War! War! War!
Chenango American, April 18, 1861
CIVIL WAR! with all its nameless horrors, is full upon us! The Stars and Stripes have been stricken down by members of our own household. The "flag of the free heart's hope" trails in the dust. Secession is rampant; foul and causeless rebellion struts proudly on Southern soil. A lone and beleaguered American fortress has been compelled to strike her color's to an overwhelming band of traitors.
One question must now be answered--Have we a Government? Is this Republic to be saved or is it forever lost? Shall these bonds, cemented by the blood of our forefathers, be torn asunder by ruthless and bloody hands, or shall they be preserved, even at the price of the blood of their children? Time only can lift the veil from the dark future.
From the pine clad shores of Maine to where the echoing axe of the settler swings, the sharp roll of the drum is heard, summoning to arms the brave, the resolute, and the patriotic. Even now the steady tramp of the citizen soldier may be heard in nearly every section of this country where treason is not held to be a virtue. The problem is about to be solved. The stain upon our National shield will be wiped out, or that shield, which has been the light and the hope of struggling Freedom in the Old World, and a sure safeguard to all who enjoyed its protection, must inevitably be broken into fragments--The dreadful alternative is thrust upon us, and mournful though it be, it must be accepted. It is now no time to ask why this state of things exists. It is not for us to waste our energies in denouncing those who may have erred in policy; nor in lamenting over the follies of this or that political party--it is sufficient for us to know that rebels are banded together to overthrow our Republican form of Government--a Government under which we have lived so happily, and which was purchased at such a fearful price. Let no lover of his country fail her in this crisis!
All efforts at conciliation have failed. Forbearance has been exercised until patience was well nigh exhausted, and just as our degraded position was beginning to be keenly felt as too grievous to be borne, there comes to our ears the booming of rebel cannon, rousing every spark of patriotism, and firing with zeal every true and loyal lover of his country. Party lines are rendered obsolete, and party issues are forgotten. The only question now is who are the friends of their country, and who are its foes!
No comments:
Post a Comment