The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-06-05
MEMPHIS, May ~, 1873.

Low.
MEMPHIS, May -, 1873.
General Gideon j, Pillow:
DEAR SIR have the honor to state
that the. committee of arrangements
for the decoration of the graves of the
federal dead ut the national cemetery
have instructed me, as their secretary,
| to tender To you, and through you To
| the Mexican war veterans, n cordial
invitation to attend and par
ticipate in the memorial eX-
crciscS on the afternoon of Mon
day, May 3lst instant. The committee
have selected you rs the proper party
through whom to extend this invita-
ton to the Mexican war veterans, for
the reason that you are the ranking
officer of that war in our midst, and,
indeed, ! believe you are the only sur
vivng major general of the Mexican
war. The committee join me in pro-
testutions of esteem for you personally,
and for the valuable services you rem
dered the country.as n soldier of the re-
public. | am, sir, yours very respect
fully, -
4. b. EDGINGTON, Secretary.
MEMPHIS, May Is, 1875.
To Major 4. b. Edgington Secretary:
DEAR SIR-The courteous invitation
of the committee of arrangements OF
federal soldiers to unite with them in
decorating the graves offederal soldiers
mt the national cemetery, on the thlr-
ty-first instant extended through YOU
as its secretary, is received, and on be-
half of myself it is accepted. On be.
half of the MoXican war veterans"
to whom til. invitation is, through me,
extended, can only say that, if they
follow their old chief, they, too. will
attend. Your allusion TO my services in
the "McXican war;" and to the fact
that ! am the sole survivor of the oili-
GERS of my rank of the regular army,
awakens in my bosom just pride mt
the conscious fidelity with which those
services were rendered. Thai KIND
Providence has spared my life to be the
sole survivor of the gallant major.gen-
erals of the regular army, who fought
its bloody fields, and who, in victory,
bore the glorious banner Of the great
republic, and planted il on the palace
of the MonteZumas and of lturbide,
calls for the expression of Il heart full OF
love and gratitude to the Great Ruler
who has so heightened my years.
Whatever estrangcmcnt-und events
the writer would gladly have averted-
he may once have felt, and however
unwise he may have considered some
acts Of the government in producing
these events, the undersigned ac-
knowedges that his first love of cOun-
heart, and he feels Il Just pride in its
10, n,,I fI,ttIr, plnpp | N
conclusion, permit me to make my
grateful Acknowledgements toyour com
mittee for the expressions of respect
and esteem for me personally, con-
tanned in yonr invitation. With SEN
timents of high regard, am, major,
your obedient servant,
GIDEON j. PILLOW.
LETTERS TO AND FROM GENERAL FOR
REST.
MEMpHIs, May ", 1875.
General N. Orrest:
DEAR SIR-The committee of ar
for the decorations of the
graves of the federal soldiers ut the ma
tiOnal cemetery have instructed me, as
their secretary, to extend to you, and
through you to the officers and soldiers
of the late confederate army, and their
friends, a cordial Invitation to be pres
ent and participate in the ceremonies
of the occasion, which are to occur in
the afternoon of Monday, May 3lst, in
slant. | have the honor, general, to he
very respectfully your obedient serv-
ant, .. -,
MEMPHIS, May IS, 1875.
Major Il. b. Edgington, Secretary, etc:
DEAR SIR have the honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt of your favor of
the 9th instant, in which you invite
me, and, through me, the former oili-
GERS and soldiers of the late confederate
army to be present on the 3lst instant
and Join you in decorating the graves
of the federal soldiers who are buried
at the national cemetery. In reply, al
low me to thank YOU and your COM
mittee of arrangements for the courtesy
of making me the medium through
which to extend to my late comrades
i'm arms an invitation to engage in GER
that appeal so strongly to the
Of the true soldier, no matter
which banner he followed IN the late
civil war. For myself, | accept your
polite invitation, and earnestlyrequest
all eX-confederate soldiers to join me
in its acceptance, and | feel that may
assure you that they will
do SO. Appreciate, and am
in full sympathy with, the spirit OF
manly friendship and reconciliation
which has prompted the recent inter-
change of SO many soldierly courtesies
among those who with equal courage |
net so often as foemcn upon the field
IF battle. / sincerely trust that the
line is not far in the future when the
soldiers of the late war will cease to re-
member the angry passions engen-
Tered 10y the bloody struggle. Between
hose who were true to their colors dur
ny the late war, there can be no hate
,r bitterness, since all have now one
lag and one country, there ought to be
40 estrangement or sectionalism.
lm, sirs, yours, very respectfully,
N