USA > New York > Wyoming County > Warsaw > History of the centennial celebration : Warsaw, Wyoming County, New York, June 28-July 2, 1903 : 1803-1903 > Part 14
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These Grand Army Posts were represented as bodies :
Gibbs Post, Warsaw: John P. Robinson Post, Perry ; R. P. Taylor Post, Attica; Buford Post, Johnsonsburg ; Joli M. Hutchinson Post, Pavilion; Wing Post, Eagle: George II. Pierce Post, Castile; A. A. Cartis Post, Geneseo.
Besides these there were present as guests of Gibbs Post, members of the Grand Army from Rochester, Buffalo, and many towns in Wyoming and adjoining counties. After a march of about half a mile, the
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Grand Army men filed into the big tent and took seats which had been reserved for them.
At precisely 2 o'clock the reveille was sounded by Burt Kidder of Buffalo, on an artillery bugle which was in the United States service for four years, from 1861 to 1865.
Colonel A. B. Lawrence, Secretary of the Soldiers' Moment Association, presided, in the absence of the President, Hon. William Pryor Letchworth, LL.D., who was detained at his home by illness.
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INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS
BY COL. A. B. LAWRENCE
Warsaw extends welcome to Wyoming County veter- ans and friends. The regretful absence of our Presi- dent, the Honorable William Pryor Letchworth, by reason of sickness, from which he has not sufficiently recovered to be with us here today, imposes upon me the duty which his letter of yesterday's date explains; and we are also reminded of the great loss sustained in the death of our Vice-President, the Honorable Augustus Frank, whose zealous and untiring interest in and regard for the Volunteers of '61 and '65, associated with Presi- dent Letchworth, and our Treasurer L. A. Hayward, also deceased, has made possible the ceremony of dedica- tion of this monument today. This letter of President Leteliworth's will explain itself :
GLEN IRIS, PORTAGE P. O. N. Y., June 30, 1903. Colonel A. B. Lawrence
Secretary of the Wyoming County Soldiers'
Monument Association.
Dear Sir:
In consequence of illness it will be impracticable for me to be present at the dedication of the Soldiers' Mon- ument in Warsaw to-morrow, and in my unavoidable ab- sence I venture to request that you will discharge the duties naturally devolving upon me in carrying out the program prepared for this occasion.
Though debarred from the long-anticipated pleasure of meeting with those who will assemble in your village to-morrow, it affords me unspeakable gratification to re- flect that the obstacles have been removed which for many years stood in the way of adapting the grounds about the monument to the beautiful column they en- circle, and that the time has arrived for its formal ded- ication.
Among those who were actively interested in the
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erection of the monument, including the late Honorable Augustus Frank, who labored zealously for the comple- tion of this Memorial to the soldiers of 1861-65, there is one whose name should not be overlooked on this oe- casion. I refer to the late Dennis R. Alward, formerly connected with the American Embassy in London, whose attention to this subject greatly aided in originating the plan upon which the monument was built.
Please extend my congratulations to the citizens of Wyoming County upon the completion of a monument unsurpassed for the chasteness and elegance of its de- sign, which will stand for centuries an object of beauty, and will evoke from generations yet to come, feelings of admiration and gratitude toward the brave men who snf- fered and died for their country and whose heroic deeds it commemorates. I am,
Yours with great respect, WM. PRYOR LETCHWORTHI.
One of the greatest regrets of my life, shared I be- lieve by all present and who shall hear of this, is that the words of presentation and tribute to the Volunteers of 1861-65, and dedication to their memory, cannot be pronounced by our President Letchworth, whose name and fame stands high on the roll of honor for his life service, seeking the betterment of his fellow men, es- pecially the unfortunate, with conditions approved and adopted in this and foreign lands-and I have the honor to give you the words prepared by him for this presen- tation and dedication.
