The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-04
A STIRRING SCENE
AT GRAFTON ON MEMORIAL DAY.
4 n.Ass.s,s asa usyrs.dsaisd C.l.laasa.
or.tIoa By Jsdss LoouIs- s0r.rssr pi,tpoat
stirssp d. Boyi with some rhrlIilsv Esui.
.l.e.s... Of Ii. Day. Of Iat.l..

GRAFTON. May 81, 1888. so far Is your cor.
respondent has sten the ISTELloEscEG has
not publ shed any extended account Of the
Decoration exerci es at Grafton. These eI.
erciies deserve to DO mentioned. In the first
place, the largest crowd Of people ever In
Grafton on any occasion was here on Decora.
Day. It looked % though all the people 10
the Counties OF Preston, Harrison, Mar
ion and Monorgalia, to say nothing Of
the Taylor County people, had suddenly
emptied themselves out on Grafton and
brought along their friends. At the cemetery
there was perfec! jam, Union and Conf,d.
era!e, cid soldiers and ther stalwart sons and
daughters, paying tribute Of rssrect to the
dead brays who on battle field and 10 hospit-
al aad prise yielded up their lives that this
Uoio1 might be perpetuated. The exercises
were OF q very entertaining character, some
stirring music from four brass bands being o
very prominent feature.
Judge George Loom!s, OF PGkersburg, was
the orator OF tn, day, and never lrom the
lips OF any orator fell finer or moro clog ent
vi rds. To attempt description al this
great speech would DO to do the speaker inius-
ice. Those who heard 1t had hoped era ibis
TO s.e It in pint. During the entire deliy.
cry OF the Grafton tie immense crowd stood
up In the sun, seemingly entranced by the
words OF patriotism an I spleedid o'atory.
At the conclusion OF Judge LOOMS ora.
tion, the orator remarked that Governor +.
Il. Pierpont, the old war.horse aud veteran.
was present, and that be would like to hear
II IN, the old patriot Instantly there was .
r.. ptIrnnnf In which tnR
vast audience seemed to Join. Governor
PIerp mt came forwlrd, bis face radiant with
pleasure, and aid:
"As sat IN eager listener 10 the eloquent
| speech OF Judge Loomis and looked out into
your faces my memory ran back to tho stir.
ring DAYS OF 1872, when to encourage vol
untsers to 70 into the Federal army visited
most OF the centers OF population 10 West
Virginia. While riding on the railroad at
night and as lay on my sleepless bed. many
times asked myself--in the fear Of God-if
| il was right? KNEW many that would 80 TO
the field would never return. knew that
the object OF the leaders OF the rebellion was
TO enlarge the borders Of slavery; TO reopen
the African slave trade. and to degrade labor
They had declared that the war was 10 be
that slavery was the normal condition Of the
"Whst had, vest Virginia been guilty OF
that she SHOULD be oyerrun by war; her
towns and the homes OF her people laid
waste and desolated; her sons conscripted
into fhe rebel army 10 fight for slavery
NV mind ran back through the ages from
Nimrod to Calvary, aud down 10 the present
time. Tyrants were ever gaining power
and great concession was never made 10
humanity but by the shedding OF blood. /
believed In this fight the slaves would be
made free aud the laboring man advanced:
| | believed that the homes, The wives and
| children could be better defended BY the
strong arm Of the West Virginian at the
front. believe 1t yet. [Applante.1 l
yet" prolonged applause.
Gov, Pierpont then. gave shortgrsphic
description OF the results OF the wal, and said,
| N can not consent to detain you, but must
,ay that l have always been proud. OF the
West Virginians and the honorable record
they made In war. Tee grandest heritage tney
leave TO thsir children Is legacy OF bravery
aud fidelity 10 every trust. Governors OF
Northern States, and statesmen At different
time asked me why II was that West Virgil
MIA troops stood so high for Fighting qualities
and fought so well1 replied that 1t was
because they were in earnest, they were at
the front defending their wives and children
In the rear at their homes"
Governor Pierpont said further, that Dur
| ing the winter oil 1865. he was twice ut the
front o. the Peninsula before Richmond.
| West yirgiuia regiments were there; many
Northern troops were also there. DISCRETION
from picket duty had become common, ! sup
pos d confined principally to bounty jump
ers. but the custom became 90 prevalent that
| the command ing General had 10 put q guard
| Ia the rear TO catch the deserter4 No guard
was ever placed In the rear Of West Virginia
soldiers. Some OF the Ulcers complain d OF
thls. General Ord, 10 whom complaint was
made; replied: 1.-THE West Virginia boys
had whole year to decide ". ich army they
would 20 into, and not one 81 them was ever
Known 10 eesert ~,
Illustrating the estimation In which the
West Virginia troops were held BY the Gen.
erals OF the army, Governor Pierpont said:
sin 1865, at the front, at Hatcher's Kun,
Gen. N cad was 10 command, Gen. Turner
next, Terry commanded the corps; two West
Virginia regiments had been sent forward on
picket duty. They bad not gone far until
they encountered q battalion Of Confederate
soldiers and captured them and brought them
within the Federal lines. Gen. Mead saw
the regiments returning with the prisoners
and riding up TO Gen. Turner, (who was a
very proiane mani said, 'Gene'sl, You must
take better care OF your soldiers or they will
get captured Turner replied, Captured hi,
these are West Virginia soldiers, and when
they get into fight every DID one Of them
Is 4 General. They never will be caotured.'
"And, CONTINUED Gov. Pierpont," 30 It is.
my friesds, West Virginia soldiers covered
themselves all over with glory" Prolonged
applause.1 This was all the old Governors
speech. by this time the Governor was sur.
rounded by crowd OF old boys who gayiy
wore The blue twenty years ago. The old
veteran got down from the stand and for sew.
eral moments 4 regular camp meeting scene
was witnessed. 0ne old fellow said, u was
at Hatcher's Run, Governor another ~ was
on the Peninsula" and had tasted the half
cooked beans at Libby and Others starved in
the skeleton clutch Of unreasonable. It
was scene never to be forgotten. .. x.
NEIGHBORHO0D NOTES.