William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1

[635] our bravery in the field, nor our dogged will while met by arms, nor our strength to conquer. But I have always dreaded the temptations of peace, and the opportunities given by the cessation of arms to the schemers of every side who trade in politics, sometimes bargaining away the rights of black men, and sometimes trading upon a freshly discovered zeal in their behalf, substituting the heartlessness of the mere speculator in public concerns for the wisdom and fidelity of thoughtful patriotism. But on this field, as well as on that of war, I feel sure at the last we shall win. The work of Divine Goodness will be done. We of the North cannot be allowed, even if we would, to suffer it, or spoil it, or abuse it utterly. Indeed, my constant thought is,—

If our bark sinks,
It is to another sea.

For myself, having served in a public capacity of grave responsibility, much care and toil during all the war, I shall, at the end of this my fifth year, return to private life and my profession, whence, until the autumn of 1860, I had no thought of emerging, and where I will try to serve, as of old, after my sort, the cause which I hold to be, not only of our country, but of mankind.

Commemoration Day at Cambridge, in honor of the patriot-heroes of Harvard, on the 21st of July, was an event which will ever be memorable in the annals of that ancient seat of learning.

The alumni of Harvard, Williams, and Amherst Colleges were represented in nearly every regiment which went from Massachusetts, and in many of the regiments from other States, and reflected as high honors upon their respective Alma Maters by their intelligence and bravery as officers and soldiers, as they have done by their learning and accomplishments.

The long and gallant roll of the men of Harvard was conspicuously notable. The colleges of the State were represented in every military rank, from major-general to private; and they had poured out their life's blood on many of the battlefields.

Commemoration Day was one of the most marked in the annals of the College, whether we regard the number of the alumni who were present, the preparations made for the celebration, the distinguished gentlemen who took part in the proceedings, or the lofty, patriotic eloquence of the speeches, the poetic beauty