"In the name of the Wyoming County Soldiers' Mon- ument Association, and in compliance with the wishes of those here assembled, this Memorial is dedicated-a lov- ing tribute to the brave men of Wyoming County who offered their lives in defense of their country,-1597 of whose names are recorded on a roll deposited beneath this monument; it is also a lasting testimonial to the valor of all our Soldiers and Sailors who fought for the flag and whose heroic deeds, crowned with success, kept the United States a Nation and preserved for those who come after them the priceless heritage of union and liberty."
ADDRESS BY HON. WILLIAM BRISTOL
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Grand Army, Ladies and Gentlemen :
The causes which provoked and precipitated the War of the Rebellion are not so well understood by the pres- ent generation as they will be when the complete history of the great struggle shall have been written.
The question of negro slavery was a bone of conten- tion from the organization of the Republic, until its final abolishment at the close of the Civil War; although there was what might perhaps be called armed neutrality from the time of the Missouri Compromise between the two sections of the country until the agitation regarding the organization of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the inangu- ration of the doctrine of squatter sovereignty. For a short time the Compromise measure of 1852 allayed the storm which had been for several years gathering, but in 1854 it broke out with renewed force which disrupted the political parties and resulted that year in the division of the voters of the State of New York into three political parties-so evenly divided that it required the official can- vass to decide the result.
That year the anti-Nebraska party was started, com- posed of members of all the other political parties, ex- cept the politician. That was the last of the Whig, and Know-nothing and Abolition parties-some of the mem- bers going to the Democratic party, while the remainder. joining the Radical or Barnburner element organized the Republican party and nominated Fremont for President in 1856. He was defeated by the vote of the solid South combined with Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and James Buchanan was elected. Then the Southern states, under
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their doctrine of squatter sovereignty, undertook to force slavery into the territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
The history of that struggle is familiar to you all- their failure to accomplish this purpose was the final and immediate cause of the War of the Rebellion-the pretext being the election, under the Constitution and laws of the United States, of Abraham Lincoln as President. They then tried to accomplish with bayonets what they had failed to accomplish with ballots.
The scene changes-how, members of the Grand Army, von make your appearance as important factors in the long struggle for the maintenance of the government.
I have often talked of, and to the soldiers of our Civil War and always with the kindest thoughts of my heart and words of my lips, but never have I, nor can I ex- press all that I feel, because language sufficiently strong is not at my command.
I am called upon to say something today as the only surviving member of the old War Committee appointed by Governor Morgan to aid in making New York State fore- most in the ranks to put down the Rebellion. The other members of the Committee from this county were Gene- mal Thayer, Judge Comstock, John B. Folsom and John B. Skinner, 2nd; Judge Grover and others from Allegany and Livingston Counties, making up the Committee.
Early in 1862 the exigency of the times seemed to make it necessary that very conservative men should rep- resent the people or the government, as dissatisfaction with the slow progress made toward putting down the Rebellion on the one hand, and the " peace at all hazards " party on the other, made the condition of affairs gloomy indeed, and not until late in that summer was there much carnest and united effort made toward putting volunteers into the field.
Early in Angust, 1862, I received from Governor Mor- gan the notice of my appointment as member of the War Committee for this Senatorial District. Before the close of that month the 13th and 186th regiments were put in the field and from that time on every effort was made
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by the Committee to fill the depleted ranks of the army. and raise men and money to sustain the Government.
As an illustration of the unsettled condition of the country, the brave and gallant General Wadsworth, while fighting for his country was nominated for Governor of New York and defeated by Governor Seymour, the peace candidate, on the ground that the war was a failure-and Horace Greeley, the greatest editor of the age, and the brilliant Henry Winter Davis of Maryland, were crying. "On to Richmond," and planning to defeat Lincoln's re. nomination and put Salmon P. Chase in his place. On the other hand the conservative element, who were dis. pleased with Fremont's proclamation, issued while he was commanding the army in Missouri, were aiding the enemy by their "do nothing " policy.
Monarchies were watching the results of the conflict with the hope and expectation of seeing the failure of republican government and to substitute the two warring factions, like the South American States. France was trying to place one of her subjects on the throne of Mexico-England was preparing to recognize the Confed. erate Government, and only autocratic Russia had a kind word for the American Republic.
