USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Acworth > History of Acworth, with the proceedings of the centennial anniversary, genealogical records, and register of farms > Part 7
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REMARKS BY DR. WILLIAM GROUT.
ing the forms, and elasping the hands of a few of the surviving companions of my early life, who, in the good providence of God, "by reason of strength," have borne up against the rude elements of time, having out- ridden its fearful storms-and, with me have gathered here to-day to contrib- ute their mite to the interests of this occasion. And though worn with cares, and clad in the gray garniture of age, yet inspired by the memories of the past and the demonstrations of the present, we are young in heart, and feel something of the freshness and vigor, which characterized the days of our boyhood.
In responding to the sentiment which has been assigned me, I am forced to the conclusion, Mr. President, that your committee must have had some knowledge of my capacity or rather in-capacity-that they took into consid- eration that I was but an ordinary man, like ancient Moses, slow of speech, and unaccustomed to publie harangue, knowing little or nothing of the science of rhetoric, or subtle disquisition, and altogether unskilled in the art of speech-making. Hence, they have called upon me to respond to a sentiment that needs no comment, but which is a finished oration of itself, full and complete in all its parts, and to which the heart of every loyal American citizen beats a response, and which at least finds an echo in the bosom of the most degenerate sons of the Revolutionary soldiers. Let me repeat :- "The soldiers of the Revolutionary war; though their forms have left us, yet their deeds still live, and their memory shall be cherished for- ever." Why, Mr. President, this sentiment is replete with interest, and though it may fail to make an orator of me, yet so far as meeting a response in our sympathies, it seems to me to be akin to the sentiment, " My Mother, God bless her for all she has done and suffered for me, her name shall be engraven on the tablet of my memory forever." "The forms of the Revolu- tionary soldiers " have indeed left us. The last one has gone down to the silence of the grave. They no longer mingle with us in our publie cele- brations, as in days of yore. But this is no more true than the fact that "their deeds shall live," and God grant that they may never perish or cease to exert a moulding influence over their posterity. We cannot forget "their deeds," if we would, for they are inscribed as with a pen of iron, upon the sacred altars, and mighty bulwarks of our nation. On every hand we see them cropping out in symmetrical beauty, grandeur and glory. All that we fondly boast of, as American citizens, our free political institutions, our civil and religious liberties, our cherished right of suffrage and all, in short, that distinguishes us from, and elevates us above the monarchical governments of the earth, giving us a name and praise throughout the civilized world, has, under God, been transmitted to us and our children, by the bleeding hands of the soldiers of the Revolutionary war. And shall they be forgotten ? Never ! No ! NEVER ! Rather let us say of them, as ancient Israel did of Jerusalem, " If I forget thee, Oh Jerusalem ! let my right hand forget her cunning, and let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ! "
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The sundered bonds of oppression ; the riven yoke of British tyranny ; the freedom of speech ; the pursuit of happiness; the exalted privilege of worshiping God according to the dictates of our own conscience ; our na- tional escutcheon ; the glorious stars and stripes-the emblem of liberty- triumphantly waving over us to-day, and which is flung to the breeze through- out the wide world commanding the respect of all nations, unitedly call upon us to hold the names of the Revolutionary soldiers in sacred and perpetual remembrance.
And while we should forever cherish the memory of the Revolutionary soldiers, we should not be forgetful of their noble sons, who clearly demon- strated in the war of 1812, that they had been taught in the school of their fathers, and were able to defend against a foreign foe the sacred interests, which their sires had wrenched from the grasp of the enemy, and committed to their charge.
And now, that I have digressed, permit me to trace the lineage of the noble brave. You will excuse me, sir, if I briefly refer to the more distant descendants of the Revolutionary soldiers, their grandsons, and great-grand- sons, who so recently, in the midst of the nineteenth century, when the dearest interests of our beloved country were menaced, by a most unnatural foe, when our cherished ship of State was tossing to and fro, on the angry waves of mad ambition, while alienated brothers in arms, like a blind Sam- son, were feeling for the pillars of our glorious republic, so nobly rallied to the rescue, and triumphantly bore aloft the flag of our Union, though their ungrateful brethren had determined to trail it in the dust. God, bless the loyal GRANDSONS of the Revolutionary soldiers, and characterize them with the sterling integrity of their illustrious predecessors.
