The Cause For Which We Fight

[We extract the following frora the recent eloquent oration of Gen. McClellan, delivered at West Point, on the occasion of the dedieatioo of a Battle Monument, to be erected to the inernory of the slain of the regular Army. It will bear a close rea-ding ; - Ed. Aegus.] But what is the honorable and holy cause for which these men have laid down their lives, and for which the nation still demanda the sacrifice of the preciuus blood cf so many of her chiLdren. Soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, it was found that the i federacy whieh had grown up during that emorsble contest, wasfalling to piecea 'rom ilL own weight. The central )ower was toC weak. It could recoinaend to the different States such measres as seemod best, and it poLessed no eal power to legislate, because it lacltej ie executive force to compel obedience o its laws. The national credit and elf respect had disappeared, and it was 'eared by the friends of human liberty iroughout the world, that ouis was but nother added to the long list of fruitess attempts at self-government. The ation was cvideutly on tho brink of uin and dissolution, when, somo eighty ears ago many of the wisest and most atriotic of the land met to seek a remdy for the great evils which thrcateued o destroy the great work of the revoluon. Their sessions were long and ofen stormy ; íor a long time the most anguiue doubted the possibility of a uccessfui termination to their labors. Jut frorö amidst the conflict of sectional nterests, of party prejudice, and ol peronal selfishness, the spirit of wisdom nd of conciliation at length evoked the Constitutiou under which we have lived o long. It was uot formed in a day ; )ut was the result of practical labor, of ofty wisdom, and of the purest patriotsm. It was at last adopted by the peo)le of all the States - although by some eluctantly - not af being exactly what 11 desired, but the best possible undcr he circumstancea. It was accepted as giving us a form of yovernment under whioh the nation night live happily and prosper, so long as the people should continue to be influenced by the same sentiments which actuated those who formed it ; and which would not be liable to destruction from internal causes, so long as the people preserved the recollection of the miseries and calamities which led to its adoption. Under this beneficial constitution the progress of the nation was unsurpassed in history. The rights and liberties of its citizens were secured at home and abroad ; vast territorios were rescued from the control of tho savage and the wild beasts, and added to the domaia of the Union and civilization. The arts, the scienoes, and commerce rew apaoe ; our flag floatcd upon every sea, and we took our place amoüg the great natious of the earth. But under ;his smooth surfaoe of prosperity upou which we glidod swiftly,with all the saus set before the commou breeae, dangerous reefs were hidden whioh now and then caused ripples upon the suifaee, and made anxcius the more careful pilots. Elated by succcss, the ship swept on - the crew not heediug the warning thoy received, forgetful of the daugers escapee at the beginning of the voyage, anc blind to the hideous maelstrotn whicr gaped to receive them. The same elements of discord, sectional prejudices, interests and institutions vvhieh had rendered the formation of the Canatitutiao so difficult, threutened more than once to destroy it. But for a long time the nation was so fortúnate as to possess a series of political leaders, who to the highest abilities, united the saino spirit of oonciiiaiion whioh animated the founders of the republie, and thus for many years the threatened evils were averted. Time aud the long continuanco of good fortune, obliters,ted tho recollection of the calamities of years preccding tho adoption of tho ConstUution. ïhey forgot that conciliatiou, eommoii iuterests and mutual charity had been tho foundation, and must bo the support, of our government, and all the relations of life. At length, men appeared with abuse, sectional and personal prejudices and terosts, outweighing all considcrationg of the general good. Extremista of ono section funiished the occasion, oagerly seized as a prctext by equally extreme uien in. the othei-, for abandoning the pacific remedies afiorded by the Constitution. Stripped of all sophistry and side issu'cs, tho direct cause of the wor as it presented itself to the honest and patriotis citizeus of the North was siinply this : Certain States, or rather a portion of the inhabituuts of' certain States, feared, or profossed to fear, that injury would result to their rights and property firom the elevation of a particular party to power. Although the Constitution and the actual condition of the government providcd them with a peaeeable and sure protoction against the apprehended evil, they prepared to seek security in the desstruction of the governinent which could protect them, and in the use of force against national troops holding a national ('ortress. To effaco the insult offored to our flag, to save ourselves from the fate of the divided republics of Italy and South America; to preserve our goverument from destruction ; to enforce itsjust poweru and laws ; to niaintaiu our very existence as a natiqn. These were the causes víhich impelled us to draw the sword. Rebellion against a governmeut like ours, whieh contains withiu itsolf the means of self adjustment aud a pacific romedy for evils, Bhould never be confounded with a revoltion against despotic power, which refuses redress of wrongs. Such a rebellion cannot bo justified upon ethical grounds, and the ouly alternative for our choice are its suppivssion or the destruotion of our nationality. At suoh a time s tliis, and in such a Btrugglc, political partisanship should be merged in a true and brave patriotisui, which tbinks otily of the good of the whole couutry. lt was in this cause and with these motivos tbat so many of our comrades have giyen their livea, and to this we are all personally pledged in all honor and fidelity. Shall such devotion as that of our . dead eomrades be of no avail? Thatafter all these noble lives freely given, we hesitated and failed to keep straight on until our land was 3aved? Forbid it hoaven, and give us Srnier, truer hearts than that. Oh spirits of the valiant dead, souls of our slain héroes, lend us your own in domitablo will, and if it bo permitted you to commune with those stiü ehained by the trammcls of mortality, hover around us in the midst of danger and tribuktions cb?er the firm strengthen the weak, that none may u?ubt tho saivation 3f the republic aud the tri"mph of our grand old flag. In the midst of the storms which toss Dur ship of state, there is one great beason light to which we can ever turn with jonüdenco and hope. lt can uot be that Jiis groat natíon has played its part in istory; it can not bê tbat our sun, which aroso witb such bright promsies for the "uture, bas alrcady set forover. It must je tho inteution of the overruling Dc-ity that this land, so long tho asylum of the oppressedj the refuge of civil and religïous liberty, shall again stand forth in aright relief, united, purified, and chas:etred by our trials, as an example and encouragement for those who desire the progress of the human raco. It is not ïi.ven to our weak intellects to ucdertand the steps of Providenoe as they occur; we cornprehend them only as we ook back upon them in the far distant past; so it is now. We can not unravel the seemingly tangled skein of the purposes of tho (Jreator - they are too high ind farreaching for our limited minds. But all bistory and His own revealed word teach us that His ways, although inscru'able, are ever righteous. Let us, then, honestly and manfully play our parts, seek to understand and perform our whole duty, and trust unwaveringly in tho beneficent God who led our anccstars across the sea, and sustained them afterwiird amid dnngers more appalling even than those enountered by His owu chosen people in their great exodus. He did not bring us here in vain, nor has He supported us thus far for naupht. If we do our duty and trust in Him, He will not desert us in our ncod. Firm in our faith that God will save our coua try, we uow dedicato this site to tho meuiory of bruve mon, to loyalty, patriotism and honor. [Loud appause.]