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ORATION

DE LIV'EI’€. MI”) BEFORE '.1‘I'IE

CITY AUTHORITIES OF BOSTON,

ONTHISZ
FOURTH OF IJULXV, 115385:

1'} Y

J. M. MANNING,

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AN .A.CCC}UNT OF ’l‘l'I.E M1.INIC.‘IlT’.e\'L C?ELE]{llL»\’l.‘I(.f)N C)I.*‘ '.1‘lI.E EflfliIXTY-NIN'l7IY§ AI‘I‘3‘\II'VI9I‘u.‘3.¢\.I"?.Y'

01-‘

AMERICAN   INDEPENDENCE.

       
 

  Bi)S'i*’6fiI:A:

GONDITA 3A.D. *”
4;?’

BOSTON:

J. E. FARWELL 85 COMPANY, PRINTERS,
, No.37 CONGRESS STREET. ‘

1865.

°§"£2I1J’13 mum ‘£iIrex°ty.

ORATION

D1cI.1v£:mv:I> nmoxtis TI-IE

CITY AUTHORITIES OF BOSTON,

ONTHE
FOURTIFI OF JULY’, 1865:

BY

J. M. MANNING.

’1‘()G1-2’I.‘IIER WVITXI
AN ACCOUNT 011‘ THE MUNICIHAL CI-3LI*l'I3RA'l‘I ON OF ’I‘l'1E EICEIITY-N1N',l‘!-I A.NNIV’ERSA'R3.'

O I-‘

“' AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.

   

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<r,?ecoN;36I"§8:xn<.
011mm: 1309*‘

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BOSTON:
J. E. FARWELL & COMPANY, PRINTERS, %

No. 87 Conanxcss S'J:mm'r.

1865.

CITY OF BOSTON.

I72, Common Comwil, July 6, 1865.

ORDERED: That the thanks of the City Council be pre-
sented to the "Rev. Jacob M. Manning for the highly eloquent
and patriotic Oration delivered by him before the Municipal

authorities on the celebration of the Declaration of American

Independence, July 4, 1865, and that he be requested to
furnish a copy for publication.
Sent up for concurrence.

VVNL B. FOVVLE, P7'csicZo’/M.

In ]3oau/‘cl of Aldernzcn, July 10, 1865.
Concurred.
G. VV. MESSINGER, C/aaurrnzzrrz.

Approvecl July 11, 1865.
‘ F. W. LINCOLN, JR., Illa}/or.

A true copy. Attetstz
S. F. BICCLEARY, Oily Claw‘/r:..

ORATION.

I-Iicnnroroan on occasion of our National Anniversary
the speakers summoned to address you havesometimes
pressed on your hearing ideas and sentiments respect-
irig‘ which you earnestly differed from them and one
another. And hereafter, should the exigeiicies of the
country at any time require, Boston cannot laclci
courageous men, instant in season, Who will speak
the unwelcome truths Wliich she ought to hear. But
the task of to-day, thoiigli perhaps not less difficult,
is more ag1'eeaihle. The duty you have imposed upon
me, if I rightly apprehend it, is to aid in giviiig utter»-
ance to . the feeling‘ which now fills all our hearts.
In sayiiig this, I assume that the feeling itself is 1'ig-lit;
a patriotic joy, ezmltant with the ecstasies and tender

over the agonies of successful War,---a joy full of *

gratitude for the deliverance already Vouchsafed, and
causing us to renew our solemn vow that no promise
to man, contained in the Declaration of Independence,
shall be left unfulfilled.

6 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

It has been said of John Adams, that upon the pas-
sage of the Resolution of Independence, July 2, 1776,
his mind “heaved like the ocean after a storm.”
Thus does a uation’s heart heave today. The voice
of its thanksgiving is as the voice of many Waters.
A mystic chord, stretched from our one heart
across the intervening years, vibrates responsively to
the Words of “the colossus in that debate.” Our joy
seeks the lofty utterance in which he exclaimed, “ the
day is past.‘ The second day of July, 1776, Will be the
most memorable epocha in the history of America;
to be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great
Anniversary Festival, commemorated as the day of
deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion‘ to God
Almighty, from one end of the continent to the

other, from this time forward, forevermore.” He

adds, “ You Will think .me transported with en-
thusiasm, but I am not.” “ Through all the gloom,
I can see the rays of light and glory.” “ You and
I may rue,” but “ posterity will triumph.”

“Posterity will triumph.” Yes, We stand in the
dawn of the day Whose glory was foreseen by the
Fathers. N ow is fulfilled the Word which was then
spoken. We are the citizens of an independent and
regenerated country. We breathe an atmosphere
Which is invigorating to liberty. Plymouth Rock, so
long refused of the builders, has become the corner-

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 7

stone of the republic. To-day We nationalize the
prayer for Massachusetts, devoutly saying, “ God save
the United States of America! ” The ark, to which
We committed our liberties when the flood of Rebellion
came, and from which the dove was sent forth again
and again only to return each time with the olive branch
in her mouth, now rests upon the summits of victory.
And on this most auspicious birthday of the nation, We
are going forth from that ark to build our altar, and
to look on the bow in the clouds, which tells us that
War shall no more deluge our land.

Has it been befitting, hitherto, that We should cele-
brate the anniversary of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence? Then it is doubly befitting that We should do
so from this time forth. To those who have rebelled
and been defeated, We do not presume that this pro--
priety will appear. Nor are We anxious to succeed in
meeting their views of the fitness of things. Four
years ago they intimated that We were not prosperous
enough ; and to-day, forsooth, We are too prosperous to
keep the feast. Then they ridiculed the solemnity of
which they are now disposed to complain. But loyalty
does not choose treason for her teacher when she goes
to school. As We were hopeful in the day of adversity,
so will We be grateful in the clay of triumph. VVe did
not omit our feast when Freedom was threatened,

8 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

nor Will We now that Slavery is overthrown. Yet We
indulge in no ungenerous exultation. VV'e rejoice not
at the discomfiture of our enemies, but in the Salvation
of the Republic. We dreaded War with them, knowing
that our own blood flowed in their veins. We clung
to the common traditions and glory of the past. We
Were charitable and forbearing almost to the verge of
recreancy. And that patience and long suffering are
today wour vantage-ground. We are sure that no

.malignity mingles with our joy; but only a just indig-

nation, not untinged with pity and grief. We rejoice
not that half a continent is laid Waste or covered with
mourning, but that liberty has taken another step for-
”+ard in the World. Wliatever of tenderness there
may be in our hearts, if We Were silent in view of
What God has Wrought, the very stones Would cry
out. g

It has been said by one of our English critics, that
We violated the spirit of this festival, when We under-
took to put down the ~Rebellion by force of arms.
“Hcnceforth,” was his language, “ the observance 
the Fourth of July is an unmeaning ceremony.” But
that conclusion was reached from an inadequate prem-
ise. The critic seemed to see only half of What the
Declaration of Independence proclaims. Let no one
be misled by the name of that immortal paper. Besides
the right of revolution, to which the name especially

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 9

points, the paper itself declares that there is an
inalienable right of liberty, which belongs equally to
all men. But allowing our critic his premise, what
was that right of revolution declared by the Fathers’!
Was it something that would legitimate theSouthern
Rebellion’! Was it a principle which we violated in
putting down that Rebellion by force’! The Fathers
of the Republic did not believe in wantonly breaking
up any form of government. The oppression must be

intolerable and morally wrong, and revolt the only‘

available means of redress, in order to justify such a
course. Had the national rule become wicked and in-
tolerably oppressive to the South?

Imagine the conspirators at Montgomery saying that
“ a decent respect to the opinions of mankind required
that they should declare the causes which impelled
them to the separation.” What were those causes,
when fairly stated’! A golden passage in the
first draft of the Declaration had been dropped to
please the Southern delegates. At the framing of the

Constitution that noble charter was again compromised

to bring South Carolina into the Union. Concession
after concession was made to the Slave States, and
they seized one centre after another of the Federal
power. They wielded the Government of the country;
and gradually published their design to make it the

bulwark and propagandist of barbarism. Would such
.2

10 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

a statement as this show “ a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind ? ” Do We see here any Warrant
for using that carefully defined Right of Revolution
which the Fathers claimed’! N 0, they dared not make
an honest appeal to history. Their better nature told
them that they could give only the most monstrous of
reasons for What they did. Hence the fictions of State
Sovereignty and the Right of Secession, by which they
sought to escape. The War under Abraham Lincoln
hostile to the Declaration of Independence’! It Was
reluctantly accepted to rescue that Declaration from the
spoiler. Had We failed to crush the Rebellion, and
had foreign powers stooped to the infamy of a full
recognition; had We lost everything else, still We should
not have lost our fidelity to those rights which the
Fathers of the Republic held sacred.

But. this is not all. So far from having fallen back,
We stand higher to-day than on any previous birthday
of the nation. Did the first War With England establish

the Right of Revolution? The War for the Union has .

not yielded that right, but saved it from an infamous
abuse. And our time-hallowed festival, While retaining
all its earlier meaning, is to-day vastly more significant
than ever before. We should feel that We have met
to inaugurate a new jubilee of freedom. Those voices

of the Declaration which proclaim liberty and equality

are no longer muffled. They peal forth clearly in

PEACE UNDER ALIBERTY. 11

every note of joy, and they fall only upon Willing ears.
To-day, for the first time, the mighty chorus is entire.
Our feast is kept not merely in the oldness of the
letter, but in the newness of the spirit. As we are
amending the Constitution, so I could wish that we
might amend the Declaration, by restoring to it those
words which were blotted at the demand of Slavery.
“ He has waged cruel war against human nature itself,
violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in
the persons of a distant people who never offended
him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in
another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in
their transportation thither. This piratical warfare,
the opprobrium of INFIDEL powers, is the warfare of
the CHRISTIAN King of Great Britain. Determined to
keep open a market where MEN should be bought and
sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing
every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain
this execrable commerce. And that this assemblage
of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he
is now exciting these very people to rise in arms among
us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has de-
prived them, by murdering the people upon whom he
has obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes
committed against the LIBERTIES of one people with
crimes which he urges them to commit against the LIVES
of another.” That is What Jefferson said when he

12 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

would show “ a decent respect to the opinions of man-
kind,” by stating the causes which impelled the colonies
to declare their independence. For more than fourscore
years that passage has lain rusting, like a sword in its
scabbard. But the malign Power which doomed it to
such ignominy has been overthrown. We draw it
forth to-day, amid the new glory which has risen upon
us. We brandish aloft its reburnished blade, that it
may flash across the sea the double record, --—-—-who it
was that planted, and who that has uprooted the insti-
tution of American slavery.

Standing upon the higher summits of the Declara-
tion, as we now do, it is natural for us to review the
path by which we have ascended. Homer, carefully
enumerates, inthe Second Book of the Iliad, the ships
which bore the Greeks to the Trojan war. And it
would be a serious neglect on this anniversary, did I
fail to name some of the more important events which
have brought us toour present position. The rush
of events since the opening of the last Spring has
indeed been" overwhelming. We seem to be looking
over the awful brow of Niagara; and the voice of the
cataract is the only voice that can utter our emotions.
But let us go back from the downfall to the source
of the mighty current, and follow it forward.

The Rebellion had its fountains far away in our

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 13

history. The little rills began to flow into each other
after the Colonial period; and the large streams thus
formed became more and more visible as the question
of admitting new States was forced upon the country.
At length’ all these streams of disloyalty were gath~
ered into a single basin; and then it was that we
beheld the Lake Superior of treason, spreading itself
broadly out in the full daylight, and kissing the bended
cheek of England on its farther shore. That was the
inland sea, around which We Went shuddering through-
out the year 1861, vainly expostulating with those who
would trust their all to its Waters. Before the year
had dawned, a Weak old man, soon to vacate the high
office which he had allowed treason to control, told
us, in Words that would have appalled our hearts had
We been base enough to believe them, that the Re-
bellion Was Wrong, and that any forcible resistance of
it would also be very Wrong. There was nothing to
do but stand, through a hundred terrible days, bowed
in shame and chafing with a just rage, until the mighty
Northwest should reach out its long arm and haul up
our starry flag to the height from which it had fallen.
That long arm never failed us, and it left the proud
symbol floating securely when it vanished suddenly
out of sight. But how furious the storm in which
the banner Went up, and by which it was instantly
assailed? The sea of Rebellion, changed to a foam-

14 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

ing whirlpool after the first thunderclap at Charles-
ton, swept into its broad ‘circle State after State,
senators, judges, churches, a large portion of the Army
and Navy, and so much of tlie public property as
could be placed in its way. When our Congress met,
on the 4th of July, the usurpation had an army with
full ranks, superbly officered, well supplied and drilled,
and every branch of its affairs, whether at home or
abroad, was in able and experienced hands. Before
the first leaves of Autumn tell, we had lost Ellsworth,
——--the rising star of our volunteer soldiery; Senator
Douglas,—-- from whose position and known loyaltymuch
was expected; Winthrop and Grreble,----one a child
of genius, the other a true son of Mars ; and General
Lyon, who, more than any other loyal ofiicer up to that
time, had shown the qualities of a great commander.
The humiliating battle of Bull Run had been fought,
----revealing disloyalty in high places, exposing our
ignorance of the art of war, uncovering the approaches
to the Capital, and sending a thrill of anguish and
terror throughout the land. Later in the season came
the surrender of Lexington, ——- opening Missouri to the
foot of the invader; the battle of Ball’s Bluff,-~ costing
us the lamented Baker, whose great popularity bound
the Pacific to the Atlantic coast as with hooks of steel,
and quenching the light in many New England homes;
and, toward the going out of the year, came the irreg-

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. A 15

ular capture of Mason and Slidell, and the advice of

the Earl of Derby to the British Government, “that
outward-bound ships should signalize English vessels
that war with America. was probable.” The attitude
of the Border States had paralyzed the Administra-—
tion, and divided the sentiment of the North; Congress
could do little more than save itself from falling a prey
to treason; feelings of humanity compelled the Presi-
dent to recognize “the Confederacy,” so far as to
treat with it for exchange of prisoners; belligerent
rights, and the moral power of sympathy had already
been secured to it from the leading foreign powers,
Russia, “ faithful among the faithless,” excepted; and
pirates were roaming over the high seas, commissioned
by the arch-conspirator Davis, “ to sink, burn, and
destroy everything which flew the ensign of the so-
called United States of America.”