Mr. President, I may say in conclusion, that the sentiment before us, is fraught with deep and thrilling interest to every American citizen, but more especially perhaps to the sons, and daughters of the soldiers of the Revolu- tion, as they came into more immediate sympathy and contact with them. There are doubtless some of us here to-day, whose heads are whitened by the frosts of many winters, and whose eyes are dim with age, yet who can dis- tinetly recall, among their earliest recollections, the fact of climbing, of a winter's evening upon the knee, of a Revolutionary soldier-not a stranger, but one whom we delighted to call by the endearing name of father-and how, with almost breathless interest, we listened to the recital of some thrill- ing incident, or daring adventure, as it came with touching pathos from the lips of the veteran soldier, causing our young bosom to heave with deep emo- tion, as he graphically narrated the hair-breadth escapes from the missiles of death, or the equally dreaded clutch of the enemy. And, even now when the name of a Revolutionary soldier is mentioned in our hearing, the smoulder- ing emblems of patriotism in our bosoms, are fanned into a flame, as it brings to mind the tragic reminiscences of " ye olden time " when our hearts beat high with hope, as we fondly anticipated entering upon the full fruition of
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATION
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Am In Barnard
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REMARKS BY J. M. BARNARD.
that priceless boon-" Liberty and Independence," for which our fathers fought and bled.
There is something so inspiring in the names of the Revolutionary soldiers that when reference is made to them in such an assembly as this, it kindles so much enthusiasm in our bosoms, we find it almost impossible to listen to the commonplace responses of an ordinary man.
Nay, verily, even the most popular orators of the age are in danger of being silenced, while the promiscuous multitude break forth in unrestrained and irrepressible applause, and simultaneously call for " TIIREE TIMES TIIREE" in honor and sacred memory of the departed soldiers of the Revolutionary War.
The next sentiment was responded to by J. M. Barnard, Esq., of Rochester, N. Y .:
" The Soldiers of the War of 1812 and the Merican War-The former closed the mouth of the British Lion, the latter compelled Mexico to respect her obligations and pay her honest debts. For their sacrifices a grateful people will ever pay to them a tribute of respect."
Fellow Prodigals, and Pilgrims to this Mecca Shrine of ours-Glorious old Acworth :
" Where'er we go, what other lands we see, Our hearts untrammeled, fondly turn to thee."
A quarter of a century ago, nearly every able bodied man in this town was a soldier, and enrolled in the Second or Sixth Company of the Sixteenth Regiment, New Hampshire militia ; appeared regularly on parade, armed and equipped as the law directed, ready to learn and practice the mystic maneuvers and evolutions of the military art, and if need be, to go forth at the call of the country to meet alike the foreign invader or domestic traitor- whether in the harbor of Portsmouth, or on the bloody field of Lundy's Lane, under the gallant Scott, or with glorious old "Zack" on the neutral bank of the Rio Grande.
The boys of my own age, and older, remember with what thrilling sensa- tions of pride and pleasure they first listened to the " ear-piercing fife, and the spirit-stirring drum " on training days, when we
Gathered from the hill-sides, Gathered from the glen, Longing for the glorious time When we should all be men.
Yes ! from the frowning dominions of " Black North," from the prolific regions of " Grout " and " Derry Hills," from the sylvan shades of " Parks" and " Keyes' Hollow," and the romantic borders of Cold Pond, we came, the sun-bronzed sons of toil, some of us, perhaps, loaded down with six and one quarter cents in our pockets, ready to commence tremendous raids on
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cakes and candy, or gathered around the grand old liberty-pole, that stood so long, the stately sentinel, on the cap-stone of the common, the pride and glory of the town, from whose top floated proudly to the breeze, the same star- spangled banner-thank heaven, and the boys in blue-that still floats from the dome of the capitol, and over all the republic.
If in after years, induced by a long period of peace and quiet, this good old custom became a fancied burden, and fell into disrepute, and the citizen soldiery, by unfriendly legislation, was suffered to decay, it only needed, as we have seen, the bugle blast of war, to arouse again the old military ardor and patriotic spirit of Town, State and Nation, and show to the world that though sleeping, it was by no means dead.
