The Opelousas courier., 1888-10-06
A Confederate Monument.

terry, Staunton, Va, was unvell-
ed on Wednesday last under the
auspices of the Augusta Memo
rial Society. There was an inn
mense attendance and II grand
civil and military procession. of
which Gen. Thos. l.. Rosser was
the chief marshal, and which in
Guided representatives from the
Society Of the Army and Navy
of the Confederate States, Ma
ryland Line, Survivors of the
Stonewall Brigade, Veterans
Confederate and Federal), local
military and several cadet organ
izations. Hon. "A. G. Gordon,
ex-mayor of Staunton, read IL
poem written for the occasion.
Gov. Fitzhugh Lee delivered an
address, in which he said:
I want to see such monuments
as this all over this Common
wealth. They teach the youth
to believe that ntheir fathers
fought for a constitutional right.
The forty-nine men who in 1887
framed our Constitution did not
say this Union was indissoluble.
Had they said so it would never
have been formed. The most
profound jurists of the North
agreed with those of the South
that there was nothing in the
Constitution to prevent any
State from withdrawing from
the Union, and therein lies the
secret why Jefferson Davis was
never tried for treason. The peo-
pie at the North did not want
this question discussed before
the courts. They discussed it
with arms and they won. That
contest is over now. We are
one people. The Army of Nor
thern Virginia has written its
name high on the scroll of hon
or. That army never lost a bat
tie. Gen. Wolseley, the English
chiettain, has placed the COM
mander of that army [great APP
plausel above all Generals, an
Gent and modern, for the battles
he fought and the victories he
won under adverse circumstan-
ces. But IA great commander is
made by great soldiers in the
ranks, and such were the SOL
diers of the Army of Northern
Virginia. It took four
years for the sun of the Confed-
eracy to sink. We contended
against great odds. But we have
duties to perform, and let us
make this fair South what it
once was. We are already in1the
right direction. We can assem-
BILE on such occasions as this and
honor our dead, our own dead,
without interfering with our du-
ties as citizens of a common
country. [Applause.
The monument was unveiled
by Miss Carrie Johnston, grand
daughter of Gen. Albert Sidney
Johnston. Miss Johnston was
assisted in her task by a young
lady from each of the fourteen
Southern States, the ladies in
question being students at the
female schools in Staunton.
Among these were the Misses
Gena Jones of Alabama, Lulu
Clarke of Mississippi, Lucille Eos
ter of Louisiana, Ella Use OF
Texas, Eula Brown of Arkansas,
and Margaret Turnbull, of Flor
Ida. Gen. Jubal A. Early being
called upon for a speech, said:
Icame here to-day to honor
the men who fought for consti.
tutional liberty. The man who
deserted the army in our times
is not as bad as the man who de.
serts his principles to-day. Their
he had some excuse, for the
!, pangs Of hunger were gnawine
and his children at home were
! crying for bread ; but the mar
who deserts now does so only il
his greed for Office. IL | ever re
pudiate my principles may th'
; lightning of heaven strike me
and may tbs scorn of all brav'
men and true Women be my LOT
cheeringl
Speeches were also made b,
Gen. Rosser and others. TIL
. monument is the figure of Con
federate soldier at parade res
1t is Of heroic size, six feet tw
inches in height, is made c
S white marble, and took the frs
nrize at the New York Art Exh
It bition in 1886 as the best spec
men of sculpture of it's elias
d The base. sub-basis and plint