Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-15
DEATH OF GEN. LEE.
A City i'm Mourning
The Bells are TOlled.
Houses Draped in Mourning
Public Meeting of Citizens.

1t was the highest consolation to the|
great Athenian, Pericles, when he CAME
10 die, that in looking over bis past and
busy life, he had never caused, voluntari1
", any one TO shed tears. The same may
be said of Gen. Lee. Hence his death
bowed the heads of whole people in
mourning. From the broad, sweeping
sayannahs of the South, to the bald and
sky-kissing Alleghenies, comes up the wall
of woe. All the cities of the Southland,
which he loved so well, were in mourning
yesterday. Dark lines of grief mark the
public journals, which but feebly tell the
deeper grief in the hearts of the people,
from New Orleans TO Che blue Potomac
Our own goodly city was not behind Tho
rest Each face wore look of sorrow
and sadness yesterday. The demonstra-
tons of grief were deep, .unmis-
taxable and universal. All the
early part of the day the bells
tolled out their long, sad requeum for
the dead. Men walked about or gathered
in groups, as though some deep gloom
had settled upon each domestic hearth
stone. The meeting at the Courthouse
showed to some extent the feeling of bel
reavement. Stores were closed. The
business houses were draped in mourning.
All around the Public Square the fronts
were hung in black. Each store had beenl
turned into a house of mourning. Broad
street, and College and Market streets,
: indeed the principal business establish
ments throughout the city, bore appro /
pirate drapery and badges of the deep
grief with which the land had BEEN
stricken. 1t was commeDdable in ourI
people thus to show their sad regrets forE
one who while living occupied place.
first of all in this land as hero, as pa
triot, as a man, as acitizen, and as Chris
tian. Though the frail tenement that heidi
his great soul has crumbled to dust, hisI
name is freedoms now and James, andi
was not born to die Let this be part
of our consolation. r#-. "a
TEE MEETING AT TIE COURTHOUSE
SPEECHES, R SOLUTIONS, ETC.
Pursuant to notice a large number of
citizens assembled in the Criminal Court /
Room at the Court House, at II O'Clock
yesterday, TO express their regrets at the
death of Gen. r. E. Lee, and pay tribute
TO his memory. Hon. Neil 8. Brown wasE
called to the chair aud Mayor Morris was
chosen as Vice President The members
of the press were requested to act ask
Secretaries. Mr.. Brown on taking the
chair paid fitting tribute to the departed
hero. he spoke feelingly and eloquently
of his grand character and lofty virtues, &
his heroism, patriotism and virtue. Hes
passed high eulOgium upon the illustri- :
Gus dead. Tennessee was not the only I
State, he said, Virginia was not only the
State, nor were the Southern States the
only ones who incurred the death of Gen.
Lee. All the States in common felt that
great man had fallen. He furnished in +
that patience and fortitude with which he {
bore up under misfortune an example 3
worthy of admiration and emulation. tt
was because he was good, because be was
just because he was virtuOus and great,
that he was here with others to mourn on
this occasion.
On motion, a committee of five was
appointed to draft resolutions expressive :
of the feelings of the meeting and the sin s
Cerc regrets which the event had occa-
stoned Judge Whitworth, Hon. II. s.
Foote, E. B. McClanahan, ESQ, and Gen.
w. B. Bate, were appointed on the COM
mittee.
After the committee retired, the follow
ing resolution was offered and referred:
Resolved, That his Honor, w. X.
Turner, be requested to call a special
meeting of the County Court at as early a
day as possible, in order that they may
take such steps as they may deem neces-
sary in regard TO the death of the patriot
and statesman, r. Z. Lee.
Gen. w. II. jackson being called on,
said that he was here to express in com
mon with others all the deep grief Occe-
stoned by the death of Gen. Lee. He,
perhaps, knew him as well as any gentle
man in the room. For three years he was
on terms of intimate association with him
and his family. He was most admirable
man. Every word that had been said in
his praise was concured in by himself.
He had no fit words to express his feel
ings on the occasion.
Rev. Fountain f. Pitts said that the
name of Robert f. Lee lowered above all
others, and was beyond the reach Of
eulogy.
Judge J. c. Guild felt that there was
more propriety in meeting together
and mourning in silence the death of the
great hero, than there was in much speak
ing. None felt more keenly than himself
the loss. From his boyhood to his grave
he had illustrated the loftiest traits of
character. Among the names of great
men there were few fixed stars that were
unusually attractive. George Washington
was our fixed star, and next to him he
recognized Robert Z. Lee as first in war,
first in peace and first in the hearts of his
countTymen. He was great as a hero and
as a statesman. As long as time should
last his name would shine, grandly illu-
minating the proudest pages of our histo-
~. He joined in the remarks of those
who had preceded him.
Gen. Nancy said that, from the frozen
regions of the North TO the sunny slopes
of the far South, there was mourning for
Gen. Lee. He would to God that he
could have left to his country, rent as she
had been by Discussions, his last counsel
and admonitions, as a legacy. From the
gulf 10 the lakes, there would have beeD
nothing inharmOnious in tressuring them
He hoped to live 20 see the day when,
without State lines or distinctions, those
whose powers he resisted, and those who
followed, would alike drop the
tear for such a man as Gen.
Lee. Furled was now his earthly banner, h
and he was msrshaled with the hosts OF
the Eternal Task Master, the Immortal 81
He had personally known
him well, and had received admonitions
from him. He was the type of manly |