USA > Pennsylvania > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present > Part 39
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William Egbert, a settler of Sandy Lake as early as 1800, was a pioneer blacksmith.
Among the Revolutionaries in Wilmington Township were Joshua Cook, James Young. Mr. Dumars and Christopher Irwin.
Samuel Waldron was a pioneer in Worth, John Perry and William Dougherty likewise of Pine.
Cyrus Beckwith, a resident of Cool Spring, was a captain from 1776 to the end of the war.
Archibald Titus is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
Garrett Cronk and William Nickle are buried in the Pearson grave-yard in Jefferson Township.
Capt. John Elliott located on the Shenango, in Hickory Township, late in the eighteenth century.
Capt. Samuel Quinby settled at Sharon in 1808-09. For a number of years preceding his death he was blind. He died September 9, 1842, and was buried the following day, the anniversary of Perry's great victory on Lake Erie, with military honors.
John Morford, a pioneer of Hickory Township, was a Revolutionary patriot, as was also William McClimans, of West Salem.
WAR OF 1812.
The War of 1812 was unlike that of the Revolution, thirty-five years pre- vious, in several respects, but mainly in the fact that during the latter strug- gle the invading army came from the north instead of from the east. Canada was the base of operations, and hence our northern border was exposed to constant menace. Says Mr. Garvin, in some manuscript notes:
"In the War of 1812 the people of Mercer County were frequently called upon to give their aid in defense of Erie, where the fleet of Commodore
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Perry was being built. On these alarms, which were about as frequent as a ship of the enemy hove in sight, the whole county would be aroused by runners in a day, and in a very few hours most of the able-bodied male popu- lation would be on the march to Erie. On one occasion the news came to Mercer on a Sunday, while the Rev. Samuel Tait was preaching in the court- house. The sermon was suspended, the dismissing benediction given, and immediate preparations for the march commenced. On the next day the military force of the county was well on its way to Erie.
" At another time the news of a threatened invasion came in the midst of the grain harvest. This made no difference; the response was immediate. It was on this occasion that Col. John Findley dropped his sickle in his tracks in the wheat field, hastened to his house, and seizing his gun, with such pro- visions as his wife had at hand to put in his haversack, hastened on his way to the defense of his country. On his return, some weeks afterward, the sickle was found by him where it had been dropped. This was the spirit of the Mercer County people in the War of 1812."
It would seem that local military organizations had been maintained for a number of years prior to the breaking out of the war. These afforded nuclei of the organizations which rendered efficient service when called into the field. As early as 1807 there were two regiments in this region, the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth and the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Pennsylvania Militia. The organization of the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth at the time was as follows:
Lieutenant-colonel, James Montgomery.
Majors: First Battalion, John McCoy; Second Battalion, James Braden.
Captains in First Battalion: John McNulty, John Emery, Joseph McCoy, Benj. Woods, William Smith, John Minnis, Richard McElwain, John Stew- art, John Caldwell, James Denniston.
Lieutenants First Battalion: James McBride, Michael Huttenbaugh, Oliver Reeves, James McCoy, William Breckenridge, James Weakley, Daniel Carry, John Clark, Samuel Clark, William Gibson, William Zahniser, Joseph Collins. Ensigns First Battalion: Josiah Winters, Robert Ramsey, James McCoy, John Gilmore, John McCartney, Samuel Clark, Samuel Scott, Archibald Montgomery, David Hart and John Haggerty.
Of the Second Battalion: John Findley was captain; John Junkin, lieutenant, and Peter Rambo, ensign.
The One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment had the following organiza- tion at the same time (1807):
Lieutenant-colonel, Henry Hoagland.
Majors: First Battalion, John Christy; Second Battalion, John Porter.
Captains: John Gilliland, Alexander McGaughy, Samuel Robinson, James Watson, Samuel Christy, John McCready, William McMillan, Will- iam H. Mossman, John Hannell, James Gault, Bashara Hull.
Lieutenants: John Mossman, William Anderson, Robert Mayberry, John Fisher, John Sims, William Young, George Davis, James King, David New- ell, Matthew Dawson, David Hayes, Lewis Carey.
