euemy. File after file drops to earth and soon our vast host will be a small b.'ttallion ; yet a little while and but a Hpjfe J ; . . . . \ I squad will remain and then?not one j shall live to tell the tale of personal experience in the great war of rebellion. As in the battle so now. Death is no respecter of persons or rank. The great leveller calls for his victims from the field and stafl'a9 well ns from the rank and file. Of the great leaders who here won immortal fame how few are left! Their passing away is of the every day. Indeed? "The air is fall of farewells to our dying, Aud mournings lor our dead.'' In the hearts and minds of those who are left their names are enshrined and a grateful country will ever keep their memories green. PERFECT PEACE?GOOD WILL. The new era we, survivors of those troublous times are here to greet is that of perfect peace and genuine good will. The period of distrust, the time of suspicion ha9 passed away. We who fought to save the nation ever recognized the indomitable courage and puissant valor of those who sought to break assunder the Union of States. r nnn, own while condemning the w6wf ? w false teaching that led to the belief that allegiance was to the state, we appreciated how deep abiding was the honest conviction of those, who taught in a different school from us, made untold sacrifices for the cause they espoused. Forgetting nothing of the past?the cruel blow at nationality,the unhallowed attack upon the tlag?with all the ?ad results of weeping and wounds, of desolation and death, we have forgiven everything. Full citizenship, with all of honor, of governing power nnd controlling rights, that the term imports, has been accorded to all who participated or lent aid and comfort to the enemies of the Union. GLORIOUS TRINITY OF RESULTSWORTH TIIK COST OF TREASURE AND BLOOD. Happy is the glorious trinity of resuits?the saving of the nation's life, the extinction of the curse of slavery and the establishment of the equality of all men before the law?we believe them worth even the cost of treasure and of blood and have no room for malice or ill-will. We join in the sentiment of our great chieftain? UlysesS. Grant?"let us have peace," remembering also that the generous Conquerror at Appamattox said of and for himself, and for us who served 1? U!? " ? oro nnt r?oHv tn LILlUei UILLJ, rra aiv uv> ?, ? j ? apologize for our part iu the war" und are content that the result of the arbitrament and the pages of the truthful history have shown that we, who fought to save, were forever right and they, who fought to destroy, were eternally wrong. EQUAL VAT/OR?MUTUAL RESPECT. As the victors and the vanquished have recognized equal courage and equal powers of endurance there has come mutual respect. Through the throes and labor of reconstruction, with the contact of peoples, the interchange of commerce, the common interests of the different parts of the national whole, the dovetailing of states through the construction of the iron highways of trade and the mutual contribution of the capital needed for the development of the new South, has come peaceful, contented reconciliation. The years that gather wisdom and experience to all, long ago taught the lesson, even to those who fought for it, lhat the cause for which they struggled and suffered was better lost than won. And now rancor and hate is gone. The Unionist and the Secessionist, the the Federal and the Rebel, the Yankee and the Johnnie, meet to rejoice in tbe existence of a nation, not a Confederacy. We glory in the fact that we have the proudest diguity and highest rank that can come to appreciative man, that of American citizenship. Hail! the epoch of concord. All hail! the era of fraternity. ? _ ?? vnm T>WADnrn T11K J > I Iv r. ??r wniui ->VJ i\r.\ IN HISTORY. Tomorrow's sun, rising on the anniversary of the fust (lay of Chickamauga, will witness a sceue the like of which ha?no record in history. By the bounty of a generous government, supplemented by theactiou of appreciative states aud by the voluntary contributions of men who fought on either side, a great battlefield has been restored. The ex-federal and the ex-confederate soldier will go hand in hand and recount to each other the story of the struggle for Chattanooga. Tne lines of bi?th contending armies are correctly shown by enduring monuments and lasting tablets. The skill of the artist and the genius of thearchitect has been supplemented by the deft constructive power of the