The late Brig.-Gen'l Ransom : a sermon : preached in St. Paul's Church, Chicago, Sunday morning, November 13, 1864

THE LATE

Brig.-Gen'l Ransom.

A SERMON:

PREACHED IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCH', CHICAGO, SUN-
DAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 13, 1861,

BY REV. W. H. RYDER, D.D.

Published by the Northwestern Conference of Univer-
salists in aid of the Army Mission.

CHICAGO, ILL

1884,

r

THE LATE BRIGADIER-GENERAL RANSOM.

BY REV. W. H. RYDER.

"Them that honor me, I will honor."— 1 Samuel
ii. 30.

How can a mere child of the dust honor
the King of kings? What can man do, him-
self wholly dependent upon his Creator for
life and all its blessings, to reflect luster upon
Him whose name alone is honorable? Said
Solomon, when he had finished the magnifi-
cent temple which was the pride of the Jew-
ish nation, and which had been erected as a
fit resting place for Him who filleth immensi-
ty: " Will God in very deed dwell with man
on the earth? Behold heaven, and the
heaven of heavens cannot contain thee ; how
much less this house which I have built !"
He who dwelleth not in temples made with
hands, who is worshiped acceptably wherever
a devout heart bows in spiritual homage be-
fore Him, who alone is great, and yet who
dost include in his capacious care, the hum-
blest of all created things, what shall a frail
man do to render unto Him the " honor due
unto his name."

1. We honor God by seeking to know Sim.
The better we know God, the more we shall

love Him and honor Him in our thoughts.
"Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at
peace," is the injunction of an inspired teach-
er. Ignorance of God, wrong views of his
character, of his purposes, of the fate of his
children, not only produce unhappiness among
mankind, but debase and corrupt human
sympathies. We do not see the Lord of all
mercies, and the God of all comfort when we
turn our thoughts to the heavens, if we en-
tertain unscriptural and irrational views of
the divine nature, and his purposes of grace
in Christ, but instead thereof a being unlove-
ly in his perfections, and harsh, not to say-
cruel, in the administration of his affairs. It
is sad to reflect to what extent wrong views
of Deity have prevailed even within the lim-
its of Christendom, and how little honor such
representation's of Him have done either the
Christian name, or Him of whom they have
been so unworthily entertained. Emanci-
pated intellect, progress in scientific inquiry,
a better apprehension of the actual teachings
of nature, are slowly lifting the clouds which
too long have shrouded the divine presence,
and humanity is fast coming to realize that
the throne of the universe is occupied by a
Being of infinite goodness, whose only desire
with respect to his children is to promote
their happiness. " He is good unto all, and
his tender mercies are over all his works."
" All thy works shall praise thee, O God, and
thy saints shall bless thee."

It is melancholy to reflect what gloomy
ideas have prevailed in the Christian world,
on the subject of death. In all languages it
has been described as a terrible fact which
ought to fill humanity with apprehension and
dread. Instead of being presented, as it is
in the Gospel, in a cheerful light, surrounded
by hopes, and leading to glorious results, all
the gloomy words, and dismal pictures which
the imagination can invent, are brought into
prominence, and applied in describing the
agonies of this king of terrors. How unlike
this repulsive statement of the office of death,
which treats it as a calamity in the universe,
is the cheerful representation from the writ-
ings of the apostle Paul, which regards death
as an institution of God, — an event in the
progress of the soul — ordained by the same
mercy that blends sorrow with joy in human
life : " For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more ex-
ceeding and eternal weight of glory ; while
we look not at the things which are seen, but
at the things which are not seen : for the
things which are seen are temporal ; but the
things which are not seen are eternal. For
we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build-
ing of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens," 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18.

One of the most beautiful and significant
symbols employed by our Lord during his
earthly ministry, to illustrate the office and

