New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-05-31
DECORATION DAY
ctRfEoN1ss AT cHAlMET1E
THE GRATEFUL LIVING HONOR THE
LOYAL DEAD.
0RA?lcN Of J. R. G. P1TKlv, ESQ.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS

| many :ea.s the day selected 20 honor th'
! graves st cus dead Union soldiers. j.
| evt;y State friends. relations and soc:e:e'
proceed ::..s Jay 20 stew flowers over :ios,
! who have given rp :ieir lives for !oTe @
co,.nt1y. H. most States this labor Of !ovt
Las been Gisec:ed by :he ditfeyer: posts o.
tie Grand Army oi .ie Republic. Cn::
this gear she American Union Club made
,hs necessary arrangements here: bu: .es
! teydav Joseph A. Mower Pos: No. C. the
Grand Army OF the Republic. deDas:men;
| OF Louisiana. Issued the invita- :ions.
Tie s.eame. Brad:sh John son wac char
Tered ios tie day, anc made regular trips
70 and from the city.
The frs: "trip was made at zen O'clock and
! carried the majority OF the great number Of
ladies who visited the cemetery. The tables
| o. H.. cabin were loaded with flowers sup
pied by the floral committee and by the
many lady and other friends OF the pos:
.oD Of the mos: beautiful bouquets being
contributed by ]. N. G. Parker, Esq, sur
veyor of the por. Of New Orleans. Profes
so, Bells band played many airs OF each
trip.
AT chalmet:e cemetery the stars and
stripes we've displayed at sunrise and re.
mained at masthead until after the firing
OF the national salute a: noon. when !: was
lowered to half.mast till snndown.
During the morning all the graves were
decorated with flowers. On the second trip,
at twelve o'clock, the steamer carried near.
" as many as at first. As she steamed
rapidly down. the reports Of the twen:y.one
guns from the Metropolitan Battery a: the
cemetery came upon the ear. family 3!
first. and loader and closer in :ime 20 the
sigh. Of che white puff Of smoke :bs: sig.
nailed the discharge to the eye. as the boa:
neared her destination.
A: the barracks . detachment. o! .he
Nineteenth Infantry and the band Of tine
regiment came on board, dressed in white
pants and straw hats, and each with mag.
nolia. or other flower. in his hand.
Arriving at the cemetery. the v;si:c:s
na1 cLed TO a platform which had beer
erected in che grounds. which was shie!de.i
trcm the sun and rain by canvas covering
and draped in tags and ornamep:ed with
flowers.
When all were seated, Post Commando:
w. G. James advanced and said:
Comrades and Friends-Since :he com.
mencement of this cemetery it has been the
custom of the American Union Ciup 20
take charge of the exercises Of this dav,
but this year Joseph A. Mower Pos. No. /,
of the Grand Army Of the Republic il this
State, have the matter in charge. and in
behalf Of that post of the Grand Army of
the Republic Of this State, will thank
those who have come here TO assist us in
decorating the graves of our fallen com.
rades. 1t can not be considered pleasure
be'I''u be a pleasure Dem we think Of .he lt:
many others, North. East and Wes:.
who have friends buried here. who can not
strew flowers on their graves. But we
know that many prayers are ascending 20.
day from trusttul hearts. who are thanking
us for our labor Of love. There are many
here who have friends who are buried in
the North, and who can not decorate their
graves. But this day is almost a national
holiday. 1t is a day set apart. In almost
every town and village in the North the
people have assembled to-day 90 decorate
The graves of their fallen comrades. and
are thinking OF those whose bones are lying
in this land, and whose graves are being
decorated by US. Again ! thank You Tor
your kind presence and assistance, and an.
nounce that the exercises will be opened
with prayer by Rev. E. T. Hooker.
After All impressive and appropriate
supplication to the Almighty by DR..
Hooker. Captain James announced as the
orator Of the day j. r. 6. Pitkin. ESQ. who
spoke as follows:
Brethren of the Union--in coming before
you to-day under the auspices and a: the
instance Of the organization known as the
Grand Army OF the Republic. welcome
YOU all in it's behalf to the annual reverent
offices we are assembled 20 discharge
within this solemn bivouac OF the dead.
The awful hush of these sleepers burdens
my lips. and in breaking the silence TO
which they have been left for twe!ve'
month, l shall hope, if net especially 70 in.
teress you, at least to pronounce no word
that may not be consonant with this totiye
hour and with the tender esteem with which
you have approached these graves.
All that we boast as a prosperous people
finds sober surety in burial grounds like
this. The permanence of the government.
individual security, national development;
to rescue these from peril was task few
centuries dare confide to men, but a task
that was grandly encountered and grandiy
accomplished With such examples OF Ia-
tional valor as our battles multiplied
valor, the measure OF which we dared not
suspect at the inception of the war-we
have abundant reason to be heroic through
all the future Of the republic. We walk
upon soil quickened with martial germs.
we hold our titles as citizens under new and
sacred beQuest; all over the land are desolate
homes, whittier these doughty champions
have never returned from their mission in
our behalf They took the rife from the
hand of the Union as the Duke Of Shrews-
bury received his staff of office from Queen
Anne. under the solemn injunction, For
Gods sake, use 1t for the good OF my.
people., Before them were grim lines of
havonets and sullen earthworks that in
trepched q mighty treason and Haunted an
unsanctified banner in the face OF the age.
The soldier of the Cnion-nay, the mon
itself, long failed to compass the extent of
the duty TO which that banner challenged
them. Civilization had loitered too long;
TO accelerate its advance, in the words oi
the poet Lowell. lit got forward on pow
der cart
The national government had for years
lacked southwark and called it's acres ter.
ritory of freedom. She was now While at
temptiuC to re-establish her supremacy
over those acres, to find horizon after horl-
zon of slavery stretching On before her. She
was confronted by her own historic sin
She saw that her title to tie soil was not a
whit better than a God-made mans to his
manhood; that with His blessing to resent
political Treason, she must likewise re-
cant her natural treason;, that If Sc
eession as a right was a hesesy, coiol
as ban was lie that behind the
lines of foe men throbbed in black SKINS q
do all that fervid hearts and stalwar
arms might achieve for a nation wresthns
for her life. Size saw that hands that were
in, for froadOm were XOrtlN