artisan. The combat of arms has become the rivalry in taste. A generous contest has succeeded the grapple of deathdealing foes. Destruction has given way to preservation. Emulation succeeds detraction. We are told that thirty-four years after the batttle of Waterloo it was necessary to cover with many coats of color the walls of the chateau ol Hougomont, held so valiantly by the Euglish against the repeated attacks of the French, because of the scurri'ousand insulting sentences written upon them by the survivors of the battle. A generation had served but to intensify the mutuality of hatred o! the two peoples. The visitor to Brussels who visits the tkld of Waterloo, tempted so to dc by the well known story of the fall ol Napoleon and the fame of Wellington, meets with grevious disappointment, The English and Germans, in placing the great monuments of earth and stone commemorating the renown ol the Iron Duke, the name of Bluchei 1 and the glory of those who fought under them, have so changed the earth's surface that the features of the Held an undiscoverable. As Victor Hugo put.' it: "History, disconcerted.no longei | recognizes herself upon it. To glorify it, it has been disfigured." Wellington, visitiug the scene of hi: I vinfnrr n fow vdq ru thara OlU^CliUWUO TJVtVl Jy *V?? J VV..W %uv v. after, exclaimed : "They have chang ed my battlefield." I'RESBBVIXCi THE IIISTOKIC SC'KXE. We have restored as near as may be the condition of 1803 in the surface sur roundings about this great strategu center. My comrades of the Cumber land ! We will hold in grateful remem I bratice the men who have been instru mental in accomplishing this grea i work. I What has here been done should als< be accomplished on the other fields se apart by the nation as places not to lx , profaned. Gettysburg, Antietam am febiloh should become object lessons t( i the patriotic student of American his tory. NO BATTLE EXCELS CHICKAMAUC1A. Ashe intelligently studies, and a; he shall write the results ofhisinvesti gation, he will say to the future?"foi bold attack aud firm defense; for dash ing assault and valorous resistance for dogged onslaught and tenacious gra9p; for desperate fighting and courageous combat, no battle excels Hud nearly all fall far short of being the equal of Chickamauga." Aye ! more ia true. In importance to the cause, in far-reaching result, in the bringing of the end desired, nc battle equals those fought for the possession and retention of Chattanooga, Capturing the stronghold of the South, this strntecie kev to onen the very vi tals of the confederacy,* guaranteed tht holding of loyal East Tennessee; kepi Kentucky within our bouuds; threatlened the Hank and rear of the Army 01 Northern Virginia; permitted the At lanta campaign, with the capture 01 the capital city of Georgia; made possible the march to the sea; was the chief instrumentality in the fall ol Richmond; was a prime factor in tht surrender at Appomatox, and die much to prevent that recognition 01 southern nationality by the greal powers that would probably have made of secession a fact accomplished, MUST NOT DIM THE GLORY 01 CHICK AMAUGA. We know this and history must re cord it. Too long have the ligbtfi o: Antietam and Gettysburg been allow ed to dim the glory of Stone river anc Chickamauga. Great battles indeec were those of the east, but in extendei effects they bear no comparison witi these sanguinary conflicts of the mid die west. You brave men who wore the graj know it. Let some of "our friends? the enemy," give testimony. WIIAT GEN. LORING SAYS. Confederate General Loriug says o. the campaign for Chattanooga: "We would havegladly exchanged t "i" nrawmno vinfnvipa fnr t.hftl UUACU Wi WU1 pivtivuu v?v?w.vm one failure. * * * No man is the soutl felt that you had accomplished any thing until Chattanooga fell. It was the closed doorway to the interior o our country. * * The loss of Vicks burg weakened our prestige, contractec our territory and practically expellei us from the Mississippi river, but il left the body of our power unharmed As to Gettysburg, that was an experi ment. * * * Our loss of it, except tha1 we could less easily spare the slaughte: of veteran soldiers than you could, lef us where we were. * * The fall o Chattanooga, in consequence of th< Chickamauga campaign, and thei<ubse quem total defeat of Gen. Bragg'i efforts to recover it, caused us to ex perience for the first time adlminutior of confidence as to the final result." Lieut.