The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-10-29
MEETING OF THE SOUTHERN HIS
TORICAL SOCIETY,".
Address OF Rev. Dr. Burrows, of
= = = Rns1 Kentucky. . :"

L. Burrows, OF Louisville, before the South
ern Historical Society. General Early, pre-
sident OF the Society, presided, and there
were in the audience Governor Holiday,
General D. H. Marry. Rev. Drs. Jeter, Nc
Donald, Brown, and Tupper, General j. r.
Anderson, and number OF Others Of our
prominent citizens. .qals.., ,-,- y.
After an appropriate prayer BY Rev. DR..
TupDer, General Early, in few wel-chosen
words; intro oduced DR.. Burrows to the. au-
dience5 2ilii. -' "iit"f '"' e.. 49,
With faretious statement Of the c!rcum-
stances under which he had, consented to
take the place of the distinguished orator
Hon. ). S. G.. Blackburn, Of kentucky,
DR.. Burrows introduced his theme by say
ing 3, .;,.. .r.. ...' ,......
But I may be permitted to add to these
remarks that my sincere and
earnest interest in the objects for which
this Society was organized helped to gain
my consent. The true history OF the great
war, has not vet been and perhaps cannot
be yet written. And it never will be
written without careful study OF the
materials stored in the archives OF this
Society. The demonstrable facts already
colated and shaped concerning the
relative numbers Of the contending forces,
the treatment OF prisoners OF
war, and the principles that governed the
exchanges of such prisoners, will never
again be misrepresented and distorted as IN
the past, save by. excuseless Ignorance or
inyeterate prejudice. This Society has recti-
fed all that material as we'll as much other.
Not often have conquered provinces had
opportunity, permission, or intelligence to
write their own history. We have all, and
tI,nysn rx-icn
nalists have awarded scaut Justice to Saxon
yalor. The picture OF the lion with a hll-
man foot on the outside OF his throat WAS
not painted by the lion. For the honor OF
these southern States, for fidelity to truth,
for fair showing in the future history OF
the world, this Society-because it is the
only one formed or needed for such pur-
poses-should, in my Judgment, be en-
couraged in its work by the liberal ,contribu-
tion in materials, facts, letters, reports, pa
pers, "reminiscences, and money to procure
them from all wto like ''fair play"
After a vivid description Of the natural
and artificial defences OF Richmond, DR..
Burrows said: -... d.. ..- -.."
You will not wonder much, then, that
those of us who lived in Richmond during
the wears OF the unciyil war felt ourselves
comfortably safe. ..T s-
tits true that several times since the war
I have been profoundly humilidted by my
own lamentable lack OF perspicuity and fore
sight. have met SO many people who saw
so clearly beforehand how the conflict must
OF necessity end, and | did not. 1t mortities
ones intellectual pride. deprcsses him With
a sense of his own mental infcrority, to be
assured by far.looking seer, ''Why, saw
how all must end from the beginning. |
predicted two years before that Richmond
would fall and the. Confederacr collapse.
l told Mrs. Partington so, and told Mra.
Grupdy so.' So, after all was over, said
soale OF my Richmond and other neiShborS.
It was very unkindnot to tell me, 1 an
swer them. Why, neighbor! You talked to
me many times over war news and pros
pects, but I can't recall any OF these yaticl-
nations. Why, don't you remember satd
to you once. Well, that is another humlila'
tion! l don't remember! My memory
must leak. and all those prosnosticatlons
have ooZed out. ..-., -.... rE..
There was another thing little incompre'
hensible to me in connection with this fore.
sight. How did it happen that these people
who foresap the crash so long and clearly
had 50 many Confederate bills and BONDS on
| hand when it came? 1t must have been
sublime patriotism that impelled them to sell
houses and farms and invest in Confederate
securities, which they plainly foresaW must
he utterly ,corthleSS in year or two. Grdnd
maqnanimity, to sacrifice so disinterestediy
for cause they knew all the time to be
hopeless
look was so limited, and that my memory l:
so unfaithful. The only comfort can Sean
is that, ii 7ny memory is so unreliable, IL Is
inst possible that some other people may
have short memories, TOO.
tt NAV bring me down very low in youl
estimation. and indicate stupid lack OF
sense, but in honesty / am compelled &c
confess that had no glimmering toresl?h,
of the cataclysm. Iielt quite conhdent tna
the Day OF Judgment would come oeiort
Richmond would pass into the posssessioI
of the enemy, and | felt sure that mel
would have important business elsewhere
about that time. And a day OF 1adsmen
did come first, too, or day about as neal
like it as my imagination can compass.
That this confidence was not Withou
some warrant in 1865 what l nave sall
about our defences will justify. Fhefe mac
been many bold attempts made to capture
Richmond. Generals Scott, McDoWell, Nc
| Gellan, Burnside, Hooker, Pope, ana Gran
had all tried it with immense forces ut com
mand and all had failed. Rushing raids
| led by Stoneman, Fitzpatrick. Dahlgren
| and Sheridan, had been checked short OF TINT
objective point. There seemed to be NJ
| getting "On to Richmond" Genera
| Grant had been " Fighting it out on tina
| line y lopeer than call summer"
! General Grant, according to Federal OF
fcial reports, carefully collected and col
lated and published by your efficient secre
tary, had started from the Rapidan in May
1884. with 14l .1G0 men of all arms, with re
serves numbering 1862 men, most o
whom were called to the front during TN
summer, making grand total OF 2IS,e3
men. To meet this host General Lee nat
under command less than 90, COO men ant
In his whole Department OF Northern Vlr
| ginia, which included tile garrisons arount
Richmond and the troops In the Valley, hi
ifield-returns for the last OF April, 1864
| shows 52,628 troops present for duty. In
| Guiding the little army under General Beau
regards command, watching General But
Ier,s force, and all who Joined Genera
Lees army during the campaign, the officia
returns prove that the Confederate force
were every day outnumbered in the ratio o
tfour to one. BE had spent the whole drear,
winter. too, in dismal trenches on The out
side. We imagined Richmond to be abou
the safest place in the Confederaey. Hal
NOT we the three lines OF entreDchments be
tween us and the enemy, with General Le
and eur boys guarding them, and now the!
| were standing well, within shouting dls
ltance OF each other along the Ines Ioi
Iapout. thirty miles 5.
| DR.. Burrows then gave a series OF mos
vivid pictures of scenes in the evacuatiol
OF Richmond, to which, no synopsis can a.
Justice. He was frequently interrupted 0.
.onnIoneo or roars az laughter at his goot