Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Our Union and its Defenders: AN ORATION, DELIVERED BEFORE THE CITIZENS OF BURLINGTON, N. J., ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR CELEBRATION OF THE EIGHTY-SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE DAY, JULY 4th, 1862. BY J. HOWARD PUGH, M. D. PHILADELPHIA: KING & BAIRD, PRINTERS, No. 607 SANSOM STREET. 1862. CORRESPONDENCE. _Burlington, July 8th, 1862._ DOCT. J. HOWARD PUGH, DEAR SIR: Having listened, with so much pleasure and profit, to the appropriate and impressive address with which you favored us upon the occasion of the recent celebration of “Independence Day,” we feel that we would be failing in duty to those of our fellow-citizens who were deprived of that gratification, were we to allow the occasion to go by and be forgotten, without taking measures to have your remarks placed upon record, and to secure their dissemination among the reading and thinking members of the community. Our own sentiments are so ably and admirably expressed therein, that we wish to have the privilege of presenting them in that shape to all our friends, not only in our own community, but wherever we can reach them――for even by those who assisted at the original delivery, they will bear perusing often and pondering well. We trust they will carry conviction to the misguided, and strengthen the convictions of the wavering. With this view, we would request the favor of a copy of your address, for publication. Very respectfully, Your fellow citizens, FRANKLIN WOOLMAN, THOMAS ROBB, THOS. MILNOR, JOHN D. MOORE, JOHN RODGERS, N. T. HIGBIE, M. KNOWLTON, J. D. ABERCROMBIE, RICH. SHIPPEN, WM. R. ALLEN, JAS. STERLING, FRED. BROWN. _Burlington, July 11th, 1862._ GENTLEMEN: Your kind and flattering favor of the 8th inst., is before me. You can judge better than I, and if you think there is anything, in my Oration, at all likely to strengthen or enlighten the patriotism of a single American, I shall cordially co-operate with you in publishing it. For, however much I may fear that its usefulness will fall far short of your wishes, yet, I know that no man now has a right to withhold a word, or refuse a deed which he has any just reason to suppose will aid, in the least, the cause of his country. Such reason you have given me in your kind and partial estimate of my effort, and for this I sincerely thank you.