Long may that spirit survive ! the spirit of '76-and if the time shall ever come, when it shall find no longer here its congenial home, and shall be compelled from any cause, to take its farewell flight from our beloved land- then, and not till then, will the days of the republic be numbered. For all history teaches, and its humiliating lessons are being daily repeated, that no government, however pure and free, is safe from brutal assault, and malig- nant destruction, from the iron heel of the despot, or the envenomed tooth of treason, and that in its hour of need, there is no strong arm for its de- fence, but God and the soldier ; that the cannon and the musket are the only power on earth, that can command a peace, protect defenceless inno- cence, and guard the sacred citadels of the Union ; that the whole fabric of civil government rests upon the sword ; that the most revered constitutions, and wisest laws, would all lose their force, and fail in their purpose, but for the " power behind the throne," which compels obedience to their behests.
But while in the governments of the old world, this overwhelming re- sponsibility rests in the hands of mercenary hirelings, it is the pride and boast of the Republic, that its citizens and its soldiers, are one. That the same hand which to-day hurls a bullet at the heart of its enemy, may to-mor- row drop gently a ballot for its friend. Ours is an army, moved and controlled by that emanation from the Deity, that was breathed into man with the breath of life, and not the mere machine that blindly follows the beck and nod of the despot. The patriotic aspirations of the sleek and oily citizen, as he treads his lordly halls, and basks in the splendor and luxury of wealth, are no higher, and holier, than the quivering, gasping "God bless my country," that moves for the last time the thin pale lips of the dying soldier.
Fifty years ago, England, haughty and insolent in pride and power, pro- claiming herself " Mistress of the Seas," attempted to enforce upon the na- tions, and especially upon the United States, the odious and absurd dogma, that " once a British subject, always a British subject," claiming the right to press into her land or naval forces, all persons who had the misfortune to be born within the limits of her dominion. It mattered not, that oppres- siou had driven them from their native land, how long they had lived in America, or how many times they had sworn to bear faith and true alle-
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giance to the United States, the moment they were found on British soil, or even upon the "high seas," they were claimed by British officials, dragged from our merchant vessels on board their ships of war, and compelled to suffer the most brutal indignities, and death even, if they refused to fight against that country, in which they had reared their altars, their firesides and their homes.
Remonstrance and warning by our government were alike unheeded, and the only alternation was war. Hence on the 19th of April, 1812, President Madison, authorized by Congress, and impelled by a long list of accumu- lated wrongs, issued the declaration.
Looking back upon the past, and coming down to the present, where in all this broad land is the man who, to-day, would not hang his head in shame, at the thought that he once counseled submission to such brutal wrongs, such high-handed tyranny ! The idea is humiliating to the pride, and abhorrent to the soul of every American freeman. Yet, history, which sometimes RE- PEATS ITSELF, will make us remember a Hartford convention, and that bane of republics, a peace party in war.
The old around me, the living witnesses, and actors in that great drama, have the events of the war written indelibly on the tablets of memory. To the young, the historic page has made its heroic deeds, and examples of pa- triotic daring, as familiar as household words. The base surrender of the northern army at Detroit, by a timid or a traitorous leader, cast for a time a shadow on the land, but it was soon dispelled by the grand achievements of our gallant navy, and all the winter of our discontent was made glorious summer by the immortal Jackson, who met the enemy on the plains of New Orleans, and closed the war in a blaze of glory ; not only stopped the mouth of the British Lion, but drew his huge eye-teeth, and thrust them down his throat.
The great object of the war was accomplished, the impressment of Ameri- can seamen was abandoned by the " Empress of the Sea," the rights of citi- zenship, as well to naturalized as to native born Americans were secured and the great principle for which our government has ever contended, the right of expatriation-the right of a man to change his home, and his allegiance -- firmly and forever established, and to-day the governments of Europe, under the lead of Prussia, have abandoned the exploded doctrines of a feudal age, and recognize the fact that the " Stars and Stripes" wherever they float, pro- tect alike the native born and adopted citizen.
