The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-09
TRR CONRRDERAFE aRmORIAI..

Ex-RSeSident jefferson Davis Sneak in Fit4
anS Terms ef our Confederate Dead.
The following letter. Addressed 10 d
committee OF citizens, was read at The
memorial celebration in Macon, Ga, on
! MISSISSIPPI CIrY. April II, 1S7S.i
GENTIE;MEN--7I sincerely regret my in.
ability TO be present st the laying Of the
corner stone of IS monument 10 be erec.
ted at Macon, Ga, in honor OF our dt,,d
Confederate soldiers" The event ros-
sesses every attraction to me: it ID in.
spired by the Ladies' Memorial Associs.
ton the monument is to be located in
the keystone Stste - the Confederate
| arch and to commemorate the sacrifices
vf those who died in the defense Of our
inherited aud "inalienable" rights.
What though we were overborne by
numbers, and accessories not less eff
cient, truth ia not TO be measured by slic-
cess In maintaining 1t against force; nbr
Is the glory less of him who uphofds It in
the face Of unequal odds, but is it not
rather more to his credit that he counted
all else as dust in the balance when
weighed with honor and dutyf On
many o stricken, field our soldiers etood
few and faint, but fearless still, for they
wore me panop!y Of nnluestjoning con.
fdcnco in the rectitude Of their cause.
and knew how TO die but not 10 surren.
der. Let not any Of their survivors i1a-
pugn their faith by Offering the peniteh.
tia! plea that "they believed they were
right" Be it ours to transmit to postefi-
" our unequivocal testimony to the ius.
tice OF their convictions, to their virtues,
and the sanctity Of the motives by which
they e~se:e a.c:u1ss::oodd. a.cc::u1ss::ood
1t Is meet that this monument Bhould
have originated with the ladies' Of the
land. whose selfdenial was conspicilous
through all the trials and snffer;nqss Of
war, whose gentle ministrations ia the
hospital, and at way-side refectories, 10
largely contributed to relieve the sick
and the wouhded, and whose nnfaTterihg
devotion to their countty'S cause ia the
darkest nours of our struggle illustrated
the fidelity of the sex which was last ne
the cross and first at the sepuIchre.. = :,
am preferably thankful to them for
inviting me to represent them, as their
orator, on the approaching occasion.
had 1t been practicable 20 accept, their,
request would have been, to me, d COM,
mand,. obeyed with no other reluctance
than the CONSCIOUSNESS of inability to do
justice to the theA.e. Thanks to the
merits of our Confederate dead, they need
neither orator nor bard to commend their
DEEDS to the present generation of their
countrymen:. Many fell far from home
and kindred, and sleep in unmarked
graves; but al! are gathered ia the love
OF those for whom they died, aud their.
memories are hal,owed in the hearts lof
all true Confederates. 1a: eIE1Id
BY the pious efforts of eur people,
many humble ecmeteries,i such as, i'm
have been prepared, and the eConfeder5ts
dead have been collected iii them from
neighboring battle fields. There 7dn1
nualiy, with reverential affection. the
graves, alike of the known and tho i1n.I
known, are decked with vcrlaI aowers.
expressive of gratitude renewable for.
ever, and typical of the hope Of a resur.g
rection and reunion where the wicked
cease from troubling and the weary ara
at rest. ~ 1T"
To be remembered, honored, beloved
by their people is the reward bestowed
on ou! Confederate dead. 1t 10 the high
est which good and purely patriotic
man could desire. Should it be asked.
why then build this monument? ths sn:
swer lie, they do not need it, but pos
teFity may. 1t Is not their reward. but
our debt. If the greatest gift q hero
gives his race Is to have been q hero. lin
order that this gift may be utilized to
coming generations, its epp:ss;ztion by
contemporaries should be rendered as
visible and enduring as possible. Let
the monument, rising from earth toward
heaven, lift the minds of those who come
after us to higher standard than the
common test of success. Let iE teach
that man is bora for duty, not for expe-
dienoy; that when an attack is made on
the community to which he belongs. by
which he is protected, and to which his
allegiance Is DUE his fiFgt obligation is
to defend that community; and that
under such conditions it Is better to have
fought and lost than never to have
fought at ALL" Let posterity learn by
this monument that you commensurate
men who died in o defensive war that
they did not, as has been idly stated.
submit to the .afbitrament of arms the
question at issue7-questiops which In.
voived the inalicnable rights inherited
from their ancestors and held in trust for
their posterity-but that they atroye to
maintain the State sovereignty which
their fathers left them, and which it was
their duty If possible to transmit TO their
children. : Il
Away, then, with such feeble excuse
for the abandonment of principles which
may be crushed for awhile, hut which.
possessing the eternal vitality Of truth.
must in its own gooI time prevail over
perishable error. IA
- Let this monument teach that heroism
derives It's iustre from the Justice of the
cause in whiehit is displayed, and let IL
marx the difference between q war waged
for the robber-like purpose of conquest
and one. to repel invasion to defend q
peoples hearthS and altars and to main
tain their laws and liberties. Such was
the war in which our heroes fell. and
theirs is the crown which sparkles with
the gems of patriotism and righteousness. |
with a glory undiilmed by any motive
or aggrandiSement- Or intent to if.fict
ruin on otherB. We present them to
posteFity as examples to be followed. and |
wait securely for the verdict of mankind, |
when knowledge ehall have aispelIed
misrepresentation and dalusion, Is H. |
unreasonable TO hope that mature refiec-
80: ,.S.- emu ailsei sssiay oi tilU puiitipai !
history Of the Union MAY yet restore the
rights prostrated by the passions tevel- !
Cped' In our long and bloody war II. |
however, ft shoald be otherwise. then
from onr heroes,' graves 4hsll come ID |
mouFnftii tones the IS lfso e. .e'r' p o :,
b $50 "Answcrfit. Sf saf al
And IL our children must obey. sg.,.i
They must, put thinking on our day, 4