Ensigns: John Ferguson, John McCombs, John Moore, James Patton, Thomas Bean, John McCord, Joseph McClain, James Bailey, Isaac Mickey, David Clark, Azariah Dunham.
The organizations of these two regiments in 1811 (August 3) are as follows:
One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment .- Lieutenant-colonel, Thomas Hosack.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Majors: First Battalion, John Stewart; Second Battalion, John McCoy.
Captains: James Denniston, John Caldwell, Job Egbert, Abraham Clark, Thomas Courtney, Samuel Clark, Samuel Thompson, James McCune, Joseph McClintock, James Montgomery, James McCoy.
First Battalion, R., John Junkin, Epaphroditus Cossitt; L. I., Samuel Clark.
Second Battalion, R., David Robinson.
Lieutenants: John Haggerty, Jesse Kilgore, George Able, Samuel Scott, James Ramsey, George McBride, William Turner, George Sheakley.
First Battalion, R., Walter Oliver; L. I., Frederick Minner.
Second Battalion, R., Hugh Jamison.
Ensigns: Hugh Jamison, William Orr, Thomas Ireland, Abraham Clark, Archibald McCormick, Charles Stevenson, Samuel Thompson, Asa Arnold, Henry Emery, Eliab Axtell, George Wilson, Martin Cochran, David Ross, Ichabod Dilly, Jacob Smith and John Dougherty.
First Battalion, R., Samuel Leek, Samuel B. McCune; L. I., Stephen Mckinley.
Second Battalion, R., Isaac Taylor.
One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment .- Lieutenant Colonel, Andrew Christy.
Majors: First Battalion, James Gault; Second Battalion, John Sims.
Captains: Matthew Dawson, John Gilliland, Samuel Christy, Robert Mann, John Rea, George Pearson, Robert McCord, Alexander Thompson, Thomas McMillan, John Fisher.
Lieutenants: Robert Stewart, John Ferguson, Thomas H. Bean, James J. Bean, Isaac Gibson, James Limrick, John Docan, James Clark, Joseph Will- iamson.
Ensigns: John Canon, Robert McDowell, Thomas W. Bean, Francis Beatty, Francis Scott, Andrew Chestnut, Matthew Black, Henry Hoover, James Woods.
When actual service occurred the organizations seem to have changed somewhat, many of the men belonging to the Militia companies for drill pur- poses not going to the front. Col. Christy led a battalion of his regiment to Pittsburgh in the summer of 1812. At that point the battalion joined Gen. Crook's brigade, and marched through Ohio to operate with Gen. W. H. Har- rison against the British around Fort Meigs. We have succeeded in securing the rosters of his command, consisting of the companies of Capts. Matthew Dawson, John Gilliland, Robert Mann, John Junkin and Robert McCord:
Captain, Matthew Dawson; lieutenant, John Ferguson; ensign, Francis Scott.
Sergeants: Thomas Jewell, John T. Bean, George Pearson, Robert Lock- hart.
Corporals: Edward Douglass, John Gibson, Jeremiah Ralston, Joshua Chenowith.
Privates: Joseph Allen, Samuel Awkwright, William Beatty, Frederick Baum, Alexander Boyle, William Byers, John Canon, Frederick Carpenter, William Carnes, Benjamin Castor, William Clark, Jacob Cooper, Thomas Cherry, Thomas Crawford, Jacob L. Gurwell, James Graham, Jeremiah Hazen, John Henry, John Irvine, Daniel Klingensmith, Andrew Marquis, Samuel Marquis, William Means, Henry Mercer, Isaac Moreland, John Moreland, Christian Moats, John H. Monteith, William McClurg, John McCord, William McCord, Samuel McCrumb, Andrew McFadden, Robert McIntyre, Samuel Patterson, Elijah Patton, Jacob Pool, Andrew Reed, William Sample, Samuel
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Sample, Thomas Sampson, William Scott, John Siverlin, Francis Slayman, Robert Sheal, Thomas Speir, John Sommerville, John Thompson, John Vannoston, David Warner, Lott Watson, William Zuver.
Captain, John Gilliland; lieutenant, John Ferguson; ensign, Charles Richardson.
Sergeants: Robert Johnston, John W. Brown, James Brush, John Stev- enson.
