Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-09-04
Gen. Wade Hampton's Address
Before the Fauqnier,Memoyiai Associa-
.as S., ton. at Warrenton,~

OuG sOl l-Lu6. luOSb rLOuShlnA i1Hh fAooS
duties that human hearts can con-
ceive OF human hands perform-that
of dedicating with reverence, with
love, and with solemn prayer to AL
mighty. God, this monument. to the
.martyred dead of a iallen gbnt Just
and righteous cause. a+.,''
In paying honor to. the memory Of
these men you do honor to your
selves but this will bea mere idle
pageant if it.has not q deeper signif-
cance than the simple dedication Of
a monument implies. In1all ages, in
nearly every country, civilized or
savage, Pagan and Christian alike
have striyen to perpetuate the mem
ory of their dead, and to manifest
their own affection by honering the
graves that hold the dust Of those
whom they loved. The severe Muse
OF History has tboughtit not beneath
her dignity to record tie fact that
the very. word. significant Of a ma 3ni-.
ficent monument owes its origin to
that noble pile which the affection oil
a Pagan widow dedicated to ner hus
band Mausolos; and whilst most OF
the proud temples and mighty public
works Of naughty Rome have cr'lm-
bled into Just, ,h,t stci n round tow
er Of other days, on the Appian Way,
that tells of the love OF her husband
for his dead Metella, yet stands to
win tue respect and admiration of
the world. Beautiful as are these
memorials Of a love that lives beyond
the grave, and worthy as they are Of
conmendation, the work you are now
engaged in is, unless misapprehend
YOUR purposes and motives, more sa-
cred in its aims and more patriotic in
its objects. No keen sense of private
bereavement has caused you to rear
this shaft. The men whom it COM
memorates were strangers to those
whose pious hands had erected it: At
the call of their country, and obey
ing the command of DUTY. that
stern daughter Of the voice of God,
they left their peaceful homes in the
far South to fight on the historic
fields of your grand old Common
wealth, for the faith Of our fathers,
for freedom and for our fatherland. {.
The feeling. that inspired them was
the same which has been SO nobiy ex-
pressed by a heroic votary and mar !,
tyr of Liberty, in those words which
should live forever in every heart
that is desirous or worthy of free
dom That I simply offer my life
is Of little import; but that | offer
it crowned as it is with all the flow
cry wreaths OF. love, OF friendship
and OF loy-this is indeed a sacrifice
which can only be opposed to such a
prize-our country freedom" These
men freely offered their lives crown
ed as many of them were with every
blessing that could make life attrac-
tive, and they died in the vain effort
bot in blessed hope, t. secure the lib-
erty OF their country. They died far
away from their home, amid stran-
gers, with no kindred hands to alle-
viale their pain, no tongue OF devo-
ted father or loving mother Or tender
sister to cheer their journey through
the dark valley. Of death, and to
whisper those blessed words that
tell of eternal peace beyond the
grave.
That the women Of Virginia min.
isiered with gentle hands and kind
hearts to their wants, if they had
the opportunity of doing so, feel
we'll assured, for have not forgotten
their acts Of loving-kindness to my
men and to myself; but the han's
and the voices that belong only to
home were absent in thai supreme
moment when !" on some fond breast
the parting soul relies and this ab'
serce gave to death its sharpest pang'
If then the men who rest under the
/ shadow Of yonder shaft were strang-
ers to you, they were bound toyon by
no ties'of blood of affection, why
have you, noble daughters Of a noble
State, cared 80 kindly for their hum
| bic graves? Why doy honor their
J dust 2, And why do you seek to
commemol ate their deeds and to per-
petuate their fame by that stately
column, and to preserve their names
to future generations by engraving
them on the enduring marble2 2 These
are the pregnant questions suggested
by this scene and this occasion. and
to answer them Lam here to-day.
To do this properly, my inspiration
must come from the memories OF the
past rather than the sad realities oi
the present or the hopes of the, fu,
ture, and i shall fail altogether un.
less their sacred memories wake a re-
sponsive echo In your hearts. Am
.llAGIS.s - ILL.,. - e. ....,kod