The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-14
Union and Confederate Veter-
ans Meet as Brothers.
IN MEMORY OF FORT SUMTER.
Old Soldiers Recall the Lessons ~ the
War to Both Sides and Vie IN
Patriotic eentiments.

F. E. Hanson, president of the Union Veteran
Club, presided, and prior to his announcement
OF the first address the Sons Of Veterans euter-
tanned the audience with some rousing patriotic
tunes.
The first speaker introduced was l. F. Comp
ton, veteran OF the Mexican war, who respond
ed to the sentiment. 1.-THE Veterans OF the Next
can Army He said that he had been request
ed to speak word in behalf of the soldiers of
the Mexican war, but begged pardon for speak
ing first of soldiers who had won fame prior to
that time. He then sketched the c0Dquests OF
Alexander the Great, and followed with men,
ton of the deeds OF Hannibal. the Carthagenian,
and of George Washington. In all these wars ma
tional lines were done away with, but were all
re-establshed. In the war with Mexico national
lines were also done away with, and their re-es-
tablishment gave the United States one fourth
of her present area. OF all the warlike heroes,
he said, none are dearer to the soldiers heart
than Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, who,
with their little handful of men, won an I'M
broken succession of victories. The result OF
the war was the disruption of the Mexican gov
eminent. The lines that were then dictated by
General Scott are the government lines today.
The addition OF territory has never, in any other
war, been so great. The old comrades of that
war are few and hard to find. But few more
days and they viii all have said good bye to the
stars and stripes.
At the conclusion OF this address Miss Alma
Wood gave q recitation, 1.-THE Rattle of the
Drum In excellent style, and met with deserved
applause.
w H. Thompson, 4 soldier who wore the gray,
spoke eioqnently of the Confederate Soldier on
the Battlefield" In the couase Of his remarks
he said:
sit was my fortune thirty years ago to be a boy
of Is years of age when the event that has called
you together tonight to celebrate took place. l
was then living in my little mountain home In
Nopfh Erarp SUf. uvftH wa foth
and an elder brother. Both of them were as
bitter as any OF you in their opposition to the
secession of the state of Georgia. / was too
young to know much of war. little over two
years later left my home and went a. recruit
to the Fourth Georgia regiment / coon found
war had but little of the glorious about it, and a
great many unpleasant things. Many OF you
know OF the trials in an army that faced Grant
In the wilderness. 1t will not be surprising to
you to hear one say, who passed through that
campaign, that my memory OF the men was
with is that of comrade to comrade, and thank
you for the opportunity to lay but one little
faded flower ON their graves.
"When l went into the army which faced
Grant there was no more of skirmishing, but
death grapple between contending hosts headed
by two OF the greatest generals the world has
ever seen. Words fail to tell the horrors that
the men of both armies passed through. Men
who went through the baptism Of blood at Get
tysburg and in the Wilderness are truly worthy
of the name of men. Is it necessary to say more
of the Confederate veteran or for the veteran of
the Union army? To me there Is no prejudice
lingering from those heroic days. Whether he
wore the blue or the gray, all honor to the vet
eran. II he is fortunate enough to be living, he
is worthy of honor; IL he is dead, let the senti-
ments of patriotism waited by the breezes be his
requiem. The close of war was indeed the end of
hostiiities. The men of the South fought
to the last extremity, but when they surren-
dered they surrendered in good faith. Their
pledge now Is to stand by the boys in blue in
defense of the grand old flag. Should the time
come when one of the nations across the sea
should declare war upon the great republic of
the West, and the boys who wore the blue
should enlist, they would find themselves elbow
to elbow with the men who followed Stonewall
Jackson up the valley of the Shenandoah"
Mr.. Thompson closed with the recitation of
poem contributed by himself to the Century,
which 10 graphic description of the charge OF
Picketts division on Doubleday's battery a. the
battle of Gettysburg.
At the conclusion of the address the drum
corps struck up "Dixie."
"The Federal Soldier on the Battlefield" was
responded to by Judge Richard Osborn, soldier
who wore the blue. He said: at gives me
pleasure to be here on this occasion. feel that
i have been benefited by what l have heard
here. l., with many OF the comrades here,
u
the rebellion. Understand me that whatever
shall say is not meant to detract from the men
who fought against us. The men IN the South
who said that one Southerner was equal to five
Yankees and those in the North who said that
one Union man could whip half dozen rebels
were not the men that were there.
"The war was a great mistake - almost
crime. The men who fought for the lost cause
were as brave as ever trod the soil of this
country. But they were wrong and am glad
that one OF their number is here to
acknowledge his mistake and now pledge sup
port to the stars and stripes. Such men / am
proud to take by the hand. The objects which
were the cause of our starting out to war were
not what the South thought, nor were their
objects rightly judged by us. We fought for the
great principle of the constitution. Horrible as
were the battles aud sufierings OF the war, we
have the great results growing out of it. 1t is
not too much to say that it was great blessing
1t was this that made the nation what it is. 1t
has made the North know the SOUTH
The drum corps gave "Yankee Doodle in
spirited style.
Colonel James Hamilton Lewis responded to
'The South, Its Loyalty at and After the War"
He recalled the names of the great leaders on
both sides in the civil war, and paid a glowing
tribute to their memory. He called to mind the
passionate controversy which preceded the out
break of war and vehemently defended the Con-
iederates from the charge OF being traitors. He
dwelt on the life of the Southern gentlemen
before the war and on the sudden change which
was made by the result of that war, and de-
scribed slavery AS the worm which crept into
the heart of this rose OF Southern life None, he
said, would offer moro relentless resistance to
the reinstatement of that institution than the
Southern people. In dwelling upon this theme
he said:
And then the old slave life, not Ia its excep-
tionai barharic phases, but in its peculiar trust
lug and pathetic temper. that of reciprocal con-
fdences, the mutual love and that tender rela-
ton in which the baby offspring OF southern
culture was hushcd 10 sleep by the untutored
lullaby OF the old nanny who, with form
rocking 20 and fro. fed its infant yearning from
the springs of her black and buxom BOSOM
while her own little 'picaninnv' was being
taught its "A Il C. and to lisp Now l lay me
white child These memories will remain with
| the pCstcTity OF both faces when fanaticlsn and
the publications which give il life will have
| fallen In the muc kheaps Of time"
lie related proudly TIE part which the South
| ern states had taken in the revolution ard the
names OF The great men the South had furnished
| 20 the country. He recited the declarations Of
| fidelity 10 the Aag and constitution which were
rnsdc by the leaders in the legislatures of the
seeding states. even while they were adyocat-
| ing secession. He continued:
"'Tis rs one wandering amid the tombs of the
| dead that in a auffieG voice we speak OF them
| tonight The south did not desire war as the
South. The thousands who INSIDE mp her com
| mon ranks loved peace, they had been taught it,
they had struggled oft times for 1t, they knew
| not the results, they dared no. think of wha,
| did follow. They were stu brothers of man
kind There was no Cain among them who
would have murdered his brother. And in the
| North. there too were trembling and hopeful
| thousands and thousands who waited for the
| pe8rcfHi solution that never came