Another cycle of time is past. Another generation is upon the stage of action. Texas, always a " wayward sister," has scceded from Mexico. But not until the last lingering hope of her reconquest was extinguished in the bloody battle of San Jacinto, did they tell her to " depart in peace."
The vast region between the Neuse and the Rio Grande, was indeed a land of terror, occupied only by predatory bands of Indians from the mountains, guerillas from Mexico, and bush-whackers from the Texan border. Owing
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to the generally mixed condition of affairs in Mexico-one, military chieftain to-day and another to-morrow-the important question of boundary between the two countries had never been finally adjusted, and when the annexation of Texas to the United States had been consummated, it became at once the right, as well as the duty, of the latter to extend its protecting care over its new domain, and put in process of speedy settlement, all questions of bound- ary. To accomplish this object, and with no thought of invading the sacred soil of Mexico, Gen. Taylor, with a small force of the United States army, was sent in the spring of 1845 towards the Rio Grande. Before reaching his destination, the flower of the Mexican army, led by its most famous gen- erals, exulting in its vast superiority of numbers, and smarting under former defeats with Texans, determined to redeem, if possible, its fast waning mili- tary glory, by, as they thought, the nice little arrangement of " gobbling up old Zack." How true it is,
" The best laid schemes of mice and men, aft gang agley."
The news of the battle flashed over the land ! the tocsin of alarm was everywhere sounded ! "'American blood has been spilled on American soil." By the act of Mexico, war existed. All unexpected, it came like a clap of thunder from a cloudless sky, and startled again the half-sleeping sentinels on the watch-towers of freedom. Then there was hurrying to and fro, and mustering in hot haste. The army of occupation was in danger ; and henceforth, bearing aloft, the streaming banner, inscribed with " Indemnity for the past, security for the future," the flag of the North soon floated not only over Palo Alto and Resaca, but over Montercy, Buena Vista, Tampico, San Juan, Vera Cruz, National Bridge, Cerro Gordo, Jalapa, Perote, Pue- bla, Chepultipec, Molino del Rey, and the Halls of the Montezumas. In one continued series of victories without a single defeat, the soldiers of the Re- public, bore in triumph the flag of the free, until Castilian pride was humbled, Mexican cruelty, treachery, and duplicity duly punished, indemnity for oft- repudiated obligations secured, and ample guarantees for future good conduct obtained.
It may be, that their existence as a nation, was finally saved by their in- veterate habit of non-payment. For, with the national life in the strong grasp of Gen. Scott, they surrendered, rather than pay the debt of nature.
Of the results of that contest which has enabled our country to make its giant strides in material greatness, I will only mention one, the acquisi- tion of California, the richest gem in the coronet of the Union, and the consequent building of the great Pacific Railroad, the grandest highway yet created for the grand march of commerce, and civilization around the world. Here in New England you have not yet begun to realize the mag- nitude of that most wonderful achievement of the nineteenth century. But its influence is already felt with terrible earnestness in the growing West, that magical realm, where if you but "tickle the land with a plough, it
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laughs with a harvest." It is to them as though a mighty river-another " Father of Waters," had just been discovered, having its sources in the up- per Mississippi, and flowing directly towards the setting sun, -rending mountains asunder,-pouring its turbid waters into the broad bosom of the Pacific. It opens up to them a choice of markets, for their vast products, between Western Europe via New York, and New Orleans, and the opulent East, the millions of China and Japan. A free and easy outlet, cheap and ready transportation is the great desideratum, the vital necessity of that stupendous grain field. What wonder then that her gallant sons swept away, as with a besom of destruction, every barrier planted by treason, upon the banks or upon the bosom of the sacred river, their own consecrated highway to the Gulf and Ocean. "Its free commerce forever," was an ordinance of nature. To defy it was to defy the will of heaven. As soon attempt to dam its waters with bulrushes, as to stop its free navigation again.
