The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-15
A MEMORABLE SCENE.
The Imposing Funeral OF General
Meade.


From the Philadelphia Ledger, November l2l
The mortal remains of General Meade rested
last night at Laurel Hill. They were accom-
panied on the way 10 that final home by suoh
manifestations OF public regard as have been
rarely, II ever, conferred In Philadelphia on
other men. They were worthy OF the dsad
soldier and Citizen, ana he was worthy OF
them. The funeral procession and all that
pertatned to the funeral ceremonies were ar.
ranged and carried cut In exceedingly good
taste by the military and civic authorities. The
comrades OF the departed hero IN their
civic dress; the cherished friends and
official associates OF the honored cit.
lien; the long column Of soldiers;
the high officers Of the army and navy;
the city authorities; Lhe judges OF the courts,
The Governor of the State and the Governor
States: the representatives Of The city and tho
Commonwealth in the National Legislature;
the lleutenant-general aud general.in-chief OF
the srmy with their suites; the President OF
the United States; the soldiers orphans (cher.
ished children OF tho dead.of hundred regl-
ments;) the tattered batlle.fagsshe rum6llng
casson, bearing the most precious burden it
ever bore; The knlghtly sword, now forever
sheathed; the bullsl-scarred riderless horsei
these and all the accessories Of the sorroWlul
procession were In exact harmony with the
lone and feeling cf both participants and
spectators. But there was another I'M
presslye feature in addition to those pre-
scrlbed in the "orders of the day." There
has never been in this city such uni
yersal interest In ceremonial honors to the
dead. The shop WAS shut, the hum OF the
spindle was hushed, the clang OF machinery
was stlIled, schools, offices and courts were
closed, and the hundreds Of thousands OF
usually busy hands In the great city ceased
their labors, while the mal they loved and
honored was being carried to the grave.
From the church where the solemn service for
the dead was performed, all the way to tne
Park, the streets were thrcuged oy dense
masses, aud In the Park, the slopes and
mounds and bluffs were covered by the largest
assemblage ever seen In the city. It Was
grand spectacle. The people of Philadelphia
had come out in mass to pay the tribute Of
their unpurchased aud unpurchasaole homage
to their ilIuslrIous dead soldier, and to bid
him hnal adleu.
Nothing could be more imposing than the
scene presented above Fairmount, as observed
from the barge which bore the remains from
the steamboat landing to Laurel Hill. The
civic and military procession was broken Into
sections aud displaJed ia the foreground in
the old park. Above the first bend IN the
river large body OF the military was dis.
played 10 long n1dnatng nne, lasd exCeaaiug aHs
nue. bridge. Beyond these, on every part OF
the continuous rising ground from the Coates
street entrance clear up TO the bridge, was q
living background oil full hundred thousand
people. Moving slowly and sadly Ia front OF
ihls grand spectacle was the shrouded steamer
with its honored burden, salnted by musketry
and cannon; by the Hweetly mourntul music of
the chorlsters on the pleri by low dirges from
mufaed drums; by the saddened eyes and
sorroWlng hearts Of a popular assemblage,
unexampled In nun oers here. The men and
women who were there will describe the
scene to their children for years aud years to
come, and the children who were there will
tell OF 1t to their children, and future genera.
tlons will continue to hear OF the exalted
honors paid to the dead General Meade. And
those who come after us, as we'll as those who
were there, will understand that the soldier
and citizen who was accorded such homage,
and who deserved II, must have been man
strongly entrenched In the affections OF tne
people-one to whom the country was deeply
Indebted. These Impressive posthumous non
ors are but 30 many grateful expressions ID
acknowledgment Of that debt. They 90 not
discharge It. How and by whom Will 1t be
paid, 80 far as it is possible to pay lt now, ls
vet for the future to disclose.