But this carnival-year of treason was not without its
signs of promise to us. The telegram of Secretary
Dix to the special agent in New Orleans, “ if any one
attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him
on the spot;” the heroism of Anderson and his de-
voted comrades; the sublime response to the first call
for troops, Massachusetts, as of old, leading the van;
the elastic energy of the nation under the stunning
blow of Bull Run; the battle of Rich Mountain, sav-
ing" to us Western Virginia; the capture of the forts

i

16 R PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

at Hatteras Inlet, under Admiral Stringham and Gen-
eral Butler; the glorious achievement of the Navy at

A Port Royal, under the lamented Dupont; the stubborn

and bloody fight near Belmont, where General Grant
first gave token of that daring, coolness, modesty, stra-
tegy, and invincible nerve, which have since wonhim
our eternal gratitude; the moral courage and wisdom
of Mr. Seward, in appeasing the wrath of England
over the affair of the “ Trent;” these events wereall
unmistakable omens that the triumphing of the wicked
would be short. I
The huge volume of the Rebellion, thus sensibly
diminished, now shrunk at a rapid rate. The new year
(1862) gave Mason and Slidell to England, by whom
they were “ coldly received; ” Edwin M. Stanton, the
Cato among our heads of departments, became Secre-
tary of War; the battle of Mill Spring settled the issue
in the Border States; the capture of Forts Henry and
Donelson, and of Roanoke Island, brought the nation
to its feet in a frenzy of delight; Pea Ridge followed,
crushing the Rebel cause in Missouri; then came the
Providential exploit of the first Monitor, swifitly aveng-
ing the loss of the “ Congress” and “ Cumberland,”
and opening a new era in the history of naval warfare.
On the heels of these victories treads that at Newbern,
confirming our supremacy in Eastern North Carolina;
that at Winchester, where “ Stonewall” Jackson was

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. - 17

defeated and driven back; :and the terrific struggle of
Pittsburg Landing, where unflinching determination
again prevailed, chiefly through General Sherman,--~
“ his martial features terrible,” then, as ever, the Tela-
monian Ajax of the war. ‘We were puzzled, rather
than made anxious, when we knew that Lee had evac-
uated Manassas; soon the coasts of Georgia and
Florida were ours; General Pope and Commodores

Foote and Davis, had opened the Mississippi far down- A

wards ; and when New Orleans had surrendered to
Farragut, who found the people there so insolent that

‘he turned them over to General Butler, in that glad

hour it seemed to us that we could already discern
the angel of peace, his feet beautiful upon the moun-
tains, bringing good tidings, and saying unto us, “ Your
God reigneth.” —

Our God did reign. And because He loved us, He
did not suffer us at that time to triumph. Again the
Rebellion began to unfold its narrowed volume. All
eyes were now fixed upon the Army of the Potomac, —--
noblest Army the world has ever seen,---grand at last
with the splendors of victory, as it was grand at first
in the gloom of disaster. Wasted in its slow advance,
after the barren successes at Yorktown and Williams-
burg, it lay, the victim of an invisible destroyer, along
the muddy slopes of the Chickahominy. General

Banks, assailed by the combined forces of Jackson
3

18 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

and Ewell, had skilfully withdrawn his little army

from the Valley of the Shenandoah. It was deter-
mined that the force under McDowell should cover
Washington, and not the right wing of the Army of
the Potomac. Jackson was thus at liberty to co-operate
with Lee against McClellan, whose plan for falling
back had been discovered by Stuart’s famous raid, and
whose difficulties had been increased rather than less-

T ened, by the costly victories of Fair Oaks and Mechan-—, _

icsville. The first attempt at withdrawal was the signal
for furious pursuit. But our brave columns, though
vastly outnumbered, were not once beaten in the field.
Their march was not a retreat in the proper sense of
the term; and each time they turned upon the pur-
suing legions of the foe, at Gaines’s Mills, the Chicka-
hominy, Peach Orchard and Savage’s Station, White
Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill, they sent those legions,
mangled and disheartened, backward. It was not in
the fighting, but through divided counsels, that the
campaign proved a failure. The Army still supposed
itself onithe way to Richmond, when the order came
for it to move toward Washington. Then it was that
the Rebellion rolled out its hidden masses. At Cedar
Mountain it struck a blow that darkened many homes
in New England ; and this was but the opening of
the series of assaults which culminated in the second

battle of Bull Run, and which swept on until met by if

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. T 19

an impassable barrier at South Mountain and Antie-
tam. Nor did the sweep of the Rebellion seem to
grow less, but only more vast, at the great battles of
Fredericlszsburg, Murfreesboro,’ and Chancellorsville.
The elections in the North had been carried against
the loyal cause, the assassination of Senator Sumner
had been threatened in New York, and the Congress
at Richmond had proposed an alliance with the States
on the Pacific coast.

But our God was reigning. The school of calamity
had opened oureyes to see those four millions of
blacks, who everywhere had a welcome for us, and
whose forced labors enabled the Rebels to keep their
armies in the field. Our Congress, whose achieve-
ments for freedom we cannot too much admire, had
smoothed the way for the President. With Slavery
abolished in the District, and forever shut out from
the Territories; with Hayti fully recognized, the

filiugitive Slave Law repealed, and the Confisca-

tion Act passed, it was easy for Abraham Lincoln,

pressed on by military necessity, to issue that decree

of EMANCIPATION which made him the saviour of his

country, and of a race of men. Thoughts of foreign
interference were now at an end; and Heaven, though

trying our faith for a time, at length began to smile.

The enlistment of the blacks as soldiers rapidly fol»-
lowed; and to our own Governor Andrew especially is

, Burnside opened the gates of East Tennessee.

9

Au’

0 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

due the high honor of urging that measure forward to
complete success. On the fourth of July, 1863, the Re-
bellion had received its death wound. Vicksburg fell,
involving the fall of Port Hudson, and thus opening the
Mississippi; and victory settled on our banners at
Gettysburg, after a contest which history, as I think,
will pronounce the great and decisive battle of the
war.

I need not speak of the brave men who there fought.
The classic genius of Everett, now immortal, has em-
balmed their names; and the matchless Eulogy of the
Martyr—President, has left nothing’ for eloquence or
poetry to add. Now, upon the failure of the July
riots, the,Rebel1ion withdrew into its inmost recesses,
knowing that its life depended on keeping out of the
way. The battle of Fort Wagner, costing us so dear;
and that at Chickamauga, revealing the great com-
mander in General Thomas; and others of less note, in
the South and West, did not change the fixed course of
events. Grant and Sherman, in their own close coun-
General
The
battle of Mission Ridge, and the storming of Lookout

sels, were forecasting the final campaign.

Mountain, where Hooker’s warriors seemed to wield ,

the artillery of the clouds, secured an open door into
Georgia. Deeply pained, but unhindered, by the dis»
aster on Red River, the new regiments rallied on the

M

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 21

banks of the Rapidan under the Lieutenant-General,
and near Chattanooga under his great subordinate. The
Rebels were confused and bewildered in their hiding-
places, not knowing what the omens foretokened.
They comprehended the game only when they had
lost it. The movement of Meade’s army to the South
of Petersburg, so costly but so necessary, and involving
such immense sacrifice of life at Spottsylvania, the
Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Coal Harbor, and on the
banks of James River, closed the iron hand of fate
upon the main army of the Rebellion. It was now
dangerous for that army to remain stationary, and far
more dangerous for it to attempt to move. The defeat
of Sigel and Hunter, and the raids near Wasliiiigton,
could not loosen the stubborn hold of Grant. The
failure of the assault planned by Burnside, and the
pause of Sherman before Atlanta, sent the currency
and the heart of the country down to their lowest point
notwithstanding the glorious news from the “ Kear-
sarge,” and the anxiety of the Rebels to treat for peace.
But had certain politicians at that time read the pur—-
pose of the leading generals, they would not have
advised the two Wings of the Republican party to drop
their separate candidates and unite under some com-
mon leader; nor would certain other politicians have
voted the war a failure, and clamored for an armistice
and a compromise. The grasp upon the throat of the

22 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

Rebellion was not relaxed; ‘Sherman resumed his work
upon its extremities, hurling the fragments westward
to be completely crushed by Thomas at Franklin and
Nashville; the bright pennant of Farragut floated vici-
toriously off the harbor of Mobile ; and Sheridan’s ride
in the Valley sealed the fate of the writhing victim.
Every life sacrificed by the Southern leaders after that
date was a murder. They knew their cause to be
hopeless; only their desperate pride sustained them.
Victory‘ carried the national election. The fall of
Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington, and Groldsboro’
was but the effect of a cause that had already operated.
They went down like oaks in the still night after the
hurricane has swept over them! The mad blows at
Hatcher’s Run and Fort Stedman, which recoiled
so terribly; the quailing before Sheridan’s swift squad-
rons, all the way round from Lynchburg to Five Forks,
the utter collapse, when the final word was given, “ up
boys, and at them,” were an overthrow too awful for

my poor description. I can but recur to the figure A

with which lbegan this recital. The long gathering,
the now unfolding and now contracting waters, were
forced to the precipice. In the mists rising out of the
abyss into which they went thundering down, we saw
calmly ‘shining the bright bow of promise; and our

awed and swelling hearts could only exclaim, “ The

Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 23

How shall I fitly impress you With the grandeur of
this result to our country? Let us first contrast the
opening with the close of the Rebellion. Never before
did treason start up so pompously, and perish so in-
gloriously. At the secession of South Carolina, Mr.
Keitt said: “ VVe have carried the body of this Union
to its last resting-place, and now We Will drop the flag
over its grave.” But he is in a traitor’s gory grave,
and the flag still Waves on high. VVhen the conspira-
tors met at Montgomery, Davis said, “ the South is
determined to maintain her position, and make all who
oppose her, smell Southern powder, and feel Southern
steel.” But that steel and powder are ours to-day, and
Davis ---q'2,oamt~us mutams ab z'Zl0-—--smells a gibbet in
the air. Mr. Stephens said, “ in the conflict, thus far,
success has been on our side, complete throughout the
length and breadth of the Confederate States. It is
upon [the enslavement of the African race] as I have
stated, our social fabric is firmly planted; and I cannot
permit myself to doubt the ultimate success and full
recognition of this principle throughout the civilized
and enlightened World.” But the only response to
that atrocious sentiment, thus far, has been a universal
cry of indignation; and Mr. Stephens now has other
use for his philosophy, in a fortress Whose name (Fort
Warren) reminds him of the revered martyr to liberty
on Bunker Hill. After the outrage on Fort Sumter,

24 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY’.

the Rebel Secretary of War said, ‘i‘ I will prophesy that
the flag which now flaunts the breeze here will float over
the dome of the Capitol at Washington before the first
of May. Let them try Southern. chivalry and test the
extent of Southern resources, and it may float event-
ually over Faneuil Hall itself.” The Governor of
South Carolina also said, “ We have humbled the flag
of the United States. It is the first time in the history
of this country that the Stars and Stripes have been
humbled. It has been humbled, and humbled by the
glorious little State of South Carolina.” But the flag
then “humbled” is exalted at length, and those who
rolled the‘ sacrilege as a “ sweet morsel” under their
tongues, are vagabonds and fugitives in the earth.
The fate of all the leaders in the Rebellion gives a new
meaning to the Words of a king of Israel; “ Let not
him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he
that putteth it off.” Not only did they sell their birth-
right, but that which they most feared has come upon
them. We recall here the terrible lines of Addison,

and, slightly changing them, exclaim: —-

“ There is some chosen curse,
Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven,
Red with uncommon Wrath, to blast the wretch

Who seeks his greatness in his country’s ruin.”

The Rebellion begins and ends its career on a stage



PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 25

where tragedy and comedy struggle together for the
mastery. In its final shout, “ Sic senqper z‘-yr-a9zn£s,” we
hear its own doom pronounced; and it goes out of his-
tory, as the body of the assassin has gone, into the
blackness of darkness forever. Around it hangs the
memory of its great swelling words ; of sacrilege to‘ the
bones of the dead; of Fort Pillow massacres, St. Albans
raids, yellow-fever plots, and attempts to burn cities
full of women and ‘children. A host of skeleton shadows
from Libby, Saulisbury, and Andersonville flit above
the place of its torment. It forever hears the horror
and laughter of the world shouted after it. And if
there be any words, in all the circle of literature,
which it may fitly utter, they are: “ Let the day perish
wherein I was born! Let it not be joined unto the
days of the year, nor come into the number of the
months! Let no joyful voice come therein. Let
them curse it that curse the day ; let the stars of the
twilight thereof be dark.”

Respecting the change that has come over the aris-
tocracy of England, I will be very brief. They are
eating their own words at arapid rate; and the wry

faces which they make, while “ chewing the bitter

cud,” are our ample revenge. If they can afford to
remember the indecent haste with which they listened
to the conspirators; with which they threatened war

over the afiair of the “ Trent; ” with which they vir-
4 .

-2:.

26 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

tually became allies of the Rebellion; we certainly can.
Our disgust is stirred not a little at their eulogy of our
Martyr-President, whom a short time before they had
so insultingly maligned ; but if they can afford to
extend such sympathy, we may well keep silent, and
gratefrilly-smile. Lee and Johnston, and Forrest,
and Taylor, and Kirby Smith, having surrendered, of
course the surrender of England follows. Likea cer-
tain Confederate General, she “ surrenders uncon-
ditionally on condition that she is unconditionally
pardoned.” The bills are rather large after that little
pleasantry of the “ Alabama.” Our portly friend pro-
tests that he didn’t steal the butter and put it in his
hat; and therefore, though something very much like
butter is streaming down his glowing cheeks, yet, if he
says he didn’t, possibly he didn’t. We mean that our
memory shall be as short as England’s ; that is, we will
forget the hostility of the titled few, and remember the
sympathy of the untitled many among her subjects.

As for France and Mexico, we cannot forget the
exposed heel of Achilles; and we shall take care that
no Paris, with poisoned arrow, wounds us to death on
our Southwestern border.

It might be thought ungenerous to contrast our
present feelings with those of the vanquished; let us
therefore remember how we felt at the outbreak of
the Rebellion, and from the contrast thus suggested

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 27

learn the greatness of our cause for rejoicing. We
shall never forget that Saturday on which Sumter
fell, nor the Sunday next following. Least of all
shall we ever forget the Sunday next following the
massacre of our loyal soldiers in Baltimore. Sabbaths
we cannot call those days, for they brought no rest to
us. We were astounded, bewildered, appalled. We
went unto the house of God, only to calm ourselves
there under His great shadow,‘ as we looked forth on
the gathering tempest of war.‘ Then we gazeddown
a horrible vista of devastation, famine, tears, blood,
and wild disorder. We looked, “And behold a pale
horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and
Hell followed with him.” We saw the iron-hoofed
demon of war,-—-- his neck clothed with thunder, pawing
in the valleys, displaying the glory of his nostrils,
swallowing the ground with fierceness and rage, saying
among the trumpets, “ Ha, ha I ” smelling the battle,the
thunder of the captains, and the shouting; we saw this
mighty waster going forth to trample down all our beau-
tiful civilization, to fill every house in the land with
mourning, to turn the moon into blood, and cast the stars
unto the ground like untimely figs. But 10, the vision is
changed! Another angel has sounded, even the angel

. of peace. We look up, and, behold, all the stars are

~   in their places. Their bands have not been loosed nor

their sweet influence disowned.

28 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

. “The terrible steed lies with nostril all wide,
And through it there rolls not the breath of his pride.”

Yes, the gloom and horror are behind us, and the
glory before. We lay aside the spirit of heaviness,
and put on the bright apparel of joy.‘ For Hethat
now cometh -- escorted by our returning conquerors -----
is meek and lowly. His coming is as showers upon
the mown grass. We see waste places rejoicing at
His approach, the wilderness budding and blossoming,
the rose growing again in Sharon, the lily reappear»-
ing in the valley, the hills clothed with flocks and
corn and the free floods clapping their hands. Up,

come ye, let us spread our garments in the way; let

us out down branches, and strew them before this
King of Peace! Let us go before, and follow after,
and sing, “ Be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors.”
Let the children, also, with their glad hosannas, swell
our chorus of welcome. For Peace cometh, crowned
with war’s victories, to sway a benign sceptre over the
land. a

Only a little more than four years ago we were
bringing home, from the bloody pavement in Balti-
more, our young soldiers, slain for rushing between the
raised dagger of treason and the nation’s life. Sorrow-

 , ful indeed was that funeral; for the air was thick

with startling omens, and the tidings, coming on every
pulse of the electric wires, smote us like the sirocco’s

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 29

breath. But to-day the grave of those martyrs is holy
ground. You have recently made a pilgrimage to

their sculptured monument, going with songs of joy,

and with garlands in your hands, to tell to a thousand i

generations that Liberty does not forget, in the day of

her triumph, those “Who made their lives an o:ffer- A

ing” for her sake. A little more than four years
ago all our hearts Were on board the “Star of the
West,” sailing into Charleston harbor, carrying food
to a little band of starving men; only to be Warned
back by a hostile shot, and to be forced to look on, in
powerless indignation and shame, While the encircling
batteries of treason vomited forth their inhuman fury
upon that small and fainting company; until the stars
of our nationality Went down, insulted but not dis-
honored, into the smoke and flames of fratricidal War.
But lo, the change I A rod out of heaven has touched
and transfigured the scene. Since the magnolias last
bloomed, all our hearts have been on board another
ship, bearing upon it some of the scarred veterans of
freedom, and with them the heroic Anderson, who
carried With him the same starry Symbol that first
Went down. This they lifted up to its former proud
height, amid shoutings, the sobbings of joy, jubilant
music, and thunders of loyal cannon. And, thus was
proclaimed, to all traitors, and the enemies of liberty
everywhere, that the covenant which makes these

30 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

States a nation is an everlasting bond; and that their
Union-S--by the sweet ministries of peace, if possible,
but, if necessary, by the thunderbolts of war-- “ must
and shall .be preserved.” No vain boasting, no empty

exultation, no vulgar triumph over the vanquished,

but a solemn admonition to us and our children, and to
all the world, that “whosoever falleth on this rock
shall be broken, and on whomsoever it. falleth it shall
grind him to powder I ”

But I proceed to some of the more lasting results
of the war. Of its effect as realizing the spirit of
the Declaration I have already spoken.

