Washington!"
Among those on the platform was Sergeant William H. Carney, of New
Bedford, Mass., the brave coloured officer who was the colour-bearer
at Fort Wagner and held the American flag. In spite of the fact that
a large part of his regiment was killed, he escape, and exclaimed,
after the battle was over, "The old flag never touched the ground."
This flag Sergeant Carney held in his hands as he sat on the
platform, and when I turned to address the survivors of the coloured
regiment who were present, and referred to Sergeant Carney, he rose,
as if by instinct, and raised the flag. It has been my privilege to
witness a good many satisfactory and rather sensational demonstrations
in connection with some of my public addresses, but in dramatic effect
I have never seen or experienced anything which equalled this. For a
number of minutes the audience seemed to entirely lose control of
itself.
In the general rejoicing throughout the country which followed the
close of the Spanish-American war, peace celebrations were arranged in
several of the large cities. I was asked by President William R.
Harper, of the University of Chicago, who was chairman of the
committee of invitations for the celebration to be held in the city of
Chicago, to deliver one of the addresses at the celebration there.
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