USA > Pennsylvania > History of the First regiment infantry, National guard of Pennsylvania (Grey Reserves) 1861-1911, pt 2 > Part 40
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The real soldiers of the war for the Union were not made in a day. It needed years of training to convert raw recruits into disciplined veterans, to develop armed mobs into armies, and to create Generals who could plan snecessful campaigns, and lead armies to victory.
It is to-day a national duty to increase our small, but highly efficient Regular Army, and to foster and encourage the National Guard, the nur-ery of the Volunteer Armies of the future.
That government for which the soldiers of the Union fought. was the government created by the Constitution: the government whose essential principles are the preservation of the constitutional relations between the United States and the States; respect for the courts and the administration of justice: executive enforcement of laws made by the Congress: legislation by the elected representatives of the people in the House, and of the states in the Senate, without executive dictation, aml without referendum, or recall, or any other contrivance for giving effect to mob rule; the protection of property; and for the citizens all liberty that is not inconsistent with the maintenance of order. Not the least of the advantages of the Constitu-
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tion is that its framers, as Mr. Lowell has said, " put a- many ob-t ..... as they could contrive, not in the way of the people's will, but of 1 .. whim." It is the fashion of the hour to call that Constitution effets it ! obsolete, and demagogues out of other, who want to get into office, an: demagogues in otlice, who want to get into higher office. vie with each other in exhorting the people to adopt hasty and ill considered amendment. : that Constitution. But the people know that, under that Constitution, '. Government has survived the shocks of foreign, and of civil war, onl li- overcome the disintegrating effects of the expansion of territory, and i growth of population, and that the mass of people have borne lighter bund 1. of taxation, and have enjoyed a larger measure of prosperity, than has ever fallen to the lot of the people of any other country.
Is it not wise to let well enough alone ?
The people can be trusted. and when they clearly understand the .... . they will rally, as they did in 1861, for the defense and preservation of all that is valuable in American citizenship.
Demagogues strut their brief hour upon the stage, but they are mortal. and they die. Political parties abandon their distinctive policies, and an as they deserve to be, driven from power. But the principles of freedom are inumortal, and the spirit of 1861 is not dead.
" Hail, O Cæsar, we, who are about to die, salute you." For the soldier, of the Union,
" The horologe of time Strikes the half century with a solemn chime."
Soon, in the order of nature, must come the march with arms rever-el. we will not see; the funeral dirge, the taps, the volleys three, we will not hear. And yet, whatever of good, or ill, fortune may have brought to us, some possessions there are of which the fates cannot deprive us. We have had our " one crowded hour of glorious life." Who would be young again. at cost of loss of memories of march, of campfire. of fight, of that comrad. ship which is known only to those who. standing shoulder to shouldri. have looked death in the face; and of that love of country which was the inspiration of our youth, and will be, to our latest breaths, our dominating thought ?
"Oh beautiful. our country, ours once more Smoothing thy gold of war-di-hevelled hair O'er such sweet brows as never other wore. And letting thy set lips.
The rosy edges of their smile lay bare. What words divine of lover, or of poet. Could tell our love, and make thee know it."
What were our lives without thee ? What all our lives to save thee ?
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Speech of Rer. Wilson R. Sterly. " SOME TYPES OF HEROISM "
Sitting here to-night. I have been trying to ferret out just what it is which makes an occasion of this sort so brilijaut and joyons. There is something about the military which always attracts us. I suppose every child mimic- the soldier. and every boy looks forward to some servier in the Army or Navy: and on no other occasion, perhaps, do we feel quite the same thrill of heart and have as many waves of emotion passing over us as when we take part in an anniversary like the one we are celebrating.