The triumph of our loyal arms has settled the ques-
tion of sovereignty, as between the Union and the
several States. It was said of the States of ancient
Greece, that they lost their government by desiring
severally to govern: G-reciaz civitcztes, dam imperare
sivegule cupimzt, imperiemo omnes pem’iderzmt. A similar
fate, threatened the American Republic, growing out of
the heresy of State Sovereignty. But the war is at an
end, and where are those Sovereign States’! Do they
appear, to negotiate a peace with the Federal Gov-
ernment? No; they cannot shield the assailants of
the Union and Constitution. Those assailants find,
as Roman traitors once found, that “ they must answer
at the bar of the assembly as criminals, not pretend to

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. " 31

negotiate with the Republic as equals.” The States
are but municipalities ; in the government of the whole
country is vestedthe sovereign power. We have heard
of treason against a State; but we now see that ‘such
a crime is always relative to the Union. No State,
acting primarily and independently, defines the crime
of treason and prescribes its penalty; it exercises that
function only by virtue of its connection with the
United States. Robert E. Lee, fancying the authority
of Virginia paramount to that of the Republic, became
a traitor; Andrew Johnson, true to his primary rather
than his secondary allegiance, maintained his loyalty.
“But if the question of sovereignty was not settled
before the war, and if Lee honestly believed Virginia to
be sovereign, ought he to suffer the penalty of trea-
son?” Certainly not for that simple belief. But he
went further. He did that which he had often seen
defined as treason in the Constitution of his country.
Let no one be punished for believing the abstract
doctrine of State Sovereignty; but let those who have
made war upon the United States, and the whole

country through them, be taught the horrible nature

of their crime. Treason, as we now perceive, is not
properly an offence against Massachusetts, or Virginia;
not the killing of a public servant, however high his
oflice; but an attempt to murder the sovereignty of the
people of the United States. Norother crime can

32 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

compare With it in guilt. It is not merely hurling a
single planet from its sphere, but destroying the power
of gravitation itself. Thank God, the thin pretext,
from which so many have leaped into bloody Rebellion,
is no more I Like the gourd of Jonah, it has perished
with the night in which it grew up. sAll the people of
the land know now, that in case of collision between
civil authorities, they owe a single paramount allegi-
ance; and that they owe it to the Government whose

organic law defines high treason, and declares that

Congress shall determine its penalty.

The triumphant issue of the war has proved the
power of an elective government to cope with armed
Rebellion. Heretofore, the advocates of hereditary
power have said, “Your government by the people,
with universal suffrage and a change of rulers every
four years, may do very well on a small scale, and
while you are held together by the necessity of making
common cause against other nations. But wait till
you have a broad territory, and many competing in-
terests among ‘your citizens: and then, in case of any
considerable revolt, see how soon your country will go
to pieces. Your Government, resting as it does on the
shoulders of the masses, will have for its chief man-
agers men of inferior ability; thebrief tenure of office

will not train great leaders; your ablest men, seeing

themselves but units in the mass, will lack patriotism;

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 33

in any threatening emergency, your nation will find
itself unprepared.” This reasoning was so plausible,
and in part so philosophical, that some of us half
believed it. A Our hearts misgave us when we knew
that certain of the States Were banded together to
destroy our Government. There did seem to be a Want

‘of’ patriotism among our ablest men; there Was a lack

of trained leaders; We Were wofully unready to cope
with the Rebellion. But one element in our favor, out-
Weighing all the advantages of a monarchy, had been
too much overloolredi ” The people lsznevv that the
Government was their government, and its cause their
cause. If it was dishonored, they were dishonored; if
it was lost, their earthly hopes were lost. No sophist-
ries could blind them to the momentous issue. Hence
the rush to arms. Hence the cheerful submission to
taxes, and other necessary burdens and restraints.

Hence the readiness to loan the nation Whatever trea-

sure it might need. Our first efforts were avvkvvard

and unsuccessful; and, of those whom We tried as

leaders, one after another failed. But the resources
were vast; the determination to conquer grew more
stern; gradually We learned how; and those who
Wished us evil, and our own doubting hearts, Were
taught that What a free people wills it can perform.

We have shown that the humblest man, if honest, can_

be the successful ruler of the mightiest nation on the
5

34 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

globe. The people are too intelligent, too much dis-
posed to justice and public order, to need intellectual
giants in the chairs of state. The wolf, and the bear,
and the lion have been subdued to the habits of the
lamb and the ox; “ and a little child may lead them.”
The spirit of the people has made our rulers great.
All fears respecting the stability of such a government
as ours are forever dispelled. There is, in the nation,
a centripetal power balancing its centrifugal power;

it may be as permanent as it is beneficent, as strong as‘ ‘

it is free. Hitherto our Republic has been called an
experiment; it will be called so no longer. Royalists
know this. They see that the weapon with which
they have thus far defended their kings is wrested
from them. They are asking themselves, with blanched
cheeks, what they have done and said to us in the day
of our trouble.

Let me here give way a moment to the mouth-piece
of the English aristocracy. Hear it: “ It has been
vulgarly supposed that democracy is necessarily
incompatible with strength and vigor of executive
action, and that the concentration of power in a single
despot is necessary for the conduct of a great war.
That delusion the American struggle has dispelled.

It has been thought that democracies were necessarily .

fickle to their rulers, unstable and wavering in their
determination. That, too, the democracy of America

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 35

has disproved. It has been said that democracies were
necessarily violent and cruel in their disposition, and
that from impatience of discipline and obedience they
are unapt for military success. No man can say that
now. It has been said that democracies would not
support the expenses of War and the burdens of taXa-
tion. This is proved not to be the case. No autocrat
that the World has ever seen, has received a more firm
and unbounded support, and commanded more unlim-
ited resources than those which the American people
have freely placed at the disposal of Mr. Lincoln.
His re-election in 1864 was evidence of the Wise and
prudent firmness of the people who exercised the
suffrage, and the result ought to have left no doubt on
the minds of thoughtful men as to the necessary issue
of the great contest.” Comment is needless. To such
language every American patriot says, as the friend of
Antonio said to Shylock —-—--

“ I thank thee, Jew, for giving me that word! ”

The War has also proved that We are in no danger
from military ambition. The soldiers of Cmsar and
Napoleon were ready to follow their adored command-
ers in any attempt at usurpation. Not so our soldiers.
They know What they have been suffering and fighting
for ;, for a Government Which belongs to themselves,

and which not even their most admired general, for

36 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

Whom they vvould die any moment, can be permitted in A

the smallest particular to usurp or disown. Thank
God, the American people are able to discriminate in
their gratitude. No renown of the Warrior can so daz-
zle them as to make them forget the proper subordina-
tion of the military to the civil povver. Henceforth
We shall be less nervous at popular admiration lavished

on the successful general. It is not the blind applause

  of an unthinking populace, but thanks rendered to one

who is expected to be a benefactor in the future as

  Well as in the past. We are deeply grieved that it has

cost the hero of Atlanta so dear, or that any other
herols tripping should be the prieeiof this valuable
lesson; and We are and always will be grateful to the
man who could say to his troops, as Sherman did, in

' bidding them adieu after all that had happened, “ be

good citizens in peace as you have been good soldiers
in War.”

Another result of the struggle has been to strengthen,
rather than shake, the foundation of our liberties. The
essential theory, of the Government is not changed, but
confirmed and made to operate on a larger scale. It
is an axiom of history that civil Wars are ended only
by compromise. That axiom has failed for once. The
rebellions of England have revolutionized her govern-
ment, though nominally it is much the same. Vtihen
kingscome out of Wars with their subjects, they never

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 37

t after sit as firmly as before on their thrones. They

must humor the people, and yield more or less of the
realityifor the sake of the semblance of power. But
our Government has not yielded anything to the Rebels
yet, and will be guilty of a foolish act if it ever does.
Its basis is broader and deeper to-day than when the
war began. The people understand its spirit better,
and are wedded to it by a more determined loyalty.
The great problems forced upon their attention, have
taught them their duties and revealed to them their
rights. And the Institution with which they might
have been tempted to compromise has ceased to exist.
VVas the way of the wicked ever more utterly turned
upside down’! The attempt was to assassinate Liberty;
the result is ‘that Slavery has been cast into an igno-
minious grave. The attempt was to rivet the chains of
bondage on a race of men; the result is that they are
and ever shall be free. The attempt was to carry a
monstrous wrong upward to our Northern border ; the
result is that freedom and the right have been carried
downward to ' our Southern border. This is a new
feature in the history of rebellions. It teaches us that
they “fight against the stars in their courses” who
fight against the rights of man; that, as under the
throne so upon the throne, the march of human liberty
is forever onward, When it rises up none can hinder,

and when it strikes none can stand.

38 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

The war has also deepened the affection of the peo-
ple for the Union, in all parts of the land. The stiffer-
ing and glory it has occasioned are a common heritage.
The East and West can never forget that they have
stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the terrible
struggle”-that they have rejoiced together over the
same victories, and wept together over the same
reverses. A The blood of their sons has flowed together
on a hundred battle-fields, and those sons are now
sleeping side by side in the soldier’s grave. Nor do
We doubt that the era of Wiser counsels and kindlier
feeling, is coming to the people of the South; when
they also, having learned the real cause of their
troubles, shall reach forth a fraternal hand unto those
who have broken the yoke ofan Oligarchy from off
their necks. Yes, it is our country; our one country;
our redeemed and renovated country, that every Ameri-
can heart embraces to-day. ‘We of the East can never
resign our share in the glory of Sherman’s army,

and they of the West will ever claim that the army

which conquered Lee Was theirs. N o patriot, from the
Mississippi to the Pacific Coast, will ever admit to

himself that the tomb of Abraham Lincoln is in a

foreign country; and We who have “ seen his star in
the East” can never endure a strange flag Waving over
that shrine, as We go thither, with our sweet, spices,
to remember Whom he loved and for Whom he was
offered.

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 39

I will name but one other result of the war, itself an
effect of the results already named. The question of
Sovereignty settled, the power of cohesion in a free
government proved, and the Republic raised to leader-

ship among the nations, our character as a people

will naturally improve. Not that the American people
have been especially bad, but they are in a condition
to grow better. The consciousness of power begets a
feeling of repose. It gives steadiness and self—poise to
both nations and men. If Southern “ chivalry” had
been more genuine, it would have boasted less. If our
country had been more truly “ the home of the free,”
the shouts for freedom would have been less noisy.
Those friends abroad who expect that we shall be made
vain-glorious and insolent by our success, are mistaken.
Being sure of our position, we shall lose our sensitiVe«
ness, and grow calmer and more self-possessed. Our
nationality is vindicated. Other governments, con-
temptuous once, now look toward us with respect and
fear. But their fear is groundless, so long as their
treatment of us is just. The war has not made us a
military people; but only shown that when we must
fight we fight through to victory. Standing on our
high places, we shall not breathe out slaughter against
other nations, but the rather overlook their impotent
unfriendliness. This new dignity will be promotive of
peace everywhere. It will bring forth in us mor.e of

40 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

the fruits of manly virtue. Ceasing to fear criticism,
We shall be less criticized. The opinions of foreigners
will not disturb us much hereafter. We shall learn to
be content, and modestly proud, in the enjoyment of
our own history, our own institutions, our own simple
manners and customs. It is respectable now to be a
citizen of the United States,---respectable anywhere.
VVe have only to keep quietly in our place. VVe have
a character, and that character will give a charm to
American life. Those who have taunted us hitherto

will henceforth treat us with deference. They will find

a new merit in our literature, a new refinement in our
society,--—~ grace and dignity where all was vulgar and

A trivial before. We shall learn that success, as well as

a good deed, shines very far “ in a naughty world,”
that it transforms a nation of plebeians into a nation of
patricians, that it changes the worthless into the “ most
worshipfu .” Heretofore America has imitated Europe;
hereafter Europe will imitate America. And the influ-
ence of this new treatment, instead of pufling us up,
will beget in us all a sober self—respect. It will render

‘us a calmer people; will make us content with our

citizenship, and all the simple republican customs
bequeathed to us. ‘Thus shall the most lasting, the
grandest, the richest result of T the mightyistruggle be
secured. T



 

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 41

I now come to the most grateful, and withal. the
tenderest portion of my task. It is the offering of our
united thanks unto those who have achieved for us the
priceless boon. Soldiers from the Army and Navy, once
soldiers but now again citizens, we hail you to-day as
our benefactors and deliverers. We welcome you
home from the fatigues of the march, the wearisome
camp, and the awful ecstacy of battle. Through four
terrible years you have looked without quailing on the
ghastly visage of war. You have patiently borne the
heats of Summer and the frosts of Winter. You have

cheerfully exchanged the delights of home for the

hardships of the campaign or blockade. Not only the
armed foe, but the wasting malaria has lurked along
your resistless advance. You know the agony and the
transport of the deadly encounter. How many times,
standing each man at his post, in the long line of
gleaming sabres and bayonets, every hand clenched and
every eye distended, you have caught the peal of your
leader’s clarion, and sprung“ through the iron storm to
the embrace of victory! But all that has passed away.
The mangled forests are putting on an unwonted ver-
dure, the fields once blackened by the fiery breath of
war are now covered with their softest bloom, and the
vessels of commerce are riding on all the national
waters. The carnage, the groans, the cries for succor,

the fierce onsetand sullen recoil, the thunders of the
6

4:4: PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

mourn a father gone to be with you. The man so
exalted, whose summons drew you from happy homes
to be offered on the altars of war, has himself followed
in the sacrificial column. His mortal form is laid as
low as yours. It can no longer be said that he called
you to a death which did not threaten him. 0, ye
sightless couriers of the air, waiting around that new-
made sepulchre at Springfield, take up this truth--the
invisible Republic where President and people still are
one --—- and bear it abroad on gentle wings, and reveal it
tenderly to every poor heart, that bemoans a husband,
or son, or friend, or brother slain! In the words of an
ancient orator, “ It becomes us to honor the dead, and
to lament the living. For what pleasure, what consola-
tion remains to them’! They are deprived of those
who love them, but who preferring virtue to every con-
nection, have left them fatherless, widowed and forlorn.
Of all their relations, the children, too young to feel
their loss, are least to be lamented; but most of all the
parents, who are too old ever to forget it. They nour-
ished and brought up children to be the comforts of
their age, but of these, in the decline of life, they are
deprived, and with them of all their hopes. We shall
best honor the dead, then, by extending our protection
to the living. We must assist and defend their widows,
“protect and honor their parents, embrace and cherish
their orphans. Who deserve more honor than the

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 45

dead? VVho are entitled to more sympathy tl1an their
kindred ? ”

Nor in the field alone, has the meed of a nation’s
thanks been earned. At home the fair have toiled and
Waited for the brave. The flame on the altar of Hymen,
which has burnt low While there was sterner Work to
do, will be kindled afresh at the return of the saviours
of the country. The Soldiers’ Aid Societies, the San-
itary and Christian Commissions, and the records of all
our military hospitals, are an eternal monument to
Woman’s patriotism and woman’s love. And as, in the
past, they have chosen to be Widows of brave men
rather than the Wives of cowards, so now, neither scar
nor crutch, nor artificial limb, Will damage the suit of
those who deserve the fair. Soldiers, While We applaud
your heroism, there is also due, from you, a recognition
of services by those who have not stood at the front.
As I am enough of a civilian to speak their gratitude
to you, so I have been enough of a soldier to return
thanks in your name to them. They have exerted
themselves to the utmost that you might lack no per-
sonal comfort, and that the sinews of War might ever
be tense and strong. And as the various classes of
loyal citizens look around upon one another to-day, each
esteeming others better than himself, perhaps the truest
Word We can utter is that the Whole loyal people of the

46 * PEACE UNDER, LIBERTY.

land, wherever any may have struggled or toiled, are
the real and the only chief hero of the war.

