The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-01

| MEETING or TIE VIRGINIA DIVISION OF TIL!
" "ASS0CIATiON OF TIE ARMY OF NoGTlEI!
ElRGlNIA. .;-Thc Senate Hall WA, crowded
| 10 its utmost capacity last night by the oiG
soldiers OF Lee, while the gallery was tiicC
with the noble women who l!;iliStcrcd tC
| the :. boys i'll gray during the dark days o
| the war, and were prcScut to smile upon Tie
survivors.
1t was p!c;,>an: to SEQ in the 9arb of quiet
citizens so liiJny Of lh" men vino won tiit
impcrisimbe fame OF our grand old army,
aud to witness their cordial greetings.
As General Early, General Fitz Lee, an(
others Of our leaders entered tie hail thry
were greeted with loud applause.
The meeting was opened with prayer by
Rev. DR.. Minniecrode.
General Fitz Lee called The meeting to or.
der, expressing his deep sense of the honor
done him in being called TO preside over the
survivors Of our noble army, who must de-
| crease in numbers every year, but whom he
hoped would meet each year as long us one
survived.
He regretted that General Gordon had
| been prevented by sickness in his family
from being prcSentan making his promised
address, but took great pleasure in intro
duciug Il gallant soldier, Colonel Joseph
Mayo, who had at the last moment consented
| to address the meeting.
He cloqucntly eulogiZed the southern sol
dicr, told tic story If his noble deeds, and
defended him from the charge Of having
been 4 "rehcl," so freely made by the con-
queror and the ncwly-edged "loyaiiSt," J."
who, in eager search Tor Office, has deserted
our ranks. He ably argued that brute force
can never settle great principles, and that we
may calmly and proudly await the verdict OF
impartial history for full vindication Of the
putty of our motives and our conduct
during the great struggle. lie quoted fro.,
Mr. Evcrett's oration at Gettysburg, and
ably and scathin@ly refuted its positions.
Colonel Mayo was received with applause.
and gracefully introduced his subject.
He cloquently argued that just as the
"rebel" George Washington is now recos-
nized in England as one Of the nohlest OF his
,uce, so the day will come when even upon
the floor of Congress the character OF Lee
and Jackson will bevindicated and their true
position assigned them.
After Colonel Mnyo's address, General
Early was called out, and was greeted with
the loudcst applause. He regretted. not
wilhstunding tue eloquent speech oil the Sai'
!ant Colonel Mayo, the absence OF the dlstln'
mliished soldier from GeorSEt (uehcIu noi
dom, who has always been ready 10 obey
every call Of duty.
II nc were to say all that he felt about this
Army Of Northern Virginia he did not know
how m4ny books he would write.
The history of that army has been made,
and is YET TO he written. Some say we must
FORGET the deeds OF that army; butwe are not
going to forget them.
success is no criterion by which history
will Judge, and we must not suffer 1t TO DC
SO in our clsc.
IF the Army Of Northern Virginia had done
nothing but siyc to the world Lee and Jack
son, it would be entitled to everlasting graft
tude. 81 rsg -,
The survivors of the. army shonld furnish ~;
the material from which in the future tne
history shall be so written TINT inelfs VIII ne
proud to be descendants of soldiers ac''o
fought IN The A,my Of Northern plrg'nsa,