I have thought to-night that part of the keen zest and joy of such a gathering may be due to the quality of the men who are here prosent, and whom we to-night remember. The American sollier and sailor has always been an attractive personality. I remember a story which appeared some years ago in Harper's Round Table. " Just after the war of It." says the writer, "an American frigate visited England. Her erew of gallant tars had been principally recruited from the . fisheries, and some of them, it is to be acknowledged, did not compare favorably in appearance with the spiek-and -- pan. jaunty English naval seamen, for the former were of all shapes and sizes. from the tall. round-shouldered, long-armed Cape Coder. down to the short. wiry member of the ship's company who had hailed from various ports farther south. where less brawn was to be found.
" One day the captain of the American ship paid a visit to the com- mander of the British man-o'war at anchor in the same harbor. The cov- swain of the gig was a great. lanky seaman, whose backbone was so rounded as to form a veritable hump. While the boat rested at the gangway of the visited vessel the English sailors gathered in the open ports and 'took stock. in a rather disdainful fashion, of the occupants of the giv. At last one of the seamen on board the man-o'-war called down to the cox- swain :
".'Ello there, Yankee: I soy what's that 'ump you 'ave on your back ?'
"The American sailor looked up. and called back, quick as a shot: 'That's Bunker Hill!' "
I heard not long ago of the device of a private in our present-day army which exhibited quite as much wit and ability to take care of himself. In a brigade which was under the command of a general who believed in a celibate Army, a private who had two good-conduct badges and money in a savings bank askel permission to marry. " Well, go away," said the general, " and if you come back to me a year from to-day in the same name of mind, you shall marry. I'll keep the vacancy." On the anniversary. the soldier repeated his request. "But do you really, after a year, want to marry? " inquired the general in a surprised tome. " Yes, sir: very much." "Sergeant-major. take his name down. Yes, you may marry. I never believed there was so much constaney in man or woman. Right face: quick march! " As the man left the room, turning his head. he said. " Thank you, sir: but it isn't the same woman."
I think there is illustrated in both of these incidents what has been eminently characteristic of our American soldiery from the beginning. They have been men who could take care of themselves. They have always been characterized by resourcefulness and initiative. When one thinks back over the history of our country, he is apt to feel that what the old darky servant said about General Jackson, after his death. applies equally well
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to the rank and file of the American army and navy. A clergyman met Jackson's servant after his death. and asked him whether he thought General Jackson would go to Heaven. " I don't know, boss, of he will for sure, but he can if he wants to." replied the darky.
There are, however, other reasons for the kten interest which we all feel in an occasion like this, and I am going to venture to suggest what seem to me to be three elements which enter into our solemn rejoicing to-night.
I think the first of them is denoted by the word " memories." There is perhaps no experience which develops memories of so unique a kind and so lasting a character as the experience of war. Those who go to war are mainly in the hey-day of youth. The armies of the North and South in 1861-1865 were made up of men under twenty-one years of age. This i- the age of camaraderie. It is the age of adventure. It is the time when the whole nature blossoms out. and is laid hold of by dreams of personal achievement and the thirst for action. As you look back to-night over the long years which have intervened between the time of your service and this moment, there is no doubt that there come into your minds a flood of memories, and I should not. I think, miss my guess, if I ventured to state that to-night. here and there in all parts of this hall have been told many reminiscences of by-gone days. In a book which I sometimes hear read, and which is popular among the children of our day, there is a rhyme which goes as follows:
" The soldier is a splendid man When marching on parade. And when he meets the enemy. He never is afraid.
And when he fires his musket off He loads it up again, And when he charges on the foe. Resistance is in vain.
And when he marches home again, He's called a hero bold. And many very wondrous tales. Are by the soldier told."