"We cannot forget, in this glad hour, how much we
owe to the patriotic statesmen of former days. The
noble record of the last two Congresses is but the car-
rying forward of what their predecessors had begun.
VVe remember,the perils and speak gently of the mis-
takes, while we admire what we will believe was the
purpose of those men. It is not in our hearts to doubt
on which side of the line of battle Rufus Choate would
have stood, had he lived to see that line clearly drawn.
In no man was the sentiment of nationality ever more
intense than in him. “ The Union broken up?” we
can hear him exclaim with that preternaturalvoice of
his, “never, while there’s enough of Plymouth Rock
left to make a gun flint of I ” This whole bloody war
has been but the old battle between VVebster and Cal-
houn, fought through with other weapons and on a
broader stage. Their thoughts have sped from the
mouths of contending cannon ; their words haveclashed
in the fierce shock of encountering steel. Their spirits
have struggled in the air while loyalty and treason
were struggling on the plain below. They have shud-
dered or smiled, as each one has seen his idea smitten
down or winning the day. ,And when the final acclaim
of the armies of the. Union went up, could we not
almost see the sullen ghost of Calhoun turning away

PEACE UNDER , LIBERTY. “ 47

into the darkness? Could we not again hear Webster’s
voice coming to us in the grand music of the ocean,

across his tomb at Marshfield, and saying, “the aspira-

tion of my life is attained? I now do behold the

gorgeous ensign of the Republic known and honored
throughout the earth; full high advanced, its arms and
trophies streaming in more than their original lustre,
not a stripe erased nor a star obscured; and every-
where, spread all over in characters of living light,
blazing on all its ample folds, as they float over the sea
and over the land, and in every wind under the whole
heaven, there is emblazoned that sentiment, dear to
every American heart--—-Liberty and Union, now and
forever, one and inseparable.”

You will not deem it merely a professional act in
me, my friends, if Iremind you that to God is due our
supreme gratitude today. This obligation you have
recognized in the service of prayer. The war has
renewed our faith in a Divine Providence controlling
the destinies of nations, and without which not a spar-
row falleth. His throne has rested firmly on the
vexed sea of Rebellion, and He has wielded all its
wrath for our complete deliverance. In the first shot
at Sumter we heard the voice of God saying, “ arise,
my people ; ” and in the last shot at Ford’s Theatre we
saw Him delivering over the sword of justice into the
hands of one who believes that “treason is a crime,

48 « PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

and not merely difference of opinion.” All along He
has sent us defeats when our cause needed them.
Many a deliverance has been so unexpected, and from
sources so new and strange, that we could only say,
“ it is the Lord’s doing ;” nor did He permit the
crowning success to come until liberty had been
assured to all the inhabitants of the land. Perhaps
there is no pious word on record, more expressive of
what we should feel to-day, than Admiral Farragut’s
order after the taking of New Orleans: “Eleven
o’clock this morning is the hour appointed to return
thanks to Almighty God for his great goodness and
mercy. At that hour the church pennant will be
hoisted on every vessel of the fleet, and their ‘crews
assembled, will, in humiliation and prayer, make their
acknowledgments therefor, to the Great Dispenser of
all human events.” Following this bright example,
and that of many loyal governors and brave generals,

and of our departed and our living President,---nay,i

indeed, speaking from the deep impulse of our own
thankful hearts,--——it is unto the Lord that we sing our

new song, for he it is that hath done marvellous A

things : “ His right hand and His holy arm have got-
ten Him the victory.”

Let it not be inferred, from the tenor of these

remarks, that I see no peril in the future. What shall A

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. ' 49

be the treatment of the disloyal, and What the basis of
citizenship in the reconstructed States, are’ questions of
grave concern.

Are We exhorted to be kind to the Rebels? That
appeal is needless. We shall be kind to them. Many
of us have very tender reasons for treating them
kindly. “We always have been kind to them; erring
on that side, and yielding to their unjust demands, until
they inferred that We could not be aroused to maintain

our rights. We may accept it as an axiom, that the

people of the North cannot be cruel towards the

leaders in the South. All our danger, then, is on the
other side. Let us not give other nations occasion to
say that We make a commodity of justice. Let not

i the offenders themselves despise us for fearing to vin-

dicate the majesty of the Republic. Will good citi—
zens feel altogether safe, in our country, if it is to
have admired Rebels roaming at large in all parts of it

A for a generation to come? Let us not be so kind to

the disloyal as to be unkind to the loyal. Should not
those in the South who have fought on our side he
cared for before those who have fought against us?
Those who have been true to the Government should
be protected first. This is justice, Whose claims are
sacred. Nor is it magnanirnity, but a crime which
nature abhors, to cherish enemies who are outraging

our friends. Shall We leave the blacks in the power
7

.They would leave it 30.

50 PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

of the exasperated foe, knowing, as we do,that the
savage spite which cannot touch us will be wreaked
upon their unsheltered heads? I shall believe that
the revolt of the rebel angels has succeeded, and that
Satan now sits on the throne of God, if such horrible
treachery can exist and go unscourged of heaven!
VVhile the Saviour of men was riding in triumph to
Jerusalem, “ He beheld the city, and wept over it.”
But those tears did not prevent Him from saying,
“ Behold your house is left unto you desolate.” Imitat-
ing that divine act today, we raise our bitter cry over
prostrate treason, even while we call on Justice to draw
out her sharp sword. There is no malignity in our
hearts, but a reverent prayer that the sovereignty of
the nation may be magnified and made honorable.
They trampled on our for-
bearance and warnings, and defied the power which
should be “ a terror to evil doers.” Let justice be
done without the least over~doing. Let their doom be
so reasonable that no wicked sympathy shall dare to lift
its head. Let them be put where no “foreign corre-
spondent” can glorify them; where no unfriendly court
can make use of them; where no lying pens of their
own can fill the world with histories of their treason
disguised as patriotism, and of their attempt to na-
tionalize barbarism painted as a struggle for human

liberty. Let them be so punished that their example i

/4,,

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 51

can never prove contagious, and be buried where the
bloodhounds of despotism can never scent their
graves !

Two acts of the struggle for liberty in America are
past; the third and consummating act is now upon us.
The first act closed under Washington, when the Colo-

nies were acknowledged to be free and independent A

States; the second act closed under Lincoln, with the
vindication of the sovereignty of the Union; the third
act will close when equal political rights are conceded
to all men. God grant that the last act may not, like
the first two, deluge the land with blood! May the
evil tree be plucked up in the hour of its weakness,
before its roots have undergrown and its branches
overspread the Republic. The Emancipation Procla-
mation was but incidental to the war for the Union.
Not in the purpose of man, but by the arrangement of
God, it has knocked off the chains of the slave.“ And it
has done a negative, rather than a positive work. It
has delivered the blacks from chattel slavery, but it has
not introduced them into civil liberty. A How this last
act shall be achieved is the problem now forced upon
the country. Our statesmen cannot evade it if they
would; it is taxing their wisdom beyond any other ques-
tion of the hour; and whoever solves it successfully will
complete the grand American triumvirate. "We could
wish that the triumvirate, when full, might read-———-

52 A PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

Washingtoii, Lincoln, Johnson. Do any say that it is

inconsistent to demand citizenship for the blacks in the

States now returning to the Union, While in many of
the so-called Free States only the whites are admitted
to the ballot? But the people of these latter States
have not rebelled. Security for the future may re-
quire of disloyal communities What should not be
enacted of the loyal. Only those who have broken
the peace are put under bonds to keep the peace.
“ But the question of suffrage belongs to the States.”
So it does, While they are in their normal condition.
Perhaps the day of military neces_sity is over; but is

~ there not a necessity of state quite as pressing, Which,

if not yielded to, Will ultimately become a military
necessity’! If you cannot do a righteous deed for its
own sake, yet doing it to prevent War is better states-
manship than Waiting ibr the War to come. A free
government can be said to fulfil its purpose only when
no class" of persons under it has Wrongs to be re-
dressed. Emancipation is but a mockery of the
blacks, especially while among their late masters, if
they be not admitted to citizenship. Perhaps it did
not occur to Mr. Lincoln, perhaps he thought it un-
wise at the time, to make his Proclamation perfect by
adding to it: “ And, that the promises herein con-
tained may not prove illusory in the end, I do also pro-
claim, and cause to be published and proclaimed, that,

 

PEACE UNDER LIBERTY. 53

in reconstructing the State governments now disor-
ganized, the blacks shall be admitted to all the rights
of freemen on the same conditions with the Whites.”
How much present anxiety would have been prevented
by some such golden clause 1 But We will believe that
the question is in safe hands. Surely the Congress, if

made Wise by the events of the past, will not “ guarantee”

a republican form of government” to any State, While l

there is manifestly, in that State, a spirit hostile to the
very principles of republicanism. T o the loyalty, wis-
dom, and patriotism of our“statesmen We confide this

grave concern. They alone can decide it peacefully;

and may God have them in his holy keeping !

Anticipating the gradual solution of all remaining A

difficulties, in a manner which shall fulfil the hopes of
a generous patriotism, I see, before our country, a
future too grand for my feeble portrayal; a development
of the resources of nature, a growth of manufactures,
a commerce, civilization, and Christianity, which shall
be the glory of the New \/Vorld and the Wonder of the
Old. No man, standing at the sources of the Amazon,
can bring within the range of his vision all its mighty

course from the mountains to the sea;--—its broad

‘tributaries with their interlacing streams; its silent

advance through primeval forests, and vaster sweep
across luxuriant savannas; the sails of adventurers,

and of scientific explorers, moving up into its ‘alluring

54: PEACE UNDER LIBERTY.

mystery; theinexhaustible wealth of field and mine to
which it is a natural highway; the current, so like an
ocean, with which it proudly yields at last to the
ocean’s embrace. And so, standing to-day by the
sources of this new stream in American history, We
cannot foresee all its unfolding volume ; its distant

'”g1'eatness, and grandeur, and majesty; the destinies,

mortal and immortal, of both nations and individuals,
which it will gatherupon its ample bosom, and bear
onward and onward, into the unbounded hereafter.
VVe can only lift up our" overflowing hearts toward
Him Whose rod has brought the Water out of the rock,
and ask that He would direct its wondrous course;
draining the richness of all the civilizations into it, and
causing it to bless the ages through which it shall roll,
until it mingles in that sea of latter-day glory, whose
law is peace, and whose tides and Waves are the pulsa-

tions of a perfect love.

 

THE CELEBRATION.

THE CELEBRATlON.

THE Committee of the City Council for making the necessary
arrangements to celebrate the eighty-ninth anniversary of the
Declaration of American Independence, July 4, 1865, was ap-
pointed February 18, and consisted of Aldermen John S.
Tyler, Geo. VV. Messinger, L. Miles Standish, Charles F.
Dana, Geo. W. Sprague, Nathaniel C. Nash, and Edward F.
Porter; Councilmen VVn1. B. Fowle, John Miller, VV. W.
Elliott, N. J. Bean, VVm. WV. ‘Warren, Joseph Allen, F. "W.
Palfrey, John P. Qrdvvay, S. H. Loring, J. C. Haynes,
S. B. Stebbins, M. W. Richardson, and Sumner Crosby.

By invitation of the Committee, His Honor Mayor Lincoln
was invited to consult with them, and to act with and for them
on public occasions. Before the time had arrived for making
definite and precise preparations for the celebration, the War
came to an end, and it was considered on all hands that the
Fourth of July ought to be signalized by demonstrations of joy
even moreextensive than have heretofore been customary. The
appropriation was accordingly increased by the City Council,
and the Committee devoted themselves to perfecting a pro-
gramme of celebration which would gratify all classes and suit

all proper tastes. The elements marred the full success of some
8

58 V THE CELEBRATION.

of the entertainments, but, as a Whole, it is believed the celebra-

tion was satisfactory to the public, and a fit exposition of the

prevalent happy state of feeling in the cominunity.
According to custom,the bells were rung at sunrise, noon,
and sunset, and salutes were fired upon the Common, by Capt.

French’s 2d Battery, at the same hours.

DECORATIONS.

» The City Hall, and other public buildings and places were
decorated freely with flags, mottoes, shields, &c. From the
line crossing Chauncy Street was suspended a shield, bearing on
one side the motto; “The security of the American Republic
rests in the equality of human rights.” (Reverse side.) “ God
bless the Union! It is clearer to us for the blood of our brave
men shed in its defence.”   At the entrance to the Common, by
Park Street, a large and beautiful banner motto was suspended.
On the front side was the motto : “ We exult that a Nation has
not fallen.” On one side of this motto Was a figure of Justice,
with the scales, &c. On the other side the Goddess of
Liberty. On the reverse side of this banner a motto: “ A
new birth of Freedom,” with the figure ’65 underneath, flanked

by a representation of the soldier and sailor. A similar ban-—

ner, With the following mottoes, Twas at the Boylston and .

Charles streets entrance: “ One Flag-—-—-One Gr0vernment.”
(Reverse) “ The Union, it must be preserved.”

‘ On Beacon Street Mall, where tables were set for a collation
to the “ Veteran Soldiers,” for nearly 350 feet, flags and
other bunting were extended on both sides, and up into the



THE A CELEBRATION. 59

trees, in such a manner as to create a very picturesque effect.
At the entrance, opposite VValnut Street, was a large canvas
shield, bearing the motto : —-

‘‘ Honor to the gallant defenders of the Star-Spangled
Banner.”

Nearer the foot of’ the Mall was another shield, on which
were the mottoes: “ VVhat the fathers gained in blood may
the sons preserve by virtue!” and “ Liberty and Union,.one
and indivisible, now and forever ! ”

There was also attached "to the trees bordering this display
of bunting the names —— Abraham Lincoln, Grant, Sherman,

Hooker, Burnside, Hancock, Howard, and Sedgwick, on one

side of the Mall, and on the opposite were the following names.

in similar order: Richmond, Vicksburg, Shenandoah Valley,

Knoxville, Antietam, Wilderness, Petersburg, F1'edericksburg,

Gettysburg, and Chancellorville.

The following mottoes were hung, at the places designated,
with flags :--

Across Winter“ Street, at Music Hall :---

“ Indemnity for the past and security for the future; the
noblest indemnity and the strongest security ever won, be-
cause founded in the redemption of a race.”

Reverse side----- “ All honor to the Army and Navy of the

A United States. Animated by a love of their country, they

went forward at its call, and have reaped what they well de-
served ~------- the N ation’s gratitude.”

Across Merchants Row from Faneuil Hall to Market : --

‘‘ I leave you, hoping that the lamps of Liberty will burn

in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all

A men are created free and equal.”—-‘- ABRAI-IAM_ LINCOLN.

60 THE CELEBRATION.

Reverse side -———- “ All honor to the Citizen Soldiers of Mas-
sachusetts I In the ‘War for Independence in 1776, and in
the “Tar for Freedom in 1861, foremost to defend and prompt

' to shed their blood in support of man’s inalienable ‘right to

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Across "Washington Street from Boston Theatre : -———

“ Wasliington promulgated our principles «Warren died

in their defence. T/Ve intend to perpetuate them.”
Reverse side»-—— “ The memories of the fathers are the in-

spirations of her sons.”

A MORNING CONCERT

was given upon the Common, at 7 o’clock in the morning,
and was listened to with apparent gratification by many thou»

sand people. The musicians numbered eighty, under the

' direction of Mr. B. A. Burditt, and the pieces played were as

follows : ---

T Hail Columbia.
Russian National Hymn.
Medley of Popular Airs.
England’s National Hymn.
Dirge in Memory of President Lincoln.
Hallelujah Chorus.
French National Air.
lreland’s National Air.
German Fatherland.
Our Country’s National Airs.
Old Hundred.

THE CELEBRATION. 61

THE CHILDREl\T’S CELEBRATION.

