The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-05-11

I'D, MONDAY MORNIN
/ i OAKwOOD MEMoRrALrD DAT
IT is to be regretted that our southern
1adies have not agreed upon the same day
| TO be held perpetua1ly sncred to the memory
l;of, our. patriot deads lin the far South, the
I26th of April has been obseryed for the past
two years.; In Virginia, the 30th OF Nav
laeems to have been the faTorite day but It
seems to uS that none could be more appro-
tpriately fxed upon for general obssfSatee
than that selected 81 The OakRood Aasocia.
| ton OF Richmond 10th sof Msy--the
anniversary of Stonewa1l. Jackson's death.
It Is pleasing toanotice that the ladies Of
| Tennessee =psssed-over the 26tisthis
year, intending to visit ifthecemateriespn the
0skEood day-one step toward unanimity.
iAsto the custom itself-for custom three
suceessi7e years, observance has made it at
the South-we suppose no argument can be
urged against it.. The vilest Of our enemies
could hardly attempt to restrain US from
this tribute to our loved ones, for in mans
nature God has. planted few nobler senti-
menfs than that which impels us reYerently
to cherish the memory Of the dead who gave
up their lives in holy cause. With Father
Ryan, the South's own poet, We unite In
saying to- our. stricken people: "By the
hallowed associations Of the past, and the
hopes of the future; which will surely bring
with it glorious reward, let US never for
get to honor the menswhos wearing thegray,
went down to death for US and posterity."
The Oakwood Memorial Anniversary fall
ing this year. on Sunday, Saturday the 9th
was observed in, its stead. On this occa-
sion, as on the last, we were favored with
bright and lovely weather, q balmy atmos-
phere, cooling breeze, and cloudless
sky. The sun was not very high ere the
good people of Church Hill, part of the
city in which most Of the Oakwood ladies
reside, were reminded of the recurrence of
memorial day by the pattering feet Of the
little ones running hither and thither bear
ing their floral burdens, or robbing the gar
dens of the brightest blossoms to lay upon
the soldiers graves. Soon the children,
Egirls and boys of larger growth, lovely la
dies, and matrons ripe in years, began to
gather at the RENDEZVOUS in the grassy
graveyard of ST.. Johns church. Here for
|nearly an. hour those first to arrive sat,
and, greeted Others gas they came with
fresh flowers and evergreens to be devoted
/ TO the same good purpose. And then the
ladies arranged their flowers in bouquets,
crosses, wreaths, garlands Of every device,
with which, to adorn the head-boards of
the graves. !, Then they took up the slow
march to 0akwood, every maiden holding in
hand her tribute to departed valor. The
procession was not long one, for the ladies
of other parts of the city seem strangely to
have forgotten the thousands of dead at
Oakwood, but Church Hill sent her most
charming daughters to perform the noble
work, and they did not seem to dread the
long walk in its accomplishment.
At length, after march of more than
mile across old fields and over dusty road,
the City of the Dead is reached.
s'Stoop angels hither from the>skies!
There is no holier spot Of ground
Than where defeated valor lies,
BY mourning beauty crowned"
Entering the gate we look upon long and
wide stretch of hill and dale, dotted thickly
with white head-boards, and here and there
behold marble monument, or small en-
closure. Few Of the graves are mounded or
sodded the ground is as level as before
Mother Earth received her sons to herself
again, but the site of every marrow
house" is marked by a neat, substantial
wooden board, upon which is plainly in
scribed the name of thedead one, or if that
is unknown, the simple fact that he was o
member of the G. S. A. Wepass along be-
tween the serried ranks of the dead, and
read the names of soldiers from every State
in our once glorious Confederacy. Officers
and privates, from North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and even from
distant Arkansas and Texas-men who fell
on the battlefield, who died from wounds, or
whose emaciated bodies were brought in
heaped cart-loads from the crowded hospital
to this their last resting-place. Many Of
these graves have already received atten-
tion from the hands of the fair creatures to
the sleeping ones unknown, who only
needed to know that these all died for their
country. .siI7I ,rEIrg .5-TslA2ll, a;Is <ysg ~
At the entrance to the cemetery we no
ticed a neat monument erected by Captain
Whipple's company Leon Hunters) of the
Fifth Texas. regiment to the memory of
their fallen comrades. This monument, of
pure white marble, was twined with ever
green, and from the capstone was suspended
q lone star composed Of white flowers.
1t was interesting to notice that the
graves of the unknown dead were not
neglected by the ladies. On some lay crosses
of evergreen, or bouquets, and on others
had been dropped o single sprig Of arbor
vitae, bud, or flower; enough they were
to show that the dead hero was not forgot
ten. We cannot pretend to speak of the
thousands Of others whose graves were
adorned. It was unfortunate that on ac-
count of the scarcity of the flowers, or
rather on; n;saceount of the great number of
the graves, some had to be passed with only
the tribute Of sigh. .&
AT about IL o'clock the cemetery pre-
sented q rare appearance, for then the
largest number of persons were assembled
within its rude walls. There was not the
bustling crowd Of oil ages and sexes that
filed Hollywood last May, and we missed
the many carriages around the gates, and
those human nuisances, the lunch-yenders,
uWho would ply, their trade above the
new.nade graye; but on every ave-.
=nue and hillside were seen ladies per-
forming their pleasing task, or ,2Iwea-
ried, vending their way to the spring
place. This cool spot Of grassy lawn, at
distance from the graves, and within the
shadow Of the great trees which surround
the Keepers house, was soon covered with
those fatigued and seeking rest, or refresh
ing themselves before the walk back to the
city. The gentlemen, the ladies, the chill
dren, gathered in groups, but everything
wore rather a srhd1fed air and even the