Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 3 (of 7)Roosevelt, Theodore
History
Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 3 (of 7)
Roosevelt, Theodore
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919; United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909
It is indeed a pleasure to greet you to-day. In greeting all I, of
course, greet above all others the men to whom we owe it that we are
here to-day, or that we have a country of which to be proud—the men
who fought to a finish the great Civil War. And, having greeted first
those at one end of the line, I want to speak of the others and say I
was exceedingly pleased to see the children. Also let me say a word
of greeting in your behalf, my comrades of the Civil War, to the
regulars who were here to-day as an escort—to the men who now wear the
uniform of “Uncle Sam,” and wear it honorably to defend the flag as
you defended it in your youth and early manhood. The memories of this
field are inextricably entwined in our hearts with the great deeds of
the leaders of the past, as one by one the men who here signalized
themselves have passed away.
Governor Pennypacker alluded to the fact that to-day Pennsylvania
mourns its senior Senator. The regiment which Senator Quay was
instrumental in raising took part in the battle of Gettysburg—the
battle in which Governor Pennypacker shared. Senator Quay was not with
it here; he had gone with another regiment, and it is appropriate at
this time to recall the fact that when the term of service of that
regiment expired, just before the battle of Fredericksburg, Senator
Quay declined to accept the discharge and continued as a volunteer with
the army that fought at Fredericksburg and won the medal of honor on
that bloody day.
The place where we now are has won a double distinction. Here was
fought one of the great battles of all time, and here was spoken one
of the few speeches which shall last through the ages. As long as this
Republic endures or its history is known, so long shall the memory of
the Battle of Gettysburg likewise endure and be known; and as long
as the English tongue is understood, so long shall Abraham Lincoln’s
Gettysburg speech thrill the hearts of mankind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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