-Gen. Hill, a most distinguish ed confederate, came from experience 011 the PeniuHula and the seveu days battle about Bichmond.and was ripen ed by service at South Mountain Antietam and Frederick sljurg t< command that great corps of the Armj of Tennessee in which commanding divisious were such men as Gens. P It. Cleburne, J. C. Breckinridge. H T Walker And fit. John B. Liddell and in command ot brigades were .Col quitt, Walthall and Mills. . In hii contribution to war history he writes "There was no more splendid fight |ng in '61, when the flower of the south ern youth was in the field, than wai displayed in those bloody days of Sep ternber, 63. But it seemed to me tha the e'lan of tbe southern soldier wa> uever seen after Cbickamauga?thi brilliant dash which had distinguisbe< him was gone forever. He was too In telligent not to know that the cutting iu twoof Georgia meant death to all hi hopes. He fought stoutly to the last but after Cbickamauga with tbe sullen ness of despair and without the en tbusiasm of hope. That 'barren, vie tory' sealed tbe fate of the southeri confederacy." CHICK AM AUG A THE ONLY DEFEA' OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. And yet, iu spite of abundant avail able testimony, Cbickamauga is (If clared by those either ignorant orjeal ous to have been a defeat of the federa arms and the non-fighting croakers a Washington iudulged in much pape bombardment of those who plannei the campaign for the capture of Chatt a nooga. A victim was demanded am Rosecrans was cruelly sacrificed. Hi service from the beginning of the wa was ignored. No recollection o Stone river moved to respect for tha ability we who had served under hin knew he possessed. The villificatioi of Rosecrans by these carping critic was abuse of the grand army he lei from Nashville to Murfreesboro; to "victory plucked from the jaws of de feat," and victory most pronounced, a Stone river; through the Tullahomi campaign to the final occupation o the objective point of all militar; endeavor from the days in 18til whei the troops of the union crossed th Ohio river. On that eventful 20th da; of September, 1863, the Array of th Cumberland, for the first and onl; time, lost possession of the battlefield but it gained to hold until the end, th goal of military aspiration, thi Gibraltar of the South. It was not t be won without hard fighting, and ill coullict for it raged with indescribabl fury from Lee & Gordon's mill t ; Snodgrass hill, the Horse Shoe ridge ; made immortal by the immovable fig ure that stood there?serene, seilatt our own Gen. George If. Thomas, th 1 Rock of Chickamauga. I'ATHKTIC STOKY. ! A feeling of amity, almost of fratei uization, had existed between the pick et lines in front of Wood's division fa -Irt 1 ik f ho oorlir mnrninn r manj yjajo. m tuv v.?i ?j iuv, ** ?*? w ! that day, being charge of the left t H our picket line, I received a turnou : and salute from the confederat r reserve a9 I rode the line. But th friendly relation was soon to be rude! > disturbed. My pickets, composed t ' the 19th Ohio and 9th Kentucky, b< ' came the line of skirmishers. Ou r troops being well out of their works " we advanced with our left renting o 1 Citico creek and I believe that froi' * these regiments came the first shots i 5 that glorious advance thnt resulted i r thetakingof Orchard Knob. r Baird's and Johnson's division <: Palmer's) corps and Sheridan's au 5 Wood's divisions of Granger's corp: ' having "demonstrated," were permi " ted to remain during the night, all th day of the24th and well into afternoo of the 25th before they were'agai ; uaiit'U ujjim. ! THK STARS AND STRIPES ON LOO* OUT. [ With impatient joy they ha [ witnessed the stars and stripes raise i on Lookout's crest and heard the pun of Hooker on the enemy's left. Th j evidences of the hard fighting b t Sherman and the stubborn resistanc Bragg's right was givine: him wer j borne 011 every wind. The flankin } assults upon the ridge were uotachiei ing success. There must be anotht "demonstration" by the center. THK KIFIiR PITS TAKEN. j CJrant stands on Orchard Kuol . silently smoking the inevitable cigai J! He sees the heavy work to right an left and that the waning day id show ing itslengthening shadows. Thecer ) J ter must again relieve the pressure. To 1 Thomas goes the order: "Take the c i rifle pits at the foot of the ridge. At ! the six gun signal from Orchard Knob advance the lines to tne attacK." i Baird, Wood, Sheridan and Johnson ' i were quickly in line in the order 1 > named from Jeft to right. * RESPONSE TO CANNON BY LOUD HUZ- ( ZARS. 1 Restlessly they await the signal. It f ! is well on to 4 o'clock. At last the ' ? sharp report of a cannon from the ' Knob. Another! and another! and in ' quick succession the six have thunder ed forth the order for the charge. ' To your feet and forward men of the ' * Cumberland! "Take the rifle pits at 1 j. the foot of the ridge," is the order. 