It is these very many wondrous tales which come up into our mind- en this occasion. Some of them are sad and pathetic. Other- ale trans. figured by a splendid sacrifice and many. of course, are lightened up by that tinge of humor and good nature which is so prominent an element in our American character. I suppose that there is no pression of greater worth to old men such as some of us here to-night are coming to be. than memories of noble and good and tender scenes from the past. It is probable when we commence to go down hill, and find the sun of life sinking further and farther into the west, as one by one the interests and the activities of our manhood are lessened. that what remains to the end. growing ever more precious and beautiful. is that treasure house of our memory in which have been stored up during the year- many experiences which it is forever a joy to recall. To-night. beyond peradventure, the minds of many so
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back and recall such scenes and things in the active and stirring days of the past. You remember how your heart bounded with hope and expecta. tion as you donned the uniform of your country for the first time. You remember the pang in your heart when you saw the last tarewell waved from certain loved ones, and then the fatigue of long day and night, of watch- ing; the wild excitement of times of peril and the mad thirst and giving in active warfare; the bitter lust to kill which arise, in us in the beat of conflict; the wounds and deaths of comrades; the experiences of the prison; the review at the end. and the honorable di-charge. Each man will have certain of these memories associated with the scenes in which he took most active part and with the other men who were his comrades in the days of old. Some here to-night and some gone into the silent land-who have joined that great majority upon the other side.
On an occasion like this there are certain songs which we always love to sing. Everybody knows " John Brown's body" from the beginning to the end. Some know the first verse of the " Star spangled banner," and some still sing with zest and joy " We'll rally round the flag." But among all the songs that we sing when we gather upon such an anniversary there is none that stirs our memories and fills our hearts with emotion like that of " Auld Lang Syne." And perhaps the verse of that song which best expresses the thoughts that are in our hearts is the second verse, which is not so often sung:
" We twa hae paidl't i' the burn From morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid have reared Sin Auld Lang Syne."
The second reason for the solemn joy of an occasion like this is to be found, I think, in the consciousness. not unjustly present in our minds and hearts, of that element of self-sacrifice which always belongs to the character of a true soldier. At a gathering like this, some years ago an American soldier was introduced to speak as one who had lost his arm during the Civil War. In beginning his address, he denied that this is so, saying, " It is true of the great majority of those who enlisted in the army and navy of the United States in those dark days. that when we entered the service of the country, we vowed and dedicated everything to her. We laid upon the altar of our country's liberty all that we were and all that we had. We gave up everything to start with, and whatever we brought out of that conflict was just so much clear gain." I think we all understand the spirit this American general was endeavoring to describe in these high spoken words. I have already referred to the great spell of attractiveness which the -oliver exercises upon us all. There are some who think that a great part of this attractiveness is due to the brilliant uniforms and the martial music which go along with the regiment. I dare say that there is some bit of truth in that point of view. But Iam sure that the real truth lies in another dirce- tion. It rises from the dim consciousness in all our minds that the pro- fession of the soldier involves, as few other profession- do. self-abnegation. The sinking of individual preferments and ambitions: the merging of one's personality into a larger whole and the placing of one's will at the disposi- tion of a superior. The soldier serves not himself, but his country. His obedience is due first to his immediate superior, and through him. step by
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step, to the highest officer of his native land, his king of the president of his country, and in such allegiance and devotion there is somewhat the is religious. I am persua led that a great reason for the distinction whit we accord the soldier, and the almost reverence in which he is held by miny. lies in the recognition of this high and fine quality which is required bt him. The largeness and the worth of a personality. I suppose, ate chiely to be measured by the greatness of its cherished aims and purposes. M.n are great in proportion as they have great masters: as they devote their lives to noble and enduring objects. This is why the soldier's breast quite justly swells with pride in the hour of his- service and in the time when he looks back upon that service across the vanishing years. He knows that he gave himself and his service for an end and objeet which was not entirely selfish. He knows that he was for the time being the representative of the nation, carrying in himself and setting forth in the embodiment of an individual its highest aims and its most glorious ideals. I remember the ... fine words of Colonel Ethan Allen's when in the first struggle of our for ... fathers for liberty, he demanded the surrender of Fort Ticonderoga. From within, the British officer inquired in whose name surrender was demanded. and he replied, "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." The soldier fights not for himself, and not only for his own fireside and his own neighbor. He fights for his country and for his God : for those that shall come after and for principles of justice and righteousness which he believes are essential to all true human well-being.
