Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-05-12

mtnat1OA at Ntght-The Memorial
MOvement-The MOnument-The
Statue of Morgan.
SPARTANBURG, 8. c., May 1.-THE day is
lovely. The crowds are immense. Sleep
ing room is not to be had, and the streets
were filed all night Nearly all the Charles
ton military are here. The town is pro-
fuselY and handsomely decorated, and the
seats and platforms for the ceremonies
about the monument are complete. Gov
ernor Colquitt is Unavoidably absent, owing
to pressure of business and sickness.
A salute of thirteen guns was fired at
sunrise. The crowd in the square constant
lY increased till ten O'Clock, when General
Hunt reviewed the military at the monu-
ment, with Lieutenant Baldwin and Lieu
tenant Daniel Morgan Taylor, U. s. A., as
aids, and with volunteer aids from the
Governors staff, and descendants Of Nor
gan's officers. The display was very large
and brilliant, and was composed as follows:
The first brigade, commanded by Colonel
Hugh s. Thompson, of the Palmetto Regi-
ment, Columbia; the second brigade, by
General c. 1. Walker, of Charleston; a di-
vision commanded by General Jno. c. An
derson, OF Spartanburg.
The column was headed by the splendid
Fifth Artillery band from Mcpherson Bar
racks, Atlanta; then followed the Washington
Light Infantry, the German Artillery, the
Montgomery Guards, the Charleston Rifle
men, the German Hussars, Irish Volunteers,
the Palmetto Guards, the Sumter Guards,
the Carolina Rife Battalion, the Lafayette
Artillery and the German Fusiiers, OF
Charleston, the Governors Guard, the Co.
lumbia Light Artillery, the Richland Light
Dragons, the Richland Volunteer Rifles, of
Columbia, the Catawba Rifles, of Rock Hill,
all the Light Infantry Of Charleston, the
Gordon Light Infantry, of Winnsboro, the
Cadets, Of the Greenville and the Kings
Mountain Military Institutes, and the Spar
tanburg Artillery.
The streets and square were densely
packed, and the military had great difficult
ty in getting through the crowd. Many
relics of the battle were shown, including
the swords of Morgan, Pickeus, Brandon
and Hughes, Morgan's Bible, Pickens' por-
trait, and the pocket knife of Col. Graham,
with fifteen blades and implements. John
Fielder, hundred years old, was also on
the platform, aud looked quite vigorous.
Distinguished men on the platform
present were Governors Haygood and Jarvis,
Congressman John H. Evans, General A.
NJ. Manigault, Hon. w. A. Courtenay,
Mayor of Charleston, Chairman of Centen-
NAL Committee, General Jno. Bratton, Gen
eral A. Coward, Ex-Governor NJ. L. Bonham,
Judge Geo. Bryan.
The Washington Light Infantry carried
the battle flag of Cowpens and drum from
Savannah, used at the same battle, and Col.
Washington's sash was worn by his great
grandson on General Hunts staff.
At twelve o'clock there was a centennial
salute of one hundred guns Chairman
Courtepay then presented the monument to
Governor Haygood, who accepted it in be-
half of South Carolina. Chaplain Porter,
of the Washington Light Infantry, read
prayers from prayer book printed in 1868,
and found on the Cowpens battlefield. The
'Stsr Spangled Banner" was then rendered
by the band. Then followed an address by
Governor HaYgood, the reading of an ode
by Captain Bryan, "Hail Columbia" by the
band, and the Grafton for the Southern
States by Senator Hampton, who was
greeted with great applause on his ap-
pearance.
He spoke tenderly and eloquently of
Cowpens, then and now, and plead for
unity and peace now, as then, between the
States. He ably and concisely reviewed
Morgan's history and exploits before and
at Cowpens, paid q feeling tribute to the
private soldiers and the old Eutaw flag.
The band played "America" and "Dixie."
Captain Simons read the ballad Of the
'Blue Hens Chickens"
Col. Thos. Wentworth Higginson, of Massa-
chusetts, delivered the Grafton for New
England. After offering hearty
greeting from New England, he briefly
reviewed the battle of Cowpens and
paid theshighest tribute to Morgan and his
men. He closed with an eloquent appeal
for union and peace between the Blue and
the Gray. Great applause.
Hon. VIM. H. Francis, of New Jersey,
spoke for the Middle States with great earn
estness, and said he was proud that Morgan
was born in New Jersey. Great applause
followed
Senator Hampton delivered the regrets of
President Garfield that he could not be
present, and promising to come at the next
opportunity. Three cheers were given for
the President
The statue was then unveiled, amidst
cheers and the music Of the band, by Misses
Pickens, Simons, Smith, Graham, Courte-
nay, Brown, James and Cotton. descendants
OF the soldiers of the Cowpens. 1t is
magnificent work of art, and will be illumi-
mated to night with gas jets bearing the
names of Morgan, Howard and Pickens,
and grand display of fireworks.
THE MEMORIAL MOVEMENT.
The movement for the erection Of a cen
tennial memorial of the valor of the heroes
of Cowpens took its origin In pledge given
by several members of the Washington
Light Infantry, of Charleston, In 1856, to
devote themselves to bringing 1t about. On
April % of that year the battlefield was
marked with a neat and appropriate monu-
ment, which was dedicated with splendid
ceremonies under the auspices of the COM
pany above named.
: When the time came to fulfill the pledge
His Honor Mayor Courtenay, of Charleston,
was the sole survivor Of tho that gave
1t. With the joint support Of the
Washington Light Infantry and the
people of Spartanburg the movement for
the centennial memorial grew apace, and,
finally, joint resolution of Congress was
passed, appropriating $40, 600 for bronze
statue, Of heroic size, of General Daniel
Morgan, the hero of Cowpers. Concerted
action followed on the part of
the thirteen original States and Ten
nessee. On the 7th of October, 1880,
the corner stone of the monument was laid
at Spartanburg with imposing Masonic
ceremonies by the Grand Master of South
Carolina. Work on the monument and
statue went forward rapidly, and to day
both were unveiled as hitherto described. q
THE MONUMENT.
The monument was constructed upon a
design furnished by Col. Edward B. White,
of New York.
1t is designed in a simple and unpreten-
tious style, which is certainly In keeping
with the character Of the hero of the fight,
while the sturdy dignity of the architectu-
raj portion of the design is calculated
arouse in the minds of those who behold
that veneration and respect, and quiet adj
miration for its proportions, which the Doric
order always commands.
The monument is properly divided into
three different parts, viz: The base, the
shaft, and the statue, which stands upon its
abacus.
From the ground to the top of the abacus
is twenty-one feet. The monument has
four bronze panels cast by Powers, of New
York, on the north, south, east and west
faces. These bear the names of Morgan,
Howard, VIM. Washington and Pickens, the
heroes of the fight, and appropriate inscrip-
tions.
THE STATUE.
The statue of General Morgan is the work
of the well known sculptor, j. @. A. Ward.
of New York, who was at work upon 1t nine
consecutive months. 1t was cast at the
foundry Of Bureau Bros. d Heaton, at
Philadelphia, and fulills perfectly every re-
quirement of the joint resolution and of the
contract with Mr.. Ward.
The height is nine feet. its weight about