The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-24
THE FRATERNAL ERA,
Speech Of Gen. Fitz-Hugh Lee at Bos
ton,

Gen. Fitz- Hugh Lee, of Virginia, was
present at the Bunker Hill celebration in
Boston on the 18th inst, and was, with the
Norfolk light artillery. rendered welcome
by the mayor on behalf of the city. At
the close of the mayors speech introduc-
ing this noted confederate, Gen. Lee STEP
ped to the front of the platform, and was
received with the widest enthusiasm, a
perfect babel of applause rising FROM the
vast audience; the men threw their hats
in the air and yelled themselves hoarse
while the ladies in the galleries waved
their handkerchiefs and clapped their
hands. When quiet was at last restored,
Gen. Lee said:
Mr.. Mayor and Ladies and Gentlemen:
[ thank you for this most cordial welcome
you have extended to my comrades and
myself. | came here with the Norfolk
Light Artillery Blues, a Confederate organi-
zation, whose guns have roared upon many
hard fought battle field. AS we arrived
before your city. this afternoon, and were
steaming up your beautiful harbor, the
q
music sent to meet me were of that
good old tune called Aud Lang Syne,
aud felt that was not going to Boston,
but that was returning again to a COM
mon country and common heritage
Applause. l should have wished that
my poor presence would have passed unno-
ticed, or that might have been permitted
to have remained silent visitor in Bos
ton. When ponder that this is the first
time have ever stepped on the soil of
Massachusetts,, necessarily feel some en-
barrassment at addressing such a splendid
audience as is before me, but when | re-
| feet that am an American citizen, that
|, too. am defendant of those men who
fought on Bunker Hill, | feel that l. too,
have right to be here to celebrate their
splendid deeds. Great applause. We
come here, fellow-citizens. to show that
we appreciate these achievements of those
patriotic forefathers of ours-those men
who planted the seeds from which our ma
ton has sprung, We are to show by our
actual presence that we are fully in SYM
pathy with the sentiment which found ex-
preston upon the recent decoration days.
when loving hands entwined beautiful
flowers about the graves of the soldiers of
both armies without distinction. Great
applause l recall that, right here in
Boston. loo years ago. particular divine
spoke in substance as follows: We pray
The y Lord, if our enemies are DESTROYS to
light us. to give them fighting enough, and If
there are more on their way across the sea,
we pray Thee, o Lord to sink them
to the bottom OF it" Laughter land ap-
plause. Now, when | see this magnif-
cent demonstration, when my eyes look on
yours beaming with kindness and heart
felt goodwill towards me and mine, l feel
that hereafter if foreign or domestic foes
threaten our common country, Massachu-
sets and Virginia, California and Florida
would shout with one voice, IF they desire
to fight, let them have enough" Great
applause | may be pardoned if | recall
to your minds that, in those days of dark
ness, when the clouds of war enveloped
your commonwealth, my state of Virginia
sent right here into your midst him who,
in the language of my grandfather, was
First in war, first in peace, and first in
the heart of his countrymen," whose char
lacter. in the language ofApdrew jackson,