G

nature of death, occurs in connection with
the sickness of a little girl about twelve years
of age5 the daughter of a ruler of the Jews,
named Jarius. The father, having faith in
Christ, went out in search of him, and meet-
ing him not far away, urged the Master to
accompany him home, as his child was dan-
gerously ill. They moved forward with
quickened step, but before they reached the
bed-side of the child, a messenger communi-
cated to the father the sad intelligence of his
daughter's death. His words are: " Thy
daughter is dead ; trouble not the Master."
But Jesus went on, and entered the home
where the child lay. Imagine the scene.
The body of the dead child. The members
of the household .gathered round it in the
agony of their great sorrow. Tears flow out
of broken hearts, as flow they will and should.
And in the midst of the group, standing up
in the confidence of his great trust and com-
prehensive sympathy, is the Son of God.
u Weep not," says Jesus, " she is not dead,
but sleepeth." Was that mourning group
comforted by this announcement? Nay; it
is recorded that "they laughed him to scorn,
knowing that she was dead." The figure of
death as a sleep was new to them— they did
not see the force of his words. But when, in
a moment after, the Savior took the hand of
the little girl, and said, by authority of Him
whom he came to honor, "Arise!" and the
young sleeper arose and stood up before

them, the body re-animated by the living
soul, we may well suppose that the sorrow of
the household was turned into joy, and that
the force of the new metaphor was clearly
apprehended : " She is not dead, but sleep-
eth." This is the Christian idea of death,
The sleeping is needful to the waking.

When we lay away our friends, we are to
feel that they are not dead, as those who
have no faith in the Christian religion must
think, but " sleeping ;" sleeping until Jesus*
shall call them to that high grade of experi-
ence, where the body of the flesh shall not
be needful, but where we shall see as we are
seen, and know as we are known.

Brave warrior, wrapt in the flag of his
country, lying in yonder tomb ; humble
soldier who nas stained the soil of many
a battle-field with his life-blood ; pilgrim of
many winters, worn out in life's service ; and
you, child of a mother's love gone early home ;
—all sleeping — " not dead, but bleeping."
" This mortal shall put on immortality."
These views of God, so worthy of Him, which
so dignify human life, which put such empha-
sis upon conduct, and make sin so terrible a
fact in our mortal experience, these honor our
Creator. They lift up our hearts in love
towards Him. He is, indeed, " Our Father,

' WHO ART IN HEAVEN."

2. We honor God by the proper use of our
powers y in a happy, useful life. While it is
true that this earth is not our permanent

abode, and that the soul does not attain
to its full stature in this world, it is also true
that it is our duty to make the best use of
the opportunities we now have, and neither
underrate our privileges, nor use them im-
properly. This life is the best we shall or
can have while we are in the flesh. Use
it well. So your Creator commands. He
rejoices in your happiness. Christians should
not undervalue, the life that now is. It is
full of opportunities, and leads to the life
immortal. Those who deny that there is any
hereafter, may do that. Let us rejoice in the
present, and honor God by faithful service in
this our day and generation. And not mere-
ly in the offices of religion, but in the daily
round of affairs— in bringing the passions into
subjection, subject to the sentiments— in
sanctifying the will, and recognizing its au-
thority. Thus shall we honor God,— as the
child that is happy, successful, useful, honors
his parents; as obedient, intelligent, virtuous
subjects honor the state, or community to
which they belong.

3. We honor God by upholding and dez
fending those principles and institutions
which He has established and or darned.
The throne of God rests upon law. Order
is said to be heaven's first law. Human gov-
ernments are needful for human welfare.
God has ordained them, and inculcated in his
Word the general duty of obedience to rulers.
We honor God3 therefore, in sustaining the

9

constituted authorities of the nation, in de-
fending the expressed will of the people, in
aiding to embody and perpetuate what we
think is right and true. Some form of gov-
ernment is indispensable. We believe ours
is the best the world knows. It was organ-
ized with as much wisdom as was ever
brought to bear upon any set of institutions
in the history of mankind. The wisdom of
it has been proved by the experience of three
quarters of a century. Under no govern-
ment on the globe are so many privileges en-
joyed by the governed, so much general in-
telligence prevalent among the masses, such
great hopes of the future treasured in the
hearts and embodied in the energies of the
people. Our nation has become the marvel
of the world. Compare this nation of to-day
with all its greatness and strength, with what
it was within the memory of some now living.
Why, there are men yet alive, who saw the
beginning of this nation, who saw the period
of the Revolutionary war, when we were but
three millions, — not, as has been well said —
"three millions strong^ but three millions
iveafa" And if so much can be done in such
a brief space as this, for the elevation of hu-
manity, to embody the sentiment of liberty
so that it may be perpetual ; to exalt and
commend to general favor the rights of the
people under free institutions, what might
not be done, by an untrammeled career
during the next hundred years? If within

10

the lifetime of. a single person so much for
humanity is wrought out, what might not be
accomplished from this vantage ground of a
first class nation— second to none in wealth,
power, intelligence, and above all, in the in-
spiring hopes of its people, — in a series of
generations !

