The Opelousas courier., 1891-06-13

1t was our proud privilege to partlcl-
pate in the annual meeting of the Uni
ted Confederate Veterans Association
of Louisiana, in New Orleans, on Sat
urday, May 30th, and at jackson, Miss,
on June 2nd and 3rd. as the represent
ative of r. E. Lee Camp No II, q. C.
V. of st. Landry. The business of the
Association il New Orleans, on the
Both of May, consisted in the election
of a General for the Louisiana Division,
and that eminent citizen, popular gen
tleman and distinguished soldier, Gen.
w. j. Behan, was selected to fill the
honorable position, and it is needless
for US to add that no better selection
could have been made although the
Association contains au abundance of
first class material that would do
honor to any position contided to them
the gallant Maj. Geo. O. Watts Of
Rapides, standing we'll to the front on
the list.
The meeting was held in Memorial
Hall, an elegant and commodious
building containing a large and most
interesting collection of relics Of the
late war, and to which We propose to
revert at another time, as this import
ant Institution is worthy OF the special
attention of the entire Southern peo-
pie, and deserves more than u passing
notice.
On Monday evening, June lst,
special train consisting of three Pull
man palace sleeping coaches, pulled
out of the Jackson depot in New Or
leaus, containing the Louisiana delega-
tion of Confederate veterans to the
meeting of the United Confederate
Veterans Association which was to as
semble at jackson, Miss, the following.
day; this train contained the represent
atives of the following organizations
Army of Northern Virginia, Army of
Tennessee, Washington Artillery, c. s.
Veteran Cavalry, R. E. Lee Camp of
Opelousas, st. Paul's Camp, Alexandria
Camp, Shreveport TTamp, Iberville
Camp, Baton Rouge Camp, Evergreen
Camp and Ruston Camp, and we will
venture to say that it has been many
years since such lively collection of
old rebels were assembled together
and a passenger on that train that
night would never suppose that more
than quarter of a century had elapsed
since these battle SCARED and once tat
tered and ragged veterans of noble
cause had laid down their arms after
as heroic struggle ever recorded in
the annals of history. We reached
Jackson at o'clock Tuesday morning,
and after breakfast proceeded to the
Capitol building where the meeting of
Confederate veterans was held. Gen.
John B. Gordon, grand commander,
Gen. E. Kirby Smith, lieutenant-gen-
eral, Eastern department, and Gen.
Cabel of Texas, commanding Trans
Mississippi department, together with
their staff were present, and large and
representative delegation from all the
Southern States were in attendance.
Almost every house, in the city, private
and public, were beautifully decorated
with flowers, garlands, ribbons and
National and Confederate colors. The
meeting of the Veterans was preceded
by the firing of cannon at L o'clock
and the Association went earnestly to
work in order to complete their iabors
in time to attend the ceremonies of nn-
yelling the monument the next day.
After transacting its labors, the Asso
citation adjourned on Tuesday evening,
and on Wednesday morning participant
ed ia the imposing ceremonies of un
yelling the monument erected to the
Confederate dead of Mississippi by the
noble women of that State. Many able
and eloquent addresses were made by
number of the loved and honored rep
resentatives of the 9 Lost Cause"
which we regret we have not space to
record here. The following is a short
description of the monument, which Is
situated near the capital building OH
the State House grounds: The height
of the monument from the ground line
to the soldier on top is 60 feet inches.
It stands upoa solid concrete founda
tion "a feet square and feet inches
thick. The three platform stone bases
are built from white limestone from
the quarries at Bowling Green, Ky.
Each is 8 inches thick and the lower
one is 81 feet long by 20 feet wide. On
the outside of these bases there is a
granolithic stone pavement feet wide
extending entirely around Fase mon
/ ument. The die resting on tEese stone
bases represents the wall sbf an old
castle, and is Is feet high by IA feet
wide The walls above the receding
zbuttfesses OF plinths are equally divid-
Ned aud cut into seventy-four blocks.
On the north and south side Of the die
there is an Inscription in raised marble
extending two-t thirds across the mon
uInent, containing these words: "To
the Confederate Dead of MississinDi. .
Above the plinths starts the spire,
which is 3 feet 8 inches square ut the
bottom, tapering gradually to feet
square on the top, the shaft proper be-
ing 30 feet high. The top of the shaft
is surmonnted with statute of Con-
fedeIate soldier, his feet and the butt
OF his gun being in the position of
parade rest His head is depressed
and his left arm rests on the muzzle of
his gun in an easy and graceful posi-
tion. The statute is feet 10 inches
high, and is sculptured from rough
stone of Italian marble.
Ii is estimated that 5000 people
from Mississippi and adjoining States
arrived in Jackson on the 3rd to wit
ness the imposing ceremonies, among
whom were a very large number OF the
old veterans who had worn the gray
more than % years ago, many of whom
meeting old comrades from whom they
had parted, and lost sight OF, over a
quarter of a century ago. L was q
day long to be remembered By the
thousands of participants and the citi-
Hf To