Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-05-31

LARGEST PROCESSION EVER WITNESS.
ED IN KNOXVILLE
AE - e. -MNNHEEH q gE
Imposing eeremsuies at me National
Cemetefy.
Address Of Gen. Joel A. Dewey.

i
oeme.er'' s1LtKyx.
Address Of Gen. Joel A. Dewey.
Although the appearance yesterd
morning did not indicate very fine day
yet at an early hour people began to gathel
in from every direction, and by every
highway leading to the city, and long be
fore the time for the procession Knoz
county was represented as she never wa.
before, at any occasion of the kind. adol
THE FOUR TRAINS ARRIVING ~
were all well crowded with passengers fol
the decoration, especially the trains on the
Knoxville and Charleston and Knoxville
and Ohio Railroads, four extra coaches
being used on both roads, and even then
many were compelled to stand up in
the cars, there not being a sufficient
number of seats to supply all the passen-
gers. 1t was estimated by competent
judges that there were more people in our
city yesterday than had ever been at any
previous occasion Of the kind. "A =
THE PROCESSION
was formed at the court house, as per
programme, being headed by Chief
Marshal, General Cooper, and five Of his
assistants. Maj. s. Hambright, of Bradley
county: Capt. Robert Kittrell, of Loudon
Capt. w. A. White Of Knox; Capt. A.
Myers, of Campbell /; Capt. A. A. Snod-
derby, of Union. and took up their line
up to Crooked, down Crooked to Asylum,
thence to Broad, up Broad to Bellevue,
and down Bellevue to Jacksboro' streets,
and thence to the Cemetery. 81
The procession was the largest ever
known in this city, extending nearly four
squares in length. The Cadets, under
Capt. Romeo Spence, presented a good ap-
pearance, and made a very favorable inn
preston on all who witnessed the process
ion.
The Turner Band discoursed some ex-
cellent music during the march as well as
at the Cemetery.
Arriving on the grounds the carriages
were emptied of their living freight, and
the crowd, after refreshing themselves
with ice water, four barrels having been
placed at each side of the avenue near the
main entrance, congregated around the
stand, under the National flag, which was
unfurled to the breeze at half mast.
THREE SUITABLE STANDS
had been erected, one for the President,
Speaker of the occasion, Marshals,g &c.
another for the Band and Choir. and
third for the Misses representing the thir-
ty-seven States. K " S. q
After music by the Band, they playing
one of Mendelssohn' IS songs without words,
the President, Hon. T. A. r. Nelson,
made few remarks, explaining the OBJ
ject of the meeting and closed by calling
on Rev. j. Howard Smith, who addressed
the Throne of Grace in fervent and elo-
quent prayer. off 1s1|
The choir then sang Chow Sleep the
Brave" after which the President intro
duced Gen. Joel A. Dewey, the orator of
the day, explaining at the same time that
the absence of N. G. Taylor, d. D., who
was also to deliver an address, would nee
essarily make some change in the pro-
gramme. ~
Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen
You have gathered for decoration and
the discharge of duty. You have mustered
from far and near-frOm city, town and
hamlet; from vale, hillside and plain. We |
meet in the Joy and strength of hope, but |
we meet that we may not forget the de- |
parted brave-those who went hand in |
hand with us into the great struggle, but |
whose forms have vanished, whose voices
ire hushed, and on whose graves the do |
ets of many springs have doomed any |
lied.
The memories of these brothers gone
before " are with US now, and give this
,onsecrated day a softer, tenderer hue;
,hese memories are ever green; and even
when we, like them, "shall our take places
IN the silent halls of death,'' they will be
fresh in the hearts of succeeding genera
ions, who, too, shall bring their yearly |
1oral chaplets for the brows of our patriot
lead There is scarce household in the
md WI, ,rt do mos ,nl
Marcellus; no brotherhood that has not |
aid some of its princely ones i'm the grave.
More, and through all time it has been the
,ad cry of humanity, that it is soon
st bereft of its wOrthiest and its
dearest that in this world of sin
having SO much need of its
strongest and its purest ones-the fairest
promise is earliest doom. So in the war
our nation, from lakes to gulf, lost many
Of the sons she hoped of most. =
And yet, though we have such proud
md precious remembrances almost the
only recollections of those dark four years
we ought to nurture and to cherish-it
seems more apt and wise to me 10 speak to
living men of living things. In doing so,
albeit in the weakest way, may best ap
propriate and teach the lesson of their lives
and deaths, and stop only to aver that
10 not and will not here speak of politics
JT SeCtIOuS, Uut udNC CACIuSiNc IclcIcuCC W
hat which is right and noble in the indi-
vidual and in society.
A yearning for freedom of the individual
freedom of mind, and for social develop
ment-a yearning, deep, vehement, and Oft
times violent-gives strange mark to the
age. 1t is peculiar to no order of intellect, or
school of morals, or scale of society. Be it
a principle or passiOn-be tia reality or a
it from whence il, may-it
has taken possession of the souls of men.
Classify it you may not measure it you
can not, yet it is none the less the most
active force of the century. 1t has pro-
luced almost as many civil revolutions in
the last fifty years. It has banished kings,
dynasties, pushed empires
years old to the verge of destruc-
ton, put the Supreme Pontiff to fight
and then Gagged him, planted popular BAN
ners on every palace and Valhalla on the
continent this side of Russia, trumpeted
through Europe ideas such as before were
hardly lisped in whispers. evoked new
races into life, brought to common level,