Then came Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation which frightened the conservative element of the Repub. lican party. The Republican convention of 1863 reported a resolution of approval of the general policy of the Ad- ministration, but had not the courage to approve the Emancipation Proclamation.
The committee on resolutions was composed of two members from each judicial district with Henry J. Ray- mond as chairman, and among the members were George Opdyke of New York, Dennis McCarthy of Syracuse, and Augustus Frank of Warsaw. Mr. Raymond said that the object of presenting the platform was to unite the people -not for party purposes, but in the interest of our com- mon country.
That resolution did not satisfy the body of the conven- tion, but it seemed likely to pass until George W. Demars,
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a young man who stood in the back part of the hall, wrote and sent to the chairman the following resolution:
Resolved-" That the Proclamation of President Lincoln decreeing the emancipation of slaves of rebels who refuse to lay down their arms, receiving as it does the support of every true soldier and general of the army of the Union, and every patriot at home, demands from all loyal men a cordial endorsement, and this convention de- mands an emphatic and unqualified approval."
A man whose name is not embalmed in history moved to lay the resolution on the table. I had the honor of representing in part this county in that convention, and stood beside the young man when he wrote and sent his resolution to the chairman. A vote was about to be taken when some one suggested that it would be well to hear from the mover of the resolution. Allow me to qnote the closing words of Mr. Demars' remarks on that occasion :
" And in that glorious day, in that coming time, when the star of peace again beams npon our horizon, and in the sky there is no cloud to mar the prospects of our glory and our happiness; and when, on the green fields of peace, reunited confederations come and assemble again, with brother hand to hand, with brother heart to heart, all the people of the United States-all the people south as well as north-will feel that when you carry out this measure, you take a curse off the shoulders of every true union man; all the people will feel that the glory and dignity, and the strength and the honor of this Republic lay wrapped in the swaddling bands of the Emancipation Proclamation."
Amid all the difficulties surrounding the President, he stood unmoved, undaunted-the colossal figure of the 19th century. He said to France that the Monroe Doctrine would be maintained at all hazards.
The representatives of the Protestant and Catholic churches of this country-Henry Ward Beecher and Bishop Inghes-visited England. Beecher by his eloquence and courage silenced a mob and compelled them to listen to him. Bishop Hughes, by his shrewd diplomacy, changed the current of feeling in England toward this country and thus put an end to the Confederacy's last hope of recognition. President Lincoln's Proclamation of Emanci- pation aroused the patriotic feeling of the whole civilized
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world, and from the hour of its promulgation victory was assured.
Members of the Grand Army of the Republic! the men who make up your organization in this county belonged to thirty-one different regiments,
The 104th of Co !. Rorbach and Col. Prey engaged in fifteen battles, from Cedar Mountain to Fredericksburg. The Fifth New York Cavalry, Col. Hammond, renow ned for having made the first sabre charge of the war, in which Ashley's troops were driven from the Shenandoah Valley; the 9th Cavalry with its untarnished record of 161 battles; the First New York Dragoons, with its bril- liant record of daring deeds from Deserted House to Win- chester and the stirring times at Appomattox with eight successive days of fighting; the 136th, which won laurels at Lookont Mountain in that triumphant march of Sher- man's to the sea-and in that great battle of Get- tysburg of which this day is the fortieth anniversary. Comrades, you all have a right to be proud of the part you bore in that fierce struggle for the maintenance of this government. The history of this country for the last half century is as familiar to you as to me, for you have been active participants in the startling events which make the grandest record of any government in- der the shining sun, and the greatest meed of praise is due to men of the Grand Army of the Republic for their share in the glorious result. In the years to come the history of this country will read more like fable than fact. Forty-two years ago the civil war began. Thirty- eight years ago the last call for troops was made; thir- ty-eight years ago last April, Lee surrendered to Grant; thirty-eight years ago the 15th of last April President Lincoln was assassinated. A turbulent crowd of work- ing men gathered in front of the New York World Office, determined to avenge the death of the martyred president, and their hands were stayed from violence by a word from General Garfield, who was himself to be, later on, an assassin's victim.