1 ' How splendidly they respond ! Add- ( I ing emphasis to their loud huzzas Is ( ' the noise of the light artillery on the ' plain and the deep roar of the big siege 1 - guns in the forts of Chattanooga. The 5 crest of the ridge throws its fall 1 weight of metal at the lines in blue. 1 r The musketry fire from the pits is full 1 in their faces. But neither shot nor shell can stop that impetuous advaucc. i - On and on they go, surmounting every f obstacle. 1 The order is obeyed. I The rifle pits are ours and their late I defenders our prisoner?. How the I 1 gray jackets hasten to the rear! We . ornnrloroH ok their llflHtP. hut fOOH - understand It when the guns of the ridge, depressed to sweep the pits, ' r seemed to open upon us the gates of - hell itself. SUBLIME SCENE. , We cannot stay ! Must we (all back? f Perish the thought! No! No! No order given and yet to every man the * impulse. Forward the whole Hue! To t the crest of the ridge and take the ' guns! Every man forward! Grape and canister from fifty cannon i forbid the advance. Wood, Sheridan, f Baird, Johnson, Willich, Hazen, Beat ty, Carlin, Turchin, Vanderveer, catchI ing the spirit from the men, shout: 1 "Up, boys! to the top!" And grape t and canister, wounds and death, are forgotten! On aud on and up and up we go, t "while all the world wondered.1' r Grant turns to Thomas and, with dist tresu, if not anger to his voice, says: f "Who ordered those men up the 5 ridge?" Repiles our old hero: "I - don't know ; I did not." Says Grant: J "Granger, did you ?" says Granger, - "they- started without orders. When i those fellows get started all hell can't IstOD them." With hearts in their throats these J anxious chieftains watched. Thespec' tators in Chattanooga hold their breath - in terrible suspense. It looks a des? perate venture, a foolhardy effort. Can 3 they make the top, or will they be drivf en back to the plain, with columns ; broken and ranks disordered ? The musketry fire from the en. trenched line in gray is murderous! , The cannon belch forth incessantly? "It is as though men fought upon b the earth and fiends in upper air." : Not a shot from the wedge-shaped - linen in blue as they advance with the - colors of regiments at the apex of the s triangles. Sixty regimental banners - in rivalry for the lead ! Colors fall as t the bearers sink in death, but other ? stout arms nerved by brave hearts bear e the flag aloft. 1 Ah! the lines waver! They can not make it! But repulse means de? feat and the loss of all we have gained, s Look! again they go forward ! Will they reach the cre9t? See! the an swer! A flag ! the nation's flag! Our - flag upon the top! Another and yet - another! The crest breaks out in glory! i It is the apotheosis of the banner of the free ! The rebel linei are broken ! We are r into their works! Cheer upon cheer "set the wild echoes flying" from Tunnel Hill to Lookout! They tell of Victory, glorious, exultant victory! Forty pieces of caunon and 7,(XX) ' " ?!iL n ru\a - statu or arms, wnu o,w pnauucis - captured give emphasis to the story. ,1 The bars are down for entrance next i campaign to Atlanta, gate city of the r soutih. THK GEORGIA CAMPAIGN. j How vividly we recall the winter s movement into East Tennessee for the r relief of Burnside, penned up in Knoxf ville, and there-enlistment "for duri ing the war" of the veteran soldiers, a W4ean give it brief mention only, but a T would love to tell of the campaign of 8 the summer of 1864 in Georgia; of the j start in?early Msiy from Ringgold. Coro don'a Mills and Bed Clay of the three great armies of the west, uuder the t leadership of their commanders: Mcs Phersou, so soon to fall upon the field f of glory; Schofleld who yet lives to rey ceive from a gratbful country the recog3 nition of his services and fame, and e Thomas, the steady, the ever sure, all y under the command of that military e genius, William Tecumseh Sherman, y and of how they swept with uniformi; ty of success arid constaut contest une til they entered Atlanta in early s September. ^ GREAT ARMIES, LIKE GREAT RIVERS c I'XITE. " Mr. President, three great rivers have their source in sections remote [" from each other, and taking their ?