Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-06-15
Confederate Memorial Day.

VIRGINIA VETERANS DEPOSIT A WREATH
ON THE MONUMENT TO THE UNION
SOLDIERS.
Since the great memorial day in June,
1878. the decoration of the graves of the
Confederate dead at Staunton has not
been so largely attended as on Saturday
last. A little after sunrise the county
people commenced driving into town
bringing with them their wives and
daughters 10 large numbers. Flowers in
plenty came with them.
The day was not only hot, but suItry as
we'll, and the march to the cemetery and
standing in the sun th9rs was trying to
military and civilian both, out it did not
seem to affect the interest in the affair of
the day, and the crowd at the grave yard
was as thick as it had been along the pave
ments of the streets.
About 104 O'Clock. Chief Marshal. JAS.
/ N. Mcfarland, assisted by Marshals IT,
Julian Pratt, John D. Lilley, Lewis Har-
man and Geo. W. Swoope formed the pro-
cession, which was headed by the Stone
the Stanton Artillery. Capt. J. T. Long !;
the West Augusta Guards, Capt. T. j.
Crowder; Newtown Hose Company; the
children of the public schools bearing
wreaths of flowers, and banners; carriages
| with the officers of the Memorial Associa-
ton and orator of the day, and long line
| of citizens in vehicles and On horseback.
At the speakers stand in the cemetery,
DR.. A. M. Fauntleroy President Of the
Association announced the opening of the
exercises would be made with prayer. The
prayer was offered by Rev. J. g. Jones of
Prince William county, formerly of High
land. The crater of the day, Capt. Mica
| JAN Woods of Albemarle, was then intro
duced by the President, and delivered the
! address of the occasion, scholarly, elo-
quent and admirable one an, dmingled with
| the grateful remembrance and apprecia-
tion of the brave dead, there was through
| out the address the breath of the new life
which is pervading the mind of Virginia.
AT the conclusion of Capt. Woods ad-
dress he was the recipient Of two bouquets,
one presented by President Fauntleroy on
behalf of a Southern lady, and the other
by W. H. Fl. Lynn. Esq, on behalf Of
Northern lady whose husband carried a
-musket in the union army and who de-
sired the flowers to be presented as trb-
ute to the ''boys who wore the gray" In
accepting this last bouquet Capt. Woods
said:
s.Go tell the Northern matron who has
honored me with this tribute Of beautiful
| flowers that the Spring time and the Sum-
| mer send the same ylOletS TO bloom over
the dead of the North and of the South.
Our dead heroes, whether they wore the
blue or the grey, are The joint heritage OF
a happy and a restored u MON, and assure
her that should the trump of war be sound
ed, our Southern sons would join the sons
of the North On the line of danger, and
each " ould vie with the other In defense
of a common flag, and The honor of a COM
mon country"
The graves were then decorated with
flowers, amid the salutes fred by the
Stauuton Artillery. The West Augusta
Guard as usual, fired memorial salute
over the grave of their former Lieutenant,
Jas. T. Byers.
Decoration day has often, heretofore,
owed the patriotism and energy of Capt.
Robt. A. Hamilton much, but never more
than on Saturday last. He had prepared
Dancers bearing the coat=of-arGs Of each OF
| the late Confederate States which were
borne by the school children, and his es-
! Unable wife prepared beautiful Confed-
crate flag Of flowers, which was placed on
the monument to the Confederate dead.
A TRIBUTE BY VETERANS TOTRE UNION
| DEAD.
After the Confederate decoration, Maj.
j. W. Newton, President of the 55h Viz
gininia Veteran Association accompanied
by veterans of that organic alton, proceeded
to the National Cemetery a mile below the
city. and placed on the monument there a
mourning shield of flowers bearing in the
centre the following inscription:
''MEMORIAL DAY.
We place this wreath of Southern fow-
ers, on this Federal monument IL cOmmem-
Grafton Ut the Union dead land especially of
tue chivalry Of Col. Dudley Dounelly and
Adjutant Chas. 2. Sprout of the 2Sth n.
7. Volunteers, killed at the battle of
Cedar mountain, August oh, 1862, in
time Of war; and the Kindness aud gener-
GUS hospitality of. their surviving COM
Fades in time of peace.
with the grand impulse brave men feel
When brave foe beaten sta Ids
The foes who have been worth our steel,
Are wortiier of our hands,
"F Jrsetting noyhing, let all be forgiven -
in behalf or the 9Th Regiment Virginia
Veteran Association. al
j. W. NEWTON, President.