The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-07-28

distant. nltlSt say tHo 'C ''4S "''N''
that J. have no set speech for tins occa-
sion. The subject is too vast to be dis
posed of or handled in this wHy. IL IS
matter Of history not sulyect tor q
| half hours discussion and l. snail at
tempt little more than to relate to you
Il few incidents Of the great struggle
Through which shoulder TO shoulder we
have passed. ....
Fourteen years ago within cannon
sound Of where we now stand, the Reg
! iment to which we belonged Was orga,,
nizcd. The State had seeded, blood
had been spilled, passion ruled the hour,
the delnge had come. -: :. ..
With an accord which the clansmen
of some Highland chief might h,sve
euualed but never SURPASSED, you re-
suonded to the call of your country. L
mention the fact with pride-pride not
nbated by the results which followed
because you believed that you were
right. And proud as l am of that re-
sponsc-proud as I am of the fidelity
with which it was sustained for four
long years, l. am prouder still of that
high Spirit which could bear without
breaking, defeat and the disappointment
iof YOUR hopes. 1t was my fortune to
| see three Colonels of the Regiment, CT
the four who were killed, fall beneath
its flag. -- ss. ~. 3...: ( t}.s,..s..,
The experienced and gallant Marshall;
and the faithful Ledbetter,, both at 2d
Manassas: and afterwards when that
tattcred banner now Before me, was bap-
tized with fire! at Chancellorsville, the
lamented Perrit-that "chevaler with
out shainsn--fell literally with his Land
upon its stat. And last of the four and
| the bravest of the brave, at Deep Bot
tom, perished the intrepid Haddon.
They were by accident and with merit
the distinguished dead of the Regiment,
"And noisy fame is proud to CLAIM
thcm,n and what shall [ say Of that
host of untitled braves, who are now
sleeping in unmarked and unknown
rraves on more than score of battle
| fic1ds-unhonored and unsung-b but not
unwept. In. many a humble. home
around many e stricken hearthstone,
there sits to-day the aged sire, the prop
and stay of whose declining years has
been rudely taken away; and there too
sits the fond mother, vOiccless and tear
less i'm unutterable woe for the loss of
her Reuben and'hcr Benjamin who are
not. ... -. :.
] have said that the flag now before
me was baptised with fire at Chancel-
lorsvillc. You will pardon me, / know,
for relating an incident which it sl,g-
ucsts-an incident so honor"blc-so he
roic in itself. TIE Rifles were OH the
extreme right Of the Brigade-a front
and enfilade fire was so terrific that the
five right companies of the Regiment
were swept from the line, leaving the
color guard as the right of the Battal-
ion-every member of which was shot
down the last of whom rs he fell placed
the coors against tree, and Alfred
Wardlaw, the first Sergeant Of Compa-
nv b.. seized them anGin turn instant
" fell, pierced through the temples
With q mfAnie ball. He lived for a- fort
uight-he lived to reach but meyer to
see his home again. Oh, de?otei, faith
ful color-guard! Oh, brave, blind boy
/ sec before ME the familiar faces OF
McElrov, of Terrell and Wiley, and 9TH
ers Of Company r. Parion ME for re-
lating IN incident which their presence
suggests as tho it had happened ycstcr-
day. Towards the close of the mcmor-
lblo Friday of I'd Manassas, during the
greater part of which it seemed as tho
thc sun stood rs still rs it did for Joshua
or Gideon, after we had resisted six or
seven charges on our front and about
the time that our gallant old chief Gen.
Gregg,) had immortaliZed himself ky
the scnteutions replyto Gen. Hill that
any ammunition is exhausted, hut l
will hold the position with the Sayo-
net, and or lines were being reform
ed under the direction Of Captain Miller,
my FREUD and lastregimenta command
cr, was requested by the lattcr to take
charge of Company f., which was with
out Il commissioned officer. They were
about fourteen in number. On calling
for the ranking Sergeant, was tolcthat
they had none, nor had they Corporal
even amongst them. There from the
time their last on-copmtssloned officer
had left them, they stood in the voluntary
discharge of their Guty, bearing the heat
and burden and danger Of that long day
fourteen heroes-fourteen living lions.
But time would fail me as would your
patience to multiply these incidents.
Success was not for US. Neither the
blood of the brave and heroic dead nor
the valor OF the living could reverse the
decrees Of fste-and if from these bitter
.waters-this dearly bought experience,
we should learn no useful lessons, We
arc indeed of all men ritost miserable.
What is the lesson of the hour? We
appealed to the sword, the decision has
been against us. Stand by that decision
with untiinching fidelity. 1t requires
no abatement Of your high spirit, it will
be exalted higher still. No compromise
of manhood, it is the highest exercise of
it. Courage, fortitude and patience arc
the highest qualities of the soul, and
the greatest Of these is patience. You
had in your great leader the highest cN-
emplar of these virtues that any age or
any country cccr produced. Inccd not
name him to any soldier of the army of
Northern Virginia. Who can ever for
get our own great Hector, permitted as
he was by q kind Providence for our
encouragement to survive the fall Of his
tcountry. Whose noble brow has con-
sented to death-the light Of whose
eagle eye squenched forever, and whose
manly form has sunk to rest on the
bosom, of that fond mother whom he
served so faithfully and loved so well.
Nay, my comrades, Lee and Jackson
are not dead They SLEEP. Such never
die. Methinks T.. see the finger Of a
vanished hand pointing to us the path
of duty-I yet hear the sound of avoice,
that is still, saying TO Us his people,
Patience! Paticncc!! Patience !!! All
will yet be we'll
GEN. MCGowAN's SPEECH.
The General was the "big gun" of
the day and spoke last. AS the occasion
was one to awaken all his ardor and to
grouse all hrs sympathies, one may i'm
aglne the breathless suspense and sym
pathetic interest with which tire audi
ence hung upon his eloquent words aud
were fired by his glowing periods. His
large Irish heart revived tire various
memories of common danger and suffer
ing, which sent the eelHctivc spark of COM
mon sympathy throughout the large
assemhlY.. AlthOugh the Gemcral had