Beside, it is to be remembered that in these
things, we have less choice than many sup-
pose. A great and good government rs not
the result of accident; it is a growth — the
result of all that has gone before. It is in
some degree the accumulated wisdom of the
world's experience. Such a government is,
then, nothing to be trifled with, nothing to
be rudely pushed aside to make way for am-
bitious leaders, or for interests that rise up
to challenge the progress of mankind. And
there can be laid upon no people a more
weighty obligation to preserve their govern-
ment, than is laid upon us to-day. As we
love the truth we must meet this obligation,
as we would help the world forward on its
march of victory, as we would honor God in
the happiness and welfare of his children, we
must not allow this nation, the very center of
the world's hope, to be stopped midway in
her glorious career.

Whoever, therefore, gives his time,
strength, and especially offers his life for
the good of his country, for the maintenance
of lav/, authority in the land, honors God.
He himself may be faulty, but he gives aid to

^ >"

11

noble things. The blows which he strikes
are for justice and right. But for his sacri-
fices, for his bravery, for his blood, what
consequences must follow. The humblest
soldier has his part in this great work — a
part too lightly esteemed by many. He is
defending his own government. Its powers
are in part derived from him. -As he remem-
bers how monarchical governments have
stood in the way of religion ; in the way of
civilization ; in the way of industry ; in the
way of general education ; in the way of pop-
ular improvement; — as he remembers how
they have trampled upon the rights of the
masses, and by heaping up obstacles along
the highway of progress, have kept the world
back a thousand years, he cheerfully risks his
all, to defend a government which derives its
powers from the governed themselves, and
thus upholds, as he feels, the strong hand of
constitutional law, and aids humanity in
going forward to other conquests, and to
nobler results.

4. But we especially honor God when, with
our devotion to a noble cause, we blend the
higher moral qualities of a Christian life.

The most exalted service that any man can
render to his Creator, is to apply to his own
life those principles which God has enunciat-
ed in his Word as the foundation of all earth-
ly peace and heavenly joy. Theories about
religion is one thing; life in religion is quite
another. It is possible to work for an exalt-

12

ed principle which has, at the same time, but
little influence upon the life. Irreligious men
will generously give for the support of the
institutions of religion, and men of very de-
fective characters may shed their blood for
the general welfare. Some who are very
patriotic in their speeches, are very selfish in
their actions — they show their devotion to
the country by making all the money they
can out of the war. On the other hand,
many good people do nothing with their
goodness — it is a latent principle ; they keep
their light hid under a bushel. They need to
learn what their Master taught them was the
very spirit of his religion — how best they
could honor him whose disciples they claim
to be, viz.: by sacrifice — by working for oth-
ers— by upholding and defending the truth,
thus making it easier for others to walk in
the way of daty. This is religion manifested
— incarnated. Not a speech, or a feeling, or
a series of pietistic services, but embodied
sentiment — actual, earnest, useful, living.
These are the characters that shine as stars
in the moral firmament — these are the men
that upbuild kingdoms, and plant them upon
the immovable foundations of truth and jus-
tice. And does not God honor them? His-
tory honors them — all men honor them — they
are the world's true heroes ; and it is not too
much to say of them, their names are written
in heaven.

Such a man was Thomas Edwin Greenfield

13

Ransom, Brigadier-General, late in command
of the 17th Army Corps; for with distin-
guished services in the cause of his country,
he blended those high moral qualities which
have endeared his name to all who knew him.
He was a hero in the true sense of the word
— such a hero as on this day, and in this place,
may be rightfully recognized.

Let us group around his name a few of the
more prominent facts in his brief, but con-
spicuous and useful life, and rekindle our
Christian patriotism by a recital of the cir-
cumstances attending his death — a death, it
will be seen, in strict harmony with the dis-
tinguishing characteristics of his life.