There is another thing we do well to consider to-night. It is probable that the greatest service of this organization is not that which it has rendered in times of actual warfare. I do not mean for a moment to speak lightly of what this regiment has done in its past history. Nay, I should be the first to raise my voice in solemn hymns of praise for the actual aecom- plishments of the men of the Old Guard, and those of this fellowship during all the years, who have bravely and faithfully done their duty when they have been called upon by the authorities of the state and nation. But I have a notion that the greatest services that we render are indirec: services. Not in things themselves lies the most precious fruitage of life. but in the results of things. The deeds that we do are like seeds sown into a good and fruitful soil. and the influences resulting from our derd- are like the flowering and the fruitage. Perhaps the chief contribution of this regiment to society lies in what it has done to develop in the heart- of those who have belonged to it. and in the minds of men generally. the spirit of heroism. It is possible that not every man who has belonged to this regiment has been a hero. Just as every man who has been baptized inte the Christian religion is not a practical and good Christian. But beyond question. the influence of this regiment has been in the direction of stimu- lating that spirit of unselfish service, yes, that heroic spirit of sacrifice. without which society cannot live. There are things which the law cannot do. Man does not live by bread alone. but by every word that proceeds ou of the mouth of God, and the spirit of heroism is one of those divine word -. It is by this spirit that the dull and common place and self-seeking life of man is transfigured and glorified
I do not wish to detain you long, but you will permit me. perhaps. to suggest that there are three types of heroism. all of which have been pro- duced in the history of your organization.
The commonest and perhaps the lowest is the heroism of action. I
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read some months ago, in General Morris Shaff's story of the Battle of the Wilderness, a pleasing incident connected with General Lee, which illus- trates this spirit. At a certain moment during the engagement, Lee ordered the Texas brigade into action. Lifting his voice above the din of battle he cried. " My brave Texas boys, you must charge." With a well they started forward, and behind them they heard the voice of the general crying, as he spurred his great charger after them, "Charge, men, charge." They went through and over the guns of their fortitications and Lee after them, but as the men of the battery perceived his danger. voices were raised on every side, erying, "Come back, come back, General Lee." But with his warm brown eyes aflame, he paid no attention, and gave no heed to the warning, until at length a sergeant, springing up in his pathway, grasped the bridle on Traveller's neck, pulled him down, and turned his head to the rear, which was the general's rightful place. There was a seene which the mind of a soldier loves to dwell upon; the general rebuked by the private, and the private risking his all for the sake of love for his superior officer. You will know how men's hearts are moved to do such deeds in the thick of battle. Men do not calculate upon the chances. They do not stop to inquire if such a thing is possible. They do not count the cost to them- selves.
So nigh is grandeur to our dust, So near is God to man. When duty whispers low, "Thou must," The youth replies " I can."
There is a kind of heroism which the soldiery of the nation bestows as a great gift upon all its young men. It is as though this regiment was repeating to every young man in this city to-night those words which Duke Claude of Guise spoke to his son, Francis: " Remember, my son. that the reputation of a gentleman is built upon the ruins of his body."