Musical and other entertainments, chiefly for the children of
the Public Schools, were provided during the day at Music
Hall, Andrews Hall, and the Boston Theatre. These enter-
tainments Were under the management of a Committee of the
"Warren Street Chapel, subject to the directions of the Sub-
committee on Children’s Celebrations. ,At the Music Hall,
before and after the Oration, at 9, 33-, and 55; o’clocl:, three
National Organ Concerts were given by Mr. Gr. E. VVl1iting
and Mrs. L. S. Frohock. At Andrews Hall, at 9, 11, 1, 3,
and 5 o’clock, there were exhibitions of natural magic, legercle-
main, ventriloquism, and Punch and Judy, by Henry Bryant.
At the Boston Theatre there was dancing and promenade, with
full bands of Music, from 933: to 1, and  to 6 o’clock. All
these places were fully attended.

At the Music Hall, during the interval between the fourth
and fifth performances on the programme of the first concert
in the morning, His Honor Mayor Lincoln entered, escorting
General Anderson and Admiral Farragut, who were greeted
with loud cheers and tempestuous applause, waving of hats and
handkerchiefs, every one rising in their seats.

The gentlemen being seated and the tumult subsiding, the
Mayor came forward and said :-—--

My Friends : I thought to have the pleasure of introducing to
you our noble guests here, but I perceive that they are already
introduced and recognized by you,-———-—-bound to you heart to
heart. Still, I will do myself’ the honor formally to present to
you Vice—~Adrniral Farragut.

62 THE CELEBRATION.

Admiral Farragut rose amid renewed and vociferous ap-
plause, and as soon as he could obtain silence, said :-----

“ It affbrds me great pleasure to return thanks to you for this
greeting, and after an absence of forty years to meet you on
this glorious day.” ’

The Mayor: “ And now for the hero of Fort Sumter :”
(Great applause.)

General Anderson rose and said :---—

‘ ‘ I can only. thank you, as I do, from the bottom of my heart.”

During the enthusiastic demonstrations of the audience which
ensued, Miss Hattie Lincoln, daughter of His Honor the Mayor,
presented to Admiral Farragut an elegant bouquet, and Miss
Addie Standish, daughter of Alderman Standish, presented a
similar one to General Anderson.

Mr. James R. Elliott than sang in fine style, “ Columbia, the
gem of the ocean,” the audience joining in _the chorus.

Wliile singing the last verse, Mr. Elliott turned toward Gen-

oral Anderson and Admiral Farragut, singing these lines : --

‘‘ May the wreaths they have "worn never wither,
Nor the stars of their glory grow dim!
May the service united ne’er sever,
But they to their colors prove true!
Oh! the Army and Navy forever!
Three cheers for the Red, Wliite, and Blue ! ”

‘Which were received with loud applause. Alderman George
W. Messinger then presented two very handsome bouquets to
Misses Lincoln and Standish, and soon after His Honor the
Mayor and his distinguished guests retired, and drove to

Andrews Hall, where the General and Admiral were received



THE CELEBRATION. 63

with cheers from the children, Who, at the Mayor’s request,
then sang a verse of “The Star—Spangled Banner.” They

thence proceeded to the Boston Theatre, the audience rising and

. the _ band in the balcony playing “Hail to the Chief,” as they

entered and advanced up the iplatforrn to the front of the stage,
the young misses on the floor encircling the area in a double
line. _

Silence being restored, His Honor Mayor Lincoln said : --

“ I beg to congratulate you all on the happy auspices of this
occasion, and to present to you Vice-Admiral Farragut and
Maj or-General Robert Anderson.”

General Anderson thus replied to the loud applause of the
youthful assembly : ----

“My little friends, I Wish that I could take you all by the
hand and thank you for this Welcome.” (Great applause.)

Admiral Farragut said : —---~---

‘‘ It affords me the deepest gratification to meet you on this
glorious day, and to thank you for this cornpliinentary recep—-
tion.” (Great applause and cheers.) p

Nine young ladies in costume then came forward and danced
the Highland Fling in a manner which was loudly applauded
by the spectators. Mayor Lincoln and party withdrew shortly
after, the band playing the National airs, and the large assembly

cheering enthusiastically.

THE PROCESSION
Was formed at City Hall (corner of Bedford and Chauncy
streets) at ten o’clock. The Chief Marshal was Brevet Brig.
Gen. VV1n. S. Tilton, Who was assisted by Col. P. R. Guiney,

64 . THE CELEBRATION.

 J . Henry Sleeper, Capt. Nathan Appleton, and H. W.
Tilton, Esq. as aids, and by the following assistant marshals:

Lieut. Col. P. T. Hanley, Maj. J. W. Malian, Capt. W. T. W. ”

Ball, Capt. M. F. O’I-Iara, Capt. Wm. A. Hill, Lieut. C. F.
Williaxns,  W. T. Eustis, 3d, Maj. R. T. Lombard, Capt.
Geo. D. Putnam, Capt. J . P. Jordan, Lieut. James Darling,
Dr. E. G. Tucker, J . VV. Wolcott, Jr., James H. Roberts,
J . T. Fuller, Geo. F. l/Villianis, Jr., Levi C. Barney, John
D. Cadogan.

The proces'sion marched in the following order : -

Twelve mounted Police Oficers, in command of Sergeant
John M. Dunn.

Col. Charles R. Codman and staff, in command of the escort.

Band from Gallop’s Island. '

Second Regiment of Infantry, under COI1'1I112!.I1Cl of Lieut. Col.
0. W. Peabody.

The Lincoln Guards of South Boston, Capt. M. E. Bigelow.

The Newton Zouaves, Capt. Alfred Schoii’, a company of lads.

The 14th unattached Company of militia, Capt. Lewis Gaul.

Gilmore’s Band with a.Drun1 Corps.

The Boston Light Infantry Regiment, H. O. 'Whitten1ore,
Captain commanding.

The 1st Battery Light Artillery, Capt. Cummings.

The 2d Battery Light Artillery, Capt. French.

Bond’s Cornet Band.

Brig. Gen. Wm. S. Tilton, Chief’ Marshal, and Aids.

First Division. Col. Thomas Sherwin, Chief of Division.
Aids, Capt. Geo. M. Barnard, J r., and Lieut. John G.
Kinsley.

THE CELEBRATION. 65

This Division was composed of the City Government, various

present and past City, County, and State ofiicials, officers of the

A N. E. Veteran Association, invited guests, and the Boston

Scottish Club in Highland costume, and the American Hiber-
nian Society with their oflicers and beautiful banners in a car—-
riage, the members following on foot in good numbers and
wearing their handsome regalia.

Second Division. Col. A. F. Devereux, Chief of Division.
Aids, Lieut. Col. W. S. Davis, and Capt. A. P. Martin.
This Division was composed entirely of returned soldiers, headed
by cavalrymen, preceded by a drum corps.ofyou11g lads with
Master Coffin, acting Drum Major.

Next was borne a banner on which was the motto, “ The
Nation’s Defenders,” who were represented by members of dif-
ferent Army Corps, each bearing a representation of their corps

badge, as follows : -V-l-~ l A

1st Corps, “ Buck’s Eye.”

2d Corps, “ Clover.”

3d Corps, “Diamond.”

5th Corps, “ Maltese Cross.”

6th Corps, “ Roman Cross.”

9th Corps, “ Anchor and Shield.”
10th Corps, “ Four-Bastioned Fort.”
11th Corps,_ ‘ ‘ Crescent.”

20th Corps, “ Heart.”

Then came four large wagons, each drawn by four noble
horses, furnished by Adams & Co.’s Express Company, and by
9 .

66 THE CELEBRATION.

Jordan, Marsh, & Co., containing disabled veterans.‘ As the
brave and crippled men passed, the thousands of people who
lined the sidewalks greeted them with hearty cheers.

The procession moved from City Hall in Chauncy Street,
through Summer, Winter, Tremont, Park, and Beacon streets,
to Arlington Street; through Arlington to Boylston Street;
through Boylston to Park Square; through Park Square and
Pleasant Street to Tremont Street; through Tremont, Dover,
VVasl1ington, and Winter streets, to the Music Hall.

The City Council and guests entered Music Hall, and the
escort conducted the veterans to the foot of Beacon Street -Mall.

THE SOLDIERS’ COLLATION.

Tvventytables Were laid in Beacon Street Mall for the vet-
eran returned soldiers and sailors, of Which they partook with a
hearty relish. After the eatables were disposed of’, some of the
veterans made brief remarks appropriate to the occasion, and
among others Mr. Benjamin F. Norcross, a veteran sailor of thirty

years’ standing, who came home in the Canandaigua, made an

interesting speech, which was listened to with marked attention. ,

The company separated after giving cheers for the _Army and

Navy.

SERVICES IN THE MUSIC HALL.

The Music Hall was filled to overflowing. It had been ap-
propriately draped, for the occasion, the names of the States
and of John Hancock and the other signers of the Declaration

of Independence, from Massachusetts, being prominent upon

THE CELEBRATION. 67

the galleries. There were also mottoes making proper allusion
to the preservation of the Union by the valor of our brave men.

Soon after 12 'o’clock_, Mayor‘ Lincoln entered with Admiral
Farragut and Gen. Anderson, who Were received with tremen-
dous cheering. The singing of the “ Star-Spangled Banner,”
which opened the exercises, was by a Choir selected from the
High and Grammar schools, under the direction of Mr. Carl
Zerrahn, and received much applause. A prayer “was offered
by Rev. Henry W. Foote, when the “ Chorus of Pilgrims,”
from “ I Lombardi,” was sung.

The Declaration of’ Independence was gracefully read by
Master Charles Harris Phelps. Rev. Mr. Manning, then de-—
livered his Oration. It was warmly applauded, particularly the
allusions to the suppressed passage of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and to Farragut, Stringham, Grant, Sherman, An-
derson,‘ and President Lincoln, and the great act of his admin-

istration.

The following Original Hymn, by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe,
was then sung to the Music of the _“ Old Hundredth Psalm.”

4!

Our Fathers built the house of God;
Rough-hewn, with haste its slabs they laid;
The savage man in ambush trod;

And still they worshipped undismayed.

They wrought like stalwart men of war,
Who wrung the state from heathen hands;

Who bore their faith’s_higl1 banner far,
And in its name possessed the lands.

68 THE CELEBRATION.

The skill of strife to peaceful arts,
Their perils over, glad gave Way;

The bond of freedom joined men’s hearts
More near than me-aner compact rnay.

‘We, followers of their task and toil,
Inherited their dangers too;

Drove bloody rapine from our soil,
Th’ oppressor dared, the murderer slew.

Our heavy work, like theirs, at end;
Returning from the death—Wou field,
Brother with brother, friend with friend,

Again the house of God We build.

Oh 1 may our ransomed freedom dwell
In truth’s own citadel secure;

And blameless guardians foster Well
The mystic flame that must endure.

The flame of ‘holy human love,
That makes our liberties divine;

Let each strong arm its champion prove,
And each true heart its deathless shrine.

1'4‘:

Benediction was pronounced by the Chaplain.

DINNER AT FANEUIL HALL.

At the close of the exercises at Music Hall, a procession
was formed of the City Council and its guests, which marched
directly to Faneuil Hall. The decorations of the Hall were
somewhat more carefully and elaborately arranged than is cus-
tomary ‘on such occasions, and are thus described by the
decoratbrs, Messrs. Lamprell & Marble :-—-——- A

THE CELEBRATlON. 69

“ The entrance was through an arch of flags. From the
centre of the ceiling was suspended at large star, twenty-five
feet in diameter, comppsed of flags of all nations, in the
centre of which was a blue field with silver stars. The points
of the star were tipped with gilt ornaments. Radiating from
the star were American pennants and various——colored bunting
to the capital of each pillar; also red, White, and blue bunting
extending around the cornice of the Hall. A large arch of
green and gilt spanned the eagle, with a motto, “ Peace-———
Reunion—--Liberty.” On the pillars were emblems of war,
U. S. shield, liberty cap, &c. From the arch, and attached
to the ipilla1*s, were a canopy of blue field, with stars, envel-
oping the eagle. On the panels of the Gallery were the names
of some of our most prominent army and naval oficers. On
one side of the clock was “ FARRAGUT---VVelcome, in the
Cradle of Liberty, to the noble leader of our brave and gallant
Navy, Who,‘ in his own career,’ has embodied the loyalty, the
valor, and the courage which has borne our ‘hardy tars on to
glorious victory.” On the opposite side, “ GRANT---—~All
honor to the great Captain of the age, who combines the
perseverance of Wellington with the strategy of Napoleon.”
On the side galleries, “ Mnazon,” “ SHERMAN,” “ SHERIDAN,”
“ PORTER,” “ Foorn,” “ SrnINer~IAM,” “ WINsI.ow,” and
“ANDERSON” -—---Faithfnl among the faithlessl Deserted by
his Commander-in-Chief, he withstood all temptations, choos-
ing death rather than the surrender of his country’s flag to
sedition and treason.” Small glories of flags and shields were
interspersed between the panels. VVl1ite, red, and blue bunt»-

ing extended in festoons around the base of the galleries, and

'70 - THE mansnarion.

American flags and bunting were appropriately festooned in
the rear of the rostrum. The lower vvindows were curtained
with American flags and white, pirilc, and blue lace. The
upper Windows were decorated with flags of all nations.
There were also large American flags on each side of the
lower doors. Bronze medallions, life size, of the late
President Lincoln, Secretary Seward, Lieutenant-General
Grant, Major~General Meade, .l\/Iajor-—-General Butler, and
Vice-Admiral Farragut, adorned the wall behind the
Mayor’s chair. On the rostrum in front, in the midst of
a sea of beautiful mosses and flowers and aquatic plants,
appeared a fine miniature representation of the U. S. ship
Hartford, the flag-sliip of Admiral Farragut at the battle of
N ew Orleans.” ‘

His Honor Mayor Lincoln presided at the tables, and,
upon his invitation, the Divine blessing was invoked by the
Chaplain of the Day, Rev. Henry W. Foote.

The dinner was then spread, and the company occupied
nearly an hour in the practical discussion of its merits. The
cloth was then removed, when Mayor Lincoln rose and spoke
as follows: ---

“FELLOW-CITIZENS: Again, under happy auspices, we
are assembled in Faneuil Hall, and, in company with distin-
guished guests, celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration
of Independence. A For the past four years our civic feast has
been ‘omitted. We have repaired to other temples, as has
been the custom of the people of’ Boston on this day since
the ‘close of the Revolutionary "War, and with prayer and

THE CELERRRATION. 71

praise have listened to those Words of hope and cheer which
were befitting the solemn exigency through which our country
was passing; but our hearts were not attuned to those jubilant
strains, which graced in happier times the festivities of our
commemorative exercises.

“ This venerated Hall, indeed, during this time, has not been
closed. It has been exerting an influence from its traditional
history, and from the live men Whose eloquence has rung
through its arches, as important as in any period since one
stone was laid upon the other. Its doors have opened on
their golden hinges to our armed men going to or coming
from the gage of battle. They have been inspired bythe
patriotic memories which impregnate its V walls. Their faith
in the good old cause has been strengthened as they remem-.
bered the Fathers who rocked the cradle in the infancy of the
Republic; and their indignation has been aroused as they
heard the traitor’s tlireat, that the Rebel flag would one day
float over the sacred edifice. The stem discipline of sorrow
and gloom was laid upon the land, to test the manhood
of the people. The trial has been severe, and the sacrifice
great; but through the Providence of God, and the might
of the gallant men on the land and on the sea, who have
nnflinchingly stood by their country in its hour of. peril, the
Republic is saved, and we rejoice to-day with shouts of tri-
umph unexampled in our history.

“ VVhat a contrast is the celebration of to-day to all which

have preceded it! Before the late Rebellion, it was our cus-

tom to assemble to rehearse the noble story of our Fathers.

