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moulding society for the durability of the Union, and although short of complete success, are much in the right direction. That twelve thousand citizens in each of the States of Arkansas and Louisiana have organized loyal State Governments with free constitutions, and are earnestly struggling to maintain and administer them. The movement in the same direction, more extensive though less definite, in Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, should not be overlooked. But Maryland presents the example of complete success. Maryland is secure to liberty and Union for all the future. The genius of rebellion will no more claim Maryland. Like another foul spirit driven out it may seek to tear her, but it will woo her no more.

"At the last session of Congress a proposed amendment of the constitution, abolishing slavery throughout the United States, passed the Senate, but failed for the lack of the requisite two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives. The present is the same Congress, and the members are nearly the same, and without questioning the wisdom or patriotism of those who stood in the opposition, I venture to recommend the reconsideration and passage of the measure at the present session." The President then noted the fact that, notwithstanding the drain and losses by the war on the voting population, that in twenty-four loyal and border States the increase in the vote, during the three and a half years of the war, was 145,751, demonstrating the fact that we have more men now than when the war began.

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Of the position of the Government toward the rebellion, the President said: Material resources are now more complete and abundant than ever. The National resources then are unexhausted and, as we believe, inexhaustible. The public purpose to re-establish and maintain the National authority is unchanged and, as we believe, unchangeable. The manner of continuing the effort remains as chosen. After a careful consideration of all the evidence accessible, it seems to me that no attempt at negotiation with the insurgent leader would result in any good. He would not accept of anything short of the severance of the Union. His declarations to this effect are explicit and often repeated. He does not attempt to deceive us. He affords us no excuse to deceive ourselves. We cannot voluntarily yield it. Between him and us the issue is distinct, simple and inflexible. It is an issue which can only be tried by war and decided by victory. If we yield, we are beaten. If the Southern people fail him, he is beaten. Either way it will be the victory and defeat following war. What is true, however, of him who leads the insurgent cause is not necessarily true of those who follow. Although he cannot so accept the Union, they can. Some of them, we know, already desire peace and reunion. The number of such may increase. They can at any moment have peace; simply by laying down their arms and submitting to the

National authority under the constitution. After so much, the Government could not, if it would, maintain war against them. The loyal people would not sustain or allow it. If questions should remain we would adjust them by the peaceful means of legislation, conference, courts and votes. The way is still open to all, but the time may come, probably will come, when public duty shall demand that it be closed, and that in lieu, more vigorous measures than heretofore shall be adopted. In presenting the abandonment of armed resistance to the National authority on the part of the insurgents, as the only indispensable condition to ending the war on the part of the Government, I retract nothing as to slavery. I repeat the declaration made a year ago, and that while I remain in my present position, I shall not attempt to retract or modify the Emancipation Proclamation. Nor shall I return to slavery any person who is free by the terms of that proclamation, or by any acts of Congress. If the people should, by whatever mode or means, make it an executive duty to re-enslave such persons, another-not I-must be their instrument to perform it. In stating a single condition of peace, I mean simply to say that the war will cease on the part of the Government whenever it shall have ceased on the part of those who began it."

We can appropriately close this chapter with the following proclamation issued by President Lincoln for a day of National thanksgiving, to be observed November 24, 1864: "It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our National life another year, defending us with His guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad, and vouchsafed to us in His mercy, many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their camps and our sailors on the rivers and seas, with unusual health. He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and by emigration, while He has opened to us new sources of wealth, and has crowned the labor of our working men in every department of industry with abundant reward. Moreover, He has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war, into which we have been brought by our adherence, as a Nation, to the cause of freedom and humanity, and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions.

"Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may be, as a day of thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God, the benificent Creator and Ruler of the Universe; and I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and

supplications to the Great Disposer of events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling place for ourselves and our posterity throughout all generations."

While our good President was using all the means and appliances that a loyal people were placing in his hands for the restoration of the Union, and the subjugation to the National authority of those who were in arms against it, how fervently does he call upon his fellow-citizens for their prayers and supplications to the Great Giver of all our blessings for a return of “peace, union and harmony," in our land, carrying with these invocations a spirit of Christian love and brotherhood, which would gladly receive the return of the misled, misguided and erring members of the Union, in that spirit of forgiveness and charity, which would make the reunion again a blessing to all and reunite in bonds of fraternal unity and affection never again to be severed, a brotherhood of States; which would make our Nation wonderful in its resources and advancements to a higher civilization, and the admiration of the world-a refuge for the down-trodden and oppressed of every land-a people honored and respected at home and abroad, and a dwelling place to be desired "for ourselves and our posterity throughout all generations."

