American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-05-03

less charge and seal with a soldiers
death their earnest devotion to a
glorious but fallen cause. They
knew not how to surrender they
knew only how to fight, how to
die. Robert E. Lee wept scalding
tears. He knew not, cared not for
himself; it was the cause they were
his soldiers and our great leader,
broken in heart, trembling in every
fibre. almost speechless, witnessed
their stacking of arms and only
could articulate in tears, any brave
soldiers, it is over. God bless you
Farewell !"
1t is written, that the greatest
privilege IF a Frenchman was to
boast that he belonged to the Old
Guard of Napoleon thank God, l
and many others 1 see around me,
have greater privilege-we be-
longed to the Army of Virginia and
were soldiers of Robert E. Lee.
We, brother-soldiers, know what
that means we know what the Will
derness means we know what
Spottsylvania means we know what
Petersburg means, when, with only
80, OOO}effcctlve muskets, we charged
10000 strong, and not only drove
back the enemy, but successfully
captured three lines of their forti-
fed entertainments.
Yes, brother-soldiers, whether of
the Army of Virginia, of the Army
of Tennessee, or of the Transmits
sissipp,-aIl equally glorious-ws
know what war means. We have
seen its CHASTITY horrors and
laid to sleep our brothers who fell
with guns In their hands and their
faces to the foe. All performed their
duty well, and by their blood and
their death have made a consecrated
ground from the Potomac to the
Gulf of Mexico They now sleep
in peace their last sleep, and thank
God, were spared the horrors of
Reconstruction. Others, equally
brave, mangIed and torn, were
spared their lives and came home to
die to gaze once more on the scenes
of their early childhood and to
breathe their last in tho arms of the
tenderest affection.
To discriminate where all were 80
brave, would be invidious to the
dead, but almost since our last an
nual celebration, in our very midst,
three more brave souls have gone
to their God, three more brave
hearts have ceased to beat Thus,
one by one, they fall, and the
wounds of our hearts were freshly
opened by bearing to the city Of
the dead the last of Milas Cooper,
John Dawson and David Goodloe.
OF Milas Cooper, to say that he
be compliment TO Caesar. Though
he lost his arm in one of the first
and bloodiest battles of the war, his
spirit was unconquered, and he only
sn eathed his sword when our flag was
honorably furled. AS man be was
proud, brave and generous; intel
iectually, he had but few equals and
his professional brothers will bear
me out in saying that he gave prom
Use of q bright future and great use
fulness. He was scrupulously hon.
est and truthful, saying and doing
what he meant, and meaning what
he said and did; never speaking of
himself, yet by his honorable bear
ing and heightened conduct, he i'm
pressed all with whom he came in
contact as man of purity, modesty,
and sterling integrity. To his init
mate friends, he was affectiohate,
and though brave as lion, with
them wa, as gentle as a child. In
capable of deception himself, he was
trustful and confiding. His death
was like his life, and with full con-
seriousness of his situation, and rely
ing upon the goodness and mercy
of his God, he gave up his great
soul to his beloved Creator. The
day before he died, his hand in mine,
speaking of religion and his depart
ure, he said to me, "Ben, l always
thought l had nerve to meet death,
but now l have a Christians courage
and Christians hope" and when
at the last gasp closed his eyes, l
solemnly believed that no better
man ever lived or dieo. For Milas
Cooper, knowing him so intimately
As did, l can truthfuiIy say that l
never met a man 50 pure, so gen.
erous, and to his friends so gentle
and affectionate. God bless him
and those he loved and in placing
over his grave the floral offering OF
our hearts, we but recognize the old
maxim, "The nobIest work of God
is a pure and honest man."
AS to John Dawson, what shall l
say? Could anything more in eulo-
~ be said, than that he was John
Dawson? The very name in itself
is an epitome of noble thoughts and
generous virtues. A mere youth,
he enlisted among the first, and by
his manly bearing won the respect
Of all. He was truly gallant SOL
der, and bore his honors with the
modesty of a maiden, Always pres
ent where danger Jed, in the front
rank he received the fatal shell
which so mangled and dlsfgured
him. l saw him daily in his suffer
ings, and no one can truly appreci-
ate John Dawson that did not see
him then. To be brave in the fight
was his nature but stricken down,
mangled, disfigured, his, future. and
bright hopes gone, to witness in his
sutferings his patience, gentleness
and filial affection to his dear and
devoted mother, was to see John
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