“Sometimes the thoughtful would raise the question if We of

7 2 THE CELEBRATION.

this generation, were worthy of the rich inheritance they had
bequeathed to us. We rejoiced, in holiday attire, over the
deeds of our ancestors. Had a long peace and unexampled
worldly prosperity sapped the foundations of public virtue?
Had we become degenerate and unequal to the peculiar mission
committed to us as one of the family of nations? The events
of the last four years have answered these doubts. Our
valor and mettle have been tried and tested; and we have
shown to the world, and the record has been made on the
historic page, that this people are ‘worthy sons of worthy

3

sires; and that the impulses of a lofty patriotism beat as

strongly intheir bosoms as it did in the bosoms of those heroic

R men who pledged their lives and sacred honor, or stood the

shock of battle in the war of the Revolution.

“ The principles which they enunciated in the immortal
document put forth to the world July Fourth, 17 76, have
received a more emphatic indorsement than even they were
able to give them; and we stand to-day, in name and in spirit,
in fact and in deed, a free and independent people. Chattel
slavery, ‘ that thorn in the flesh, ’ which was so foreign
to the genius of our Republican form of government, and
which has had such an irritating influence upon the constitu-
tion of the body politic, no longer is a reproach to our fair
name; and on this glorious anniversary, another race, born
Within the limits of the Republic, salutes our flag, as it rises
in the morning’s fresh light, as their emblem of freedom and

manhood.

“We to-day commence a new epoch in the history of the

nation. Assuming a position in the world which neither

TI-IE CELEBRATION. '7 3
foreign nations nor domestic traitors can ever hereafter shake,
our own military questions settled, we are to be called upon,
as American citizens, to meet new duties and responsibilities
growing out of an altered state of affairs. Following as a
guide the principles laid down by the Fathers, instructed and

enlightened by the events, recent and remote, which have

-transpired since the Federal Government was organized,

crushing the ‘Spirit of despotism wherever it exists in old in-

~ stitutions, and infusing more of the spirit of liberty and humani-

ty into all those which affect the present or the future happiness
of the people, let patriotism, not party, be the touchstone to
which every new measure of statesmanship shall be applied;
and the world will be given toiunderstand that the citizens of

the United States are indeed, nowand forever, ONE PEOPLE.

“ Let a broad nationality which obliterates State lines be ‘

our absorbing passion. As our soldiers on the field, as our
sailors on the deck, stood together in the late conflict with
the Rebel foe, looking only to the one flag of the Union float-
ing over them, so may we, bound together by the perils we
have passed, become more firmly fixed in the resolve that
the links which make these thirty-«six commonwealths one
nation shall never be severed.

“ VVith these few observations, fellow--citizens, and cone
gratulating you upon the inspiring circumstances under which
we are celebrating the eighty--ninth anniversary of American
Independence, with a cordial welcome to‘ Faneuil Hall,vto the

brave men whose gallant exploits have given a new significance

and glory to the hallowed observance of the day, cordially‘

greeting at our festivities the heroic commander of Fort

10

74: THE CELEBRATION.

Sumter, Whose intrepid garrison first received and respond-—
ed to the dastardly shots aimed at the honored ensign of
the Republic, with a welcome as large as a sailor’s heart
to the Vice-Admiral, whose noble deeds have added to the
fame as they have given a new name and rank to the navy
of the United States, I will call upon you all, as loyal men,
to rise while I propose the health of one who should be

uppermost in our hearts to-day 2--

“ ‘ His Excellency, Andrew Johnson, the President of the ~

United States.’ ”
The Band played “ The Star-Spangled Banner,” the company

standing.

The Mayor then introduced the Hon. John Lowell, Judge.

of’ the U. S. District Court, to respond to the sentiment just

? offered. Judge Lowell said:——--»-

“ I esteem myself peculiarly fortunate, Mr. Mayo1~, in being

‘called upon to respond, at this precise time, to the loyal and

ever-welcome sentiment-I---~ ‘ The President of the United
States.’ i

“ For the first time for four years we can hail the sentiment
without misgiving and without drawback. N o thought here
and now of Presidents dc jars and Presidents dc _fit(JZf(”) : no
subtle, unexpressed, irrepressible, afterthought, of ‘ so»-called ’
Presidents, ruling over a ‘ so-called’ nation within our own in-
herited domain. The ‘ sowcalled’ are now busily engaged in
throwing the blame upon each other, and ask of us only to be
let alone, and need from us only Christian justice and Christian
mercy. There is but one President now, thank God, from
Canada to Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific seas.

THE CELEBRATION.   7' 5

“ And the events of these four years of doubt, of struggle,
and of progress, have taught us something about that great oflice
itself, of which the brave, steady, thoroughly patriotic Andrew
Johnson is now the Worthy representative; have purged away,
let us hope, some of the cankers of a full time and a long
peace.

“ In the course of that long period of prosperity, we had
come to look upon the President of the United States too much
as the mere chief of a successful party, as a gentleman who had
a large number of party friends to reward, and of party ene-
mies to punish, at the public expense; to the public damage, too
often, for the men that he turned out of otlice (of whatever
party) Were, on the average, better than the men he put in, by
an experience of four years in office. I appeal to every oflice-
holder here if this will not be true --—— of his successor.

“ We need to talk, jestingly, of loaves and fishes; but What

. were the five thousand and the seven thousand who were fed by

these miracles to the swarms that infested Washington on the
4th of March of every fourth year? I guess all the White male
citizens of Judea, with a considerable sprinkling of Assyrians

thrown in (those Assyrians that ‘ came down ’ to march farther

, than they intended), would hardly be a circumstance to the free

and enlightened citizens of this Republic, who were ready to
serve their country, in the interests of their party, in those happy
days that are gone. ‘

“ But the ‘war has taught us that the Presidents are intended
for something besides making and unrnaking tide Waiters.
Step by step, hour by hour, day by day, the man we had, by

the blessing of an overruling Providence, chosen to do these

7 6 THE CELEBRATION.

little things, developed and grew to the height of ruling over
many things, until on that fatal day in April there was scarcely
a man in the civilized world that did not realize in Abraham
Lincoln the fit constitutional chief of a great, persistent, mag-
nanimous, and free people.

“ He is gone! he is entered into the joy of his Lord. But
his successor has, resting upon him, responsibilities scarcely less
heavy, duties less conspicuous, but almost equally important.
Let us give him——-more than our respect---~our love, our sym-
pathy, and our prayers, that he may be enabled to conduct this
nation wisely, humanely, safely through the shoals and breakers
that still surround us, into the final haven of freedom, equality,

and peace. ”

The Mayor next gave “ The Commonwealth of l\Iassachu-
setts.” He remarked that no Executive of any Loyal State
had been more zealous and efficient in upholding the Govern--
ment in its efforts to restore the Union than His Excelleiicy
John A. Andrew, and he regretted that it was impossible for
him to be present here. The Governor and the State Were,
however, well represented by Rev. S. K. Lothrop, D. D. who,
as Chaplain of the Cadets, the Governor’s body—guard, had
been deputed by the Governor to appear in his place.

Dr. Lothrop spoke as follows z--———

‘‘ Mn. MAYOR AND FELLOW--CITIZENS :-—--—
“ I have had a great many pleasures and honors, sir, in my
life, ——--more than I deserved, ----~ but never such an honor as

this,---that I should be called upon to respond for the Old

THE CELEBRATION. ” I '77

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 4th of July, in Faneuil
Hall, -———-— an honor to which I have been summoned and detailed
by his Excellency, the Governor, because I happened to be
Chaplain to his Guard of Honor, the Independent Corps of
Cadets, and I suppose that there is nobody between that humble
oflice and his Excellency, who could be brought here to—day to
speak for him.

“ It is an honor which, in my most ambitious aspirings, I

. could never have dreamed would be mine, and therefore, Mr.

Mayor and Fellow--Citizens, I beg you not to be surprised,
should you perceive that the singular modesty for which I am
known to be distinguished seems to be a. little overborne by the
extraordinary distinction which devolves upon me this day. If
ever it was to devolve upon me to speak for the Commonwealth,
I rejoice that it has come on an occasion of so much interest
and importance as this year’s Commemoration of our great

National Anniversary ; and if I had to speak for any Governor, I

am very glad to speak for Governor Andrew. He is a man of

so much decision and independence of character, that doubtless
there are many who do not entirely like him, but I may confi-
dently assume that it will be admitted by the great mass of men
in this State, of all parties, that he has presided over our State
affairs with singular wisdom and energy during a period of great
public peril and anxiety, and that through his unquestionable
ability, through his untiring industry, through his political
sagacity, through his undeviating and undaunted loyalty, he has
so conducted his administration of our affairs for the last, now
nearly, five years, as to make it form an interesting, important,

brilliant, and glorious Chapter in the History of this Ancient

78 THE CELEBRATION.

Commonwealth. I am not ‘in the political line,’ Mr. Mayor,
but on the broad basis of a patriotic citizenship, I am ready to
say, ‘ all honor to Governor Andrew, for the ability and fidelity
with which he has upheld the honor of the State during these
years of Civil War.’ ”

“ But it is time, Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, that His Excel-
lency should be permitted to speak for himself. VVith your
leave, therefore, I will read a letter which he requested me to

read on this occasion, which is as follows : ——

“CoMMoNw'nALr1~x on Mnssacnusnrtrs, Exanourxvr.
“Dnrnnzrmnnr, BOSTON, Jame 30, 1865.

“ Hrs Honoa F. VV. LINCOLN, J 12., Mung/m-, Boston, Mass.

“ MY DEAR SIR: My absence from Boston during a part of
next week Will prevent my enjoying the opportunity offered by
your invitation to share with the City Government of Boston
the festive commemoration of the anniversary of American
Independence, which it is one of the distinctions of Boston
that she always celebrates with a fervent and generous devo—-
tion, Worthy the eminent fame of her ‘ Cradle of Liberty.’

“ I think she is the only city in the Union of which it can
be affirmed that this commemoration, in all the forms of the
prophecy imputed to John Adams, is observed and kept by
the municipality and by the people, in Peace and in W’ar,
without interruption, and with every emblem and demonstration
of patriotic joy and gratitude.

“ In 1859, I spent the 4th of July in the City of VVasl1ing-
ton, when, in conversation with a member of Mr. Bucl1anan’s

Cabinet, he remarked, with the twang and the peculiarity of

I

THE CELEBRATION. 7 9

emphasis which used to mark the conversation of the apostles
and leaders of incipient treason: ‘ You Yankees are a singular
people.’ To which I gladly seized the occasion of replying:
‘Indeed, we are,isir. In Boston, the metropolis of Yankee-—
dom, this very Anniversary of American Liberty has been
ushered in by a chorus of bells and of cannon. It is kept by
our people as the “ Sabbath day of Freedom.” By processions,
civic and military; by solemn praise, and by a patriotic oration
in the presence of the authorities and fathers of theicityg by

_ a cheerful reunion of the representatives of the people and of

every branch of the public service around the hospitable board
Where the Mayor in person presides; by festivities‘ and games
for children of every class ;i by sun—dovvn guns and evening
fireworks, attracting the whole population of Eastern Massa-
chusetts,—-—- by all these and by a universal holiday, these ‘ ‘ singu-
lar Yankees ” are remembering and celebrating this day. Wliile
here, at the seat of the Federal Government, I perceive only a
fevv colored children of the Sunday schools marching in proces-
sion, alone and almost Without human sympathy. I hope to
see the day When something of our si'ngula=rz'ty may strike as
high as the City of Wasliington.’

“ He did not pursue the discussion. Since then I have
thought, oh, how often! of the poor little colored girls and
boys, guarding as it were the few coals on that which should
have been the hig/2, altar, and which have at last flamed up,
with ample blaze, waiting to heaven the fragrant incense of a
sublime devotion. L

“ Let these ‘ singular Yankees ’ continue to be faithful to the

ancient traditions. Let Boston assume and keep, if need be,

80_ THE CELEBRATION.

in the lead of every true thought, of every noble purpose, and
let the institutions and ideas which distinguish the people of
New England be commended to every State and every section,
until liberty shall be equally enjoyed by all the citizens of the
Union in impartial participation.

“ I have the honor to be, faithfully and respectfully, your

friend and servant,

“JOHN A. ANDREW.”

“ It pleased His Excellency, Mr. Mayor and fellows-citizens,
to ask me, after reading this letter, to make a few remarks of
my own. But, sir, what can a man do who comes after the
king, and what can I say that will add force or pertinence to
the thoughts which I have just read? I am sure, fellow—citizens,
our hearts must all sympathize with the spirit of this letter. The
testimony which it bears to the extent and thoroughness, the
constancy, the hearty and patriotic spirit with which the City of
Boston at all times, in peace and in war, with every generation
and without interruption, has celebrated the return of this Anni-
versary of American Independence, -—-that testimony is true,
and for one I rejoice that Governor Andrew embraced the op-
portunity and had the courage to pour that testimony into the
ears of the member of the Cabinet of Mr. Buchanan to whom
he referred. Had he poured it into the ears and the heart of
the Chief of that Cabinet, he would not have done any harm.
(Applause. )

“ It is to the glory of this city, ---- a glory which finds its re-
flection and its counterpart throughout Massachusetts and New

England, --—- that, feeling the deep significance and importance of

THE CELEBRATION. 81

the grand truths enunciated in the Declaration of Independence,
and reiterated in spirit in the preamble to the Constitution of‘
the United States, the people of Boston have always celebrated
the return of this day with various grateful demonstrations ; and
it is because they have thus celebrated it, that they can cele-
brate and have a right to celebrate it to--day with an unusual
display of patriotic pride and joy. Mr. Mayor, if there is a

man in this assembly whose heart does not beat with a deeper

throb of patriotic pride than ever before on the 4th of July, I _

pity him. (Applause and ‘ Good’) But there is no such man
among you. I have done you injustice in supposing that it
could be so, because We celebrate this day this year under the
most grand and auspicious circumstances. “
“ We celebrate not simply our National Independence, but
our National deliverance and regeneration. We celebrate the ter-
mination of a four years’ civil War unparalleled in the magnitude
of its operations, and in the transcendent importance of its
issues. (Applause) VVe celebrate the extinction of that
which was the darkest blot upon our escutcheon; We celebrate
the overthrow of a rebellion the most gigantic that ever threat»
ened the life of a nation and failed of success,-—-— a rebellion so
gigantic, so Wide spread, so deep laid in its plans, so mighty in
its power and so determinedin its purpose, that only a free
government and a free people could have triumphed over it.
(Long and continued applause.) i I am reminded by the ex-
tinction of that rebellion, Mr. Mayor, and by all the desolation
it has spread in the States Where it existed, of some strong and
striking Words uttered more than thirty years ago by Edward
Everett, whose spirit is with us this day, whose image is in all
11

82 . THE CELEBRATION.

our hearts. Oh, would that he was present with his magic voice
to utter the words of eloquence and power which this occasion
would call from his lips I In 1833 he delivered the 4th of July
oration at Worcester. It was just after General Jackson, sup-
ported by the irresistible logic, the broad statesmanship, and the
mighty power of Daniel W'_ebster, had put down nullification in

South Carolina (Applause), ‘ scotched the serpent but not killed

it.’ Mr. Everett’s oration, therefore, was largely occupied with I

the value and importance of Union; and therefore he said:
‘ I would not have it supposed that I think the Union is of
special value and importance to the people of this section of the
country. The intimation which has been thrown out, the belief
which has been in some ‘quarters avowed that the Northern
States have a peculiar interest in the preservation of the Union,
-—--that they derive advantages from it at the uncompensated
expense of the South, ----is the greatest delusion that was ever
propagated by men deceived themselves, or disposed to deceive
others. All parts of the Union would suffer deplorably from
the dissolution of it, but the bitter chalice would not be pre-
sented first to our lips. The people of the North would suffer
from the dissolution of the Union, but they would be the last to
suffer and they would suffer least, while that portion of the
country that is continually shaking over us the menace of disso-
lution would be swept with the besom of destruction the moment
an ofiiended Providence permitted that ill-starred purpose to
reach to maturity.’ (Applause) Sir, these words, which I
quote from memory, but I believe quite correctly, uttered more
than thirty years ago by the scholar, 1’ he statesman, the orator

who did so much by his moderation and forbearance to prevent

THE CELEBRATION. 83

the late rupture, and who, when that rupture came, stood firm I

in a manly loyalty, and did good and noble service for the
Union, ———-—these words now come up before us as a prophecy
awfully fulfilled. The desolate plantations, the ruined towns

and villages, the multitude of battle fields, the whole scene i

throughout that whole region of country from the Potomac to
the Mississippi, bears testimony that the bitter chalice has not
been held to our lips, but to the lips of those who undertook to
overthrow our Government. '

“ Mr. Mayor, our country began with God. Our fathers
planted the first germs of our civilization in a spirit of Christian
faith, amid sacrifices and tears, and from that hour, all
through our history, the providence of God, has been marvel-
lously displayed in our growth, preservation, and national de-
velopment, and more marvellously than all in the way in which
that providence has led us on, and led us through this great
struggle with a glorious triumph of liberty, a better, larger, and
more established freedom. And this day and every day, our
thought should first mount up in gratitude and adoration to the
God of our fathers for all that goodness to them and to us and
to our country under which we meet together here to—day.
(Applause) And next to God and under his Providence, our
thoughts should go forth in honor, in admiration, in reverence
and in gratitude to the noble defenders of our country and its
liberties (loudiapplause), to all those of every rank, high and
low, who took their lives in their hands and went forth to fight
for the dear old flag, ‘ The Stars and the Stripes ;’ and who

have so fought for it, that now with a fresh glory around it,

y with the power of a free people still slumbering in its folds, it

84 rm: CELEBRATION.

floats undisturbed over the land, waves its protection and its
power alike over an unbroken Union, an undivided country.
(Loud applause.) And I rejoice, sir, I S}-‘Ii11I)21tl'1‘lZ@ with you

and with all my fellowv-citizens, that it is 1:)e1'r11ittec.l us this day

I to behold the faces of two of these noble and gallant defenders.