Corporals: William Leech, Andrew Beatty, Benjamin Lodge, Cornelius. McCurdy; drummer, Thomas Calvin.
Privates: Thomas Bole, James W. Brown, John A. Bean, Baptist Brush, Gabriel Calvin, William Calvin, John Campbell, Noble Dumars, Peter Grim, Adam Hill, Richard Hill, Jacob Hoobler, Daniel Keck, William Kerr, Thomas Leech, William Lindsey, John Long, John Mahan, Isaac Moreland, Alexan- der Moreland, John Moreland, Richard Moore, John F. Mossman, James Mc- Cullough, John McClimans, John McGranahan, William McGranahan, Will- iam McMillen, Hugh Nelson, James Nelson, Samuel Parker, Samuel Potter, Jacob Rhodes, John Richardson, Philip Sherbondy, Jacob Sherbondy, James Tunison, Zebulon Tunison, William Trimble, George Walker, Samuel Walker, James Williamson.
Captain, Robert Mann; lieutenant, James J. Bean.
Sergeants: James Donaldson, James Bole, Thomas Morford, John Lout- zenhiser.
Corporals: Adam Gault, James Thompson, Thomas H. Bean, Charles McCreight.
Privates: William A. Bean, Thomas W. Bean, Alexander Bean, John W. Bean, Robert Beatty, John Calvin, John Christy, John Donaldson, David Haun, Jacob Hommer, Joseph Hommer, John Hommer, Jacob Kamerer, Samuel Kamerer, Irwin Kerr, William Kirby, Matthew Kirby, Peter Klingensmith, John Klingensmith, Joseph Klingensmith, Daniel Keck, David Leech, Samuel Lininger, Joseph Long, James Linn, James K. Marshall, Christopher Miller, Thomas Morford, Jr., John McLean, Hugh McFetridge, Matthew Ormsby, David Patterson, Robert Ralston, Matthew Ralston, Christopher Streight, Henry Williamson, James Williamson, Thomas Williamson, David White, James Woods. This company was formed in and around Greenville, and went to Erie to resist the threatened invasion from the north.
Captain, John Junkin; lieutenant, Walter Oliver; ensign, Samuel B. Mc- Cune.
Sergeants: Andrew Clark, James Rambo, Thomas Rambo, Jacob Forker.
Corporals: John Feltibarger, John Moore, George F. Kurtz, Thomas Bran- don.
Fifer, James K. Caldwell; drummer, Samuel Phinesy.
Privates: John Alexander, Henry Black, Joseph Black, David Barnhill, Samuel Bowman, Josias Campbell, Thomas Canon, John Carmichael, Abraham Clark, John Clark, Solomon Cook, Alexander Coyle, John Coyle, Alexander Denniston, Robert Gibson, James Glenn, Thomas Gordon, William Gordon, Joseph Harber, John Hawthorne, Samuel Hawthorne, Frederick Helverin, John Johnston, Henry Jordon, Joseph Junkin, John Lowry, Charles Lucas, Joseph Moore, Samuel Moore, Daniel Maurer, James McCord, James McClos- key, John McCoy, David McCurdy, James McCracken, Allen McDonald, John McDonald (Wolf Creek), John McDonald, Thomas McEwen, Jacob Osburn, John Perrine, Peter Rambo, John Rihel, Chapman Rose, Andrew Rose, Fran- cis Scott, Ezekiel Sankey, William Sheriff, Matthew Simpson, Thomas Simp- son, Aaron Taylor, Washington Tait, Joseph Thorn, Abraham Truxel, Charles Williams, William Zahniser.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Captain, Robert McCord; lieutenant, Andrew Chestnut; ensign, James Melvin.
Sergeants: Samuel Howard, Andrew Brown, John Boston, William McCord.
Corporals: George Fell, John Fry, Robert Ellis, Carlisle Lossee.
Drummer, Adam Miller; fifer, John Burns.