General Ransom was born at Norwich,
Madison county, Vermont, on the 29th of
November, 1834. His father, Colonel True-
man B. Ransom, was born in Woodstock,
Union county, Vt, in 1803, and was for some
time President of the Norwich University in
that state. In this school, the military ele-
ment was made prominent. The students
were regularly trained in the manual of arms,
and of course obtained great proficiency.
They made quite an extended tour in the
summer of 1845, and of course attracted much
attention. They were called Norwich Ca-
dets. Thomas Edwin was then about 12
years of age, but if my memory serves me
rightly, he accompanied his father on that
tour. At any rate, the military element of
the school must have made a deep impression

14

upon the developing nature of the lad. On
the breaking out of the Mexican war, his
father promptly placed himself at the head of
the 9th New England Regiment, United
States Volunteers, and went to the field.
All New England, howsoever divided the
people may have been as to the justice of the
war, arose to do him honor as a gallant lead-
er, worthy even a better place. After par-
ticipating in several battles, and in every in-
stance displaying distinguished ability, he
fell at the storming of Chepultepec, Septem-
ber 13, 1847. It is easy to call to mind the
deep impression which the announcement of
his death made. All mourned his loss.
Mourned it, as now we mourn the loss of his
equally brave son, and for the same reason.
The qualities of the son were, in a conspicu-
ous degree, those of the father. Colonel
Ransom had more of the military officer in
his appearance than the General ; had more
sternness of manner, but in all those traits
which render a man dear to those who know
him best, they were much alike. The moth-
er of the General is still living, and is rep-
resented as a lady of high endowments.
She resides in New-York, but was present
at the burial service at Bryan Hall on Sun-
day last.

General Ransom came to Chicago in the
spring of 1856, and with his uncle, G. W«
Gilson, became interested in the land agency
firm of A. J. Galloway & Co. He afterward

15

carried on the same business in the firm of
Bell & Ransom, Mr. Gilson having died in
September, 1856.

At the announcement in April, 1861, that
Fort Sumter had been fired upon, and the na-
tional flag dishonored, young Ransom sprang
to the defense of the Union. Between Sat-
urday night and Wednesday morning he rais-
ed a company for the 11th Illinois Infantry,
at five o'clock of the latter day had the men
in Springfield, and before he slept, he and
his men were accepted into the service. Up-
on the organization of the regiment, a few
days after, he was elected Major. In June
following he was promoted to Lieutenant-
Colonel. He was commissioned Colonel a
few days before the battle of Shiloh, to date
from February 16, 1862, the day of the surren-
der of Fort Donelson, vice W. H. L. Wallace,
promoted to Brigadier-General. In the
spring of 1863 he was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General, to date from November
29, (his birthday) 1862, for distinguished ser-
vices at Shiloh, and at the siege of Corinth.
In the memorable seige of Vicksburg, he
commanded a brigade, and won fresh laurels,
as he had in every other branch of the mili-
tary service with which he had been con-
nected. The fortifications which he built
during that seige, still remain, and bear his
honored name.

General Ransom, as is well remembered by
thousands of grateful hearts, was connected

16

with the famous Red River Expedition. It
seems to be generally conceded that his cool-
ness and daring at the unhappy battle of
Pleasant Hill, saved the detachment of the
13th Army Corps, which he commanded,
from complete and overwhelming disaster.
Ask any soldier connected with the expedi-
tion, what part General Ransom took, when
danger was thickest, and the peril most ap-
palling, and you will not have to wait long
for an answer ; and though a thousand may
reply, there will be but one opinion ex-
pressed.

General Ransom was four times wounded :
At Charleston, Mo., August 19, 1861 ; at Fort
Donelson, February 15, 1862 ; at Shiloh, April
6, 1862; and at Pleasant Hill, La., April 8,
1864.

The wound received at Pleasant Hill was
severe, and brought him to Chicago, where
he received the congratulations and sympa-
thies of a grateful public. He needed rest.
He had been in active service continually, in
Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi,
Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas;
but on the 27th of July, even before his limb
wras quite restored, feeling that the exigen-
cies of the cause in northern Georgia demand-
ed his services, he removed to the front,
where he best liked to be. Through the re-
mainder of the summer he was in good
health, and took an active part in the duties
of that momentous campaign which has given

17

the North so conspicuous an advantage. He
was in the battle of Jonesboro, his command
forming a part of the left wing, and was one
of the rejoicing host that entered the city of
Atlanta, soon after it was abandoned by the
opposing enemy.

Ready for new victories, as yet not seri-
ously harmed by lead or steel, he, to whom
death had so often looked, but not yet called
away, was now to receive the summons which
sooner or later comes to us all.

