lds
only freemen! The prejudices which formerly existed against you are
wellnigh rooted out

Soldiers, you have done your duty, and acquitted yourselves like men,
who, actuated by such ennobling motives, could not fail; and as the
result of your fidelity and obedience, you have won your freedom. And O,
how great the reward!

It seems fitting to me that the last hours of our existence as
a regiment should be passed amidst the unmarked graves of your
comrades,--at Fort Wagner. Near you rest the bones of Colonel Shaw,
buried by an enemy's hand, in the same grave with his black soldiers,
who fell at his side; where, in future, your children's children will
come on pilgrimages to do homage to the ashes of those that fell in this
glorious struggle.

The flag which was presented to us by the Rev. George B. Cheever and his
congregation, of New York City, on the first of January, 1863,--the
day when Lincoln's immortal proclamation of freedom was given to the
world,--and which you have borne so nobly through the war, is now to
be rolled up forever, and deposited in our nation's capital. And while
there it shall rest, with the battles in which you have participated
inscribed upon its folds, it will be a source of pride to us all to
remember that it has never been disgraced by a cowardly faltering in the
hour of danger or polluted by a traitor's touch.

Now that you are to lay aside your arms, and return to the peaceful
avocations of life, I adjure you, by the associations and history of the
past, and the love you bear for your liberties, to harbor no feelings of
hatred toward your former masters, but to seek in the paths of honesty,
virtue, sobriety, and industry, and by a willing obedience to the laws
of the land, to grow up to the full stature of American citizens. The
church, the school-house, and the right forever to be free are now
secured to you, and every prospect before you is full of hope and
encouragement. The nation guarantees to you full protection and justice,
and will require from you in return the respect for the laws and
orderly deportment which will prove to every one your right to all the
privileges of freemen.

To the officers of the regiment I would say, your toils are ended, your
mission is fulfilled, and we separate forever. The fidelity, patience,
and patriotism with which you have discharged your duties, to your men
and to your country, entitle you to a far higher tribute than any words
of thankfulne