Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-02-15

world in arms against them, such examn,a.
have no faint of the tomb upon them. The
men are dead, but the patriotism that de-
fed danger and held life not dearer in the
defense of honor, home and State sovereign
ty, and which kindled in their souls the
quenchless fires of devotion to liberty,
cannot be wrapped in shroud, or screwed
down under coffiu lid, or committed to
the grave.
The republics of ancient Greece are
dead, but are Marathon and Salamis and
Platea to be forgotten because Greece is
living Greece no more? On the contrary,
have they not been the inspiration of all
that have resisted despotism, and fought
for freedom from their day to ours?
| Twenty-Five years before the Christian
era the Roman republic expired, and was
succeeded by the Roman Empire, but will
the world forget the patriot sages and SOL
diers of Rome's noblest era? The Com
monwealth of England has perished, but is
not patriotism yet kindled by the names OF
John Hampden, and John Milton, and
Harry Vane, and Admiral Blake?
What does England now care for the
wars of the White and Red Roses? She
cares this She cherishes the memories of
the men who illustrated British valor,
fortItude, and pluck, but she has forgotten
whether they belonged to the house of
York or Lancaster.
England and Scotland were once inde-
pendent kingdoms. Long and bitter we're
the wars they waged against each other
They are united now, but suppose Scotland
had never reared monuments in honor of
her fallen chieftains. Suppose England
had been oblivious to the memories of her
illustrious heroes. Suppose all the monu-
ments of patriot soldiers had been reared
on northern Scottish soil, and none across
the southern border. Suppose all the
monuments of ancient valor had been south
of the Tweed-then what? Then this
The impression would have slowly, GER
| tainly gained ground that either England
or Scotland had never produced men
worthy of remembrance, and the result
would have been the Generalization, the
degradation of the part of the United
Kingdom which failed to perpetuate the
recollection of the men whose achieve
ments constituted what ought to have
been common heritage; and what would
have been the loss of each would have
been the loss of both.
The day will come when the question will
not be who wore the blue or the gray, but
who was loyal to duty, who was dauntless
in courage, who was unfaltering in adher
ence to principle, who was sublime in self
sacrifice, who illustrated most splendidly
the magnanimity, the daring, the chivalry
of the patriot soldier
No nation is safe or strong which does
not glory in the achievements of noble
ancestors. II sons fail to cherish the in
spring memories of patriotic fathers, they
will have no patriotism to bequeath to their
r.1E
out self-reliance, without belief in it's own
prowess and ability to stand against all
corners, no nation is fit to take the field
One Englishman once thought himself a
match for three Frenchman. He often
found himself mistaken, but the fact that
he thought so, helped him to be so. In our
Confederate war the fact that with inferior
numbers our troops so often obtained the
victory was itself an inspiration aud an
assurance of success.
But how shall State become proud of
it's own record? How can it obtain the con-
fidence in its own valor, which is half the
battle? Ianswer, by preserving the memo
ries of the past. But how shall this be
done? By history? How few read history;
how few have the time or inclinationy
| There is, however, splendid substitute for
written history-it is pictorial history; it is
fODJcCb 10dCAiAHE ~ 10 ehO appear Va AAAOA-
uments. Armies are recruited chiefly from
the young and from working men-men
too busy to read. How appeal to them ex-
cept by monuments? These speak to all,
learned and unlearned, old and young, pro-
fessional men and men of business, the
merchant, the mechanic, and the manufac-
turer. Books are occasionally opened;
monuments are seen every day, and the les
son of that lofty figure of the private soldier
which is to tower over Libby Hill and be-
seen from afar by all who approach this
city, by river or rail, will be lesson in stone
and in metal which your school boys can
read and understand; and the lesson will be
this: "Live nobly; there is a reward for
patriotic devotion to duty. Republics
are not ungrateful.'
l am ia favor of monuments to great
generals. We have monument to Wash
ington, to Jackson, to Stuart. We are 60
ing to have one for our Lee; but want an
other for our Confederate private soldier.
Who are more worthy of it than the
privates who followed these great leaders
and who 80 won their admiration that they
could not find words adequately to express
it? When Jackson had to bid farewell to
the Stonewall Brigade, as he rode slowly
toward the line, the men-who at the sight
of his old faded cap, with the rim resting
on his nose, and his chin in the air, and the
old gray coat and the old sorrel horse, were
accustomed to shatter the air with their
cheers-were as silent as death. They
knew what was coming. In the midst of
the profound silence and sadness, jackson,
controlling his emotions as best he could,
commenced formal address. But present
ly he paused. He ian his eye down the
line (as ore of his biographers says) as il
he wished Individually to bid them farewell,
man by man; but as the memories of what
they had suffered and achieved together
came crowding on him the suppressed emo
tion surged up beyond restraint. "Mas-
tered by an uncomfortable impulse, he rose
in his stirrups, threw the reins on the neck
of his horse with an electric gesture which
sent thrill through every heart, and ex-
tending his arm, added in tones of deepest
feeling: In the Army of the Shenandoah you
were the First Brigade. In the Army of
the Potomac you were the First Brigade.
In the second corps of the army you were
the First Brigade. You are the First Bri-
qdde in the affections of your general, and
I hope by your future deeds and bearing
you will be handed down to posterity as
the First Brigade in this our second war of
independence!P"
The private soldier! The men who were
OeScrlDeu Dy Lno EnguSu correspondent VI
the London Times as lean from fasting,
with matted hair and mendicants' rags,
yet who followed the battle flag with
triumphant joy never surpassed, and won
victories never transcribed, the men of
whom Lee said: There is one attitude in
which l would never be ashamed of your
seeing my men, and that is when they are
fighting"
Yes, we will give them a monument.
The scheme is in good hands. No better
committee could be selected than the one to
which we have entrusted its management.
No more ardent or efficient friend ofthe en-
terprise can be found than the honored
Governor of the Commonwealth, who is
giving to it his fullest sympathy and his
untiring cooperation.
LIBBY HILL.
The place for the monument is a good
one-the very best of all the historic hills of
Richmond. We will make its foundations
firm, it's column high, and over the city
defended four years by the bravest men who
ever shouldered arms or charged bayonets,
we will set up the statue; and as the sun
tIan lroh har nd do hia