> winding course by mountains and e through plain, unite to give the Father of Water* thai; mighty current that insures to the country he travers prosperity and power. With sources far apart, they have a common destinatinu and in generous rivalry their wa* ters flow; each helping the other to 'L the accomplishment of the same purpose. 11 Most happy the thought, that recog e nizing the parallel, gave to these three e grand western armies, that united in v' the adyance on Atlanta, numbering |r 100,0l?0men, the names of these mighty rivers that drain acoutinent?the Ohio, !r the Tennessee and the Cumberland. Organized at different times, at n places far apart, they met in Georgia n and in the steady flow of their generu ous rivalry contributed to the common u cause, labored for the same purpoue f and as the result of their efforts, i separate yet combined a nation, glori(1 ous and united, instinct with power, f< alive with progress, rejoices in its L" salvation and rests calmly assured of e perpetuity. Each gave to the other " tbe strong band oi assistance and all u united in help, support and succor. Thus joined they made of the campaign one thati9 unprecedented in tbe annals of war. It is a study in grand strategy. d d MOST MASTKKI.Y FIUHTIXC KKTUKATj IS OF Till-: CONFEDERATE. ' Under the able leadership of a great confederate?Gen, Joseph PL Johuton [ ' ?the Army of the Southwest, with J Hardee, Polk, Smith and Wheeler k commanding corp9, made a fighting '~T retreat most masterly, challenging the admiration of every military student. Gen. Scott said early in the war: "Beware of Lee advancing and watch Johnston at a stand ; for the devil himj!' self would be defeated in the attempt! to whip him retreating." The history ; of that well conducted retreat frotr Dalton to Atlanta, with Its wonderful l" preservation of material, men and i i ! j ' ' ' ' ' 1- ". v':" noraie, justified the characteristic e lompliment of the old soldier. j BATTLES. a We inscribed upon our regimental t janners many bright names, among v hem Dalton, Rocky Face Ridge, Restea, Allatoona. Pumpkin Vine ('reek, Dallas, New Hope Church Kennesaw where the lamented Harker and gal- c ant Dan McCook met their glorious j fate) Peach Tree Creek, Cbattabooehie, 1 A-tlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy's Station, < rERRTFIC LOSSES BY CONTENDING , ARMIES. . t It was over one hundred days of con- ' staut fighting, in which Sherman's los9 was, killed 4,423, wounded 22,822, ) missing 4,442, total 31.G87. The Bonfedetate loss was 3,044 killed. 18,952 wounded, captured 12,983, total 34,979. j These suggestive figures show the : desperate character of the campaign. One of its wonders to me was the { manner in which our long line of communication with the point of supply was sustained. Five nundred miles of railroad to the Ohio river and yet the welcome shriek of the locomotive followed us with the move of every day. ! Says Carlyle: "an army, like a ser- I pent, goes upon its belly," and that I great army of 100,000 men was seldom i hungry on the movement to Atlanta. I We captured fifty pieces of cannon, many of them siege guns, 25,000 stand < of arms, a vaat amount of war material impossible for the confederacy to replace, occupied more territory and opened the gate for that "march to the sea," which served to stamp out the expiring embers of the rebellion. TRIBUTE TO HOOD'S ARMY. Men of the Cumberland were of that famous march, t ut their duty was a pleasure iaunt compared with the ' work of their comrades who remained to resist and fight the army of Hoodalert,vigorousand experienced. Would that time would permit me to tell of Franklin, with the splendid exhibition of manly courage from Stanley and i Opdyke, and of glorious Nashville, the last signal victory and the final and decisive battle of the west. December, 1964, saw the end, when < the disheartened remnant of Hood's army was driven for the last time across the Tennessee. As Gen. Thomas expressed it in his congratulatory order?"It had been finally sent flying, dismayed and disordered, from whence it came, impelled by the instincts of self-preservation." Stating to his victorious troops the result of their pheuominal campaign be said: "You have diminished theforceofthe rebel army since it crossed the Tennessee river to invade