Truth Crushed To Earth Is Truth Still

At Rest An American Soldier And Defender Of The Constitution.

Sir, It Is True That Republics Have Often Been Cradled In War, But More Often They Have Met With A Grave In That Cradle. Peace Is The Interest, The Policy, The Nature Of A Popular Government. War May Bring Benefits To A Few, But Privation And Loss Are The Lot Of The Many. An Appeal To Arms Should Be The Last Resort, And Only By National Rights Or National Honor Can It Be Justified.

I Tried All In My Power To Avert This War. I Saw It Coming, For Twelve Years I Worked Night And Day To Prevent It, But I Could Not. The North Was Mad And Blind; It Would Not Let Us Govern Ourselves, And So The War Came, And Now It Must Go On Unless You Acknowledge Our Right To Self Government. We Are Not Fighting For Slavery. We Are Fighting For Independence.

Slavery Existed Before The Formation Of This Union. It Derived From The Constitution That Recognition Which It Would Not Have Enjoyed Without The Confederation. If The States Had Not United Together, There Would Have Been No Obligation On Adjoining States To Regard Any Species Of Property Unknown To Themselves.

We Protest Solemnly In The Face Of Mankind, That We Desire Peace At Any Sacrifice, Save That Of Honor.