The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-06-08


The Richmond Times has the fol-
lowing stirring appeal to the people
OF the South to remember the living
disabled and helpless ones among us,
as well as to remember proper .re-
spect and honor to our gallant dead.
We commend it to the Southern peo-
pie generally: D.
The Southern people have recently
manifested noble and commendable
respect for the memory of the noble
men who sacrificed their lives for the
cause OF Southern independence, by
rescuing their humble graves from
neglect, oblivion and decay.
1t should be borne in mind. how
ever. that the mothers, widows and
children of not less than 800, 900
dead Confederate soldiers are among
us, and that many of them are in cir
cumstances of appalling destitution.
There are, also, many thousands
manned and ihfirm survivors of the
war. for whom there is no Govern
ment to make adequate provision. To
the MANNED soldiers Of the Federal
army, and to the wives and children
OF those who succumbed to disease.
or who fell in battle, or who died
from the effects of wounds, the most
liberal pensions are paid by the Fede-
raj Government. Not content with
this, two hundred millions of addi-
tional bounty money has just been
voted to the dlsbanded volunteers,
who escaped without scratch.
When we think of these things, we
should recollect that the living as we'll
as the dead ex-Confederate soldiers
have strong claims npon our warmest
sympathies. The widows and Or
phans of the Confederate dead. and
the maimel and helpless of our late
armies, should not be forgotten by
the humane and charitable people of
the South. They have nothing now
but our voluntary charity to depend
upon. The war has left us impover-
lshed and destitute of oil the luxuries
of life, but there are not many of us
who cannot do some little toward feed
ing, clothing and educating the widow
or the child of some brave soldier who
gave his life to Il cause which he be-
heved to be just and good.
All Of our readers are doubtless
familiar with cases of extreme desti-
tuition upon the part of the unfortu-
nate classes to which we have alluded.
They are, alas! to be found every
where.
We received, a few days since, a
letter which nothing but the horrors
of absolute want, both of food and
clothing for u family and helpless
young children, constrained the ac-
complished widow of a gallant Of
ticer, to write to us. The husband of
this lady was one Of the most gallant
and fearless field officers of the army
of Northern Virginia. He was killed
near Petersburg, and his stubborn
valor won the admiration of the men
who slew him.
A gentleman by birth and educa-
ton. and q person before the war of
ample means, his tender wife and
young children were then strangers
to want and privation. And vet
since his death his widow and chill
dren have been reduced to such terri
bic straits that his widow was forced
to appeal to us for assistance. We
do not mention this as an isolated
case. There are thousand Just such
instances of terrible suffering, not
only among the widows and orphans
of Confederate officers, but more es-
pccially among the families of the
private soldiers.
These sufferers are prevented from
making their misfortunes known
until gaunt famine stands like q wolf
ut the door
We trust that the work of decora-
ting and honoring the graves of the
dead will go on; but tho noblest tri-
butte which We can pay the memory
of n dead soldier is to take care of
those dcsolatc loved ones who have,
by the death Of their husbands,
fathers and sons, been cast upon the
cold charities of the world
Now that the Southern heart is
being most generously moved by the
efforts Of different memorial associa-
tions, let Me Hriny be remembered as
rel as tie th,ld.
Let lis not commit the melancholy
error of cXi''oii..i:l;g NJ! of o"r syinpa
thics upon those whose quiet slum-
bers no earthly honors can disturb.
Let the wives and children and help
less old parents of the gallant dead
be taught that wo sympathize with
them in their irrepnrable losses, and
are willing to contribute to their com
fort and happinCSS