There is a heroism of a different, and I venture to think a slightly finer, sort than the heroism of action. It is what one may speak of as the heroism of endurance. In his novel, "The Caxtons," Bulwer-Lytton has told something of the story of a great English preacher of the earliest. days of the Nineteenth Century. Robert Hall was one of the great evan- gelists-one of the most potent religious forces of England a hundred years ago. His experience was one of intense severity. He was afflicted all his life with an incurable disease, which subjected him to such complicated physical tortures as few men are called upon to suffer. For more than twenty years he never had a clear night of rest. though driven to the con- stant use of opiates in incredible quantities. Twice his mighty spirit was touched with madness, but he overcame all with tremendous spirit and wondrous bravery. and this is how Bulwer-Lytton makes the captain hero of his story speak of Robert Hall's biography:
" What I have seen in this book is courage. Here is a poor creature rolling on the carpet with agony, from childhood to death tortured by a mysterious ineurable malady-a malady that is described as an 'internal apparatus of torture,' and who does by his heroism more than bear it- he puts it out of power to affect him, and though there is the ja --! ") his ·
appointment by day and by night was incessant pain. yet high enjoyment was, notwithstanding. the law of his existence. Robert Hall reads me a lesson-me, an old soldier, who thought myself above toking lessons in courage
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at least. And as I came to that passage when, in the sharp paroxy-in beton. death. he says. . I have not complained, have I, sir :- and I won't complain! ' when I came to that passage I started up. and cried, 'Roland de Caxton. thou hast been a coward! and. had then hedet had the deserts. then hand . been cashiered, broken, and druggred out of the regiment long ago!'"
I think every brave man with a soblier's heart finds himself echoir: the sentiment of this old captain. There are both in war and peace, time- when what has to be endured costs far more than what one actually attenge - to do. The world was stirred some months ago by the story of the Japan. .. officer in command of the submarine ship, whose machinery had gone wron and who, from the death-cage in which he and his companions found them selves, sent a last message to his superior officers, detailing with immense care the cause of the accident, endeavoring to make some contribution to the future safety of his country and facing the end with immense caline ... and bravery. There is a man in this city-he may be in this hall to-night for all I know-who in the ordinary course of his soldier's duty sat down at an officer's me-> in a country reeking with disease. There were ten of them at the beginning. They saw their number gradually diminish unti! at length only three were left there. There came from them no murmur or complaint or faintest request for relief from a difficult post. If this man knew to-night that I was going to speak of this thing. he would have asked me not to refer to it. This is the fine temper and noble spirit of the soldier. This ability to endure hardness; this heroism in the bearing of suffering and the facing of death and worse, is a great contribution to the world.
There is a heroism different from both the heroism of action and the heroism of endurance, which is the heroism of faith. Senator Nelson. of Minnesota, has revealed a bit of his personal experiences, when. as a young man, he served in the Fourth Wisconsin in 1563. On the eve of the Battle of Port Hudson. on June 14th of that year. he says that his regiment wa- drawn up in order and informed that at the break of day they were to take their places upon the firing line, and then he says he looked around the regiment and " I found I was the only Norwegian there, and I went back to my tent and knelt down and prayed that on the morning I might bring no disgrace upon either my native or my adopted country." The true soldier is always the servant of a great idea. He serves the spiritual and immaterial cause. He endures as seeing the invisible. He is there in the ranks because he believes in a certain cause. It is not the pay or the prospect of adventure of the hope of promotion which nerves him and hip- him true and steadfast. It is a consciousness of destiny. It is something within him replying to a great call that comes from the world around him. yes, that comes down from the world above him. He lives and dies in faith. The object of his affection is his country and the source of his courage and the strength of his spirit is God.
Now the greatest service of this organization. I do verily believe. lie- in the fact that it has been the means of developing heroism in the mini- and hearts of many. With the passing of the years the number of the veteran- decreases. The number of those who are able to tell the story of the past grows less. The record of the definite achievement of this organizar- . tion in future years will have to be read from a book. The voices of the actor- therein will be silent. and it will be the historian and the poet who will cele- brate your deeds. And what I think they will celebrate in the future will be no.
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the deeds them-elves. It will not be AAntietam or Bull Run, or Vick -- burg, or Gettysburg, but it will be the spirit of service and the spirit of heroism. These things are essential elements of that great thing which men call honor. and honor is a quality which all men appreciate. Underneath and above all creeds: independent of all philosophies about life; quite apart from all traditions and en tome of our inheritance we know what bravery means. what obedience to orders betokens; what willingness to die for duty signifies in a man.
There is an incident told in the account of Sir Charles Napier's war against the rubber tribes of Northern Sinde, which I will venture to recount before I sit down
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