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N presenting this volume to the public two important characteristics are worthy of special notice: The first is, that every article contained in i was written or the matter furnished by the living actors and witnesses c the events related, and that in no other form can these historical treasures b obtained. The second is, that the truth only, without bitterness or malice, finds place upon its pages; that no word or expression is used that could not with propriety be read by a Northern or a Southern veteran, or to the children of either. Perhaps nothing could better express the sentiment of fairness and fraternity that pervades Tales of the Civil War as Told by the Veterans, than the following extracts from the writings of the editor:

'Americans are unlike other people. The manliness which characterizes the American citizen is indigenous to the Land of Liberty; it is confined to no class or condition it is as widespread as our native golden-rod. The dignity, courage, and magnanimity which are the prominent qualities of American manliness, do not combine in the general character of any other nation. Elsewhere, those qualities are confined to the favored by birth, education, or fortune; with us they are inherent.

"The American is tenacious of his rights, real or imagined, to a degree unknown outside of the United States; he is a sovereign conscious of his sovereignty; therefore, it is always safe to appeal to his manliness. Patriotism is the child of manliness, and we are the most patriotic nation on the earth. Whatever the differences may be that exist in the minds of the people concerning questions of political economy, on the subject of patriotism they are unanimous. This glorious truth may disconcert the plans of demagogues and business politicians; it may deprive them of well-worn texts and inflammatory data, but so sure as the heavens dome Columbia, so sure is this a solid United States.

"Sectional wants and local traditions exert their influences in every commonwealth; the right to think and lawfully express opinion is the essence of liberty; let no man attempt to suppress that right.

"The war of the sixties is over; but the price of its lesson was the blood and treasure it cost. The men of the North and the men of the South each thought differently; but the bravest and most sincere expressed their opinions on the battlefield, and in their glorious record the world recognizes the unparalleled valor of the American soldier. Grant, Lee, Sherman, Jackson were Americans, and it is to our country's glory that their valor is known throughout the world; for of such heroes is our land peopled from sea to sea. How noble, then, the motive that would bind in fraternal bonds the loyal veteran war riors of our land! And such is the sentiment that fills the heart of every true American. How beautiful, if every veteran, whether a Union or a Confederate soldier, would wear a

device that would be as pleasing to the citizens of Massachusetts as to those of Mississippi! A tiny badge containing a palmetto and a pine encircled with the simple legend: 'United Veterans, 1861-5,' would surpass the highest decoration of a king. Imagine the thrill of pleasure that would move the most stolid breast when greeted by the word, 'brother,' and the hearty hand-grasp that would precede the declaration: 'I was with Longstreet,' or, 'I was a Pennsylvania Bucktail.' When the following lines were written the author had been through the South and had satisfied himself that the sentiment of loyalty pervading there was a living truth, as real as the ink which now flows from his pen :

'THE PALMETTO AND THE PINE.

While the months to years are fleeting like a river's ceaseless flow,
And the landmarks old grow dimmer in the distant long ago,
Let us glance once more behind us, where our battle days were seen,
Where our blood, like holly berries, sprinkled thick the grassy green.

There, in rifle pit, on rampart, or upon the open field,
Come the visions of battalions that would rather die than yield-
Come the stately forms of vessels with their crews of sailors brave,
Whose memorial crests of glory are the white caps of the wave.

Once these men were happy, peaceful, till that bloody war, and then-
When it ended they turned homeward from their dead to peace again.

Why they fought, why lost, who triumphed, who was wrong, or who was right,
Matters not; they were our brothers, and were not afraid to fight.

'Neath the fairest flag that flutters under Heaven's azure dome

Dwell these warriors and their children in sweet Freedom's chosen home.

In his heart each holds a welcome for the soldier at his door,

And he never stops to question which the uniform he wore.

We were soldiers, only soldiers of the nation let us be.

Let us meet and greet as comrades though we fought with Grant or Lee;
Let us form a noble order with sweet Freedom for our shrine,

And for each enwreathe a token-the Palmetto and the Pine.'

"The sons and daughters of the North and of the South will always honor the gallantry of their American sires. No moral attainder should dim the path of a soldier's child; and it is to bind together fraternally the millions yet unborn that these truths should be recognized and held aloft now."

In this spirit it is hoped that Tales of the Civil War as Told by the Veterans will be accepted and read, never forgetting that the proudest tribute we can pay to the memory of the brave men of both armies is, they were Americans.

THE EDITOR.