Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-05-24


u .-s. FLOWERS AND FRIENDSHIP. a 20 D..
I Yesterday the gardens in and around the city
were stripped of their fairest aud sweetest aow--
ers TO decorate the graves of the wearers of the
grey who now sleep hi Bethel Cciretery. These
floral tributes were sent 10 the ladies appointed
to receive them BY tho cnipr ial Association, by
persons of all shades of political opinion In
| deed, it was remarked that the lady relatives
Z pronounced Union men seemed 60 vie with
| the sympathizers Of the fallen in paying this
tribute of respect, and was hailed as n Rarbnger
Of the return ofthe kindly feeling which should
animate US as q people. VIA 3rlAN
on THE ROAD.
In the afternoon, large number Of the bust
ness houses closed in order to afford those who
| desired to participate in the ceremonies an op-
| portunity of doing so.
The livery stables were, tax ed to their utmost
capacity to furnish horses and vehicles for those
| going, and many were disappointed in obtain
| ing conveyances who had not made their ar
rangements in time. II has been generally
| believed that an omnibus can always take in
| 'one more, but the rule did not hold good
| yesterday. There were several running and
| all were crowded uncomfortably, while many
| were forced to take q deck passage" on top or
| a. pied, as they preferred. ~ Efps ~
| An hour before the appointed time there was
an almost unbroken line Of vehicles of all de-
| scriptOns going TO the cemetery, intersperscd
| with goodly number of unfortunate afoot,-
| who, however, resolved to be present
Shortly after four o'clock, upwards of two
| thousand persons had assembled intho ceme-
| terry. and the exercises were commenced by the
! Mechanics Comet Band playing a solemn
dirge. u ara 0FrrW ora 2FTgFT ~
W. A. Henderson, Esq., then introduced
| Rev. G. w. Charlton, who invoked the APPROX
| al of Heaven upon those assembled in the CITY
of the dead to mingle their tears with the flow
ers that decked the tombs of defeated heroism.
| The prayer was most feeling petition to the
| Throne of Grace, heartfelt and touching
The band then played WelshNpiece from
the, Memorial Selection. ION the. Plains of
ORATOR or THE DAY.
Capt George Washington, who delivered a
most eloquent Grafton, replete with glowsng i'm
| Capt. Washington said that heappreciated the
| high honor conferred on him by the ladies of
the Memorial Association and more especially
| as he had but recently made this his home, but
distrusted his ability TO do justice to the exalt-
| ed theme, which was worthy of the effort of a
| Prentice or Haskell. Like the fable Peri of
! the East, the spirits Of those who had gone
| before lowered over those now sleeping in yer
! dure-covered graves, who fell in defense of
| Southland.
The heroism of the Confederate soldier had
become historical attested on the bloody
helds OF Manassas, Seven Pines and Shiloh,
while the shouts of charging squadrons re-
| sounded from the heights of Gettysburg. and
echoed from banks of the James and Shenan-
doah across the Father of Waters to the Rio
Grande.
The speaker paid a glowing tribute to the
leaders of the Southern armies0Gen. Lee, the
| Christian soldier, whose reputation was MS snot-
less as that of Chevalier Bayard; Gen. Albert
sidney Johnson, who fell on the plains of
among the last to yield, and others of lesser
| note, but whose fame would live in the memory
of future generations.
The Spanish cavalier who went forth to battle
| q in oil -
inspired by the love of glory or the greed of
| gain, but the Christian soldier of the South was
animated bya more nobling sentiment The
| hills and valleys where he had played in his
| boyhood were threatened with the invader
! tread. The sicle was exchanged for the sword
| and each became as q McGregor on his native
heather, fighting for their homes and inherited
| rights
Deeds of valor rivaling the warriors of old
had been displayed on a hundred fields by the
| soldiers of both armies, and in the Union SOL
ders the Southerners had found foemen worthy
of their steel. They had met in the shock OF
deadly conflict, but now they met on hallowed
ground, made immortal by the blood of those
once foes, now friends, and over all hoeered
like tutelary diyinities, the spirits of Lee,
| Jackson and others whose names are registered
on the tablets of fame
1t was the custom of ancient Greece to gather
the ashes of the dead and place them in fitting
| sepulture, where at regular intervals the re-
| mains were visited and the recollection Of their
services and death kept forever green. There
| was mo holier ground than whore defeated
! valor lies, by loving beauty crowned. a.-,
| The speaker alluded most fifty to the Union
soldiers who sleep the sleep that knows no
waking in the National Cemetery We give
his remarks entire on this point:
| But while We are honoring our own dead, let
| US do them an added honor by. turning for a
moment to the beautiful picture that skirts the
northern and western limits of your city Be-
reath that solemn spectacle, over which floats
| in triumphant beauty the ancient standard of
the nation, sleep all that is mortal of many of
the iron-framed warriors of the North; while
afar of, in distant States, there's many a tender
| mother sister or widow who drops the tear
| of loving recollection to the memory, but not
upon the tomb of him who now sleeps within
that hallowed ground Let us be charitable;
it is divine attribute, and like the quality Of
| mercy,
." - is not strained;
II droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath il is twice blessed;
| 1t blesseth him hat gives, and him that takes"
Here, then, in this hallowed hour, let us
shake off from ourselves the dust of all unkind-
| ness. Let US, in the true spirit of Christian
| charity and loving-kindness, concede that our
| fallen brothers were animated by convictions
| as strong, if possible, our own. There is a
| moral herosm in this not 10 be found in the
tented field, nor battles fiery tumult Let us,
| then, supply to these war-exiled dead the sacred
! offering of maternal or sisterly love. Let us
say to them, rs to our own heroic sons,
a. Soldier rest thy warfare DER
Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking, 81. .'.
! Dream Of battle fields NO more, .aA
Days of danger, nights OF waking -
! 1. 4