(Tremendous applause.)

“ I thank God that I have an opportunity to look into the face
and to cry honor to the man who in those gloomy days in the
Spring of 1861 stood l2l"1C).‘@ at Fort Sumter alone, as it were,
unaided, unreached, undirected even by his Government, stood
there firm and resolute in the difliettlt duty of forbearance and
inaction so long as they were his duty,---— brave and resolute in
resistance when the hour for resist.-.:mce came, and continued
that resistance so long as seventy half-starved men could fight
against ten thousand. (Tremendous appl:;2.use and three cheers
for General Anderson.)

“And I thank God, sir, that it is permitted me and my
fellowéeitizens to look" upon the face, to welcome to our hearts
and our homes, to our city and to this old Cradle of Liberty,
and to cry honor to the rnan who has written a new and
brilliant chapter in the history of naval warfare (tremendous
applause) ,—.———a chapter fit to succeed those that tell of the ex-
ploits of Perry and McDonough, of Hull and Morris, of Preble
and Decatur, and many others that I might mention, and who
has so written that new and brilliant chapter in naval history,
that when it comes to be thoroughly read and understood, the
halo of glory that gilds the names of’ N elson and Trafhlgair will
grow pale before the grander glory that shall gather, in every
American heart, around the names of Farragut and Mobile.

(Thundering cheers, the company all rising.) »

TI-IE CELEBRATION. 85

“ Mr. Mayor, I have spoken much too long. I will stop. I‘

will crushdovvn a great many thoughts that swell in my heart
for utterance,-—--~ thoughts connected with our martyred ‘President
and his noble character,—-- thoughts connected with the memory
of our noble dead of this State and of every State, the pride
and flower of the nation,—-- thoughts connected with the diffi-
culties and the glories that encompass this nation in its present
condition and prospects, with "the great moral and physical
power it is to become in the World if true to itself’, its opportu-
nities, and its principles. I feel much and deeply upon all these
topics, Mr. Mayor, and I should like to talk about them, but I
will crush them all down and say, in conclusion, that While I
honor the Union, while I cleave to it and will cling to it to the
death, While I am ready to maintain it at all hazards and at
every cost, I honor Old Massachusetts as a glorious part of this
Union. (Applause.)

“ I honor it for What it has done for itself. I honor it for
what it has done for the Union, ——-~—-for all the thoughts, influences,
and actions which it has , sent out into the Union, and I am
ready to conclude and to agree with the Governor in saying, let
these singular Yankees continue faithful to the traditions. Let
Boston assume, and if need be take the lead in every true
thought and in every right purpose ; and let the institutions and
the ideas which distinguish the people of New England be
commended to every State and every section until liberty is
universally enjoyed by every citizen of the Union in impartial
participation. The ideas and institutions of New England are
only tvvo,-—~— a common school in every hamlet, and a church in

every village. (Applause.) Let these institutions go forth,

86 THE CELEBRATION .

let there be intellectual and moral culture everywhere for all,
and the”n the Wider our freedom, the greater our glory, the more

secure our safety.” (Loud applause.)

At the close of Dr. Lothrop’s reinarks, His Honor the Mayor
stated that an emblem of peace lay concealed among the
flowers upon the table, and releasing a dove from its confine-

ment, the bird made a circling fliglrit, and perched upon the

gilded eagle surmounting the picture of the Webster and Hayne

debate. The episode excited hearty applause.

The next sentiment given was,-—-- “ The Memory of Abraham
Lincoln,” which Was received by the company standing and in
silence, the band playing a clirg'e.

The Mayor then introduced to the company, Brevet Major
General Iitobert Anderson, with a few complixnentary remarks.
He alluded to the fact that, notwithstanding the pressure,
brought to bear upon him, in consequence of his Southern birth,
to desert his flag, he remained steadfast to the Union, and by
his heroic defence of Sumter, tliougli apparently defeated,
really united and fixed the loyal sentiment of the country.

Gen. Anderson was received with a round of cheers, and

spoke as follows : --

“MY FRIENDS: You must not expect a speech from me.

Retired from the army, after a consultation with a board of

physicians, on a declaration of my doctors that my brain had

been over-taxed, and that I would never be fit again for duty,
I have, since that time, been prohibited from attempting to

make a speech.

THE CELEBRATION. 87

“I am indebted to Massachusetts for many things; and,
before I sit down, I will simply remark that the first letter I
received in Fort Moultrie, before I went to Fort Sumter,
When it was found that things were looking very threatening, --
(I felt the storm there long before you saw the flashhere), —--
I received a letter from a gentleman (I am sorry I don’t re-
member his name), a militia officer of this city, offering me
troops from Massachusetts if the Government would then allow

them to be sent to me.'*‘ (Applause)

“ Gentlemen, after what I have said, you Will excuse me

from attempting to make any further remarks. “I thank you
from the bottom of my heart for the kindyreception you have
given me in this noble, this great Hall, on this grand occasion.
We,have a country again, and, thank God! We have a country
of which We can all be proud. (Applause.)

“ Our country has passed through a storm_ such as no other

country ever passed through or was threatened with before.

Let us give to God thanks for the victory which our troops by

‘His blessing have been enabled to win for us.” (Applause.)

The Mayor then presented to the company Vice-Admiral
David Gr. Farragut, remarking that the City was extremely
fortunate in having for its guest such eminent representatives
of the Army and Navy. The great events in the brilliant

career of Admiral Farragut were already as familiar and dear

to American hearts as “ household Words.”

*At the reception given by Gen. Anderson and Admiral Farragut, to the

‘ citizens of Boston, in Faneuil Hall, on the next day (July 5) Brig. Gen. Ed-

ward W. Hinks was introduced to Gen. Anderson as the oflicer Who sent the
letter alluded to.

88 THE CELEBRATION.

The Admiral was received most enthusiastically, and after

the restoration of silence, spoke as follows :-—--

‘‘ Mn. MAYOR AND GENTLEMEN: In the first place I don’t
really know What I could say. These gentlemen have already
gone over the ground. The first speaker gave us a synopsis of
the War; the next eulogizcd it, and I really feel that I have
nothing left but to talk about myself Wl1.”lCl'1 would be a most un«-
profitable thing both to you and me. (“ Go on.”) It has
simply been my good fortune to be associated with many Massa-
chusetts troops during the war, and it gives me great pleasure to
testify to their good conduct; and it has always given me great

pleasure and satisfaction in every instance Where We have

iworked tcgetlier, that we have always Worked in harmony and

in good faith with one another. I am extremely obliged to you
for this reception, and it is a most happy circumstance that I,
—— after having left this port nearly fifty years ago, as the
Mayor said (I was then a little midshipman) ,— should return here
as Vice—-Admiral on this great and grand occasion, the 4th of
July, after a peace which I predicted a year ago last June
would soon come, -——-~ and should. be greeted by you for that which
you conceive to have been my great exertions during the war to

bring about that peace.” (Applause)

The Mayor then proposed, -— “ The Orator of the day. He
has said the right thing, in the right Way, and in the right place.”
Rev. Mr. Manning expressed his thanks for the honor con-
fered upon him, and for the complimentary sentiment given by

the Mayor, but excused himself froxn making any remarks.

THE CELEBRATION. 89

In the absence of Col. Wm. S. King, who Was expected to
respond to “ The Citizen Soldiery of Massachusetts,” Mayor
Lincoln called upon Col. P. R. Guiney, late of the Ninth Mass.
Volunteers.

Col. Guiney said that “ he regretted Col. King’s absence, as

. he considered him a true and eloquent representative of the

Citizen Soldiers, but there was some compensation in the fact
that We had with‘ us the great Admiral, vvhomight be called
the King of the seas. These are the only sort of Kings that
will take root on this continent.

“ For two reasons it is unnecessary to say much about the

citizen soldiers of Massachusetts. They are content that the

honors and enthusiasm of this occasion should be absorbed by
the two illustrious heroes whose presence gives such charm
and force to our festivities, and who are so deeply loved by

every soldier of our State. Then it is not necessary to say

. much about Massachusetts soldiers. Words used in their

praise, unless very carefully selected, would be apt to detract
from, rather than to enhance the idea of their real merit. In-
deed, every battle-field of our country, as Well as the slaughter
prison—houses of theSouth, --—-vvherever endurance, heroism, and
devotion to the Republic were required, ---- gave testimony that
the deeds of’ our citizen soldiery, baffled and conquered two
things, rhetoric and the enemy. The latter has not recovered
yet. ,

“ To be brief, then : in War, the citizen soldiers of Massachu-—
setts are the unrelenting foes of all who assail our flag or our
liberties; inpeace, in politics, they are inclined to thinla: the

liberty has been long enough regulated and proscribed by law,

90 THE CELEBRATION.

and that it is now time to recognize it as a first principle, that
law should be regulated by that liberty which was anterior to
it, and which it never could rightfully crush or impair.”

A The Mayor then gave, ——-——— “ The loyal women of America,”

which was responded to by Mr. Charles W. Slack, who said :—

“ Mn. MAYOR AND GENTLEMEN: It is most fitting that
these festive exercises should not close without an apprecia-
tive word for the women of America.

“ fThe loyal women of America I ’ -—-——hovv sweetly floats in
that phrase, with the glad rejoicings of this national birthday,
the crowding reinembrances of this more than hallowed an-
niversary! Amid the salvos of artillery, the pealing of
bells, the gayly waving colors, the honors to brave men,
mingling in the festivities of this Ancient Hall, and lending
transcendent merit to the public rejoicings of this day the
continent over, come precious thoughts of the labors and
prayers of the loyal, queenly women of America, through all
the struggles and anxieties of the great contest now happily
passed. They deserve our heartiest, truest thanks. From
the full well of individual and national gratitude must they
ever be permitted to draw unstinted draughts.

“ From every rank, class, and condition,”-—-—tl1e poor girl

A picking berries by the roadside, that, converted into money,

might help; the aged matron, late into the night, finishing
off the comforting sock for the distant volunteer; the Wealthy
lady of the city giving her thirtieth, or more, monthly con--
tribution, ———-ayl from the humble black slavewoman of the

South, whose heart Welcomed and whose cake nourished our

THE CELEBRATION. 91

exhausted boys flying from the charnel-houses of Rebel de-
tention, to those magnificent parliaments of accomplished

womanhood all over the land that inaugurated soldiers’ fairs,

and sailors’ homes,----how cheerfully, how nobly came the A

requisite help, ——-the ‘patient, confident, untiring labor, —-that
now throws such a halo around the nation’s triumphs by land
and sea! A

“ We cannot forget the women of America if we would!
"When the brilliant record of this war shall be fully made up,
with the deeds of heroic men, the skill of counsellors, and

the steadfast devotion of the citizen, will be mentioned in

A glowing page and sympathetic verse those quieter and gen»

, tler, it may be, but no less valuable and welcome, labors of _

the loyal women of our land. Indeed, that the oldtime
nationality of our flag, the maintenance of our institutions,
and the perpetuity of the Republic, are as much owing to the
unvvearied efforts and influence of the Women, in camp, hos-
pital, and at home, as to heroism on the field or shipboard,
is a belief that many entertain, and which has often been ex»-
pressed. Accepting this thought, may we now, in the twi-
light hour of this fest-al day, with the music of bells and

cannon in parting salute honoring this doubly endeared anni-

versary, pass from this Hall with sincere ascription. to God in.

heart and upon lip, as We remember with gratitude and joy

the services of ‘ The loyal women of America I ’ ”

His Honor then proposed as the final sentiment, “ The
Declaration of Independence,” to which Mr. Charles Harris
Phelps eloquently responded as follows :—--

92 THE CELEBRATION.

“Mn. MA1’0R AND. GENTLEMEN: It would be improper
and out of‘ place in me, indebted as I am to my position for the
privilege of being called upon, to presume to eulogize or to
praise the Declaration of Independence. No WOl'(lS of mine
can add to its fame or increase its renown. But as I stood in
the Music Hall, and read the inscription, ‘ Our brave men have
preserved our Union,’ I could not but feel how weakly and
with how little meaning its glowing words were being read,
compared to the significance which Anderson gave it as he read
it to Rebeldoxn by the thunders of Sumter’s cannon, --—— compared
to the meaning which Farragut gave it by his double-shotted
broadsides in the harbor of Mobile (applanse),————- to the mean-
ing given it by a million of bayonets under Grant and Sherman
and Sheridan, as they read it on every battle-field of the South
with the emphasis of resounding arms and salvos of artillery.
(Loud applause.)

“ These heroes, illustrious through all time, Whose fame
shall be sounded in every tongue, have, during the past four
years, declared that ‘ all men are created equal,’ in such a
manner that all traitors have trembled and all nations rejoiced.
But it is not for me to trespass further upon your patience,
neither is the occasion nor the theme from my humble lips, and
I only ask your permission to offer a toast to

“ ‘ Our gallant Army and N avy——--The best readers of the
Declaration of Independence, they have sent it in thunder-tones
to all the World. Let the oppressed of’ every nation hear and
take c0urage.’.”

The benediction was then pronounced by Rev. Mr. Manning.

THE CELEBRATION. J 93

THE REGATTA.

was appointed to take place on Charles ‘River in the
morning at 8 o’clock, that being the hour of high tide. An
immense assemblage was present, and from the numerous
entries, it was expected that the races would be unusually in-
teresting and exciting. ‘Unfortunately, however, the wind
rose before the conclusion of the first race so as to make it
daggerous for the light shell-boats to attempt to go over the
course, and it was found necessary to put off the race to a
later hour in the day, the people being notified, as far as
practicable, of the postponement. J y T

The first race was for single scull oarsmen, there being
seven entries. The principal contest, however, was between
James Hammill, of Pittsburg, .Pa., champion oarsman of
America, and John H. Radford of New York, who has won
several races; and although the latter obtained a consider-
able lead at the start, he was soon passed by Hammill, who
won easily. The others, finding it useless to contend, drew
out before completing the first mile. .

