prepared effort and he would briefly review the history of the
battle and its results upon the world's history. He spoke for
nearly and hour and a quarter, holding his fine audience in rapt
attention by his eloquence, the elegance of his diction and his
superb enunciation. It was, indeed, a wonderful effort, and
will compare favorably with Webster's great orations in '25 and
'43."--From the diary of Henry H. Edes.
[End of Footnote]

At New Haven he delivered the address before the Army of the
Potomac in commemoration of General Meade and the battle of
Gettysburg, which is a fine specimen of historic narrative
mingled and adorned with stately eloquence. At the banquet
in the evening of the same day the gentleman who had been
expected to respond to the toast, "The private soldier," was
unexpectedly called away, and General Devens was asked at
a moment's notice and without preparation to take his place.
I heard President Grant--no mean judge--who had himself listened
to so much of the best public speaking in all parts of the
country, say that General Devens's response to this toast
was the finest speech he ever heard in his life. The eulogy
upon Grant delivered at Worcester, especially the wonderful
passage where he contrasts the greeting which Napoleon might
expect from his soldiers and companions in arms at a meeting
beyond the grave with that which Grant might expect from his
brethren, is also one of the best specimens of eloquence in
modern times. Surpassing even these are the few sentences
he addressed to his regiment after the battle of Ball's Bluff.

General Devens had a modest estimate of his own best powers.
While he was an admirable judge, bringing to the court the
weight of his great experience, his admirable sense, his stainless
integrity, his prefect impartiality, his great discernment,
his abundant learning, it has always seemed to me that he
erred after the war in not preferring political life to his
place upon the bench. He could easily have been Governor
or Senator, in which places the affection of the people of
Massachusetts would have kept him for a period limited only
by his own desire, and might well have been expected to pass
from the Cabinet to an even higher place in the service of
his country. But he disliked political strife, and preferred
those places of service which did not compel him to encounter
bitter antagonism.

He filled the place of Attorney-General with a dignity and
an a