The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-14
Morning Star and Catholic Ae,sengsr.
atr oRLEANs suNpAY, JULY IL. 1873
Concluded from frat pagel

Shat the strongest pillar which supported ou'
fabeio bad broken. 80,
horse, snufied the battle from afar, but who
unlike the war.horse, did not neigh with Inn
patience to engage the enemy. bnt who stii
stood far off, criticized and derided every iaiI
ure, without caring to inquire into the oause
and perhaps without capacity to compreheno
Tho cNuse thereof, leveled their shafts at him
light, who throw their little barbs. They lev
<sied their puerile shafts at our mighty hero
When Fort Donelson fell 1t was necessary tc
reveal the fact. 90 long concealed from friend
-4anid;Rg tho line OF Green River with mere
skeleton Of an army, and II became Inevitable
ShHt he must re'reat aoross the Cumberland
9aiver. Then he was followed y all tnose
5eers which ignoble lives level at the unfortu-
nate. And then l remember with pride, and
Your oo1ntry should remember 1t with pride
and gratitude, the fidelity with wtioh You
olang to your oolors. Though you left behind
You sealed your ears to their pitful cries. still
marching on to perform whatever 1t might be
possible to do for your whole country. Tap
Was il that his grand presence inspired
you with uurestrsined confidence that he
aeuid effect something when opportunity Of.
lswed the ablest soldier and tho greatest
mac, civil or military, Confederate or Federal,
Shsn living in tho landf [Applsusel
The time seemed near at hand when your
Assembling ell the forces within his reach, and
while thetwo armies operating against him
were endeevoring to tffoct junction, with
tho battle field of Shiloh. You we'll remember
row the tide Of battle rolled how his line
was sweeping everything before 1t, and NOV
Ing ateadi!y in the general direction as his
great arm directed and how at last, when
0n obstinate resistance ut one point checked
ais progress, Sidney Johnston rode to 1t,
believing, II he csrried that point, that the
Akz .l.kA - -
that supreme duty he received the wound
which proved mortal.
Perhaps prompt attention would have pre-
vented the result. 1t 10 believed that it would,
9or Johnston's heart was all his oountry's own:
his mind was concentrated on his duty and
hs thought little of himseIf, and fell Q victim
tho noblest the earth has ever seen. There
nave been some who suppose that he was
sion by the pitiful assaults that had been
henped upon him, but they little knew the
character of Johnston.
As friend who knew him intimately
Through all the years of manhood, having
served with him, claim to be able to speak
With some certainty in relation to the motives
which sotuated him, and say without hesi.
eANou that Johnston was not to be moved by
such ptiful assaults, and that he went TO per-
form his duty, which he hoped to do always,
out which he would have done even If he
avowed that deep friendship existed between
.us, and in order thBt none may suppose tn
my opinion thus expressed Of him 10 exagger-
NSed, will read beautiful memorial written
Mr.. Davis here read the memorial by Mr..
Dimitry to Albert Sydney Johnston
! trust sone competent person may yet write
TenneSsse @ ,1 order ri that hat poster posterisy III ms NAV re%e@
her what You have suffered and what you have
dared, and render the justice to you in the fu-
ture which has not been paid to You in the
past- There are many things which ought to
be recorded, things which seem to pass unno
Siced. For example In riding over the feld
Of Chickamsuga, after the conflict, it was
side next to the aRsmy, from the ground to an
Ksxt1s2i mi. Dalls and shot having torn
them to pieces, while the eids next t. Hae
iconfede Ter ates the trees bRd but few marks, ena
they were nearer the ground, Wbica s9o"eu
the eff ,iency in the firing, hoR yoG nsed your
seapous and how carefully you selected your
object before pulling the trigger. Applause
The loss i i killed and wounded tell where the
tsAlls went. Applause
After various reverses, after New Orleans
had been lost, after leland No. 1O had fallen,
the problem still remained. and we could not
Gemma I'D the whole Miss ssiypi River, but yet
are must retain u section, because the Trans
&iesissippi Department was necessary to COL
Tect o large part of the supplies needed for
oar army, aud while that section of the river
was open We bad the power to communicate
Set ween the forces east and west of this river,
aud thus use them for double purpose.
Port Hudson and Vicksburg then remained
60 show ths points to be held In order to keep
u the intercourse with the Trans Mississippi
Department.. The small garrison of Port Hud.
son long and manfully defended that place
Sow we'll and how bravely they defended 1t ie
known to many Of you: and when that fell
Vicksburg fell with 1t; and although due praise
has not been given to Gen. Pemberton for de-
Ssnding that place, the time will COME when
men will wonder how o force like that, with.
. out any forti6cGtions, held that place longer
than the tin allo we'd by military engineers
Sor the defense of fortified place. The deeds
of heroic valor. the daring with which yo9
caught the hand grenAdes Of the enemy and
threw them bsok, your self-denial, your un-
.ilinchiug devotion, will command the graft
sude Of all our people for Pemberton end his
army. They covered themselves with imperish'
able glory. tApplause ]
No Iess shall we pay tribute to the cittzens
of Vioksburg.. Their eelf-denial, their suffer
inRs, their willingness to continue the contest
as long as o man or o gun was left, their hero
Ism, the protection they sought in houses when
subj ected TO FIRE, in caves where they remain
y / thus for time covered, will yet receive
Cor it has not thus far received-the praise due
& one of the moet gallant and persistent de-
feutes ever made of town.
After the war, sight-seeksrs came to peep
INTO the caves aud were told that those were