The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1856-05-08
Speeches at Cowpens,

'ePo's VI tue speecnes made
at the Inauguration Of the Cowpens Monu
ment on the 22d ultmo.
When the work was completed. say,
the Standards correspondent, "an excelIen,
dinner, contributed by the ladies of Spar.
tanburg, was enjoyed by the ladies up.
on the ground, few favored guests, and
the members of "the Company" Hams,
turkeys, fowls, and delicious accompana.
menas disappeared before appe,i;es sharp
ened by the exercise Of the morning, and
the anticipation Of a march before the close
OF the day. When the eating was ended,
the Washington Light Infantry and the
Cowpens Artillery were drawn up around,
and while the crowd pressed thickly and
closely upon them, the Rev. DIR. Samuel
Gilman, the Chaplain Of the Company, as
cended the stand, and spoke as follows:
Gentlemen Of tie Charleston Washiagfon
L'yht InJdntry-Friends and FeiloO cil.
zens Of Spartanburg District: We have
assembled TO erect, with grateful hearts and
willing hands, an enduring monument that
shall commemorate one of the most i'm
Portant and critical engagements that took
place during tue war Of American lude.
| pendence. We are all children Of one
beloved commonwealth, all citizens of one
great expanding, and renowned confedera-
cy. Coming from our near and distant
! homes we rejoice that the warm breeze,
of the sea board arc to mingle this day
with The invigorating air.currents of the
mountain, aud flow together, as we trust.
in combined channel Of sympathy and
patriotism. Tie practice of erecting mon
umental structures, and the sentiment con-
nected with il, seem TO have been coeval
with the history of the human race down
from the earliest periods. We arc happy
to find ourselves this moment engaged in
a kindred undertaking.
1t has been deemed fitting to introduce
these obsewances by religious exercises.
| We remember that our fathers, who secured
our Liberties, were religious men, and in
fact, that 1t was religion as much as any
other agency, that fought the mighty bat
ties, and sustained the awful sacrifices of
the revolution. These young men who
have come Up hither 10 perform a patriotic
duty, have also been trained in tho reli-
gion of their fathers, and are all worshippers
in the temples of Jehovah. Accordingly.
before addressing, at their instance, the
Throne ef Grace, take pleasure in read
| ing 10 you, rs a portion of our exercises
and as illustrative Of the occasion, the fol-
| lowing passage from those sacred scrip
tunes, which seem always 10 furnish some
thing appropriate TO every exigcncy Of
human experience. The children of Israel,
after being rescued from the perils OF the
wilderness, were in sight of The promised
land, and this is The record of an incident
which nj that moment occurred among
them:
And Moses with the elders of Israel
commanded the people, saying, keep all
the commandments which | command you
this day
And it shall be on the day when you
shall pass over Jordan unto the land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou
shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster
them with plaster.
And thou shalt write upon them all the
words OF this law, when thou art passed
over, that thou mayest go in unto the land
which the Lord thy God give:h thee, a
land that tloweth with milk and honey: as
the Lord God Of thy fathers hath promised
| thee.
Therefore it shall be when ye be gone
over Jordan that We shall set up these
stones, which command you this day, in
Mount Ebal, IND thou shalt plaster them
with plaster.
And tn re shalt thou build an altar unto
! the Lord Thy God, AN altar of stones: thou
shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them
! Thou shalt build the altar Of the Lold thy
God Of whole stones: and thou shalt offer
up burnt-otferings thereon unto the Lord
thy God
And thou shalt offer peace-offerings, and
shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord
thy God.
And thou shalt write upon the stones all
the words Of the law very plainly.
DIR. Gilman then continued with the
following prayer:
Oh thou, who art our God, and the God
of our fathers! We would begin, continue
and end all our doings in thee. We in
woke lily blessing on the interesting occa
sion which now assemblies us together
We rejoice to believe that thy hand pro
tecied our fathers when they appealed tc
thee, and went forth to battle for the privi
leges which we nowenjoy. We thank thee
for the result ofthe local struggle which VIZ
have come TO commemorate here. Ma,
the blessings which we inherit be faithful,
cherished, and be transmitted unimpairet
to those who shall succeed us Aud now
Q Lord, we devote this completed structur,
to such high aud worthy purposes as thol
: thyself mayst approve. May it serve t.
remind ali, whose eyes it shall attract. O
the self sacrificing efforts ofour predecessors
q May il awaken sentiments Of lofty dut,
and generous patriotism in the breast O
every beholder. Preserve it, we beseecl
thee, from tho assaults of wantonness an,
from untoward accident or decay. Lon.
may the evening dews rest gently upon il