The early part of October found him sick.
His disease assumed the form of dysentery.
As it was needful for his command to proceed
to Rome, he started with it, and though the
disease was constantly weakening him, he
insisted upon going forward with the troops.
Sometimes he rode at the head of the column
in an ambulance, taking the saddle only as
the advance guard became engaged with the
enemy. Generals Sherman and Howard, and
their respective medical directors, suggested
to him the propriety of allowing himself to
be reported sick, and thus relieve himself of
duty; but his decision was unalterable. "JT
will stay with my command until I leave in
my coffin" was his final answer to all such
suggestions. On the 26th of October, still
moving forward, there was a decided change
in him for the worse. His death was hourly
expected, but his vigorous constitution and
strong will carried him through that sudden
relapse, so that on the morning of the 27th

18

he took his place in the ambulance, and bore
the fatigue of the day remarkably well. The
next day he was worse again — too ill to ride
any longer, and so his comrades placed him
upon a litter, and with a regiment for an es-
cort, they bore their beloved General for-
ward. Light were their feet, but heavy were
the hearts of his brave men that day. The
next morning they resumed their march,
but at eleven o'clock the column was halted.
The young leader could go no further. His
precious life was fast ebbing away. The
surgeon informed him that he could not sur-
vive but a few hours. The announcement
did not alarm him in the least. Looking up,
with a cheerful expression, the brave warrior
said : " I am not afraid to die / I have met
death too often to be afraid of it now" His
mind was clear and vigorous. Calling his
Aid-de-camp to him, he delivered to his
care several messages of love for relatives
and friends, gave directions in regard to pri-
vate business, and waited cheerfully, and with
triumphing Christian trust for the rapidly ap-
proaching hour. At 45 minutes past 2 p. m.,
October 29th, when near Rome, Ga., his
spirit took its flight to the God who gave it,
uttering to the latest moment, words of love
and happiness. He was twenty-nine years
and eleven months old. Few lives, though
numbering three score years and ten, have
exhibited more maturity of character, or ren-
dered larger service to their country. Among

19

his last words was this remarkable sentence :
" I have tried to do my duty, and have no
fears for myself after death"

I know not, Christian friends, what im-
pression this narrative of the last hours of
General Ransom has made upon your minds,
but it has seemed to me, as I have pondered
it, since the facts were placed at my dispo-
sal by those who can vouch for their accura-
cy, that there is something about that death
peculiarly beautiful and grand. As I see the
patriot hero borne along the rough highway,
mile after mile, upon the shoulders of his
comrades, asking for no greater privilege
than the opportunity of continuing to serve
his country, yet realizing, as he must have
done, that he was rapidly nearing the shore
of that undiscovered sea that rolls round all
the earth ; as I hear, in imagination, his
cheerful words, look into his sunny face, and
listen to his testimony to the value of Chris-
tian religion, interpreted in the light of the
divine goodness; as I think of what he was,
so young, so promising, and yet so crowned
with the confidence of his countrymen, and
so esteemed by all who knew him — it has
seemed to me that the death was not only
befitting the life, but rounds his brief but
brilliant- career into an example that must ex-
ert a salutary influence upon thousands now
living, and is worthy of being placed high in
the list of those names which the historians
of this war for the defense of the national

20

Union, will preserve for the admiration of
future generations.

We shall not attempt an elaborate analysis
of the character of the deceased. Time does
not allow it; the hour does not require it.
Certain of his prominent traits, those most
conspicuous and instructive, are all that we
shall attempt to indicate.

1. General Ransom was retiring and unos-
tentatious. There was no strut about him.
He was simple in his manners — quiet, unob-
trusive. In a company of gentlemen he would
not have been selected as a military man, ac-
cording to the popular estimate. His power
was always in reserve for occasions- — and the
greater the occasion, the deeper the peril, the
mora capable did he show himself to be.
Ambitious — meaning thereby desire of power
or eminence — he was not. His ambition was
to honor his country — the service— to quit
himself as a man should, acting in such a
presence, and such an hour. Whether Gen-
eral Ransom would have risen to the rank of
a great leader — i. e., whether he would have
gained a still higher grade, and filled it with
the same distinguished success which graced
all the positions he occupied, is now a ques-
tion which can never be decisively answered,
and which, perhaps, it is not worth while to
tarry long to consider. One thing is quite
certain : had he been the chief in command
of the famous Red River expedition, that
blundering campaign, if undertaken at all,

21

would have had a very different issue. And
it is a pretty safe rule, that he who does
best when most is demanded, is capable of
doing more than he has ever yet done.

