The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-06-13
THE LAST SCENE AT APP0MATT0X


speech of II Federal Ohc"r.
There was Il reunion of the 5 cie-
ty of the Army Of The Potomoc,. held |
at Cleveland, on the 7th instant, Al
this celebration the ora'ion was de-
Iivored by Gen. Steward i. Wood
ford, Of New York, and from this ora
ton we make the following extracts:
The morning crept slowly on
first into grcy dawn, then into rosy
flush. Still on! still or The mists
crept upward and into line you
wheeled, and on your muskets lay
down, each man in place to get scant
rest, which even in the exhaustion
of those 3G hou,s Of terrible march
ing you neither sought nor heeded'
You were squarely across Lee front,
and had closed forever his last line
of retreat.
The enemy reaching your cavalry
advance saw theserried line OF Union
troopers. Gordon gathered and
massed his men for their last charge
Tattcrsd and hungry, worn by cease
less marching and fighting, with no
hope of victory, with little posalbih-
ty of escape, they closed their lines
with fidelity of discipline an sold
ierly resolution, 10 which words can
do little jnstico-br,. which each
soldiers heart must lcco8nHe and
honor.
As tho old guard closed around
their Emperor at Waterloo, SO these
men closed round the flags Of then
lost cause. My heart abhors their
treason. But it warns beyond re-
straint to heir manhood so grandly
brave, even in disloyalty. Slowly
they advanced to their last attack
No battle yell, no crack OF the sklr
misher's rifle broke the strange Sut
ness of that Sabbath morn. S,eadl
ly, silently they camo, when Nn-rl
dan drew back his horselnon, as part
} OF some mighty curtain, and thcr
, stood the closeformel battallons o
. your infantry, the cannon gleamlnnj
| in tn, openings, quietly awaiting tn
coming of Gordon's men,
t Insjinctively your enemy haltel
G Meanwhile Lee has turned back
s meet Grant and surrender his con
!: mand. Sheridan swung his cayall
e around upon Gordon's LEFT, and VIZ
+ about to charge, when Custar reac
: ed Longstreet. Assuranceot sure
It der was given and the end Ia
- come.
It That Sabbath day, with tears al
G in sorrow, Southern men folded Il
l. banner of the "Lost Cause, al
e their bravest and the best songl
y honorably to bury them trom sgI
II forever. ga.
80 How sad it is that poor ambition
II icalousies of race, the wretch'
s greed of pelf and place, and the MI
so cradle hates of social rlyalreS, Shou
k. SO often disturb the hearty reconcl
T. alton of that surrender and fora tn
S. revive tn. bitterness which you tn
SO sought to bury there in comm
grave. ,.,.
- This hour is no time for p1liti
IN Mine not the lips, | trust 90
ne troduco them here. But when
at thing of that heroic past, which yc
tie faces and presence SO 'l'ldly r'c'
a and then how trading, trlckster p
all iticians, forgctful OF what baptlsI
ho blood sealed the new birth OF
lie. nation, seek to array races III ne
ok less hostility, to excite the lgnorr
ow of the one and the brutal preludl
ger of the other, | would like to 81
vas mon guard, half from the rebel ,
Icd my OF Northern Virginia and
lu from the loyal army OF the Po'on
hat t,kc such malcontents ont, give tt
he drum-head court martial, lmmed
.nd execution and soldierly burial un
me the apple tree at Appomattox.