The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-05-13

-. Iee ana ~ n1sliy sreos Meme.
4-1 A414&19e1ou-uDAme9 Xex2eef |
- 49oehesn Heepae.
keal, Southern men and women. 1
he communication signed " irrinia. !
loa lady Of Richmond. and the letter |
from Gen. Robert Z. lee embraced in
Il. We eau add nothing ID flsc force !
OF that appeal 10 Gle spious work.
that Gen. Lee refersto. AS it sfanrls.
unpcrformel il is blot on the heart
o. the South. Let it be wiped out.
Let the cry in aid ofthe .spious work
80 up fromhcity aud town and hamlet,
IRON hill and valley, from the press,
the pulpit and the forum, without
ecaslng, until the bones of our dead
HEROES on the field of Gcttysbnre are
deccntly covered with the sod of tile
soil for which they died: -
LETTER FROM GEN. LEE.
LExINGToS, VA, March 8, ls7o.--
Mt DEAR Mis-: / have felt great
interest in the success ofihc scheme of
thc HOLLYWOOD Memorial Association
Of Richmond, for fhc removal of the
Confederate dead at Gettysburg since
hearing of the neglect 0fthciricinains
on the battlefield. | hope that sufi-
cicnt funds may be collected by The
association to accomplish this pious
work. i feel assured that il will re
ceivc the grateful thanks of the lIu-
name and benevolent. May lrequcst
10 apply the iucloscd amount TO this
object. - With great respect
aud esteem, I am your most obedicnt
servant. Ri LEE.
AN AfPEAL.
To Mrs., Richmond. Va The
above letter was received in Rich
mond by one Of the directors Of the
Hollywood Memorial Association, EN-
closing avery hand ;one contribution
from Gen. Lee TO cid in the removal
Of the Confederate dead from Gettys-
burg. As it was private letter. il
was not published until permission
was granted uy Gen. Lee. In sub
scquent.jcfter,tlated March II. 1870,
he says: .My former letter was writ
ten for your own eye, and am always
reluctant to he brought unnecessarily
before the public. Still, if you think
tl4t1tg publiAfioH &illfbc Of any aid
TO the cause which The Hollywood
Memorial Association has so kindly
: undertaken, l cannot refuse the slight
assistance within any power"
We are informed by the President
ofthe National Cemetery at Gettys-
burg, David Willis, Esq, that the
charter incorporating the association
in charge of that national cemetery,
provides only for the ''interment of
the remains of those who fell in de-
fence of the Cnion." 1t is estimated
that 900 Confederate dead were has
tily inferred at Gettysburg COO alone
having their graves marked. The
marks of these GOO graves, Mr.. Willis
informs Us, are fast becoming oblitera-
ted. The remains of the 1900 of our
kindred WHO there offered so willing
~ their lives for us and ours are con-
stantly, we are told. being thrown out
from their shallow scpulchrcs. .as
the farmers cultivate their fields
An appeal has been already made TO
the Southern people By the Holly
wood Association 70 aid i'm the rcmo-
val ofwhat We once esteemed .sonr
beloved and honorcd dead" from Get
tysburg, q work, which Gen. Lee terms
"a pious work" and of which he, in
the letter above copied, says: 81 feel
assured that il. will receive the crate
full thanks OF the humane and benevo-
lent" This appeal went forth more
than year ago, and about ono thou
sand dollars have been received by the
Association from the following sonr-
ccs:
From Norfolk. Va. about $40 20
From Richmond, Va, about 29l GO
From Gen. Lee and his family l25 90
From lady in Louisiana, y 60
Eom the State of Alabama, 81 10
From the State of Georgia, 46 90
These figures require little common
tary. We would simply ask: Are
they true Indication of our estimate
ofwEat We fought, blcd and died for
during these memorable years be-
tween April, 1851. and April. 1866
IL life SO cheap IN this our land OF
chivairy, or is a name and nation but
an empty sound? The Legislature OF
Louisiana has reccntly-nobIy, we
should ssy-autlorized 5000 to be
paid from her public treasury for the
protection Of her dead at fredericks
burg. Ii was a righteous act on her
part, for it is her solemn duty to guard
the graves of her children wherever
found. They rest, however, in Nir-
ginia, where the grave of the Southern
soldier who fell under Lee and Jack
son will ever be hallowcd spot. But
our dead at Gettysburg find ilo. Test.
ing place. Their boncs lie scattered
on that terrible field, cxposetito every
insult, polluted and east out by North
and South, by friend and foe. Tho
Soldiers National Cemetery has nc
place for them, ii is only for ..the re.
mains of those WHO fell in defence OF
the Union = and they are thrown on,
of the shallow scpnlchres i'm which, in
our haste, on the field of battle. We
inferred them, exposed to every insult
''as the farmers cultivate their fields.
If there is indeed any one thing ths;t
makes us tremblc most of all for the
future of our country, g the quicl
oblivion that covers che past. The
nation that never remembers the pas
will never he mindful of the future
The present alone will be its God.
We ask: Shall this be so in The
South? Shall the North provide fol
its dead. and have we no thought fol
ours? Where is our boosted pride
and chivalry! Eighty-fve dollar.
from Alabama and forty-six dollar
from Georgia. Nothing from Soutl
Carolina! Nothing from Tennessee,
Nothing from Mississippi. Nothing
from Texas! Nothing from Arkan
sss. Nothing from Florida! If thi.
had been told in their lives to tho
seven thousand men whose bone:
now lie on the field OF Gettysburg
the ''scyen thousand who have no.
bowed the knee {" Baal"--do vol
think they would rave SO willingly
offered up their lives for us and ours
10 make US nation, TO give us liberty
ifthey had been told that we would
LET their bones be thus thrown out OF
their graves ''se the farmers cultivate
their fields In the name of oui
country, in the name of honor. in tho
maine OF bsrc humanity, We ask tht
Southern States anu the SoutherI
people, one and all, TO come forward
and rescue our name aud the CAUSE
for which so many died, from this in
famous rcproacl, that unless immedi