The Union army was being defeated, and its ranks depleted by disease and expiration of terms of service--the enemy was victorious and defiant, and foreign powers were wavering. In England aristocracy wanted a confederacy--the Commoners wanted an undivided Union. The North responded to the appeal, mothers gave up their sons, wives their husbands, maidens their lovers, and six hundred thousand "boys in blue" marched away. In August, 1862, I enlisted to serve Uncle Sam for "three years or during the war." In January, 1865, I reenlisted to serve another term; but the happy termination of the conflict made it unnecessary. I do not write this boastingly, but proudly. There are periods in our lives we wish to emphasize and with me this is the period in my life. The years from 1861 to 1865--memorable for all time, I look back to now as a dream. The echo of the first gun on Sumter startled the world. Men stood aghast and buckling on the sword and shouldering the musket they marched away. Brave men from the North met brave men from the South, and, as the clash of arms resounded throughout our once happy land, the Nations of the World with bated breath watched the destinies of this Republic. After four years of arbitration on many sanguinary fields, we decided at Appomattox to live in harmony under one flag. The soldiers are satisfied--"the Blue and the Gray" have joined hands; but the politicians, or at least some of them, seem to be unaware that the war is over, and still drag us into the controversy. "The Boys in Blue?" Why, that was in 1866, and this is 1896--thirty years after we had fulfilled our contract and turned over the goods; and was ever work better done? Then we could have anything we wanted; now we are "Old Soldiers" and it is 16 to 1 against us when there is work to do. A new generation has arisen, and the men of 1861 to 1865 are out of "the swim," unless their vote is wanted. We generally vote right. We were safe to trust in "the dark days" and we can be trusted now; but Young America is in the front rank and we must submit.