The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-02
TEE BATTLE oFsALEM CHURCH.
Gen. p. McGlashan's Lecture on the
Great Virginia Fight.


Great Virginia Fight.
The lecture at Masonic hall last night by
| p. McGlashan. for the beaefit of the fund
for the proposed memorial hall to be erected
by the Confederate Veterans Association,
was well attended, and while the ex ct
number Of tickets sold was no6 kaOwn last
night, it was estimated that about $3.50 was
nettei for the building fund.
Gen. l. McLaws. president, aud Col. w.
w. Gordon, second vice president of the
| association, occupied seats on the stage.
| Some very charming music on the either
was furnished by Joseph Ruckert. with
piano and violin accompaniment. After
the overture Gen. McLaws Introduced thu
| lecturer.
Gen. McGlashan prefaced his lecture on
\ the battle Of Salem Church, Va, with an
| appeal for aid and encouragement in raising
the fund to build a hall wnere for all tims
the relics aud historic data relating to the
| part borne by the southern soldiery can be
preserved. The speaker said: I'VE are
striving to rescue from oblivion those un-
chronicled examples Of courage, heroism,
sublime endurance aud nobility of char
acter that tyDified the southern soldier,
and as we are sure to fad no echo of them
| In the northern historic; of the war they
must be told and preserved by ourselves If
! at all.
The speaker described with graphic de-
tail the battle of Salem lurch and the
heroic part the Georgia soldiery took in the
engagement, aud after telling Of the final
charge of the confederate troops and the
rapid retreat OF the enemy he RELAXED the
following incident of the stern devotion e.
duty which characterized the Georgia
troops. He said:
Just then letter bearer approached me
and said, Major, one OF your pen, badly
wounded, desires to see yol before he dies. )
Where is he / askedY Just back here in
the woods a little ways the messenger re-
piled. l went back With him aud found,
stretched on litter, a private soldier named
John Culpepper OF Company II, from Col
quit county, a plain piney woods farmer,
never out of the way, but was always
present for duty. He was terrible wounded.
While loading his riff, standing sideways
to the enemy, ball had struck him on the
edge of his temple. tearing out both his
eyes, tearing off his nose. and the brains
seemed to be out. He evidently had
not long to live although perfectly
conscious. Is the major here
he inquired. Yes, Culpepper,,' 1 replied,
and | am grieved to see you so sorely
wounded He CROPPED in the dark with his
hand and said, Major, take my hand
took it in both of mine aud knelt down
beside him. Major he whispered, have
done my duty was thrilled with the de-
votion of the dying hero. Yes said, Il
| can testify that you have nobly done your
| whole duty now and all the tlme.' oh,
| then it is all right he said Tell my people
| when you return home that John Culpepper
| died doing his duty He never spoke again.
"Such were the men who died in defense
| of southern principles. No rebels or traitors
they, but patriots pure and true as ever
| marched to battlefield at the call of their
sovereign states, and dying OH the field of
honor only seeking to know if they had done
| their duty. All, and when our stainless
and immortal Lee, crushed by the suffer-
jngs of a loved people whom he could no
longer protect, bowed his stately head to
fate and passed over the river. no whittier
soul, no grander spirit met TO welcome him
to eternal rest under the shade of the trees
than that of the humble private soldier who
| died on the field of Salem Church with the
| sublime word duty on his lips and in his
| heart.n
| As instancing the severity of the struggle
in which the FIftieth Georgia were engaged
| at Salem Church, the lecturer said that he
will never forget whel, at the command of
| the general, the adiutant came forward
and by the pale light of the torch read the
| report, showing that of the BIG carried into
| action, 1S7 we're killed and wounded four
missing, and only 125 present and accounted
| for.
| The lecture was replete with historic Incl
dents connected with the battle of Salem
| Church, and was listened TO with the closest
attention, and stirred the hearts of veterans
| present who had participated in the many
bloody struggles Of the Charlottesville
| camDaion