Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-06-18

ADDRESS OF H. i. HOOVER, ESQs-THE FLORAL
DECORATIONS ATTHE CEMETERY, &c, &C., &C.
&C.
Ten years ago it was with bowed head, tear
full eye and footstep solemn and slow that oul
people wendell their way to the Cemetery te
fulfill the sorrowful duty of strewing with flow
ers the graves of those who gave up their lives
fighting for the "Lost Cause" Then the sense
of personal loss was keen and poignant. and
with our mourning for lost cause was mingled
the tear for some honored father. beloved broth
| er or other near ana dear relative. 1t was righ
then that memorial day should be a solemn
and mournful occasion but now when the fleet
ing hand of time has soothed and softened thu
sense of personal loss it is right that this day
set apart for the commemoration of the Con
| federate dead, should be made day of zebra
| ton of the heroic deeds and noble archieve
ments of those, who died fighting for cause
they deemed to be just. 1t right that 1t should
| be observed with such solemnities, civil ane
| military, as will tend to preserve fresh in oul
| memories our heroic dead, and at thesam tim'
impress upon the rising generation the honol
and respect which true people feel for, ant
| show to the memory of those who on many 6
bloody field rivaled the heroes of Marathon
| ank like the brave Lacedaemonians when de
| feated, were brought home ON their shields.
| Such we take 1t was the desire and feeling O
our people in making the elaborate decorations
and civil and military display which marked
| the celebration of memorial day in Staunton
on last Friday the 14th inst.
THE DECORATIONS
in the city were of a much more elaborate char.
acter than had ever been made here before and
even our own citizens were astonished when
on Friday morning they saw the principal
streets literally filled with flags, arches wreathi
and festoons of evergreens and many store
fronts draped in mourning. The principal
decoration was on Main street, though fsstoons
OF New street and Augusta street were also
elaborately bedecked.
Looking down Main street from the Spectator
Office flag after flag, national, state and COM
posite. was seen suspended across the street and
Haunting their bright colors on the breeze. AT
the intersection of Main and New streets were
| erected four pillars of evergreens surmounted
with flags, and archs festooned with evergreens
thrown from one to the other, from which were
| suspended the notices, "Welcome to our
| guests. Dead but not forgotten Honor to
the Brave and "All Honor to the Dead" In
| the center Of this quadruple arch, suspended
from diagonal wreathed arches, was beautiful
basket of natural flowers and evergreens An
other similar arch spanned the street at the in
| tersection Of Main and Augusta streets from
which was suspended pictures of Lee and jack
son, draped in mourning and surrounded with
| flags.
| very beautiful single arch spanned the
| street in front of the Lutheran Church, which
was most deliberately wreathed and festooned
and bore the motto "Our Brave Dead" Still
another arch ofevergreens and flags greeted the
eye further up Main street in front of the resi-
dence of Mayor BaIthis.
Augusta street from Main to near the depot
was one floating mass of various colored flags
| and bright streamers.
On New street ALSO the decorations were
equally elaborate and ola similar character.
| THE MILITARY
from Danville and Lynchburg arrived between
| four and five o'clock Friday morning. They
were met at the depot by the West Augusta
Guard and Staunton Artillery and escorted to
| the Grange Hall which had been very tastefully
decorated.
After partaking of refreshments they were es-
| corted to their quarters at the Virginia and
American Hotels. By the time the military
from down the Valley arrived, about o'clock,
the city was crowded with people, and it was
with difficulty that you could get from one
point to another. These companies were the
Harrisonburg Guard under Capt. Donovan, the
Anderson Guard, of Woodstock, under Captain
McGruder, and the Winchester Light Infantry,
| under Capt. James Burgess, accompanied by
| the visiting bands from Harrisonburg, Wood
| stock, Strasburg and Charlestown.
About 10 O'Clock the procession formed on
Main Street with right resting on Market, the
military being under command of Capt. W. l..
Bumgardner of the West Augusta Guard with
| Capt. James Burgess of the Winchester Light
Infantry as Major of Battalion, and Lieut.. John
| McQuaide at the West Augusta Guard, Adju-
| tant. Capt. James Bumgardner, jr was in
| command as Chief Marshal of the whole process
sion, civil and military and head as assistants
COL Jno Lilley. Capt. Jno. N. Opie. Capt. Lewis
Hartman, Col. Jas. H. Williams, Capt. Benton
| Coiner, Lieut.. James Mcfarland and others
| and carried out the programme with marked
| ability and success. Brof A. ]. Turner was Di-
| rector-in-chief of the Bands 4
Before taking up the line of march Mayor
Balthis from the steps of the Grange Hall made
a few
REMARKS OF WELCOME
Officers and Soldiers. and oil others qoho hare t-
vorea as auth yOur presence ON this interesting
wish to say one word-W elcome! You have
come here many Of ypn from considerable
TO Of the rs If hs sd
swexed their cOuntry's call and gave their lives
| in evidence Of their devotion to duty; and we
are proud to greet you as men who honor the
brave. You will receive in Staunton a hearty
welcome, and will find the latch-sLring of every
door on the outside. In the name Of our good
you most cordial Welcome.
The procession then moved up Market street
| led by the Stonewall and Charlestown Bands
| in the following order Anderson Guard; six
members of the Walker Light Guard of Rich
mond; West Augusta Guard Winchester Light
Infantry; Danville Grays; Harrisonburg Band;
Lynchburg Light Artillery Blues; Staunton
Artillery; Carriages containing the Mayor and
the city officials; the clergy, Rev. DR.. Charles
| Manly and Rev. James E. Booker; the orator
of the day, Capt. Henry L. Hoover; Mr.. John
Merritt, a soldier of the war OF 1872 Col James
| H. Skinner, President of the Memorial Associ-
alton; Gen. John Echols, Judge Wm McLaugh-
| lin, and others; the Woodstock Band: Angus
ia Fire Company, under Capt, M. Cox, with
steam engine and hose carriages, handsomely
| decorated with evergreens aud flowers; the
Strasburg Band: Hook and Ladder Company,
with their truck most deliberately trimmed
with eyergreels and mourning drapery under
Capt. J. M. Hardy, with two.little girls dressed
| in white sitting with him on top; D. D. & B.
institution RAND; II. u. " b. Institution Fire
| Company, followed by the pupils Of that Insti-
tuition bearing wreatAs end Aowers, AND then
| came citizens generally in carriages and on
| foot. The procession moved through the prin-
cipal streets and then proceeded to the cemete-
ry, over the entrance Of which had been erect
ed triple areh Ct eYergreens, bearing the in
scriptions, "God," dead yet speaking and
Country
! 1.-THE following members of the Walker Light
| Guard of Richmond were present in uniform
and marched with the West Augusta Guard =
G. Waddy Wilde, Conrad +. Lipscomb John
Meanley, Joseph Becher, Arthur Warrington,
and James Swords. c. G. Wertenbaker jr. and
- Marshall of the Charlottesville Company
were also PRESENT.
| Upon reaching the Confederate cemetry the
soldiers filed off into the different sections, the
bands played a dirge whilst the ladies who had
charge OF the sections placed bouquet on each
grave and wreath of eyergreeps on each of the
iron posts enciosing the sections. This was a
most beautiful, impressive, and solemn scene.
Afterwards the citizens generally crowded in
to scatter over the graves their tribute of flow
| ers.
| The stone in the centre of the ccn, aforv oroot