The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-04-19
Gen. Albert Pike, of Arkansas.

Gen. Albert Pike, of Arkansas.
This distinguished civilian and soldier
has lately given utterance to sentiments
worthy of being embalmod in the hearts
of the Southern people. At meeting of
the Soldiers Relief Society in Memphis,
on the 22d ultimo, Gen. Pike addressed
the audience upon the objects for which
this Society was formed, namely, to pro-
vide for manned and destitute Confede-
rate soldiers, and from this eloquent eff
fort we extract the following:
To do those justice, he said, on whose
behalf your charity is now invoked,
must speak of the contest in which they
have been disabled; of those who held
aloft, on many bloody field; and bore
triuInphantly through many storm OF
fire, the tattered flag of hoped-for coun
try and ahepeless cause.
1t shall never be said in my hearing,
Mr. Pike said, without receiving reply,
that these manned and Scared heroes
fought or our dead fell in q dishonorable
cause. Wrong, unjust, unprovoked, let
the victor pronounce the attempt OF. the
South to win independence; but the com
mon people, who maintained the cause
so many months with so much constancy
under SO many disadvantages and op-
pressed by SO heavy a weight of hard
ships. won and deserve immortal honors.
What if we were wrong, and the cause
of quarrel unjust Are none martyrs
save those who die for the truth? "He
is hero,o it has been we'll said,S@who is
willing to die for his faith, however wrong
it may be-" Are no heroes glorifed, are
no heroic names immortal, are no memo
ries sacred except of those who have
fought in a just cause, and on tho right
side2 Was the war of 1916, with Mexl-
co,ajust war? Yet how many who thought
it unjust upheld there the countly's flag,
and died, or lived disabled, to maintain
its honor, right or wrong?
Generous enemies respect brave enc
mics. Even in civil wars all is not per-
sonal hate. Those once brothers salute
before they strike; and.the victors per
init the vanquisbed to retain their SELF
respect, and to believe that fortune was
unjust. When England unjustly ordered
the destruction of the Danish fleet, and
the, bombardment of Copenhagen, was
the day any less glorious to Nelson for
the injustice, or did he and his brave sail
ers underrate the gallantry Of the Danes,
or permit anger to outlast the canonade?
We're the wars of Frederick of Prussia,
of Napoleon, of the Romans, just Who
ever measured the glory of the soldier by
the Justice Of the war?
[ know how the late contest is regarded
by the conquerors. Yet how shortsight
cd are men, and how little they under
stand the great purposes of God. The
current opinion now is, that it was 8
causeless, unprovokcd rebellion, inaugu
rated by ambition and owing to the ba
sest of human motives-the greatest
crime of all the ages, a heartless, wicked
wanton, bloody. war. What folly, SO tf
Judge. an immense, desperate, protractec
struggle of the feeble against the strong
of courage, heroism, and at last despair
against overpoweringnu onewoulc
suppose that men had ceased to be the
instrumentssby which the infinite wisdom
effects it's inscrutable purposes; and thai
God, without whose will not a sparrow
falls to the ground, had ceased to inter
vene in the affairs of nations. What has
occurred hes not chanced, but has been
done in accordance with His will; the
successful need not exult OF hate, and
those overcome should not repine. We
fought, we were conquered, we must sub
NIT to the will Of the victors.
What profit or pleasure can it be, to
those who have overcome us, to blacken
the character of a whole people by repu-
ting to it unworthy and sordid motives
Why should we feel huWiliated at the re,