CHAPTER XLVII.

SHERIDAN'S VICTORIES-SHERMAN'S MARCH THROUGH GEORGIA-DEFEAT OF HOOD. Simultaneously with the news of the evacuation of Atlanta by the rebel forces, came the pleasing intelligence of the brilliant operations of Commodore Farragut's fleet in the capture of the important fortresses at the entrance to Mobile bay.

In August, 1864, General Sheridan was appointed to the command of the middle division of the department, including the protection of Washington and Northern Virginia. His operations up to the 15th of September were confined to strengthen and protect the line of the Potomac. On the 18th the offensive was taken, which resulted on the 19th in an attack of the Union forces on General Early's army at Opequan Creek, which terminated, after a stubborn resistance by the rebels, in their complete defeat, and in their retreat to Winchester, from which place they were forced back to Fisher's Hill. Here the rebel forces were again assailed by the Union troops, and after a sharp engagement the rebels were routed with great loss, and darkness alone saved Early's army from total defeat and destruction. In those engagements Sheridan captured, on the field, twenty-five hundred prisoners, and in the hospitals at Winchester he found two thousand wounded. The loss of the enemy in killed, wounded and prisoners exceeded six thousand. The Union loss was forty-five hundred.

Sheridan followed up his successes until he entered Staunton, on the 26th, where a large amount of stores and supplies for the rebel army had been collected; these were taken and destroyed. From this point, General Sheridan fell back to Strasburg, covering the approaches to Winchester and the Manassas railroad to Port Royal. On the 15th of October, General Sheridan was called to Washington on important business, leaving General Wright in command. General Early, having received re-enforcements, first made his appearance in the vicinity of the Union army on the 17th, and a body of his infantry and cavalry made some demonstration on the right of the Union forces. On the morning of the 19th the rebels renewed the attack, under

cover of a heavy fog, and advanced in force on the center and right of the Union army. The attack was a surprise; the center was forced back with the left; a part of the artillery of the 19th corps was captured, which was turned upon the Union forces. The 6th corps was changed from its position to cover the retreat of the other corps. Meanwhile the enemy were steadily following up their successes. They had gained and taken possession of the camps and position, which were occupied in the morning by the Union forces. Affairs were in this condition when General Sheridan arrived at Winchester from Washington. Fugitives from the Union army first gave him notice of the Union disaster, at 10 A. M. At 11 A. M. he arrived on the battlefield, having rode sixteen miles in forty minutes. As he met the Union forces on retreat, he waved his hat and said: "Turn about, boys, we are going to our camps; if I had been here this would not have happened." He at once applied his whole energies to change the results of the morning. He quietly united the different corps and formed a strong line of battle, just in time to repulse an attack of the enemy, which was followed up with an advance of the whole line, routing and driving the rebels, and capturing forty-three pieces of artillery and many prisoners. The victory was complete-night intervened, which prevented greater results.

The successes of the Union army were followed up, and on the 21st, General Sheridan, in his third report, completes the narrative of Early's signal and finished defeat. This ended the last rebel attempt to invade the free States by the Shenandoah valley. Sheridan ended his campaign in forty days. His loss was sixteen thousand. During the campaign, Early's loss was, killed and wounded, ten thousand; prisoners, thirteen thousand. It may be stated that his army was, in efficiency and effect, entirely destroyed. For energy and rapidity this campaign of Sheridan's was the most brilliant and efficacious of the war.

On the 22d of October, President Lincoln addressed a letter of congratulation to General Sheridan, and said: "With great pleasure I tender to you and your brave army the thanks of the Nation, and my own personal admiration and gratitude, for the month's operations in the Shenandoah valley, and especially for the splendid work of October 19th." These successful and brilliant victories in the Shenandoah valley were but a part of the plan which General Grant was directing from his tent, on the bank of James river. It was the policy of the Commander-in-Chief, while holding the main army of the rebellion firmly in Richmond, to take advantage of this restraint by operating vigorously by his Lieutenants in other portions of the Rebel Confederacy. It was desirable to capture Richmond, but the delay only augmented the certainty of final success, and insured the successful movements

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