THE FUTURE STATE. 131 rested, whose steps to the grave we had watched with unutterable anguish, and whose departure bowed us to the dust; if we desire to meet them again, let us strive to imitate their virtues, and follow the bright path of glory by which they have ascended. Let us cherish the sacred remembrance. Let us feel that now there is a circle which connects us with a better world, and often meditate on what they are, and what we may hereafter be. PRAYER. BY NATHANIEL A. HAVEN. GREAT GOD! at midnight's solemn hour, I own thy goodness and thy power; But bending low before thy throne, I pray not for myself alone. I pray for her, my dearest friend, While dark and silent rolls the night, Let peaceful slumbers press her eyes, Let each succeeding morn impart Whate'er my swelling heart desires, O God! may she thy laws fulfil, THE MILITIA OF THE REVOLUTION. FROM A SPEECH IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE. BY HENRY HUBBARD. I WOULD ask, on what ground shall those who served in the militia during the war of the revolution be excluded from the benefit of the pension system? Can any good reason be assigned for their exclusion, which will not apply with equal force to the Continental as well as to the State troops ? No body of troops were more patriotic, no men were more ardent in the prosecution of the war of the revolution, no men in the public service endured more or suffered more, no men were clothed less, fed less or paid less than they were. In every point of view, they have as strong claims upon the justice and gratitude of the country, as any of the surviving soldiers of the revolution. It must be well known by every individual conversant with the history of the times, that great reliance was placed on the militia of the country, for defensive operations, for the sacred preservation of public freedom, for the maintenance of those rights and immunities dear to every true American. The men who composed the militia most richly merit the favor of the government. They were doomed to bear most emphatically their full share of the burdens of the war. They were owners as well as cultivators of the soil; they were tax payers of the republic. When their country called for physical means, they promptly obeyed that call. At the bidding of their government, they left the plough for the tented field. On any emergency, they left the quiet and safety of their homes, to share in the danger of the battle. They left their own firesides, to mingle in the severer duties of the army. From April, 1775, to October, 1781, the militia of the whole country were required to be in constant readiness for active service. They knew not at what hour, on what day, or in what week their services would be demanded. They slept upon their arms. They went forth to the field of labor with their arms by their side. Early and late, they were prepared to meet the enemies of their country. Their pecuniary means, their accumulated substance, all were offered at the altar of patriotism, to meet the exigencies of the republic. Nothing was withholden from her use, which could contribute to her advantage. The enemies at home, the foes from within, required the unremitted watchfulness of the militia. To expose the treachery of toryism demanded the exercise of all their vigilance, their firmness, their perseverance. The peculiar services and sacrifices of the militia during the war of the revolution give to that class a powerful claim upon the justice of the common country. For these services, for these sacrifices, they could not have been paid. The debt is yet due; it still remains unsatisfied; and on every consideration, the militia are equally well entitled to the benefit of the pension system as any other class of revolu tionary soldiers. It was the pure patriotism, it was the unwavering devotion to the best interests of the republic, it was the virtue and the valor of the militia, that gave to our cause an impulse which was irresistible, an impulse which the whole physical force of England, aided by her subsidized Hessians, proved wholly incompetent to control and to vanquish. The battles of Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, taught the enemy that the soil of freemen could not be invaded with impunity, that the spirit of freemen could never be subdued THE MILITIA OF THE REVOLUTION. 135 by skill however consummate, by force however powerful. The enemy then saw and felt too much not to believe that the sacred soil of freemen might be run over, but could not be conquered. Were it necessary to advert to events to show forth the value of the militia, I would direct your attention to every great battle that was fought in the war of the revolution. At the north, it was the militia that gave a turn to our hostile operations, which inspired confidence in the cause of America. The battle of Bennington, under the brave Stark, of my own State, with his regiments of militia, after a series of disaster and defeat had attended the army in Canada and upon the lakes, served to animate the drooping spirit of despondency, to fill the soul of patriotism with hope, with confidence, with courage. In the south as well as in the north, the militia of the country was equally distinguished for the purity of its patriotism and the ardor of its zeal. If any invidious foe to our country has cast imputations upon the bravery and the conduct of our militia at any particular period of that war, it should be replied, that want of discipline not want of heroism subjected our militia in certain memorable battles to great disadvantages. There was no cowardice, no treachery in the composition of the militia. In every battle fought, in every victory won they were breast to breast, side by side with State and Continental troops. When the enemy of the country cried "havoc and let slip the dogs of war," the militia came forth in their might. All the battles of 1775, before a regular army could have been organized, of Lexington, of Bunker Hill, of Ticonderoga, of St. Johns and of Norfolk, evince the most unwavering courage and conduct. If a doubt could be supposed to exist as to the value of the militia service in the war of the revolution, I would refer to the battles of Fort Moultrie, of Bennington, of Saratoga, of Long Island, of Trenton, of Germantown, and of York Town. These |