The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1866-10-31

more cIOQucntIy than words could
do, what good work my keen sa-
brcs had done. Artillery, stand
ards. prisoners, were all captured
in that charge and the fight was
over. l remember Upperville,
where again the fortunes Of the
day seemed lost, until that Brig
ade, by a series Of desperate char
gcs, which / have never seen sur
passed, snatched victory from the
very grasp Of defeat. And Gettys-
burg with all its CORY memories,
brings to my recollection the brave
deeds Of these tried soldiers. |
have not forgotton-I never shall
forget, brothersoldicrs-that when
borne wounded from that fatal
field, | sent word back to my men
to hold their ground to the last,
how nobly and at what a cost, they
carried out what | then believed
to be the last order I should ever
give them.
All these proud but sad mcmo-
rics come thronging fast upon my
heart, when l look again upon the
men who shared with me for years,
the privations, the pcrils and the
glories of the past. And though
meeting them under such circum-
stances as the present, is fraught
with many sad reflections, it is a
source Of infn"" qualification to
me to see them once more. You,
Of my old command, never failed
to respond when | called upon
you, and now that you call on me
to join with you in paying mer-
tied tribute Of respect to our mar
tyrcd dead, l would be ungrateful
indeed, were | to refuse to answer
to the appeal.
To record the names Of the brave
men who gave their lives to the
country ; to pcrpctuate the mem-
ory Of their heroic deeds to deck
their humble graves with flowers,
as we mourn their untimcly fate.
arc the sad and the only privi-
leges We have. In our poverty
we arc not able to raise suitable
monuments to mark their last rest
ing places; ; in our defeat, we feel
that as far as human wisdom can
fathom. they died in vain and III
our grief at their loss, VIC can
scarcely reconcile TIL ;dcath with
the perfect justice and the infinite
mercy Of the Almighty. 1t was
not permitted to surviving kindred
and friends to consign their loved
remains tc y cir last home, with
all the tokens of respect and
honor; but they sleep, nevcrthe-
less. in honorcd graves, and their
duty nobly done they have
"sunk to rest,
By all their country'S wishes blest."
No pious hand collects their sacred
dust. They sleep wherever the
folds Of the Southern Cross has
waved in triumph, and they find
fit resting places on the fields their
vaIor won. Your government sets
apart and consecratcs great Ma
tional Cemeteries on your soil for
those who, while invading that
soil with fire and sword, were well
coined to hospitable graves; while
the men who died on. and in de-
fence Of their native land, sleep in
unmarked or perhaps unknown
graves. Their ashes are not per-
mitted to rcpoSc in National Gem
ctcricS, and branded as rebels
while living, they have not the
privilege, accorded to their tocmcn,
Of Christian scpulture-whcn dead
'Ther's was uncousecrated clay"
1t bchO0yeS Us thcn-thc men who
stood shoulder to shoulder with
them while they were fighting for
their coUmtry--thc people in
whose defence they laid down
their lives, to show ny all the
| means in our power, that we arc
grateful for the sacrifices they
made in our behalf, and that we
reverence their memory. The As
sociation you have this day formed,
has these IaudabIc objects in view,
and if these were its only purpose,
it should meet the cordial appro-
val ofcvcry man, woman andchiId
in our State. Buthiyh andworthy
as are these aims. it contcmpIatcs
others even higher and worthicr.
These arc to cIothc the naked,