The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-11-21

H Confederate soldier of
high rank ana distinguished gallantry, pre-
sided, and gave to the ceremony the sanction
of State which, however calmly and patiently
it may accept the fate of war, absolutely re-
fuses to deny or ignore the past in which it
played so brilliant and 80 honorable part
None of the States which formed the short
lived but ever-memorable Confederacy will
consent to admit break in the continuity OF
its history; or TO regard the men who fought
for Southern independence otherwise than as
the devoted soldiers and martyrs of a State
which is now what it was then, and which has,
in despite of constitutional amendments aud
enforced abjurations, the first claim on the
allegiance, the first place in the hearts of its
citizens. Least of all will Virginia, who en-
tered into the War last and most reluctantly,
who voluntarily undertook, with the smallest
interest, the heaviest share of the burdens and
by far the gravest part of the horrors and
sufferings OF warfare, ever dream of con-
Tossing an interruption in her historic identity,
or Of denying the unequaled leaders and I'M
surpassed contingent she furnished to the
Southern armies. Lee and Jackson and the
Virginians who fought under them can never
be 10 the Vlrginian people other hap<Virgin-
ian patriots, OF whose memory every Virgin
ian is at least as proud as of the memory of
Washington. The unwilling of Jacksons
statue was not an occasion of party demon
stratioD, but of an oatburst of national feel
ing, and the sympathy which England showed
in bestowing the image of its favorite hero is
accepted by the State as o testimony of ma
tional rather than Of party sympathy. Any
one who knows Virginia will understand how
thoroughly such q testimony is appreciated
The people are Euglish to the core, not
Englishmen halt-alienated by religious
prejudice and passion, nor yet on English
race Distinguished by strong admix-
ture of Celtic and German blood, like
the people Of the West and of Pennsylvania;
but Englishmsn whom. save for few anti
quated pc culiarities of speech and pronun-
citation, and few Republican substitutes for
loyalist phrases, none of us could distinguish
from our own countrymen. The quiet reso-
luton with which they sacrificed themselves
in 1861, the simple heroism with which they
accepted all the terrible consequences of that
self-sacrifce unto the very last, the grand en-
durance and solid good sense with which they
have borne all the miseries of ravage and con-
quest. oil wrongs and insults, never provoked
into one angry outbreak, never giving the
conqueror the shadow of an excuse for fur
ther outrage, all exhibit the English charac-
ter in its very highest and nobiest type, and
show us brethren of whom we may we'll be
proud. And the two great Virginian soldiers
were, each in his way, types of military ex-
cellence with which Eogland is familiar. Lee
was a cavalier of the noblest sort; not of the |
stamp OF Goring or Wilmot, but of
the stamp OF Sir Jacob Ashley, whose |
prayer before the battle OF Edgehill exhibits |
truer and purer religion than that of the |
Puritans. Lord, Thou knowest how busy |
/ must be to-day, if forget Thee do not Thou |
forget me-" He was gentler, kindlier Well |
lington, with all Wellington's power of reso- |
lutte endurance and devotion to duty. Stone |
wall jackson was q Puritan who might have |
led the finest regime nts Of Ironsides through |
out the Rebellion, to throw up commits |
sion when he found that he had only con. |
tributed to the murder of a king and the ele-
walton of tyrant, not by taste or temper |
professional soldier, but otherwise a warrior |
of the 81 me class as Lawrence and Havelock-l
q class which has furnished no small proper
ton of our finest and most daring officers
No wonder that he fixed the attention and |
won the hearts almost as much of English
men as of his compatriots. Except Leo and |
Johnston, the South had no greater captain,
she had no soldier at once so great and so
singular; SO capable of attracting the affec-
ton and imrressng tie imagination of men
as well as OF commanding their admiration.
Until the war began, jackson was neither a
renowned nor popular person. He was no |,
fsvorite within the walls OF his military acad-
envy; he was little known outside. But as a
trained and capable soldier he was one of the
nrst 10 % appointed 10 command, ana al
Manassas, whore he led brigade, he fixed
his mems eyes upon him. Even by that time
he had acquired such control over his men
that he could keep his young recruits steady
when all was reeling around them. Aud Bees
appeal to waveriDg troops-"Look at jackson,
standing like stone wall" gave the name
which at first shared by his command, was
afterwards exclusively appropriated to him.
II does not seem peculiarly expressive of the
martial qualities of the most rapid and aggres-
sive of the Southern captains.
The campaign in the Valley of Virginia,
where he defeated, one by one three Federal
commanders, each superior in numerical
st. apgtb and the splendid conception, SPLEEN
diily executed, which left these three all !
looking ont, in CONSERVATION and uncer-
tainty, for new attack, even OF the moment .
when Jackson struck McCiellans flank on the /. |.
Chickahcminy, displayed the power of attack l..
rather than of defense. From that time Jack
sons story is identified with Lees, and it was !;
by him that all Lees brilliant offensive schemes
were executed, from the day when they met
a few short PAGES from McClellan's outposts {
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