Privates: Jacob Artman, Richard Brown, Solomon Brown, Stephen Burns, Andrew Campbell, Jonas Fell, Jacob Fry, John Gravat, William Gravat, Jon- athan Hoover, Thomas Howard, James Hunter, Matthew Hunter, Edward Johnson, Thomas Laughead, James Mossman, John Mclaughlin, John Mc- Clurg, William McClurg, George McCord, Joseph McCord, John Smail, Rob- ert Steel, Henry H. Vernon, John Vernon, Alexander Woods. These men went out from the northwestern part of Mercer County, most of them from West Salem Township.
Capt. Junkin's company was known as the "Mercer Blues." Concerning it Mr. Garvin says, and the remarks will apply equally to the whole battalion: "A rifle company, the 'Mercer Blues,' under the command of Capt. John Junkin, volunteered its services for six months under Gen. Harrison, and was at Fort Meigs in the winter of 1813. Their time expiring before the siege made by Proctor was commenced, when the Virginia volunteers under Gen. Leftwick left the fort, they were among the Pennsylvania brigade that re- volunteered to remain until Gen. Harrison was able to relieve them. Some of them even remained to participate in the defense against the siege of Proctor."
The Mercer Blues, as will be seen by an examination of the roster, was made up of exemplary men. In his biography of George Junkin, D. D., the Rev. D. X. Junkin says: "They numbered some eighty rifles; and so large a proportion of them were pious young men that, in every tent except two, family worship was maintained by the mess during the campaign, and in those two the captain often officiated. Nor did their devotion diminish the perfec- tion of their military discipline and efficiency. Their drill was as perfect as that of regulars, and Gen. Harrison often complimented them for their gal- lantry and soldierly bearing."
While these troops were on their way to the front, they had occasion to encamp near Mansfield, Ohio. While there a serious misfortune occurred on the 29th of November, 1812. A violent storm came up early in the morning, hurling a hugh oak tree upon the line of tents occupied by Capt. Dawson's company. Jeremiah Ralston was killed instantly, and William Beatty, John F. Bean, John Gibson, John H. Monteith and William Clark were all wounded. Bean had his right collar bone broken. Beatty and Monteith had their ankles mashed, and Clark had five ribs broken. Gibson subsequently died of pneu- monia at Wooster, Ohio. William Clark is still living and in good health at Clarksville, Penn., having passed his ninety-fourth birthday on June 8, 1888. Six other men in an adjoining tent were injured more or less by the top of the tree.
These troops passed from Mansfield via Fort Ball (now Tiffin), and Upper Sandusky to Fort Meigs, where they joined Harrison's army. A letter written from what is Perrysburg, Ohio, by Capt. John Junkin, to his brother, gives some facts and views of interest to the reader. We reproduce it :
HEADQUARTERS, MIAMI RAPIDS, February 12, 1813.
Dear Brother: I received yours of the 26th ult., and intended answering it from Upper Sandusky, but was ordered off suddenly, and had not time ; and now you can have but barely an acknowledgment. We arrived here yesterday. Our force I do not precisely know, perhaps five thousand. Morc will soon join us. Winchester's misfortune at the river Raisin, you will have heard of perhaps more correctly than I could state it. Harri- son pursued a body of Indians, two nights since, about twenty-five miles. They headed
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
for Malden, and he returned to camp. Our army is well supplied. Desertion is not now frequent. The cowards, I think, are now all drained from among us, and the men now present in the army will do more than if they that have deserted had remained with us. What the intended movements of the army are, none but Gencral Harrison knows ; and it is right it should be so. What the results of the movements may be, God only knows. He who ruleth the armies of man, and giveth the battle to whom He pleaseth, can save by many or few. That we may all be enabled to placc our trust in the King of kings is the prayer of your most affectionate brother,
JOHN JUNKIN.
These troops were absent from September, 1812, to May, 1813.
In the summer of 1813 another demand was made for the troops of Mercer County. The approach of the British fleet on the lake demanded the assembling of the troops at Erie, where Commodore Oliver H. Perry was building his fleet. To that point the Militia of Northwestern Pennsylvania repaired. The urgency of this demand is clearly shown by the following order issued by a Mercer County man to another Mercer County officer. The Col. Hosack referred to was the son of Henry Hosack, a pioneer of Findley Town- ship, and an uncle of Dr. J. P. Hosack, at present practicing medicine in Mercer. The colonel met a sad death, having been completely cremated, when he was an old man, in the conflagration of his own house.
