Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-06-10
Rev. Mr.. DANES Memorial Address.


Rev. Mr.. DANES Memorial Address.
Rev. William Meade Dame. formerly Of
Christ Church, Alexandria, but now rector
of Memorial P. E. Church, Baltimore, was
the orator ct the Confederate decoration
day in his city last Thursday. In his sd.
dTess he said.
standing here by the Maryland dead
declare there is no one who has better right
to lift up his voice than Virginian. The
very laet view these dead took in was among
Virginia's hillsides end valleys, and on Vir-
ginia soil they first found their resting place.
1t was on this very day we are commem.
Grating when q great Virginian fell, and
Maryland bsyonets avenged the death of
Turner Ashby. On that Gay the blood of
Virginians and Ma!ylabders Was flowing in
one common stream. We are here to day
to miDgle our emotions as ne cid that day
Our blood. / have right to speak to Mary.
lands veterans because l was one in the
olden time who for four long years shared
their honors, duties, sufierings, hardships
and fatigues. We have common memory.
We labored and fought until General Lee
said we had done enough and tod Us to 60
home We do not want to discuss the causes
nor the consequences Of the war. We all
have our clear cut ideas Gbout the causes,
issues and consequences Of the terrific strug
gle. The question came home 10 each in
dividual in the South whether he should be
man or q coward, and to-day, speaking as
a Christian, g minister end man, l felt |
was doing my duty to God when l worked
nv gun until it vas nearly red hot and the
ground in front red with blood felt that
was doing my duty just es much as | do
now when 1 60 into the pulpit to
preach God makes men brave, and
it is the devil who makes towards OF
them. 1 thought instead Of following
the old stereotyped way l would to-day
talk little Of some OF the incidents OF the
war. You remember when man came into
our camp how we focked around him to
hear how the day had gone with his com
mand in particular fight | will give you
a kind of journal of what | ,aw during the
first ten days of the fight in Spott5y lvania
The ladies here too may get some idea OF
what we went through in hose days, and
they will then know why we reverence these
dead heroes around Us. Should ! exceed
the lime allotted to me-, sound The long roll
or the mess csll either Of these always
breaks up meeting of soldiers.
I'VE ieft the RapidaD river May 8, 1864,
koowing we had severe work on rand. In
the Confederate army We generally knsW
what was going on as we'll as the generals.
When we started for the Wilderness We
knew we had to meet Grant and 80, coo
men. May we started on our marcn nun
pry; we had eaten notb,0g since the day
before We met men coming back from The
II 4
of cavalry, but no infantry We thought
possibly there was no fight on hand. On
the morning of May s. we found plenty of
Federsla, as many as the most greedy Con
federate wanted, laughter, and ere long
there broke forth the most terrific muske:ry
ever heard on earth.
"There was little fighting Of artillery. l
saw LoDgstreet brought out bleeding from
wound under his collsr-bone, and it was
generally supposed he would die On the
night of May Z, we started about two o'clock
to 90 round Grants army go as to
protect Richmond. In the saction through
which we marched there were no
troops, the birds sang gayly and all
nature was aglow. Barksdsle's artil
lery and cur battery, the Richmond
Howiizera, were at the front. About noon
Sunday we came up to Stuart's cavalry,
grouped round farm house, and saw that
Stuarts badly mounted little command had
kept two army divisions from marching
more than six miles in two days. We stop
ped teasing cavalry men after that day.
''Gen. Stuart came up with his bland
smile-he always had bland smile when he
wanted to put you to trouble. Stuart said:
well, boys, have something for you to do
He took us into a freshly poughed field, In
itself enough to daunt battery, and point
ing out the enemy, said i want you to
break them all up, cavalry, infantry and ar
tillery.' In little while is Federal guns
were playing on two of our guns at 500 yards.
It was the hottest fire ever saw, but We did
all he had asked of us-we scattered them
all.
General Humphreys, commanding Mis-.
sissippi brigade, had his command behind a
vine clad fence. He made few of his men
show themselves go as to attract the atten-
ton of the enemy. They came in force, and
were permit; ed to reach the fence before fire
was opened upon them. After their repulse
Gen. Humphreys counted 406 dead FEEDER
els. The Confederate loss was g. [ saw
this with my own eyes. Gen. Kershaw, o.
South Carolina, had similar experience.
His men rose in the pines and fired 10 the
enemy's facs. They were go close that two
were killed with an axe. The Federals lost
lis and the Confederates l. Night of May
we moved and formed the lines We fought
on later, and on the night of May We
were up all night throwing up breastworks.
"May 10 the enemy assaulted all our lines
and tried to throw men into an interval be.
tween our works. We had the pleasure OF
hammering the fanks of these bodies of men
all day, but change was in store for Us.
We heard yell, and thought to see our men
capture Federal battery, but instead We
saw a column of ten Federal regiments daeh-
Ing over our breastworks not over 2oO yards
distant. They baycneted two ofthe Texans
who were asleep. Gregg's Texas brigade