Thirty-eight years ago on the second of June, Gen- eral Ulysses S. Grant, the polar star in America's constellation of brilliant officers, issued his famous
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order disbanding the army, and more than two millions of soldiers were mustered out of service. Tims rapidly as well as peacefully and joyously was the mightiest army which over fought for a Republic restored to the tranquil paths of thrift and industry, melting back by regiments into quiet citizenship, with nothing to distin- guish them from their fellow citizens except their own proud consciousness of having served and saved the country.
And now, men and women of Wyoming County, I take this occasion to thank you for the efficient aid rendered the war committee in the discharge of its duties. You contributed money to pay bounties to soldiers, you paid taxes without a marmar, yon paid cheerfully onr share of the millions of money expended by the government, and now you complete your obligation in the dedication this day, of yonder beautiful monument, to the living and the dead soldiers of this county. The president. of this Momment Association, the Hon William Pryor Letchworth, should ever be held in grateful romem- brance, as should also the late Hon. Augustus Frank. for generous contributions and for efforts in the purchase, location and erection of this monument.
Remember that these soldiers and their comrades saved for us the grandest country on earth, a country that commands the respect of the whole world and leads all nations. Let us not forget the sacrifices made, the noble work accomplished by the women of our country and see to it that the qualifications for suffrage be those of ed- ucation and not of sex.
Who shall say that the clear, far-reaching vision of the sainted mothers of the soldiers whose memory is per- petnated by that monument, may not rest upon this scene today and that they will plead for the continued happiness, peace, prosperity and perpetuity of this grand Republic!
DEDICATORY ADDRESS BY GENERAL E. S. OTIS, U. S. A.
To those of us who have passed the meridian of life, the reflections which this oeeasion aronses are responsive to our most cherished memories and anticipations. To those of a later generation they should be an inspiring lesson in the duties of eitizenship.
You have builded this monument to commemorate the publie serviees of representatives who went out from among you and participated in the dangers ineident to war. You have ereeted it in token of your apprecia- tion of their patriotism, as manifested in their devotion to country which was attended by hardships innumer- able-even the sacrifice of life. It is a tribute of affec- tion, regard and obligation to those who by heroie deeds through great tribulations won for you, in the brunt of many hard fought battles, security and peace.
And still, if it only thus far symbolizes your intent in construeting it, if its meaning is thus eireumseribed, it conveys no novel lesson-none which numberless aneient memorials did not reflect. Affeetion for the de- parted is a natural instinet of humanity. Reverenee for the dead who have conferred substantial benefits through saerifieing labors has been a common sentiment for ages. Exalted appreciation of individual saerifiee for country is as old as national existenee, and among eivil- ized people has always received outward expression in highly wrought designs in enduring material. The Spartans who ereeted the marble monument to attest the valor of the three hundred defenders of the Pass of Thermopylae; the Romans who reared in the Eternal City, column, arch and memorial building to signalize the vie- tories of her sons of Mars, that, as declared, their merits might not lie sepulchred and be forgotten, were actuated by this ever prevailing desire to preserve from oblivion their national military achievements and to honor those
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by whose labors and powers those achievements were ac- complished.
But this monument has a more significant meaning than those of by-gone periods. You who have fashioned it have embodied therein your ideals of manhood's worth and excellence-ideals which distinguish a modern civili- zation based on individual liberty and the sovereignty of the people. No longer do brute force and personal vio- lence excite approbation; no longer is that form of per- sonal courage which characterized the age of chivalry ap- planded; no longer can the victories of an alien, subsi- dized soldiery, or an army for conquest, awaken disin- terested enthusiasm. Our countrymen would not sustain a war unless they considered its prosecution subservient to justice, and they never have engaged in one in which the moving impulse was subjugation, or territorial expan- sion. In all instances our wars have had their origin and support in a demand for some positive political right, in defense of imperilled government or for needful social amelioration; and thus I believe it will always be. It is only when national honor or the supremacy of the law is assailed, or when some requisite element of our civili- zation is dangerously threatened, that an appeal to arms can secure popular consent. Even our late so-called glo- rious war for oppressed humanity's sake was inspired and occasioned by the national insult received in the harbor of Havana. With us, war can only result when defense of some essential principle of our highly devel- oped civil polity becomes urgent. The more vital the principle-if its maintenance involves the life of the nation, or the security of society, the more pronounced will be the popular response to its demands, and the higher will be the public consideration for those who actively par- ticipate in its dangers.