the State, at the least estimate, fifteen thousand men, among whom were?killed, wounded and captured,?eighteen general officers. Your captures from the enemy, ho far as reported, amont to sixty-eight pieces of artillery, ten thousand prisoners, as many staud of small arms,? several thousand of which have been gathered in, and the remainder strew the route of the enemy's retreat,?and between thirty and forty flags besides compelling him to destroy much ammunition ami ?hn.ndon manv wairons." UJUUItAVM w-_ ? ? _ ? w CmCKAMAUOA'S LOSS NOT A LESS PKR CENT. THAN AT WATERLOO. Col. Fox in his valuable work on the "Losses in the American Civil War" says that battles are considered greatin proportion to the loss of life resulting from them and that the history of a battle should always be studied in connection with the figures that show the losses. The suggestion is founded in truth and tried by that standard the importance of the great battles fought by the Army of the Cumberland are alread shown. The later guage, or measure, of importance is usually comparison with the luss sustained at Waterloo, or Gettysburg, the greatest fields of the present century. Compared whith them and taking the percentage of loss to the numbers engaged many battles entirely fought or participated in by the Cumberland are at no disadvantage, It is true of Shiloh, Perryville, Stone River and'Chickamauga and the percentage of loss to the troops engaged in the battles about Atlanta and at MisSion Ridge is nearly as great. Tbe desperate and deadly character of tbe fighting of Americans from North or South is shown by consulting the very interesting figures given by Colonel Fox and gathered also by that dashing cavalry-nan, so pestiferously annoying at times in our rear, General Joseph Wheeler, late of the Confederate, now of the United States. PER CENT AO E OF LOSSES IN GREAT BATTLES. At Waterloo while the loss to tne French Army was much in excess, and unobtainable with accurucy, Wellington's loss was but 12 per cent. At Gettysburg the Federal loss was 25 per cent and the Confederate 30 per cent. At Shiloh the loss to the Army of Grant and that of his enemy proportionately equaled Gettysburg and at Chickamauga the total loss was over 25 per cent ot the entire force of both armies and of the troops actually engaged both days it exceeds 33 per cent. Longstreet's division lost the second day 44 per cent and Steedmau lost 49 percent in four hours of heroic fighting. Bates' brigade, of theirs, lost near-l ly 46 per cent and Vandeveera' brigade, of ours, a fraction less than5(1 percent. Regimental losses were at times terri~ bly severe. I may be pardoued 'the statemeut that my own regiment at Stonets River lost over 40 per cent. AMERICAN VALOR EXCEEDS THAT OK ANY OTHER COUNTRY. These figures are most stattling when compared with destruction of men in battles declared by historians to have been moat sanguinary. At; Waaram Napoleon lost but 5 per cent1 aud at Marengo and AusterJitz less than 15 perceut. At Malplaquet Marlborough lost but 10 and at Itamilies but 9 per cent. At Worth and Sedan the average loss of both armies was 12 per cent. THE IMMORTALIZED SIX HUNDRED. The charge of the light brigade at Balklava has been immortalized by Tennyson. ''Cannon to right of tbem, Cannon to left of them, Volleyed and thundered! Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and woll Into the jaws of death, Into the mouth of hell. Itode thesis hundred.'' Vet of those who rode in, 973 in number, there rope back 429, who were unscratched, for there were killed 113, wouuded 134, being a a total of 217, or 36.7 per cent. The number of regiments, of armies engaged in our war, that exceed that percentage in a single engagement can be counted by the score. It is claimed that Helm's brigade of Breckenridge's J *~ ' * Ap ? ? I division iosi ix> per ccui ui ito j?gui??.6 force and its gallant leader waa numbered with the slain. AMERICANS FIGHT TOO HARD TO COM HAT WITH EACH OTHER. You will pardon this digression, for the showing that it makes of the brav rv, tenacity nerve and verve of the ^ American. I pray to God that through 11 future time its exertion may be diected against foreign and not domesic foes. We fight loo bard to combat ii pith each other. THE CLOSING SCENSE. The battle of Nashville practically ; ilosed the war in the West and in a c ew months the Army of the Cumber- p and dissolved and the men who had ;arried the flag of the nation in the ' J- -r onH