Manifest Destiny, backed by the soldier has given us a most magnificent country, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the inland oceans of the north, to the sparkling surface of the tropical seas, embracing all earth's variety of soil, climate and production. Our Revolutionary Fathers severed the bonds that held us British subjects, made us American sovereigns, and gave us the noblest form of government the world has ever known. But it remained for Washington and his heroes of the battle-field to establish and secure,-for Jackson and Taylor with their braves to protect and defend, and for the glorious soldiers of the Union army to preserve and perpetuate.
Can posterity profane such a record, or fail in its profoundest gratitude to those who periled their lives to make it? No! whatever may be the faults of the American people, however bitter may be the rage of partisan rancor, denunciation and hate ; they never yet have failed, and I trust in God they never will fail, to duly honor and reward the faithful soldier of the Republic, to crown with the civil wreath the laureled brow, and cherish with kindest care, and noblest charity, each war-scarred veteran, and hero-orphaned child.
" For gold the merchant plows the main, The farmer plows the manor, But glory is the sodger's praise, The sodger's wealth is honor, The brave, poor sodger ne'er despise, Nor count him as a stranger, Remember he's his country's stay, In day and hour of danger."
The fifth sentiment, "To the memory of the late Rev. Phinehas Cooke," was responded to by Rev. Amos Foster, President of the Day :
Ladies and Gentlemen :- My acquaintance with Mr. Cooke commenced in the winter of 1819-20, and it was my privilege to be on terms of intimacy 11
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with him, till within a few years of his death. I knew him well in private life, in the domestic circle, in the social relations, in the meeting for prayer, and in the public religious assembly. And to enjoy the acquaintance of such a man is a privilege which any one might highly value.
The remarks now made, are rather for the sake of the beloved youth of Acworth, than of those in more advanced life. A few yet survive, who knew Mr. Cooke as well, perhaps better than myself. Many more there are in this place who knew him not, only as they have heard his name oft repeated, as a sort of household word, in the families in which they have been trained. It is befitting, then, on their account, as well as the interesting occasion on which we have assembled, that something should be said of one who exerted so large an influence in forming the character of the town.
On meeting the individual of whom we speak, for the first time, one would be especially struck by his physical appearance. He was tall, well propor- tioned and symmetrical in form. His motions were graceful, his aspect mild and winning, his voice full and sonorous, and his whole manner such as at once to gain your confidence, respect and esteem. No one could long feel himself a stranger in his presence. In conversation he was varied, interest- ing and instructive. While at times he indulged in a vein of pleasantry, he never for a moment forgot his position as a minister of Christ, and his words were always such as to show that he felt the weight of the cause which it was his great object to promote.
Some one has said, " He who observes remarkable events, shall have re- markable events to observe." In Mr. Cooke, might be seen a striking illus- tration of this remark. He closely watched the operations of Providence, and it was interesting to notice how, from these he was constantly drawing lessons, by which he was guided in the duties of practical life. And to illus- trate his ideas of Providence, he was ever ready to relate some anecdote (and his mind was stored with them) which, while it would interest and instruct the hearers, would impress them with his own convictions of an unseen hand, in all events that transpire.
When, therefore, we consider his noble and commanding presence, his agreeable manners, his ready utterance, his musical voice, and his rich and varied conversation, by which both the mind and heart might be made better, we may justly denominate him the truly " Christian Gentleman."
Reference has been made to the influence of Mr. Cooke in forming the character of the town. I think, ladies and Gentlemen, that all who were acquainted with the facts will agree with me, that that influence was by no means inconsiderable. He was the third pastor of the Congregational Church, and commenced his labors, in circumstances, which rendered it easy, with a Divine blessing, to mould the moral elements into a desirable state. He was ordained September 7, 1814. The services were held in the open air, at- tended by a very large concourse of people. His pastorate continued between fourteen and fifteen years. He enjoyed the affection and confidence of his
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people in a high degree, as was evident from the large numbers who attended upon his ministry. They were pre-eminently a church-going people. From every direction on Sabbath morning, might be seen men, women and chil- dren, wending their way to the house of God, and it was full ! There they were, old and young, devoutly listening to the words of life, as they fell from the lips of the man of God. Thus, year after year, did he impart to them, lessons of heavenly wisdom, which in many cases were treasured in good and honest hearts, and who can estimate the influence of those lessons in forming the character of the people ?
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