Sir: In pursuance of General Orders, you are commanded to march the whole of your company to the town of Meadville, prepared to march forthwith to the town of Erie; there to perform a tour of thirty days, unless sooner discharged. Each officer and soldier will appear equipped for the field of battle. A court of appeals will be held at Joseph Alexander's on Monday, the 18th day of October next. Rations will be prepared at Meadville. THOMAS HOSACK,
Sunday, July 25, 1813. Captain JAMES McCOY.
Lieutenant-Colonel 134th Regiment P. V.
Papers are extant showing that Capt. McCoy was discharged from service on the 5th of February, 1814. This will indicate, probably, about the length of time these services were given.
It is a source of regret that the names of all who responded so patriotically to their country's call in the War of 1812 cannot be given. In addition to those already given in the rosters, we mention some that have been picked up in various ways. These, with the names found incidentally in the biograph- ical chapters, will do something to reclaim their memories from oblivion.
Hickory Township. - Archibald Titus, Ebenezer McGowan, Nathan Hazen, Samuel Quinby, Washington Porter, Henry Hoagland, Samuel Hoagland, John Hoagland, John Rankin, Elam Bentley, John B. Henderson, Joseph Stinedorf, Jacob Dillinger.
Jackson Township. - Samuel and Abraham Pew, George and James Wil- son.
Lake Township. - William, Valentine and Michael Zahniser, Andrew and John McClure.
Sandy Lake Township .- Daniel Perrine, Charles A. Giebner and his sons, William and Augustus.
Wilmington Township .- Benjamin Junkin, William Young.
Findley Township. - Thomas and John Hosack, Joseph Forker.
Springfield Township .- James Denniston, Alexander Black, Capt. Robert Black, Adam Black.
Salem Township. - John Leech, Sr.
Cool Spring Township .- Joseph Alexander, Zachariah Johnston, Samuel Johnston, John McEwen.
Wolf Creek Township .- William Montgomery and five sons, William, Thomas, John, Alexander and David; Nathaniel and Joshua Coleman.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Worth Township. - Caleb Ball.
Pine Township. - Samuel Perry, Thomas Dunlap, John Dunlap.
Liberty Township .- James George, James Foster, William Foster, John Foster.
Jefferson Township. - William Atkinson, Andrew Brest, William Craig, John Mitchell, William Mitchell, Isaac Sowash.
Shenango Township .- Robert Stewart.
Mill Creek Township .- Francis Dunn, Samuel Glenn, James Montgomery. Deer Creek Township .- Aaron Boylan, William Ross, Ithiel Tuttle.
Sandy Creek Township .- William, Moses and George Sheakley, Andrew Davidson, Thomas Philips, James Brush, John Thompson, Richard Davis, Samuel Clark, David Gardner, Thomas Craig, John McCracken.
West Salem Township. - Francis and Hugh Mossman.
Perry Township .- Jacob Carringer.
Pymatuning Township .- Samuel Clark, Daniel Koonce.
In the Shenango Valley Cemetery, at Greenville, are buried the following: Andrew Campbell, Cornelius Tunison, John Long, William Emery, Robert Bean, James McCurdy, James Nelson, Benjamin Boyer, Peter Miller, George Davis, Peter Roberts, Robert Mann, William Fonner and James W. Brown, some of whom have already been mentioned.
MEXICAN WAR,
The war with Mexico did not strike the leaders of the Whig party with any degree of patriotic force. They feigned to regard it as a scheme of President Polk and the Democratic party to popularize his administration in the slave- holding States by increasing the boundaries of our territory in the Southwest. The people, however, exhibited unbounded enthusiasm in the support of the government, and a large addition of the richest territory in the Union was the final result of the war. It is not our purpose here to trace the stages of the struggle, but to call attention to the role that Mercer County played.
The records reveal the fact that on the 20th of June, 1846, there was or- ganized at Mercer a company known as the "Mercer County Infantry," whose services were at once tendered to the President. Its officers were:
Captain, James Galloway; first lieutenant, J. H. Williamson; second lieuten- ant, Dawson Wadsworth. The services of these patriotic men were not accept- ed, and hence they were not permitted to inscribe their names upon the roll of Mexican veterans who upheld the flag from the Rio Grande to the City of Mexico.