The next race was for four—oared boats, the prizes offered
being larger than usual; and though there were four boats
entered, but two appeared to contend. These were the fa-
mous “ Geo. L. ‘Brown Crew,” of TN ew York, so often
successful in these waters, and the “ Geo. B. McClellan
Crew,” of Boston and St. John. The distance being six

miles, an opportunity was afforded the spectators to see a

turn at the lower stake, but as the “ Brown” crew, in their i

new boat, the “ Samuel Collyer,” were well ahead and ap-

94 THE CELEBRATION.

peared to be winning easily, the excitement was not Wrought
to a very high pitch. ,

The third race was for double sculls, and was won easily
by John I*Iammill and VVilliarn Jackson, of Pittsburg, a boat
rowed by McKee and Daily, of Boston being second. A
boat from Harvard College, the “ Winona, ” was well up
with the winner  the stake, but the Wind having freshened,
they shipped a good deal of water and were compelled to
abandon the struggle. W

The evening was now pretty well advanced, and there re-
mained on“ the programme arace for six-oared boats, for which
were entered the “ P. L. Tucker,” of New York (rowed by
the “ Brown Crew ”), and two Harvard College boats. The
weather had, however, become so unpropitious, that the I-Iar~
vard boys did not feel safe to row. So there could be no race.
Efiiorts were made to induce the boats to row the next day, but
the N evv York party were anxious to return home, and the
matter was dropped.

The following is a summary of the races : ---~

First Race, for single sculls and wlzerries .- clistance two miles.

James Hammill, of Pittsburg. Time, 16 min. 285. sec.
First Prize, $ 100.

John H. Radford, of New York. Time, 16 min. 38 sec.
Second Prize, $ 50.

T. M. Doyle, of Boston. Time not taken.

Jere Driscoll, of Boston. Time not taken.

THE CELEBRATION. 95

Second Race : for four-oared boats .- distance six miles.

“ Samuel Collyer,” rowed by James H. Biglin, John A.
Biglin, Bernard Biglin, and D. Leary, of New York. Time
43 min. 32sec. First Prize $400.

“ George B. McClellan,” rowed by John Morris, of St.
Johns, and George Faulkner, John Lambert, and Thomas
Scott, of Boston. Time, 43 min. 47 sec. According to the

Rules no Second Prize was awarded.

T/zird Race : for double scull boats: distcmce two mfles.

“ Sam Collins,” rowed by John Hammill, and William
Jackson, of Pittsburg. Time, 17 min. 54 sec. First Prize
$100., ,

g “ Voyageur,” rowed by A. McKee, and J. Daily of Boston.
Time, 18 min. 4 sec. Second Prize SB 50.

“ Winona,” rowed by C. E. Hubbard and S. R. Holdredge,
of Cambridge.

“J. Hancon,” rowed by J. Driscoll and J. Donahue, of
Boston. H

Fourth Race .- for six-cared boats .- distance t/zree miles.
“P. L. Tucker,” entered by the Biglin Brothers, Leary,
Eckerson, and Burns, of . New York.
a“ Harvard,” entered by the University Crew of Cambridge.
“ 68,” entered by the Freshman Class of Harvard College.

This race could not take place on account of the rough water.

' THE BALLOON ASCENSIONS.

Owing to the strong Westerly wind “which prevailed, Prof.

King considered it inexpedient as well as unsafe to inflate either

96 " THE CELEBRATION-

of his balloons and attempt aseensions, either alone or with
companions. Consequently no ascension was made f'ron1 the
Common, greatly to the disappointment of the thousands pres-
ent. On the Saturday following the two balloons were sent up
successfully, and made very pleasant voyages; one to Melrose,

and the other to Scituate.

THE FIREVVORKS.

The display of fireworks in the evening, was furnished by C.
E. Masten, of Roxbnry. Some of the principal pieces were
very good. The piece constituting‘ the grand finale was
partially destroyed, the f1'ameWo1'ls: liaving been blown over by
a sudden squall of wind in the early part of the evening.
The line pieces, however, with that portion where a salvo of
artillery is heard, and two gunboats, one upon either hand,
bearing the names of “ Farragut ” and “ Porter,” move from
left to riglnt, the batteries firing a national salute, was pre-
served and made a fine closing display. The fireworks at East
and South Boston passed off successfully.

CORRESPONDENCE.

CORRESPONDENCE.

The following were among the responses received to the in-

vitations to participate in the Celebration : --

Tnnasunr DEPARTLIENT, June 15, 1865.

DEAR SIR: Your favor of the 8th inst. is received. I

spent some of my early and happiest days in Boston; I feel

-that I have a right, therefore, almost to claim to be one of her

citizens; and am proud that she has not only maintained her
Revolutionary reputation, but added largely to it by her de-
votion to the country in the great conflict now brought to "a
glorious termination by the utter overthrow of the Rebellion,
which, for the past four years, has been threatening the
existence of the Union.

I am gratified to learn that it is the intention of her citi-
zens to celebrate the approaching Fourth of July with unusual
cerernony. Nothing but imperative official engagements will
prevent me from accepting your kind invitation to be present

with you on this interesting occasion.

100 , oonansronnnncn.

Please accept my thanks for the honor you have (lone me,
and believe me to be,
Very truly yours,
HUGH MGCULLOCH.
HON. F. W. LINCOLN, JR. .Ma.;2/or of Boszfovz, Zlfass.

-VVASIIINGTON, Jiily 1, 1865.

DEAR Sm: I am ‘honored by your invitation to partake
of the hospitality of the City of Boston, and unite with
you in celebrating the approaching Anniversary of the De-
claration of Independence.

It is gratifying to witness the a1‘1‘angeInents which are being
made throughout the country the present your for the general
observance of this anniversar , which, during our civil troubles
has been, to some extent, neglected. May we not hope that
the successful termination of the War for the Union will de-
stroy that sectional animosity which prevailed for a period,
and restore harmony and good will anioiig our countrymen?
The disturbing element in our national afFai1's having been
removed, there is now no cause or pretext for alienation.
Hereafteif the States will act on terms of more perfect equality,
and as long as each shall discliarge its appropriate duties
and respect theright of others, each and all of them sustain-
ing in good faith the Federal Government in the exercise of
its authority, no serious idissension can exist, and our national
unity will be preserved and strengthened.

Under the benignant auspices of peace and union, the
approaching National Anniversaryshould be universally corn--‘

memorated.

coazansrounnncn. 101

Boston, with her Revolutionary histor , her patriotic tradi-
tions, and her intelligent loyalty, will, I doubt not, observe

the day in a manner worthy of her ancient renown. My

engagements are such, however, that I shall be compelled to

deny myself the pleasure of partaking of the hospitality to
which you have invited me, and of uniting with you in your
celebration. I have the honor to-be,
Very respectfully,
M GIDEON VVELLES.

Hon. F. W". LINCOLN, Jr... Mayor of Boston. I

Bosron, July 1, 1865.

MY DEAR SIR: It will not be in my power to unite with
my fellow-citizens of Boston in celebrating the Anniversary of
our National Independence; but I rejoice that we can cele-
brate so happily, with Victory as the mistress of ceremonies.

Do not, I pray you, Mr. Mayor, let the great day pass

without reminding our fellow-citizens that victory on the field

of battle isnot enough. There must be that further victory

which will be found in the recognition everywhere in the
country of the ideas of the Declaration of Independence. All
must confess that, according to these ideas, there can be no
republican government, which is not founded on “ the consent
of the governed” and o the equality of all persons before
the law. And all must dedicate themselves to the work of
establishing these ideas.

Then will our Fathers be vindicated and our country be

glorified. God save the Republic!

1 02 CORRESPONDENCE.

Accept my thanks for the invitation with which you have
honored me. And believe me, dear sir,
Faitlifully yours,

CHARLES SUMNER.
fl’/Le .Zlif(I.:l/0'7‘ of 13033092,.

To His I-IONOE, FI'tEI)ICRIO VV. LINCOLN, J R. llmg/c»7~ of
25/re City of Boston:-——-—- I

DEAR SIR: I beg lezwe to express, through you, to the
Cornrnittee on Invitations of the City Council of Boston, my
very grateftil acltriowvleclgiiients for the honor of their invita--
tion to unite with them in the Celebration of the approacliing
Annivers:.1.ry of A.111@1‘lC£LI1 Independence. The public obser-
vance of the day, by the Innnieipel ztuthorities, and my more
ixnmediete fellow-citizens, of this city, seems to dictate the
g;reeter propriety of my rexnaining here; but, whether here or
there, my sentiments and sympathies will be with the joyous
coxnniexnomtion of the occasion. Every loyal heart must
alike swell with gmtitude, in recognition of the glorious tri-
umphs of the pest, and in the better hopes, assurzmces, and
safeguarcls, which peace now brings to a. sustained Government,
it restored Union, and a. gnllzmt, p£Lt1‘l0tlC, and free people.

I have the honor to be, sir, with the most respectful 1*eg:.u~d,

Your obliged zmd obedient servant,

LEVI LIN OOLN .

WORCESTER, Jame 30, 1865.

CORRESPONDENCE. 103

NEW YORK, Jame 14, 1865.
HoN. F. W. LINCOLN, J R. Mayor of Boston :----

DEAR SIR: I have just received your letter of yesterday,
inviting me to be present at the proposed observance, by your
City, of the approaching Anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence.

The occasion, the place, and the time, all concur to make me
deeply regret that engagements here render the acceptance of
your kind invitation impossible. I can only express my cordial
sympathy with your determination to give the ceremonies “ a
more imposing character than usual.” It is right that the
country, which has just put down, by courage and self-sacrifice,
the most gigantic treason the World has ever witnessed, should
make a demonstration of its thanlrfulness, which shall corre-
spond with the magnitude of the perils it has escaped; and it is
eminently appropriate that among the foremost to give utter-
ance to the sentiments the surrounding circumstances are cal-
culated to inspire should be your city, which was among the
most efficient in establishing our Independence, and which has
labored vvith such patriotic zeal and unswerving resolution to
maintain the Union of the States.

Very truly yours,
JOHN A. DIX.

-In-I-nunnu-«Inn--:5

HEAD-—Qu.m'rnns ARMY on Tim
I’0'r0MA.C, Jzme 22, 1.865.

To Tm: HON. F. W. LINCOLN, J R. Mayor of Boston, Mass.

‘DEAR SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of

your polite letter of the 18th inst., inviting me to Boston on the

16):}; CORRESPONDENCE.

approaching Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence;
and to express my great regret, that, owing to a prior engage-
ment to visit Gettysburg, it will not be in my power to accept
your invitation. It would afford me much pleasure to visit
Boston, a city so distinguished during this great War for its
patriotism, illustrated by the valor of so many of its citizens
on fields where I have had the honor to command, and I trust

I shall have this Gratification before the summer has mssed.
2: l

In the mean time, I beg you will accept my thanks for the

. compliment you have honored me with, and believe me to be,

with sincere respect,
Your most obedient servant,
GEO. Gr. MEADE,
Zlfaj. Gen. U. S. A.

VVAR Dnrantrixrnnr, A1>.rU'mNT-GENnn.u.’s Onrxon,
VVASHING-TON, Jane 26, 1865.

HIS HONOR. F. VV. LINCOLN, JR. ]l.’[ayor of .Boszo72., czxml oatizcrs
of Committee on. jl527,'vitcztio7zs.

GrEN'.rL:1tMEN : I have had the honor to receive your invitation
to unite with the City Council of Boston in celebrating the
approaching Anniveisary of the Declzu'-ation of Anierieaxi In»
Llepemlence. I

I regret that reasons of a public character will prevent my
being absent at this time from W'asl,1ington, but assure you
that nothing could more gratify me than to be present in my
native city on this most interesting occasion, when it would
seem an unusual significance will attach to our National Anni-

versary, When we may on that day proclaim to the World that

 

CORRESPONDENCE. 1 05,

our form of Government is no longer an “ Experiment,” but
a thing thoroughly tried and established.
VVith great respect and esteem, I have the honor to be,

Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,

E. D. TOWNSEND,  
Asst. Adj. Gen. U. S. A.

VVA.sI-Imoroiv, June 29, 1865.
To run MAYOR AND ,CITY COUNCIL or BOSTON: --

GENTLEMEN: I duly appreciate the honor of your invita-
tion to unite with you in celebrating the approaching Anniver-
sary of the Declaration of American Independence, and regret
that previous engagements will probably deprive me of’ that
great pleasure.

It is the first occasion of the kind on which the country
stands before the World, having’ made good the first pledge of
our Constitution. We are indeed a Nation of Freernen.

To that end we have not spared treasure, nor lives far be-
yond price.

One great question remains, but that will be Worked out
in the appointed time by the wisdom of our people, so that
justice shall be done to all.

In these results your noble city has borne her full part. It
was a regiment of your citizens that made its Way to the
Capital in that anxious hour when only a handful of men, of
vvhichl was one, had gathered about the Government of
the Union. The massive array of that legion, as it moved

along the avenue gave an assurance that cheered every heart.

106 CORRESPONDENCE.

On another occasion I was present when the 54th rushed
upon the parapets of Wagner. Many brave men laid down
life there, but none more lame11ted than the gallant Colonel
Shaw.

For every day of the last four years I have given my

‘most earnest efforts to the {great cause. One of my sons can

say as much, and among other results participated at Vicksburg
and Fort Fisher. Another only ceased when life was spent,
in an attempt to free our captive soldiers from the Cll1TI:1gGOI1S of
Richmond. So that all of my name that could bear arms,
were at their posts.

With my best wishes“ for the prosperity of the City of Bos-
ton, I have the honor to be,

Your obedient servant,
J. A. DAHLGREN,
Rca.7'-AcZ9ni~mZ U. 8. Navy.

N nw Yonrc, Jane 29, 1865.

GENTLELIEN: Your circular of invitation, enclosing a
ticket to the City of Boston 89th Anniversary Celebration of
the American Independence, was duly received. A

To participate in such a celebration in the old Cradle of
Liberty, at such a time, would afford me an e:x.traordinary
pleasure; of which I shall be deprived by the inexorable
commands of duty. But I join with you, and all true friends
of freedom and justice, in heartfelt thanks to the all-bounteous
Giver of all good, for lmving brought this nation out of its

late peril, and in imploring Him “ who maketh to be of one

PW

connnsronnnncn. 10 4

mind the people of a city,” to keep this great Republic one
and indivisible now and forever.
Yours truly,
W. S. ROSECRANS, Jllafor-Geaeml.
To F. W. LINCOLN, J R. MAYOR, and others of Committee,
Boslcm, Jlélctss.

 

ENeINnE:a’s OFFICE, Dnrnncns or Bosron HARBOR,
July 1, 1865.

HON. F. W. LINCOLN, J1-2. Mayor of Boston: -——-

SIR: I have tl1e honor to acknowledge the receipt last
evening of the invitation of the authorities of this city to be
present at their celebration of the coming 4th of July. And
though a previous acceptance of another invitation to be
present at an adjoining State celebration, prevents my having
the pleasure of accepting yours, I cannot refrain from the
expression of my congratulations to this principal city of that
State, Which, with the governor, has done so much to make

this day of all others so Worthy of a grand celebration. For

this is the first 4th of July in all our history that has really '

found us a free people; for, though the chains of Great Brit-«
ain have long ago been thrown off, as they were nominally,
upon the first of these great days, it is but novv that the shackle
of the slave has fallen, and the political tyranny over the

North has ceased, leaving us for the first time as a people

“born free and equal.” God grant that such justice shall‘

be meted out to the vvrong—-doers that We shall never be in
their thraldorn again. i

Very respectfully your obedient servant,

H. W. BENI-IAM, Brevet Majoaecna-at.

108 A connnsronnnncn.

PHILADELPHIA, PA., Jane 27 , 1865.

DEAR SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
of youriinvitation to become the guest of the City of Boston
on the approaching 4th of July.

Please accept my thanks for the compliment, and my regret
that I cannot be present, owing to a previous engagement

from the Committee in charge of the celebration at Gettysburg.

As several officers who served under my command in that I

battle desire to revisit the field in my company, I do not
feel at liberty to disregard the arrangement already made.

The defence of the flag of the Union in Charleston Har-
bor, at the commencement of the Rebellion, drew its inspira-
tion from the opening scenes of the Revolution in the vicinity
of Boston. I am glad to learn that Gen. Anderson has
promised to be with you, for I think it peculiarly appropri-
ate that Fort Sumter should do honor to Bunker Hill.

I am sir,
Your obedient servant,
A. DOUBLEDAY,
May'or~ G’-encml Volvmzecrs.

To Hrs I-Ionon, MAYOR LINCOLN, of Boston, Mass.