Our estimate, too, of the degree of excellence displayed in individual action differs from that which prevailed in former times. The measure of regard in which the soldier is now held is conditioned both by the nature of his services and the character of the cause in which they are rendered. Approved valor must take the form and wear the garb of virtue. The strength which it then dis.
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plays and the perils it encounters determine the quality and extent of the approbation it will receive.
Again, our wars, whether foreign or sectional. have not been fought with an alien, mercenary or professional soldiery. In all our great contests our troops have very largely consisted of native citizens who have voluntarily abandoned for the time their peaceful occupations, and taken up arms to establish or crystallize important tenets in our accepted science of political goverment. With no thought of individual advantage, anticipating mueh personal suffering and the possibility if not probability of violent death; young in years, enthusiastic, and prepared to engage creditably in professional pursuits and business enterprises, or in the fall vigor of manhood and enjoying the rewards of peaceful vocations, they have of their own volition been marshalled for battle and have thus far preserved the integrity of the nation and the rights of the citizen. Not in any armed struggle of the world has this characteristic been so marked as in our Civil War. In none other has there been so great a ratio of earnest, cultured and truly patriotic solliers as our armies then contained. And never before were such mighty hosts assembled as during that memorable four years of the country's agonizing travail.
To the memory of this class of our citizens you have reared this beautiful shaft. In real significance, and as you would have it understood. it is a tribute to all who, through vicarious sufferings experienced on the exhaus- tive march, in the rigors of camp, in the nightly vigil, in attending physical ailments and in the deadly wrestle of battle, helped to redeem, and as we hope, make se- cure forever the basic principles of republican government which were then in jeopardy. It is your consideration for the performance of a certain specific duty by this class that has prompted you to fashion and raise this monument in their behalf. It is not reared to exalt the brilliant achievements of any individual either in war or peace; not to aseribe honor to one who, gifted with superior intellectual abilities, has employed them successfully for the glory of state; not to present as a model for public contemplation and inspiration the sem-
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blance of the loved philanthropist who has blessed his day and generation by countless humanitarian deeds; but to memorialize for all time the members of a class of our countrymen-few of them publicly known, mostly un- known, few still living, for the most part dead and gone, many of whom were sanctified by a glorious death in the hard fonght contests for the supremacy of truth and right- consness, which dwelling in the bosom of God, have in these latter days begun to illumine the minds and direct the aspirations of well intentioned men.
Why should your sense of obligations or the intinences generated by the chords of sympathy move you to con- struct this work ? Let the momment speak. "In memory of the defenders of our country, who though citizens be- came soldiers, not from ambition or list of war, but from devotion to country and to assert the sovereignty of her laws; and who by valor and by sacrifice through unmeasured suffering and death preserved the honor and integrity of the nation and maintained the princi- ples of free government in America." You thus honor these men, not because they were soldiers, not becanse they suffered great hardships and exhibited individual courage in war; not that their valor brought victory and with it peace to a distracted country, but because at a period when representative government was in peril, when the safeguards which upheid society were endan- gered, when the established maximis of our modern civil- ization were challenged, they willingly offered themselves as sacrifices for the welfare of their fellow men and for the cause of humanity. Never before were such tran- scendent problems submitted to the arbitrament of war. They juvoivel all progress which had been made in civil and religious liberty during more than three centuries of time and presented for defense the legal supports, the checks and balances, which had been devised and developed through long continued toil and suffering to insure it. They invoived the security of the tenets upon which our social and domestic institutions depend and by which the old Saxon love of personal freedom. happily divorced from license, has found satisfactory solution in equality of individual rights and privileges. In fine, they involved
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