Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-13
THE COMING ARMY.
Revisit Of Confederate Veterans to
Their Old Capital.
LEE MONUMENT UNWILLING.
Notes. Commcnss. and Suggestions About
. Great Event. When Thousands OF
Ola Soldiers win lie with Us

y
ola Soldiers win lie with Us.
AGAIN Richmond IL TO be the camp
ground OF an army.
Drum and fife, bugle and band, martial
music and battlo-fags, infantry, artihery'
and cavalry, will give 10 our streets once
more well-remembered appearance
But now the uniforms will DO new and
elossy-no stain OF camp or trench upon
them. The horses viii be sleek ana wen
fed, guns and swords bright ana sniny.
There will be no ambulance CORPS, no hos
pital flags and tents, ana no hem .,sa &c &c
women sickened with fear at the souhu Oh
Il viii be the psgeantry of war withnone
Of its horrors.
uErRosPEcrToS.
Twcnty-eieht years ago. in the month OF
Nav Yorktown and Norfolk were evacu-
sted and the Confederatos fell back upon
Richmond. On the 10th the Federal gun
boats attacked our defences at Drewrys
Bluff and were easily defeated; On lne
sist the bloody battle OF Seven Pines was
fought. ,,
From every quarter Of the Confederacy
and from some of the non-secedipg States
troops we're assembled TO defend hlch-
snond. r,.u
Reriments poured in bv every train. Inc
streets were ever resounding 20 the TRAMP
of armed men. North Carolina seeneu 70
pour her whole male population ,iito ene
citv. South Carolina. Georgia. AiaDaiha'
TEXAS. Mississippi, Lou siana. Arkansas
FLORIDA Kentucky. Maryland, and Iennes-
soc all sent Us help.
THE CONFEDERATE ARMY AT ITS BEST.
Then opr ranks were full. Then hope
was high. There was no Thought OF iaiiuIe
In those DAYS RatioDs were abundant;
The luxury of coffee and sugar was sun
known. Clothing could he gotten; though
prices of all necessarles had begun W SOAR
sloft
In little while Mcclellan and Lee were
eonfrontinc each other, so near TO Rlch-
mond that every flash OF the cannon at Me-
chanicsyille could be seen from the hills IN
thc northern part Of the CITY.
The seven days' battles cleared the
enemy from our neighborhood for good
while. though raiding was frequent.
In June, 1854, Grant appeared before the
CITY. Here he stayed, with varying fortunes,
until the surrender.
HARD TIMEs.
Now came pinching times. The people
NJ home farrell almost as badly as those on
the lines Lucky was he who had plenty
of corn-rneal and bacon. In winter 1uei
was scarce as food In summer there was
scarcely any ice TO be had. The City Coun-
Gil had wells and pumps put IN the streets
all over the city. There were from ten 10
twenty thousand men in the hospitals. ana
il was a distressing struggle to get bread
and medicine for them.
Nearly all the men end horses were IN
the army.
Then, indeed. were we sorely tried. 1t
was battle with bullets and battle tor
provisions.
Thousands Of the men who defended the
capital Of the Confederacy through those
DAYS of danger and short rations are yet
alive.
They came here beardless boys and are
gray-hairod men and grandfathers now.
They came to us when our need was
sorest. Many received painful wounds.
MANY left fathers and brothers on the
bloody fields of Seven Pines, Galness
Mill. Cold Harbor, or Malvern Hill.
THEIR YEAREINd.
Those who survive, to q man, want TO
revisit Richmond They would like to sec
again the fields upon which they BIZ
vouscked: tho springs from which they
drunk: the woods that sheltered them in
storm and sunshine. and the trenches
where they stood to their guns with such
heroic endurance and chivalrlc constancy.
MaQV nave El6Ntu upon lLtiI ilc
faces OF far women, angels of mercy and
grace, whose touch soothed the fevered
brow; whose voice was the music that en-
chanted them back from the brink OF the
grave to life.
TIE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.
Yes, these veterans wish 10 come hero
again, and the golden opportunity will be
when the monument 10 Lee is unveiled
Nav 29th.
fftl.- 1. .of,x fhov, th.Ary
can revisit local ties sweet 60 memory, and
then, better still. with dear old friends
FROM whom they teariully parted at Appo-
mattox. they can saunter about familiar
streets aud tramp over the battle-helds
made glorious 10y their val0r.
No feature that we could introduce in
our programme would yield as much I'M
alloyed satisfaction as one by which the
veterans could be freely and expedihously
taken TO the great battlc-holds near here.
TIE YOUNGER MIN.
Tue sons Of these veterans are anxious to
come, too. Many and many a time by the
family hearth have they heard their fathers
tell of 80 the battles before Richmond" and
one of their ambitious dreams is to see the
places OF which they have been told so
much.
TEE CROWD.
So il nav be taken as an assured fact
will be here May 29th in vast numbers.
Most of the Younger men Will come in
volunteer companies.
Already the indications point TO an im-
mense attendance of these bright young
soldiers.
The First Regiment Armory and the Ex-
position buildings will be filled with them.
Virginia will have here six full companies
of cavalry; brigade OF infantry, and a
battalion of artillery
North and South Carolina will send
several regiments. Maryland will send her
Fifth. Georgia is going TO be well repre-
sented, and many other southern States
will send us regiments, battalioDs, or COM
panies.
brave men upon fields of honorable con-
test mean to send some famous organiza-
lions here.
All this forcshadows a great time coming
for Richmond. The demands upon us will
be very great, and already there are a num-
Der Of committee. at work collecting
money and arranging programmes.
TEE PROGRAMME.
All Of this, so far arranged, is that upon
The arrival OF the bronze group (horse and
rider) from Paris il will be placed on the
granite pedestal, which IS a beautiful struc-
ture.
On the Goth of May procession will
be formed, with General Fitz Lee as chief
marshal, in which which will appear thou
sands Of veterans and volunteers on horse
and on foot, and along with them great
number Of civic organizations.
Arrived at Lee Monument Circle (west
Franklin street near Richmond Colleee)
Governor Mckinney will call the meet
Ing to order. General Jubal A.
Early will preside. Rev. DR.. Mimi
gerode. pastor sIac1ftis OF IT. Paprs
church, Will lead in PRAYER. The Grafton
will be delivered 10y Colonel Archer Ander-
ton. and the unyeiling will be amid great
salvos Of artillery.
The idea OF having O number of young
girls, representing each southern State. to
place flowers about the base of the monu-
hent seems very sweet and tasteful sug-
testion.
At night there will no doubt be fire.
works. balls, fstes. and other suitable en-
tertainments for the young and old
he general conception of the proprieties
pr the occasion is that IL should be marked
bya dignihed enthusiasm. In the reunions
thai are going 10 take place there will be