The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-11-04
Mass Meeting at Manassas

On Saturday November I'd, there was
a grand mass meeting of the Republicans
of Northern Virginia at Manassas. Hon.
John F. Lewis and Hon. J.F. Meyers de-
livered eloquent addresses. Hon. Jonas
Greene called the n Getting to order, and
Maj. Wilmer Mclean, acted as permanent
chairman, and delivered the following elo-
quent address:
Fellow-citizens of Prince William coun.
ty-I return you my thanks for the honor
conferred upon me. Perhaps it would be
in order for me to state briefly why | pre-
fer the election of General Grant to that of
Horace Greeley. l see nothing in the life
of General Grant, nothing in any word he
ever uttered that shows any enmity or Bit
terness toward the people of my State,
while the whole history of Horace Greeley
is one of wholesale detraction and abuse of
the men of the South. Yes, and not only
the men, but he has gone outside of the pale
of all legitimate discussion, and poured out
his venom against the virtue and character
of our ,comen also. 1t passes my compre-
tension how any Southern man can sup
port Horace Greeley upon such q record.
l suppose that few Gin my county, lost
as much by the war, as myself. The first
great battle Of the war began on my land,
near or on Bull Run, and the last cam
paign ended by the surrender ct my house
at Appomattox Courthouse, whittier with
my family | had refugeed for safety. | lost
my slaves and most of my property by
the war, but il | have to choose between a
politician who stirred up the strife and
carnage, and the soldier who foughtit out
bravely to the end, | shall choose the
soldier.
1t was my fortune to witness the closing
scenes of the grand drama of the last war
at Appomattox Courthouse. | remember
it as thought were yesterday, and | recall
with much satisfaction, that not n act
was done, or one word said by General
Grant and his Federal officers to humiliate
General Lee or the remnants of his brave
army. l could not have told from the
demeanor of the two commanders which
was the %conoueror, or which was the COLI
quered, except that when General Lee
rendered General Grant his sword, to
which he was entitled by the laws OF war,
the latter remarked quietly:
"Keep your sword, General, and tell
your officers to keep their side arms" A.
little later he said to General Lee: Tell
the boys to keep their horses, they will
want them to cultivate their crops" By
this act of kindness, General Grant
endeared himself to the Southern soldiers ;
for if they had not been allowed to take
their horses home, how many of the women
and children of the Confederacy must
have suffered greatly for the staff Of life?
The season for preparing for the spring
crops, was far advanced at the time Of the
surrender.
How different was the magnanimity on
the part of General Grant, and his many
| acts of kindness toward the Southern peo-
Pile, including his repeated recommends
tons of universal amnesty compared with
the malignant spirit of the candidate of the
Democratic party, who said he desired to
see poverty in the anxious eyes of our wo.
men and the rags of our children.
| think it for the interest of Virginia to
~re-elect General Grant by an overwhelming
majority.