The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-05-11

we trust will stand for all time the memorial Of
admiration sr the deeds and our full sympsth.
with the dead. 1t Is not simply the homage o
the living to the dead, but the enduring record Q
the Of the present. that those who II
hearts and hopes OF a whole people.
1t Is natural to invest with heroic grandeur tht
events of former age. Nothing Is terrible, moth
ing Is sublime In human thlngs, SO long as they
are before our eyes,n and we stand too near tt
the grand contest fully to realize Its Significance
or appreciate its events; and yet familiar as are
| to us the scenes through which these passed, we
| cannot even now recall them without emotion
who can do justice to the spirit Of '61; to the
patriotism, which anrnating all, was grandest In
the most tender, as they hushed the very prompt.
ings Of nature, and armed iof the light those
their llves' Who can do justice to the noble wo.
men of the land Not I-not l. dare not touch
the theme. me- can b6t feebly tell OF the zeal with
which the youth, and hope ana strength Of the
with which they served. How III clad. hall
fed, i'll she'd day after day they toed and fought,
until the long years were weary OF the strife, and
the land was desoate with the carnage OF the bat
tie field. How undaunted by defeat, they sup
piled diminished numbers with Increased zeal,
resisting all the temptations OF home all the al
lurements Of peasure-making devotion to the
cause, the Polar star OF their lives. and finally
gave life ITSELF Recalling these things, we'll may
we stand astounded at the moral grandeur OF the
spectacle and bow in reverence over the graves
OF those who realized In action the highest ideal
of heroic manhood. Theirs was an unselfsh hero
ism-no alloy debased Its purity. Their triumphs
and trials were alike unsnng. No bulletin Of VIC
tory preserved their names ior the admiration OF
posterity. They were. sustained simply by the
earnest conviction Of right-and let 1t never be
the soldiers Of the Confederacy. Their votes
called into existence the government which their
arms sustained. They had but to will that the
war should cease and 1t was at an end. But they
endured faithfully unto the end, and left to the
world the finest example OF the sacrifice OF self TO
principle, which history records.
would not pluck leaf from the laurels so
worthily won and worn by those whom we all
honor. / would not detract one little from the
admiration due to the genius which concelves and
the will which executes the grand movements OF
the battle. All honor to those gllted ones.
Awlole people crowned them with Its loving
praise. But when I think Of all that was in
silence endured and conquered, feel that these
soldiers In their simple jackets OF grey, were the
true heroes OF the war. They ana the past sleep
together, and, standing by their graves we look
with straining eyes into the dim and shoreless
future, and there s'none 70 tell US the form and
body Of the time to come.
GAIL is vague in vapor, harI to mark,
And the DAYS darEen round US. and the years."
Among new men, strange faces, other minds,
the ola Oasf n mxeg TO and
humble reliance on that Providence which shapes
the fate OF men and nations, is all that Is left to
rs.
But whatever be that future-whether 1t restore
than pristine goy 10 se anu
row which her true sons feel-so long as human
nature remain the same, 80 long as the story OF
noble actions quickens the pulse and nushes the
cheek these men have not died IN vain. TneJ
have left the world richer by their noble example
richer In the impressive teaching that the path Of
duty Is the way to glory; and when we shall have
passed away and our recollectlons have become
the tradition OF those who stand In our places,
the youth OF that day will gather around this
monument and learn from these graves lesson
OF herolsm, unmatched in Greek or Roman story;
will learn from these how for the State to live,
and, II need be, how for the State to de-
The following memorial ode, composed by Rev.
E. T. wlnkler, D. D., was then sung:
Heroes Crowned.
Advance Each buried brave
Is now glorious king,
Who, proudly leaning on his glaiVe,
Awaits the need ye bring:
No tributary tear
Your deathless heroes crave;
With incense OF the blooming year
Let fair hands crown the brave.
To lay the M l1hman low;
For never Raven pennon sailed
Tomeet nObler loe:-
Then, like triumphal PAINS,
Your chaplets DER them wave
And to the solemn Joy or psalms,
Let fair hands crown the brave.
They did not bleed In vain;-
That father, brother, son
Who made grey shore and plne.clad plain
An altar and throne:-
Fame lifts the crimson sign
They once to battle gave,
Anew they form their gallant line!
Let fair hands crown the brave.
The surging tide is spent;
The mighty march Is o'er;
mist OF morn, the soldiers tent
Has fed for eyermore:-
But home and state remain!
Whate'er they died to save
VIII auench the fire and burst the chain!
Let fair hands crown the brave.
By Faith that decks the earth
And Love that woos the sky.
Osuuny land that gave them birth,
Thy heroes shall not die
Their life within US rolls,
Their blood redeemS the grave;
Their glory quickens In our souls !
Let fair hands crown the brave.
The ladies OF the Memorial Association and
others now proceeded to decorate the graves.
This task seemed simple enough, for 1t was but
the hanging OF o wreath Of flowers upon every
head stone, and the scattering OF more flowers
upon the mound, but 1t was the gentle, tender,
loving way in which 1t was done, especially by
young girls, themselves represented by fathers
and brothers in the army Of dead Confederate SOL
diers, which made the scene a fearful one, and
aroused sympathies and associations such only as
could emanate from the hour and place.
Several OF the graves tenantcd by poor fellows
who "dled and made no sign," and are designat'
ed by the mournful word "Unknown," were liter.
ally lost to sight beneath their covering Of tiow
ers, as If their very desolation called for the full
est measure OF tributes. In this connection, the
following pleasing incident Is related:
An Incident.
gentleman from New York, who ls making 0
winter tour with his family through the South
Atlantic States, remained over In Charleston a
day to witness the ceremonies at Magnolia Gene
terv vnsterbav He himself had been sorely