2. General Ransom was a kind, pleasant,
sympathetic man. He had a sunny face, a
clear, cheerful eye. He attached people to
him ; they loved him, for he was good ; they
honored him for he was brave. There are
those here who knew the kindness of his
heart, and who loved him with all the rever-
ence of grateful affection. A dutiful son, an
appreciative relative, a faithful friend, a pat-
riot hero, he deserves well of his countrymen,
and will long be honored in the sanctuaries
of a thousand hearts.

3. General Ransom's patriotism and high
moral tone proceeded from conviction — were
the outgrowth of inward stability. The
springs of his action were deep. Hence he
was true in danger, and uniformly prepared
for the duty when it came. Hence, also, he
did not degenerate into the temptations which
beset the service, or lose that strength which
comes from Christian integrity. These traits
would have served him in any calling. And
had he lived to the allotted age of man, it is
more than probable he would have held fast
to the principles which distinguished his
youth, and ended his career in a life of the
largest usefulness.

And now, my countrymen, Christian men
and women, let us gather fresh inspiration

22

from the life, character and services of this
Christian patriot, and renew our fidelity to
the Union, to which he gave his all. Already
its cost in blood and treasure has been fear-
ful. But the people, by an expression which
cannot be questioned, have decided that it
shall go forward. And it must. However
we may have differed, each from the other,
as to the best policy upon which to conduct
the war, however desirable it may have seem-
ed to some that the control of the Govern-
ment should pass into other hands, now there
can be but one course for any good or loyal
citizen to take. The Government must be
sustained. The Union must be upheld.
Traitors in arms must be put down. There
can be but one America in America — one
Union from the Lakes to the Gulf. We must
register the vow, and keep it too, cost what
it may of time, or wealth, or blood, — for hu-
manity's sake, for our children's sake, for our
sake, for the sake of those who have so brave-
ly borne aloft the flag of our country, that
those whom the people elect to rule over
them shall be sustained, and that the integri-
ty of the Union shall be maintained.

I know very well that there is nothing du-
* rable in these human organizations, and noth-
ing permanent in national affairs. This Gov-
ernment of ours, fair and useful as it is, must
some day pass away, and be numbered with
the things that were. And when it goes, the
names of the illustrious dead whom wTe de-

23

light to honor in our national history, will
pass into obscurity with the institutions which
they have reared and defended. It is true
this must come, but, oh my countrymen, not
now — not now ! Say it brave men in blue
who swell our armies; say it, mothers asyou
teach your children to love and honor their
country; say it, ye who love the race and
pray for the world's peace, notnow, not now !
Not until our America has performed the
office for which God set her here ; not until
this land of ours shall have given "a shelter
and a home, security, glory and peace " to
the oppressed of the earth. Not until the
principles of Washington shall have been de-
veloped throughout all our borders, — not
until future generations shall have participat-
ed in the blessings of free government, and
been strengthened by the example of our
success.

No other result must be. No other result
shall be. Say it, my countrymen, as you have
the right to say it, and the power to say it —
yea, many times the power ! Any other con-
ception of the future of our country is das-
tardly and shameful. Rise up, then, in your
might, again and again, if need be, put forth
all your energy, unitedly, firmly, with one
shout and one blow, swearing on the altar of
the nation's honor, that the Union shall not
be severed, and the hope of the world turned
back, and then it cannot be.

Furthermore, we must have peace. The

24

war is lasting too long. It must be brought
to a close^ Our enemies have had abundant
opportunity for rejection. There is no occa-
sion for misapprehension as to their purposes.
They demaini a recognition of their indepen-
dence ; a demand which will never be grant-
ed— which cannot be granted, if we were
base enough to have even the most secret in-
clination to accede to it. There is but one
course for us to pursue. The war must be
prosecuted so vigorously that the rebellious
states shall perceive the impotency of their
exertions, and through defeat and humiliation
return to the allegiance which they affect to
despise. So the people have just now said.
No equivocation, no unmanly compromises,
no intimation^ even, that the enemies of our
country are to expect any terms but those of
" unconditional surrender." Here then, with
the will of the people so plainly written out
before us in the result of the late Presiden-
tial election, let us each and all, renewedly
consecrate ourselves to the Union, — " one
and inseparable, now and forever."

sMt?^