The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-05-03
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Extracts from Addresses Of Ex-Presid snt
Davis and KeT. DIR. Palmer, at NeW
Orleans, in Aid Of the Society to Col-
Iect and Preserve the HistorP Of the
Confederate Side Of the War.
Dsligered i Nsg 0rieaas, 1pra 26, 1882.

Hon. Jeffsrs0a Davis, leaning on the arr
of Gov. Francis 7. Nichols, followed b
Rev. DR.. B. II. Palmer, Rev. Dr. Meye
Gulhesm and Gen. Geo. d. Johnston, an
judge Walter I'll. Rogers, first marche
& upon tie stage by side entrance and 8
soon as the venerable ex-President of Tia
Southern ConfeieFacy made his appearance
every one in the audience arose and hats an
handkefchiefs were waved with loud cheers
which rose and continued freshef, loude
and more exultant in their rapturous greet
| inc. ana were not spent until the full laps
/ of quarter Of an hour.
Being introduced BY ex-Goy. Nichols, b,
spoke as follows:
The highest quality of man IS selfsaeri
| fee The man who gives his life for an1th
! er. the man who surrenders all his earthly
! prospects, that is the man who most nearly
! follows that grand Examplar which is giver
| 70 us as the model of weak humanity. Tha1
we had many Of these, it IS the purpose o
| this society, by collecting the evidence, tC
show to the werld. Let it suffice to say
| here that / would have our chiidren's chill
I dreu to know not only that our cause was
just-that may be historically established
but | would have them know that the men
who sustained it were worthy of the cause
for which they fought. These are the great
objects of the society.
The other side has written aud is writing
their history Of the cause. We want to
| preserve ours also, that the future historian,
By comparison of both, may evolve that
fair statement which probably no contem-
porary could make. | would frankly ac-
knowledge that l would distrust the man
who served the Confederate cause and was
capable of giving dlsinterested account of
it. Ii he had any heart, he must be on his
own side. would not give tuppence for
the man whose heart was so cold that he
could be quite impartial. You all remem-
Der the fable OF the lion who saw a statute
which represented a lion PROSTATE at the
feet Of a man, and who said: "If the lion
had made that statute, the figure would
have been reversed" | want our side of
the history. 1t may be like the other, but
We don't take exactly an equal view of it,.
But the two viii be compared by some one
who comes after US who will do justice to
our cause and our people. You all know it
would be needless for me To speak of it :;
how thoroughly uuprepared we were when
y
without a name among the nall ,ns, without
credit, without provisions, without arms,
without ammunition, without even factO-
ries to make it; we went in relying
solely upon brave hearts and brave arms,
whose constant trust during the struggle
wasequaled, | contend, only by the morali-
". The uuannlty of our people, and the
heroi-m OF our soldiers have caused the ad-
miration of the world. Generally they
know the disadvantages under which we
fought they know the great achievements
with which our soldiers covered themselves
with glory, but their is much that is not
known. You may ask the school boy on the
lowest form who commanded at the Pass OF
Tnermopale and he can tell you; but my
friends, are there not many of this great
audience who, if asked, could tell who
commanded at Sabine Pass, and yet | tell
you, that the battle OF Sabine Pass was more
glorious than the battle of Thermopala.
Who remembers how the iroB-clad fleet
came steaming up the river with nothing to
oppose IL but mud fort armed with field
guns and held by IL men; how its COM
mander was asked BY comrade what was
to be done, and suggested that they had bet
ter retreat but how this gallant man said,
Eve will never retreat!" how they shook
hands with each other and said; "We will
fsht to the death ~ How the iron clads
came steaming in, but were repulsed by that
gallant little army OF II men. This was 1868.
Now who knows of Dowling And yet this
Dowling | hold higher than Leonidas. II
is such events as this that we must preserve.
They will be lost. Perhaps it will occur to
some if all this was in my knowledge, why
didn't put it in my book. Well, | will
answes | did, every word Of it, all the
acts and all the names of the II soldiers.
The State of Texas honored those men by
striking off medal, on the one side of which
was the date and Sabine Pass, on the other
the letters d. G., and D. G. | think
you won't take it as egotism on my part
sto0d for Davis Guards The company
had done me the honor to take my name,
and l was the only honorary member of il;
so | have d right to be proud of it. But
as the virtue and conduct of our heroes are
known to ourselves, we desire to perpetuate
il for the benefit Of posterity. Be it ours
to keep their memory green forever. but
vet we wish to show that they do not be-
long to US alone. They belong to the whole
country; they belong to mankind. We do
not desire to deprive the whole country of
the glory of our heroes. Nor were these
services rendered alone in our war. There
was Jackson, the man who, even after he
had marched up to the storm of battle, was
often heard to mutter an ejaculatory pray
er; that man had marched into the valley
of Mexico amid the isrcest conflict, before
our war had commenced; that man who had
been the terror in the hour Of battle of all
who encountered him, was as peaceful as a
lamb as soon as the conflict was over, and
who, when he found himself in the arms of
"a 1. = j
'Let us cross over the river and rest under
. the shade of the trees"
We do not claim or appropriate him, but
we do claim every other part of him that
nobody else wants. And there was Lee
the calm, fearless, resolute, unfinchiug,
faithful Lee. We do not desire to take him
away from those who have an equal right
to him with US, aud | say il would be well
If they would claim some share of the grand
conduct of Lee at the Wilderness, Chan
cellorsville, Fredericksburg and everywhere
that soldiers met soldiers, even against
great odds. And there was the great Albert
Sidney Johnston, conspicuous in the Black
Creek war, conspicuous at the storming Of
Monterey, holding position which might
nave induced him to remain IN the North
ern army. who surrendered everything ID
order that he might vindicate the principles
which he believed to be true and came to Us
sith nothing but his right arm and his good
sword and offered his services to the Con-
iederacy. Never was man more true
never was man more brave, as was shown
10 the way Of his death. when on the field
DC Shiloh, having swept every place before
him, save one, the one which he deemed the
most important to carry and without which
victory would not be complete, rude for
ward to lead in person the storm and
feceived the death wound, but still he rode
an, until be fell dead. Tneu repeat the
idea Of before Do such men belong to us
a0ne2 Snail not the memory Of such men
Be preserved, aud shall not rising genera
lions feel the influence of such men 7 In
any future struggle, where viii you find
such men as have enumerated, and many
others that { could add to the list It ali
depends upon you, friends, whether the
South will have them or not, whether
YOU will give your children true state
ment of the deeds Of their fathers and the
principles that aetnated them. Tie othsr
side will then understand Us, and It is to be
hoped that the time Is not far distant when
the offensive epithefs, only 100 common to-
DAY, which deIiie the English language will