the BPAnM nf oreiroutiM uamc, j vhose high emprise I have faintly por- / rayed, were swallowed up in thegreat >oJy of American people. Their work iccoruplished, this, like the otbergreat irmies of the republic, melted away 1 it the commaDd of the government, [ arbose call to arms had given them life, is the morning vapor before the rising iun. Quietly ana without disorder, ;bey stacked their arms, dropped the jarb of war and took upon themselves ;be duties of civil life. They crowd :he busy avenues of commerce and are to be found in all the marts of industry / and places of endeavor. I RESUMING PEACEFUL ENDEAVOR. The band that dropped tbe musket seized tbe plough, the good right arm that wielded tbe sabre with destructive \ force, impelled tbe saw and plane and the swordf> of tbe leaders of charging hosts were dropped for the pens, that have proved to be mightier weapons on change in the busy mart, tbe office, or in the councils of the nation. THE RESULT ACCEPTED MANFULLY. Likewise has disappeared that splendid body of men who fought so courageously and sacrificed so much for the "lost cause." They have accepted the result manfully, hopefully, patrioticaN ly. The two coutended forces are blended. They are united in devotion 1 to one flag, one nation, one destiny. < There is no line of division now (between those who wore tbe blue and thoie who wore the gray. Their blending has brought the neutral tint, gratifying every sense, indicative of rest and peace. THE SAFETY OF OUR COUNTRY CEMENTED BY THE BLOOD OF THE SLAIN. My comrades and my countrymen have no fear for the republic. It is based upon man's love of liberty, its structure embedded in equal rights to all and is cemented by the blood of our slain. Let tbe pessimist feel disturbed, false prophets scent danger in tbe signs of the times and give forth forebodings of evil to come. Be not dismayed! "This government of the people, by the people and for tbe people, shall notj perish from the earth.'' It has "Our bearUi,our hopes, oar prayers, oar tears; Our faith triumphant o'er our fears," and that faith springs eternal in the perpetuity of this greatest of republics, chiefest of nations ! I 11 S Is the Place to Get Ai MB UD " Orders by Mail atl National Banfc Abbevi] Ca-nital, Surplus, omc J. ALLEN SMITH* President. BENJ. 8. BARN' WM. H. PARKER, Abbeville, 3. C., L. W. WHITE, Abbeville, 8. C., BENJ. S. BARNWELL, Abbeville,S.< J. ALLEN SMITH I DOES a General Banking business, provides Depositors. Is ready at any and all times as oar coanty affords. ALWAYS IN THIS TIME WI' BEST DRUGS! Prescriptions HARRISON ABBEV Music Hill & ( ^ Dealei Musical Instruments, Kinds of Musics - at Sewing U PIANOS, ORGANS and MACHINE Prices Low am When in the City call at No. '1, I and see our Stock . Respectfully, HILL, & O ' W 'he State of South Carolina. 1 COUNTY OP ABBEVILLE.. ' ; PROBATE COURT. 9 a the matter of tbe E?ui?of Wade N. TIds- J ley, deceased. 1 Notice to Debtors and Creditors. 1 ILL'persons Indebted to said estate mast { settle without delay, and those holding vV? lalm* against tbe estate mast Dreeem them rnperiy attested to. M. T. TINSLEY, Nov. 7,1S95, it * Administratrix. \ Complete and Full ' 8TOCK OF THE CELEBRAT b'D , . Hetroplitanbrand of HiieilFaiits -0F- ' ? ~ O JUUJN JLitltJAS & W . always on hand at the j 3ity Drug Store. PRICES IN ONE GALLON CAN8 by tb? YJffl single can <1.25. A liberal discount to ;>|v3S winters using large quantities . Oct. 26.1888. tf .c / ? Liraptu & Ml -DEALERS INAll Kinds of Groceries," FRESH MEATS. SAUSAGE. HOG HEAD CHEESE AND PISH. . ? ! r'WS CANNEDGOODS of every description. TTI I. T> ?j' ? rem ureau always on hand. Give aa a call when In need of-fcnytblng In our line, We guarantee satli&ctlon. Particular attention given to our MARKET department., Remember the place, No. 2 Washington ^ street. Si lvthing in the Line of ?^ ' :? tended to at oncg. f ' ^ =====^^ : of Abbeville, Lie, 8.O. - - - - $75,000 j '15,000 W. C. McGOWAN, Vicc-President. well, Cashier* stors s J. C. KLUGH. Abbeville, 8. C., W. JOEL SMITH, Abbeyille, 8. C., W.C. McGOWAN, Abbeville, 8.C. [, Abbeville, 8. C. the greatest Recurlty and convenience tot iu to make loans baaed upon euch Mfe collatera THE LEAD! ' -n rPI FRESH LOT LOWEST PRICES! :.-:S a Specialty. F & GAME. I ' ILLE'S House. ?? Cochran, l*s in ' Sheet Music and all il Merchandise, s" ? /m vlaciimes. 18 sold on the Intalment Plan d Terms Easy, Rosenberg's Blook (Daly's Store) : and get Prices, OCHRAN " ' S