The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-06-29


hn' slow and deliberate in It's course. The
Stlfe which hli done 80 much to found Che
Union WAS inih t0 assent 10 IFS dissolution. /
and >ful guided ly the wise coun>eis ~ such
mona Robert T.. Scot'. Robert Y. Conrad. |
luhal \. E4riv. John y. Baldwin, samuel
Mcdowell Moore. and 4. III. n. stuart she
persisted iD efforts 90 avert ,he calamity
Of war. Events followed swiftly. The
Peace Conference had failed. Oycrture>
for the rca,c'U. evacuation oi Fort sum
\ ter had likewise failed. ON the l3lh oil
April. under Commandment. Major Ander- |
son. with r- garrison. surrendered. On |
April 10Th President Lincoln issued his |
proclamation for $1,000 men 10 make war
AGAINST The seeded states which hc styled !
"com inatiou> too powerful Go Dee sup |
pressed hy tbc ordinary course of judicial !
proceedings" This proclamation deter |
mined Nirun.3'> course. War bad come. |
Her me0iqtion bad been i'm vain. She was |
too noble OBJ Ne neutral.
Oi the arts oi duplicitv she knew no.
thing save fo Nt>Ui~e. she must now level |
her guns aei.n-i the breast. OF her south |
ern brethren or make her own breast thcW !
shield. On April 18th she answered Mr. !
Lincoln, proclamation with the ordinance !
Of secession. and. with intrepid brow. |
stepped where iu conflict history has ever
found hcr-to The front OF war
"JNpEp winch FLAG"
Whore now is Robert Lee On the bor- !
der-rnc between two hostile empires. grid /
ing their i0ins for IS stern a night as ever
tested warriors steel, he bcholds each /
reckoning Co him 10 bead IT, people TO bat |
Tie. ON zoe one hand Virginia. now in
thoforciront ~ @ scarcely organized royolu- |
ton. summons him 20 share her lot
fedcrlcy j. without an army. There
/, no navy. There is no currency. |
There are few tccmirg workshop, and
ar>enal- There Is little but thin and
wild .ly-,caticred pcpuhtion-ior the most
part men OF the field, the prairie, the |
forest, and the mountain. ready 20 stand |
the hazard Of an audaci0u> cndeavOr, 10 |
meet aggression with whatever weapons
frccmen can lay their hands on. and 10 |
carry high the banners OF the free, what |
ever may bctidc.
Did he fail: Al, did he fail: His be- |
loved state would be lrampled in the mire |
OF the ways: he Confederacy would be |
blO.ted from the family OF nati0ns-home |
and country would survive only in men, !
ory and in name. his people would be cap !
tive. their very slaves their masters, and /
he-if % himself me thought at all-he.
mayhap. might have seen in the dim per-
spec.iye the shadow OF the dungeon or OF |
the Scadold.
ON the other hand stands the foremost |
and most powerful republic OF the earth !
rich in an that handiwoTl can fashion or
that gold can buy. II j. thlckly populated. |
It. regular army and its myriad volunteers |
rush 10 do it, bidding. It's navy rides the |
western seas in unGi>putcd sway. 1t,
treasury teens with the sinews OF war. ana /
it, ar>cnal> With weapons. And the world |
is open 10 lend a. cheer and aid and COM /
fort. IT,, capital lies in sight OF his cham /
Der window. and It's guns bear on the pOr-
tai, Of h, home. \ messenger come, from /
it, President and from General scott. COM |
mander-ln-chief Of its army, 20 tender him /
supreme command Of it, forces. Did he /
accept and did De succeed, the cOnquerors /
crown await, him, and win or lose, he Will |
remain The foremost man OF great estab-
li,hcd nation. with all honor and glory that /
riches and office and power and public aI- /
plau>e can supply.
Since the SON Of Man stood upon the
Mount and saw call the kingdoms OF the
earth and The glory thereof" stretched be-
fore him. and turned away from them to
the agony and bloody sweat Of Gethsemane, /
and 90 the eros, Of Calvary beyond, no
follower Of the meek and lOwly Saviour
can have undergone more irving ordeal.
or met it with higher spirit OF heroic sacri-
fee.
There wa, naught on earth that could
swcrye Robert +. Lee from the path where.
20 bis clear comprehension. honor ana duly
lay. TO the statesman, Mr.. Francis Pres
ton Blair. who brought him the tender OF
supreme command, he answered: Mr..
Blair, | look upon secession a. anarchy
III / owned the four millions OF slaves IN
the south would sacrifice them all 20 the
Union; but how can | draw my sword
against Nirginia:'
Draw hi. sword against Virginia? Per-
ish the thought, over all the voices that
called him he heard the still small voice
that ever whispers to the soul OF the spot
of lis birth and Of her who gave 1t suck;
and over every ambitious dream there rose
the face Of the angel that guards the door
Of home.
on the 10th Of April. A. soon a the news
OF Nirginia's secession reached bin, he 1e-
signed bis commission in the army OF the
United State, and thus wrote to his sister,
who remained with her husband on the
Union side:
"With an nv devotion to the Union and
the feeling Of LOYALTY and duty OF an Anne
rican citizen ! have not been able 10 make
up NY mind 10 raise my hama against my
relatives, lnA chiioitus NY num- 30
therefore resigned my commission IN the
army, and. save in defence OF my native
state with the sincere hope that my poor
service. may never be needed, ! nope
may never be called upon TO ara" ID!
sword"
LEE DEyOTEs his SWORD TO HIS NATIVE
STATE.
Bidding an aflcctionatc adieu 70 MS oIo
friend and commander, General ScOt' VINO
mOurned his loss but nObly expressed MS
confidence in his motives, he repaired 10
Richmond. Governor John Lelcher iii,
mediateiy appointed him 70 the command
in chief Of the Virginia forces, ana the
Convention unanimously confirmed the
nomination. Memorable and impressive
was the scene when lac came into the pres
ence OF that body on April 23d. Its yene-
rable president, John Janney, with brief,
contentious eloquence, addressed him, ana
concluded, saying
Strive have by this unanimous vote
expressed our convictions that you are at
mis- day, among the living citizens OF VIZ
,,inla. first in war We pray 10 God most
feryently that you may so conduct the ope.
rations committed 10 your charge that u
NAV soon De said OF you that you are 1rst
in 1eace' and when that time comes you
will have earned the still proudcf dHtihc-