Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-09-26

Is that allP Was Duty naught?
Love, and Faith made blind with tears?
What the lessons that they taught?
What the glory that they caught
From the onward sweeping years?
Here are they who marched away
Followed by our hopes and fears;
NObler never went than they
To bloodier, madder fray,
In the lapse ofall the years.
Garlands still shall wreathe the swords
That they drew amid our cheers;
Children's lisplngs, women's words,
Sunshine and the songs of birds
Greet them here through ell the years.
With them ever shall abide
All our love and all our prayers.
"What of them 2" The battles tide
Hath not scathed them. Lo! they ride
Still with Stuart down the years.
"Where are they who went away
Sped with smiles that changed to tears?"
Lee yet leads the lines of gray
StoneWall still rides down this way:
They are Fame's through allthe years
CAPTAIN Pratt then introduced Governor Lee
as follows:
This monument raised by loving comrades
and fair women to perpetuate the memories Oh
1000 sleeping heroes. has been labor of love.
The Augusta Memorial Association and the
Ladies' Auxiliary, after years OF effort are
about to unveiI this tribute from Virginia to
the sons of eleven sister States who, in defence
of a common cause, found sepulchre upon her
soil.
Virginia's dead sleep upon every battlefield
Of the Republic, in every cemetery where the
bones Of heroes have been gathered, wherever
the call of honor has demanded the supreme
sacrifice.
Together the blood of these martyrs was
mingled upon the field OF battle and no al
chemy can separate 1t, SO this memorial hon
ors all who died in our defence. g.
To witness the presentation of this tributs
comrades have been invited from every State.
the sacred dust of whose children we honor,
and 1t is fitting that the distinguished soldier,
who happily presides over this Commonwealth
should have been selected TO present this testi-
monial. rsst
My countrymen, 1 present to you General
Fitzhugh Lee: ...
Gov Lee thereupon made an eloquent ao-
dress which we have neither the time nor
space 10 notice as we would wish. he SAID
that as he looked over the splendid scene be-
fore him his heart was touched and his emo
lions deeply moved. To-day the cannon mat
roar are not loaded with shot or death-deailng
shell, and we meet to pay honor to their mem
ory and to perpetuate the great deeds OF Inc
brave soldiers OF the South
He would like to see such monuments as
the one before him reared In every county, In
honor of those who fought and died in defence
of a cause they deemed right and eonstitu.
tional.
He was, not long since, at SpottsylVan1a,
where the people from all the surrounding
counties had assembled to do honor to Gen
stonewau Jackson, the great warrior, who
l,Ia hot -Ha0 nd al
down to die.
He was afterwards at the Yellow Tavern
where Gen. ]. E. B. Stuart fell, and where the
people had assembled to honor his memory.
He could almost see their hearts beat, such
was the deep interest felt by the assembled
multitude and their affection and reverence
for the man who bravely did his duty. He
wished that Jeb Stuart could have seen them.
These testimonials teach that these men
fought and fell for principle. ....
The 40 men who, in 1857, framed the Federal
constitution did not say that State had not
the right to withdraw from the Union. 1t was
left to construction, and the South and North
differed in the construction, but the 5odth ex.
ercised a power she had right to exercise. and
therein lay the secret of the reason thai Jefer-
son Davis was never tried for treason. There
but there are some actuated by malice who
wished to place the brand of traitor on the
brogs of Southern people. All that is now
over. We commemorate the noble deeds of
those who are no longer with US, having left us
behind. They incribed the name of the army
Northern Virginia high up on the scroll OF
fame. Neither Napoleon, Marlborough. nor
Wellington ever fought four years without los
ing a battle.
Gen. Wellesley says that above the names OF
these DISTINGUISHED warriors stauds that of
Robert E. Lee. Men who win battles must
have men behind them. The Shenandoah
River will eternaily murmur the name Of
Stonewall Jackson. He won every battle he
fought but two, and they were drawn battles.
The Federal forces greatly outnumbered the
Confederate. -:
The reason they did not succeed better, was
not due to any want of bravery on the part OF
the Federal soldiers, but 1t was want of mill
tary capacity on the part of their commanders
In examining the official reports of the army
of the Potomac ann those of the army o.
Northern Virginia, he was astounded at the diff
ference In numbers. The superiority OF thu
| Federal forces in numbers in the seven-dayi
battles around Richmond was IL. 2SS; at thu
Second battle OF Manassas, 25 sol lat Sh arpsburg
81, GOT; at Fredericksburg, 2l72; at Chaneellors
Vile, rs 600; at Gettysburg. $1,000; and in tn
campaign from 1854 to 1866 from the Wilder
ness to Petersburg. 7,176.
/ We can point with pride 10 the deeds OF tn
past. and to-day we commemol ate the virtue
and courage and devotion to principle of tn
soldiers from eleven Of the Southern States.
The monument YVES then unveiled by Mis-
Carrie Johnston, granddaughter of General A
bert Sidney Johnston, assisted by The follow
} ing named young ladies representing the State
|. tached to their names. These young ladit
ing the female seminaries of this city which {
, near as could be, were divided equally in III
honor.
3 Misses Mary Rodefer, of Maryland; Nam
, Hale, of Virginia, Hattie Howard, Of N. Car
lima, Edna Weeks, OF s. Carolina. Ham
Frazier. of Georgia, Gena Jones, of Alabam
: Lulu Clarke of Mississippi. Lucille Foster.
e Louisiana, Ella Use, OF Texas, Lily Kelly.
n Missouri, Eua Brown, of Arkansas, Marg
Is lucky, May Fielder, of Tennessee.
n Capt. Pratt then introduced Lt..Gener
Is Jubsl A. Early, who said that he did not e.
Is pect to make a speech and would not, bl
would say few words. He had come here
Q pay deserved honor to the memory of tho
IS WHO had sacrificed their lives in their dew
d tion to right, justice. and constitutional libe
ty, and he was glad to see that there were
II many who had not forgotten them. He wou
n repeat what he had said before, that those wi