Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-11-16

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tain of Engineers, stationed in Balti
more. the Cuban Junta in New York sc
,ected him to be their leader in tn
. struggle for the independence of thei
native country. They were anxious t
secure his services, and offered hin
] every temptation that ambition cOulC
desire. He thought the matter over
and, I remember, came to Washington
Il to consult me as to what he should do
and when l began to discuss the com
plicatiOns which might arise from hi
acceptance Of the trust, he, gently re
I buked me, saying that this was not thC
I line upon which he wished my advice
Il the simple question was, whether j
was right or not. He had been educat
ed by the United States, and felt il
wrong TO accept place III the army of 3
foreign power. Such was his extreme
delicacv, such was the nice sense oi
. the gallant gentleman whose death we
deplOTe. But when Virginia withdrew
the State to whom he owed his first
and last allegiance-thes same nice sense
of honor led him TO draw his sword and
throw it in the scale for good or for evil.
Parden me for this brief defense Of my
/ illustrious friend. When Virginia join
ed the Confederacy1 Robert E. Lee, the
! highest officer III the little army of Viz
ginia, came TO Richmond, and, not
/ pausing to inquire what would be his
/ rank in the service of the COnfederacy,
went to West Virginia, under the belief
/ that he was still an officer of the State.
( He came back, carrying the heavy
weight of defeat, and, unappreeiated by
/ the people whom he served, for they
could not know, as l knew, that if his
plans and orders had been carried out
the result would have been victory rath-
er than retreat. You did not know, for
I would not have known il had he not
breathed it in my ear only atmy earnest
request, and begging that nothing be said
about it. The clamor which then arOsd
followed him when he went to South Car
oIina, so that it became necessary on his
going to South Carolina to write q letter
to the Governor of that State, telling him
what Emanner of man he was Yet,
through all this, with a magnanimity
rarely equaled, he stood in silence, with
out defending himself OF allowing 9TH
ers to defend him, for he was willing to
offend any one who was wearing a
sword and striking blows for the Con-
federacy.'
Mr.. Davis then spoke Of the straits to
which the COnfederacy was reduced,
was exposed Just after the battle Of Sew
Ell Pines, and told how Gen. Lee had
conceived and executed the desperate
plan to turn their flank and rear, which
after seven days of bloody battle. was
crowned with the protection of Rich
mOnd while the enemy was driven from
the city. The speaker referred also to
the circumstances attending Gen, Lees
crossing the Potomac and the march
into Pennsylvania. He (AIr. Davis as
sumed the responsibility for that move
ment. 'The enemy had long been con-
centrating his force, and it was evident
that if they continued their steady pro-
gress the OOnfederaGy would be over
whelemed. Our only hope was to drive
him to his defence of his own capital,
and we being enabled in the meantime
to reinfOnce our shattered army. How
we'll General Lee carried out that dang
eTOus experiment need not be tOld.-
Richmond was relieved, the COnfedera-
cy was relieved, and time was obtained,
if other things had favored, to reinforce
the army. But said Mr.. Davis, I shall
not attempt to review the military ca
reer of our fallen chieftain. Of the
man, how shall speak? He was my
friend, and in that word is included all
that 1 could say of any man. Hismor-
al qualities rose to the height of his ge-
MUS. Self-denying, always intent up
on the one idea Of duty, self-con-
trOlled to an extent that many thought
him cold. His feeling were really warm
and his heart melted freely at the sight
of a wounded soldier or the story Of the
sufIerings of the widow and OTphan.-
During the war he was ever conscious
of the inequality of the means at his
control, but it was never his to COM
plain OF to utter doubt; it was always
his to do. When in the last campaign
he was beleaguered at Petersburg, and
aware of the straits to which
he was reduced, he said. with my
army in the mountains Of Virginia
could carry on this war twenty years
longer His men exhausted and his
supplies failing, he was unable to carry
out his plans. An UntOWard event caus- I
ed him to anticipate the movement, and
the Army ofNorthern Virginia was over
Whelmed. But in the surrender he an
ticipated conditions that have not been
fulfilled-he expected his army to be re- |
spected and his parolled soldiers to be |
allowed the enjoyment of life and pros |
perity. Whether these conditions have
been fulfilled, let others say. Here now
he sleeps in the land he loved so well; !
and that land is not Virginia only, for /
they do injustice to Lee who believe hel
fought only for Virginia. He was ready /
to go anywhere on any service for the 4
good Of his country, and his heart was /
as broad as the fifteen States struggling 4
for the principles that our fOTefatheFs
fought for i'll the Revolution Of17T6.
He is sleeping in the same soil with +
the thousands who fought under the
same flag, but first offered up their lives. /
Here the living are assembled to honor
his memory, and there the skeleton SEN
tinels keep watch over his grave. This
citizen, this soldier, this great General, /
this true patriot, left behind him the
glory of true Christian. His
Christianity ennobled him in life, and
affords us grounds for the belief that he
is happy beyond the grave. But, while 4
we mourn the less Of The great and the
true, drop We also tears of sympathy
with her who was his help meet in life
the noble woman who, while her hus-
band was in the field leading the army
IF the COlfederacy, though an invalid !
herself passed the time in knitting socks
for the marching soldiers. A woman tit
10 be the mother of heroes-and heroes
are descended from her. Mourning with
her, we can only offer the consolation Of
4 Christian. Our loss is not his, for he
now enjoys the rewards of 4 life well
spent ana never-WaveringtT trust IN q ris-
en- Savior. This day we unite our words
Of sOrrOW with those Of the good and
great throughout ChristendOm, for his
1ame is gone over the water. His deeds
will be remembered; and when the mon
lment we build shall have crUmbled III
to dust, his virtue will still live, high
model fop the Imitation of generations