The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-08-30
chow WE FOUGHTI"
Extract From Private JOhn Aliens speech
at the Confederate Soldiers Reunion
at ByhaIia, MISsS

am very proud of the way We
fought. | have no lear that lime
or calumny will permit The fame
we made TO be extinguished |
have always prided myself ON be-
ing PRACTICAL man, but | also get
somewhat sentimental when | gp
to talking about the war. AMI
glad | was born at the right time
to be i'll tie fight, and | am also
proud OF my war record, Falk
about the Prntofian Guards! There
were 2.S00,000 men against us. We
never had but 100000 men on our
side all told. | am not disposed 10
detract from the prowess of those
who fought against us though they
had nothing TO brag of, for they had
the storehouses Of The world to
draw from; but when look at the
result, my God! what record We
made. When / tell you that the
pension roll Of The nation shows
350,000pensioRers drawing S80000,
600 annually, and about 350,00O
more waiting to get OH the roll;
also 100000 soldiers lying dead ir
the National Cemeteries, is it any
wonder that | feel it all right 10
bragg say, "Hurrah for The Con-
federates y This is the first re-
union of soldiers | ever attended.
| am glad TO meet you here in By
halia. We ought all TO be glad We
have come here to talk about The
war. Talking about being proud
and sentimental at the same time
| have a foolish idea that we should
all be prouder of our acfievenrent5
as warriors under Walthall, Stone
wall jackson and Lee than we
ought to be of the biggest pension
The government could give. l
think That r. K Lee was the great
esl man thai ever lived, and | would
not give he fame that he has won
for that of anybody. To have
marched with Lee and Jackson
was one Of the things to be really
proud OF. There is great politi-
cal party in our country that de-
mands supremacy by exciting and
keeping alive The prejudices of The
war. If had them all here to-day
| would say, "Oh, turn, sinners.
turn, may the Lord make you turn"
These 100000 men | told you of
were all Southern white mem and 1
wish TO know il their descendants
will succumb TO The demands of
such IA party? Is there one here
that Will
want 10 tell you how near l
came in The war time to be an acI
compliohed and confirmed liar, I
was on picket duty near Corinih,
not far from a mansion where there
was good vIct1als and pretty girls.
An old man came along and seeing
looked hungry, he protfered TO
take my place as a guard while l
went to The house. | found things
TO my taste at the residence, filed
up and felt like | could fight ~
whole regiment OF Yankees. Be
fore the visit | thought would not
like TO tackle more than Two az a
time. On my way back TO the
guard post / net several ladies'
with baskets filled with NICE things
Tor the sick at the hospital. | put
on 4bne face, said | was nearly
slarved.and asked for refreshments.
The ladies, bless them, said: "Of
course we cannot see poor, sick
soldier on duty suffer so, and OF
course we will supply your wants" !"
They gave be q abowl ef Cruel, a
dish | always despiselnhearlily, |
felt obliged to swallowit and when
1t went down on top of the good
dinner parlaken of at The table
, where the pretty girls adorned the
faast; l felt that | was punished as
] ought TO be for lying. Since then
have tried to hew close TO the
line and tell the truth on all occa-
sions."