The next account of an effort in the direction of influencing public sentiment was the report of a large and enthusiastic meeting held at the court-house on the 22d of December, 1847. It was called to voice the sentiment of the people upon the subject of prosecuting with vigor the then pending war. William S. Gar- vin was chairman; John Findley, Joseph Kerr, M. L. Mordock and John Barns, vice-presidents, and B. F. Baskin and M. C. Trout, secretaries. John Hoge, B. F. Baskin, James Dickson, Thomas Wilson, William L. Christy, Benjamin Polly and Thompson Graham were appointed a committee to draft resolutions expressing the sentiment of the meeting. While this committee was drafting its report, James Galloway, Esq., who had previously been de- prived of the privilege of leading his company to the field, was called upon to make an address. He spoke eloquently of the right of the United States Government to the territory of Texas, up to the Rio Grande, and maintained, likewise, that the war had been commenced by Mexico. He commended the administration for conducting the war vigorously and economically.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
The committee reported a preamble in which the United States was upheld and vindicated for the part she was taking in the pending conflict, and intro- duced a series of resolutions, the first of which asserted "that it is the duty of all good and true men to stand by their country in this war, and to uphold by their voice and strengthen by their sympathy the hands of the government in its efforts to secure a satisfactory peace." Another resolution demanded of Mexico a sufficient indemnity for the injuries she had inflicted upon citizens of the United States, and for the expense incurred by the latter government in the prosecution of the war. The Congressman of the district, Hon. John W. Farrelly, was instructed to vote "supplies of men and money for the vigorous prosecution of the war to a successful and speedy termination."
This meeting was composed largely of Democrats, the Whig leaders not endorsing the movement. Mr. Garvin, in the Western Press says: "There were a few patriotic Whigs present, who, though they did not figure as officers or on the committee, nevertheless countenanced the meeting and sanctioned its proceedings. It is not known that any troops went to Mexico-certainly no organization as such. Individual soldiers may have gone in some other organ- izations, if so, the cases have not been made matter of record.
CHAPTER XVI.
WAR OF THE REBELLION-THE SEED OF DISCORD PLANTED WITH THE COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS-GROWTII OF THE " IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT," AND ITS FINAL CULMINATION-SOME CAUSES ACCOUNTING FOR THE INTENSITY AND DURA- TION OF THE REBELLION-EVENTS PRECEDING ITS COMMENCEMENT-PARTI- SANSHIP IN MERCER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR-SUBLIME PATRIOTISM OF THE PEOPLE IRRESPECTIVE OF PARTY-THEIR DEVOTION TO TIIE UNION- PROSECUTION OF THE WAR-TROOPS FURNISHED BY MERCER COUNTY-REG- IMENTAL SKETCHES AND ROSTERS OF COMPANIES-THIRTY-NINTH-FIFTY-SEV- ENTH-SEVENTY-SIXTH-SEVENTY-SEVENTH-ONE HUNDREDTH-ONE HUN- DRED AND THIRTY-NINTH-ONE HUNDRED AND FORTIETH-ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SECOND-ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIFTH-ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINTII-TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH-MISCELLANEOUS TROOPS- CLOSING EVENTS OF THE WAR.
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THE intestine war, which raged in this country with unwonted fury from 1861 to 1865, was a gigantic rebellion-not a war between the States as such-not a war between the North and South, except so far as the for- mer stood as the representative and defender of national government, and the latter as the exponent and defender of a slave-holding con- federacy. It was not a revolution, because that would imply just grounds for such an unusual and destructive action; and further, because a revo- lution, according to the authority of the eminent Sir James McIntosh, is a
movement crowned with success. It will not do to underestimate the conflict by applying to it the rhetorical euphemism-"the late unpleasantness." Fealty to the facts of history, and to the demands of the unborn future, requires that it should be called by its proper name-the Southern Rebellion.
He who expects to study, intelligently, the history of this colossal military and social conflict, will utterly fail if he begins with the stirring scenes of 1861. They are but the beginning of the last, but most tragic, act in the great drama of American civilization. They are but the culmination, on the field of
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