The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-11-01
The SOUTHERN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Address OF lx-snxAros HvxxxA

The annual session Of the Southern H
.. torical Society was opened at Richmond, VI
on the 9th Of October, and was largely
tended Ex-U. s. Senator r. NJ T. Hunt
delivered a most eloquent address, from Viii
We extract the following:
Yes, gentlemen, this is story that must
told. We are assembled here to collect Il
materials for that history. To this great wo
every man here must contribute to the extel
of his abilities. Men who have documen
will give them, those who have personal recc
lections will transmit them in some endurir
form.
If we have no man now able to write tn
history, We will collect the materials, and thel
is coming man, undoubtedly, who will writ
it. This, indeed we can do, and it is due [
the dead that we should do it. 1t is due, to-
to the living, many of whom I see here, thu
it should he done. This is due not only
ourselves, but to the world. There never wa
q war whose history will be read with more il
terest than this Of all contests, those be
tween the weak and strong interest us most
if the weak stand up bravely and meet thei
difficulties becomingly. From the day G
David and Goliah down to this war, such con
| tests have always enlisted human interes.
Men do not help the weak when they fear tn
strong, but they always sympathize with tn
weak who meet their trial with courage ans
becoming fortitude and patience.
think it may be shown that no people eve
encountered difficulties with greater courage
and patience than did our Southern people il
their recent contest Let its history be fairI,
written, and believe the world will accord
with me. But in commemorating the d. eds
and self-denial of the men, we must not for.
get the women. When did they ever fail to
respond promptly to any demand which was
made upon them for food or raiment, or any
thing they could furnish to our men in the
field? In how many instances did they re-
buke deserton2 or when were they heard to
complain OF any sacrifices necessarily imposed
upon them by the war? It was one Of the
last acta Of the war, when the Confed-
crate Government appealed to the women
OF Virginia for food for the soldiers How
cheerfully was it given! In how
many instances did the woman say, upon
examining her stores, 81 and my family will
live upon the bread, let the soldier have the
meat ," and, at the time of Lees surrender,
depots were being formed in the State which
were wasted or destroyed without even help
ing those for whom they were designed I
well remember myself the instance of q lady
who dwelt not far from here. Several Federal
officers were quartered in her house. One OF
them said to her one day:
Madame, you astonish me. Your slaves
are deserving you, or being spirited away
daily; your barns are sacked, your farm is
wasted, your teams taken away, your stock
destroyed, and yet you make no complaint
How is this 2"
''Sir," said the young lady, in the spirit of
the Roman matron, "you do not unders and
the feelings of our Southern women in their
estimation of the cause for which you are
making them suffer. l lost my husband not
very long ago He owed his country his life
and nobly he paid the debt, dying ti,.hting, as
he did, in the field. I shed no tears over him,
and, do you suppose I would mourn over
property when l made no moan over him
When lost him, 1 lost my all NV sex for
bids me to take his place in the ranks. I can
not fight but can endure" And molly she
lid endure all the trials of the war. remem-
Der, too, that one day a woman came in from
Hanover to see the President. She said that
he Federal raiders had visited her the day |
before and swept off the little provision of !
'orn she had made for the support of herself |
md daughter, taken whatever they wanted 4
rom her house, and dug up the grave of her
mother in the garden under the hope that it |
SOAllnAA A1OACy w vd1uAUL6S one naO
leard there was some provision made in
he city to relieve such cases as hers, and she
anne for some corn for her subsistence
ome provision had been made for such cases
y the Governor OF Virginia, but of course
here was nothing which the Confederate
Government could do to relieve her She
ought to state her case to the Confederate
who, being very busy, could not
90 her, but sent her the expression of his
Ympathy and small sum of money, with
is regret that he could not make it more.
he refused the money, saying that she had
Of come to beg, but to borrow the means of :
lpport whilst she and her daughter made
lother crop. which they would do, and not
1ly repay what she borrowed, but provide 1
lother years supply. Her husband, it was 6
ue, she said, was in the army, but she did /
1t wish him recalled He was doing bet 9
business there than if he were making l
op for herself and her daughter They i
uld no that for themselves, She said, and t
him fight the men who had treated her c
us. 1t was explained to her that she must
ply elsewhere tor relief, and she went off t
lite cOntented that her husband should re- I
ain in the army to fight the Yankees, where Z
e thought he ought to be.
But the history of the war is not confined | a
the m IN and women of the country. Both | u
xes were enthusiastic. There were many in a
ranks willing to contribute their lives or O
cir property to the cause in which they Ii
re ali so deeply interested. Boyhood, too,
s its recollections which are worthy to be J
eserved The late Robert E. Scott, whose G
ath was 80 deeply hmented by all Virginia is
ID me that on the eve of the battle Of M n
ssas. mere boy who had followed the IL
oops from Alabama was going to the stream p
tn canteen to get some water for wound d
friend, when he was arrested by the groans il
a wounded soldier from New York, who i,
s lying on the field. He begged the boy IL
: water in a piteous tone. 'Sball give Of
u water?" said the boy. "You left your a.
me to invade my country and destroy our k
critics. l will not give you water On the P
atrary, l have great mind TO take one of hi
use muskets lying around and put an end b,
you " "Do so" said the man; II be- %,
We, death would be more welcome to me (
'n.water. Put an end to my life. l have 81
thing more to live for. II
. No" said the boy, much shocked by the tr
'ly. eff you are as game as that" REPLIED T
little fellow, II will not kill you, but bring oil