Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-08-26
4eumiou uf old Gumraaes
SURVIVORS, ASSOCIATIONS.
The Twelfth Regiment and the York County
Survivors, Associations in Joint
Celebration.
GEN. M'eOWAN'S ADDRESS.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATIONS.

tHt dnuual ueeLluS auu ieuuioH III VI hFhle
of the survivors of the Twelfth South Carroll
ma regiment. The York County Survivors
Association having in the meantime been or
ganized, it was decided that their first reun
ion should be held in Yorkville on the same
day, and it was amicably arranged to have a
Joint celebration on that day by the two
Associations.
The early forenoon was cloudy and threat
.. ened rain, but later the sun shone out bright,
ly and the crowd began to assemble from all
directions. Many survivors came in on the
previous afternoon, but by far the larger
number arrived at s o'clock on the special
train from Chester On this train also was
the Lee Light Infantry of Chester, Capt. J.
K. Marshall, who were received by the Jen-
kins Rifles, Capt. J. R. Lindsay, and by them
escorted to their armory.
Until the hour for the regular exercises to
begin, fine music was discoursed on the streets
in different parts of town by the Rock Hill
and Yorkville Cornet Bands.
At II o'clock the procession was formed on
the public square, under the direction of Col.
Andrew jackson, Marshal of the Day, assist
ted by Lieut. Colonel w. B. Allison the Lee
Light Infantry, the jenkins Rifles and the
Corps of Cadets of Kings Mountain Military
School forming an escort to the Survivors,
and preceded by the Rock Hill Cornet Band,
marched to the grounds of the Female lnsti.
tute where the speaking was to take place.
On the stand, which had been neatly and
tastefully decorated by the ladies, were seated,
besides the distinguished orator of the day,
Col. Cad Jones, President of the Twelfth
Regiment Association, and also President of
the York County Survivors Association, Col.
A. Coward, Col. Andrew Jackson, Col. w. B.
Allison, Col. T. Frank Clyburn, Major j. F.
Hart, Lieut.. j. A. Watson, Lieut.. j. r.
Boyles, Ensign w. j. Kimbrell, j. c. Cham
bers and S. L. Campbell members Of the AS
sociations; the commissioned officers of the
companies composing the military escort !;
Capt. Samuel Smith, veteran Of the war
of 1872; Hon. j. H. Evins, and Rev. Rob-
ert Latham.
The ample grounds of the Institute were
literally packed and crammed with people
men, women and children and at the lowest
estimate there could not have been less than
from $500 to 5000 persons present.
After prayer by Rev. Robert Latham, Col.
Cad Jones, in few felictous remarks, intro.
duced the orator or the DAY,
GEN. SAMUEL MGowAN,
Of Abbeville, who said:
Friends and Fellou Citizens On account
of the position in which I now find myself,
have hesitated whether 1 ought to appear
before you to-day; but when | remembered
that these are my old comrades, who never
failed to come up to time-whOSe kind invita-
tion / accepted more than year agO-I con-
cluded that nothing should prevent me from
fulfilling the engagement as best could under
circumstances of great pressure.
The battle of Cheronea had been lost and
Greece conquered by Alexander, and he had
turned his resistleSs career of conquest upon
Asia, when Demosthenes, in the last greatest
effort of Ills life, made that splendid apOstro-
phe to the forefathers of the Athenians, which
will live as long as language shall endure
Taunted by Eschines with the failure of his
measures in resisting Alexander, the great
orator, standing on the defensive, with the
dignity of conscious patriotism and all the
enthusiasm of his nature, exclaimed, ''If the
results had been fOreknOwn to ALL If all had
foreSeen them, not even then should the Com
monwealth have abandoned her design, if she
had any regard for glory, for ancestry or fu-
turity. AS it is, she appears to have failed in
her enterprise-a thing to which all mankind
is liable if the Deity so wills it. But never,
never can you have done wrong, o Athenians :!
in undertaking the battle for the freedom and
safety of all. l swear it by your forefathers-
those that met the peril at Marathon-thoSe
that took the field at Platea--thOse in the
sea-fght at Salamis, and those at Artemisium,
and many other brave men who repoSe in the
public monuments, all of whom alike as being
worthy of the same honor, the country bu-
ried ! Justly! For the duty of brave men
hoe haa,, do, l,,,o nbn;r e., h,c 1,oo
such as the Deity assigned to each.'' Let no
one suppose that it may not be proper on the
part of the living as we'll as useful to those
who are to come after us, to SignaliZe our re-
membrance, admiration, and love of comrades,
who died in obedience to the commands of
their State, only for the reason that the strug-
gle in which they fell was unsuccessful and
their cause was a "loSt cause" 1t is not just
always to judge from the event. Success is
not the infallible test of right. For some far
seeing purpose of Providence, many honorable
efforts in the history of the world have been
allowed to fail and end in disaster. Hence
there are occasions in the affairs of States as
we'll as of individuals, when higher c0nsidera-
tiOnS should govern, than those touching the
mere chances Of success. Undoubtedly these
should be considered in all questions of eXpe-
diency but still they are comparatively in
significant when they come in conflict with
the principles of eternal truth, justice and
right. LeonidaS and his little band, in order
to defend their State from invasion and con-
quest, advanced beyond the limits of Sparta,
took post in the mountains of Thessaly and
there died. So far as the result was concern
ed, Thermopylae was an unsuccessful battle /;
but in the Whole range of history there is no
account OF men more deserving of remem-
brance and honor, and no monument ever
erected has had more influence in inspiring
devotion and thrilling with sentiments of pa
triotiSm the hearts of men, than that with
the simple epitaph, stranger, tell it at Lace
demon that we died here in obedience to her
laws
CONFEDERACY FAILED.
The efforts on the part of the Southern
States to establish a separate Government
failed. We do not propose to make any refer
ence to the reasons for making that effort or
the causes of it's failure. These would he in
teresting topics, but not appropriate here. 1t
is enough to say that South Carolina i'll COM
mon with the Confederate States, united in
that struggle. AS sovereign State and the
common mother of us ALL she reared alOft her
standard and called upon every son of hers to
support her standard and to defend her soil.
That standard, then, as now, had upon it no
stain of diShOnor. 1t would have been trea'
son to disobey. Every loyal son of hers buck
led on his armOr and answered the summons.
In doing so, who will venture to say that
they were not in the line of duty and honor
The whole South, animated by the same spirit
became an armed camp and made a defence
which astonished the world After varying
fortune OF victory and defeat; after super-hu'
man efforts on tine part of our whole people
men, women. and children-the banner of the
New State went down forever.
The armies of the Confectionery Iraro currpO.