The semi-weekly Republican. (St. Francisville, La.) 1872-1872, 1872-05-28
THE LAST SCENE AT AFRO
ltiT7DX.
SPEECH OF A FEDERAL OFFICER.

There was reunion of the So
ciety of the Army of the Potomac
held at Cincinnati, on the 7th inst
At this celebration the Grafton was
delivered by Gen. Stewart L. Wood.
ruff, Of New York, and from this
Grafton we make the following ex.
tracts
The morning crept slowly on-trst
into gray dawn, then into rosy flush
Still on /! still on! The mists crept
upward and into line you wheeled
and on your muskets lay down, each
man in his place, to get scant rest
which even in the exhaustion Of
those thirty-six hours of terrible
marching, you neither sought MOI
needed. You were squarely across
Lees front, ana had closed forever
his last line of retreat.
The enemy, reaching your cavalry
advance, saw the serricd line of I'm
ion troopers. Gordon gathered and
masted his men for their last charge.
Tattered and hungry, worn by cease
less marching and fighting, with no
hope Of victory, with little possibili-
ty of escape, they closed their lines
with a fidelity Of discipline and a
soldier]y resolution, to which words
can do little justice-but which each
soldiers heart must recognized ind
honor.
As the old guard closed around
their Emperor at Waterloo, SO these
men closed round the flag of their
lost cause. My heart abhors their
treason. But it warns beyond re-
straint to their manhood so grand]y
brave, even in disloyalty. Slowly
they advanced to their last attack.
No battle yell, no crack Of the Skin
misher's rifle broke the strange still
ness of that Sabbath morn. Steadi-
ly, silently they came on. Sheridan
drew back Iris horsemen, as parts
some mighty curtain, and there
stood the close-formed battalions of
your infantry, the cannon cleaning
in the openings, quietly awaiting the
coming Of Gordon's men.
1nstinctively your enemy halted
Meanwhile Lee has turned back to
meet Grant and surrender his COM
mand. Sheridan swung his cavalry
around upon Gordon's left, and was
about to charge when Gustav reached
Longstreet. Assurance of surrender
was given, and the end had come.
That Sabbath-day, with tears and
in sorrow, Southern men folded the
banners Of the "Lost Cause" and
and their bravest and best sought
honorab1y to bury them from sight
forever.
How sad it is that poor ambition,
jealousies of race, the wretched greed
OF pelf and place, and the miserable
hates of social rivalries, should so Of
ten disturb the hearty reconciliation
OF that surrender, and for a time re-
yive the bitterness which you then
sought to bury in common grave.
This hour is no time for politics
mine not the lips, I trust, to intro
duce them here. But when I think
Of that heroic past, which your faces
and presence SO wildly recall, and
then how trading, trickster politicians
forgetful OF what baptism of blood
sealed the new birth of the nation, |
seek to array races in needless hos
tiHty, to excite the ignorance of the
one and the brutal prejudices of the
other, I would like to summon a
guard, half from the rebel army of
Northern Virginia and half from the
loyal army of the Potomac, take such
malcontents out, give them drum
head court martial, immediate exc
cution. and soldierly burial under
the apple tree at Apponatox.