The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-09-18
THE UNITED VETERANS.
A Great Reunion Of COnfederates
Held at Winchester.

Held at winchester
The greatest and most enthusiastic
reunion of ex-Confederate soldiers
ever held in this State, was held at
Winchester last week. Old soldiers
and all the crowd numbered over
six thousand. Perhaps the most in
teresting incident of the occasion was
the presentation of handsome gold
headed c&ne to Chief Justice Peter
Turney, by his old command. Rev.
K Lin Cave, of Nashville, made the
following presentation speech:
L am asked to perform one OF the most
pleasing and honorable services of my
life. There stands at my side soldier,
citizen and jurist whose name is the
synonym of true manhOod-one who, IN
early life and in advanced years, In
peace aud in war, has borne h1mSelf
nobly. On the head of this cane are
these words: "To Col. Peter Turney,
our commander, from the survivors OF
the First, Seventh and Fourteenth
Tennessee Regiments, Army or North
ern Virginia, q. 5. A" AS mere
youth he volunteered to defend his
country in the war with Mexico, and
when the war between the States was
imminent, he was the first in Tennessee
to organize a regiment and tender it to
the Confederacy. While in camp he
sent his picture to his mother with the
following words attached:
IN CAMP, May q, lS61.-Dear Mother;
Just before 1 left you asked me If re-
man bered that my father had written
to me in 1S47 to ''let my motto be death
before disgrace" L did, do and will.
PETER TURNEY.
At the battle of Fredericksburg, Va.
Gen. Archer being absent, Gen. A. r
Hill said to him, "COl. Turney, you, as
the ranking officer, will command this
brigade, and expect, as usual, GOOD
report from YOU" His answer was
"General, we will stay until our bayo-
nets are bent"
Since the war, as supreme Judge Oh
the State for twenty-one years, tor ioul
of which he has been Chief Justice, ne
has always used his influence to defend
the honor of tho State and OF the South
As feeble expression of their hlgh es.
TEEN and uufailing affection, your OLD
comrades present you with this cane
1t is u scrIptural III junction. to honor
the honorable. IL your hand may II
support you in your declining years
and AS a souvenir of sweet and halloWeC
memories prove also a mental sOIace
And when the end OF life shall come
and we shall all assemble before the
supreme court of the universe, may we
with You hear from the great judge the
welcome plaudit, "Well done, good and
faithful servants"
Judge Turney replied as follows:
l am wholly unable to express my
feelings. This is the proudeste day o.
my life. There is in this reunion 0cSaS
sion enough to make any old Confeder
ate soldier feel ten years younger. Bul
to me there comes the added joy OF this
cane and the presentation of II from my
old command. / thank you for 1t WIFI
all nv heart. / shall use it, for an
growing old, but cannot tell you how
much prize it and the friendship thai
prompted il to be given. will only say
n ~ no from
by force l would surrender my life.
In Introducing the first orator OF the
day, ]. Williams Jones, Chancellor
w, 5. Bearden made splendid refer
ences to the Confederate soldier and
the cause for which he fought, and
paid high tribute to Mr.. Jones.
Gen. Jones' theme was the private
soldier. He paid magnificent tributes
to various leaders, after which he
spoke Of the man in the ranks, con-
trasting his appearance and manner
of life at the beginning and at the
close of the war.
Gen. GeOrge w. Gordon, Of Mem
phis, spoke next. He expressed en-
barrassnIent in having to follow
speech that was so complete as thai
preceding him. He spoke in espc-
cially complimentary terms OF Gen
Il
ing how Forest saw il was necessary
TO make tactics of his own, and thai
while using cavalry, he did it mainly
for transportation. He described the
great campaign between Johnston
aud sherman IN North Georgia and
detailed some of the wonderful
achievements of the defender i'll
saving his own men and destroying
his enemies. He concluded his re-
marks by a tribute to Mr.. Davis.
Among other things he said:
THERE'S one whom we would remember
to-day. We cannot forget him who has
left to his cOuntrymen and to pOSterlty
one of the nOblest examples of unfaIter-
ing devotion to truth and principle, OF
which the political history of the hu-
man race gives an account; one VINO
presented in his own person sublime
Instance of an unnurmuring and heroic
endurance of unmerited suffering, when
feeble, sick and helpless and in prison,
indignities and chains were added. But
under it all he never asked mercy, he
never begged for quarter, he never MUIR
INJURED. He has also left to his people
and their children glorious legacy in
the dedication of his book.
Mr.. Davis has been and is still called
traitor in certain quarters. L deny
that he was traitor and affirm that ne
was patriot-he was a true and loyal
mother, the sovereign State of Missis-
sippi, to whom he owed first and para
mount allegiance. He responded to the
command of his sovereign, as ala zen.
Lee to Virginia, as we all did at the call
of our respective States. He loved the
people of the South and was true to
them to the last. And / trust that they
will erect a monument to his memory
so magnificent and imposing that 1t
will have no equal upon the vast shores
Of A nn-fa inf haf
the world that he was Il patriot and
that the cause for which we fought and
our comrades died was constitutional,
right and just. Then let the monument
be built. And let it be built with
muniticence and magniticence, COM
mensurate with the fame and fidelity of
the man and the grandeur ofthe princi-
pleiit is intended to commemorate.
Just here Judge Turney handed the
speaker the following letter from a
lady IS years old and al
most blind, who was the architect OF
her own fortune and is dispensing 1t
with Christian zeal:
FRANKLIN, TENN, Sept. 2, 1891. s. A.
Nashville: Seeing from
the papers you have been appointed by
the committee to collect funds for our
beloved and houOred Confederate Prest-
dent, Jefferson Davis, desire to offer
YOU the small sum OF $oO0--the WIDOWS
mite. / had the pleasure OF entertain
ing him and his wife at my home in
Havana, Cuba, soon after his release.
To Mr.. Davis, one of the brightest in
of his time, the truest and most
of men, who sacrificed every
thing tor the South and those he loved,
I hope every man, woman and child
will do everything they can to raise the
grandest and highest monument ever
built to mortal man. Respectfully,
MRS. s. +. BREWER.
The following officers were elected
TO serve for the ensuing year: Capt.
L. II. Smith, of GAINESVILLE, Presi-
dent; Capt. Frank A. Moses, First
Vice President; Col. JnO. NJ. Taylor,
Jackson, Second Vice President; JnO.
p. Hickman, of Nashville, Secretary;
Jesse Ely, Nashville, Treasury; X
Lin Cave, of Nashville, Chaplain;
Frank Anderson, Of Nashville, Sar-
Winchester entertained her guests
royalty. The concert at the city hall,
rec to delegates, was highly credit
.ble to the local talent participating.
rhe leading feature was the rendition
II Father Ryan's Conquered Ban
ler," by Clara Belle, daughter OF the
ate Judge J. J. Williams. She used
/ Confederate battle flag with artistic
fleet.
The next meeting of the association
will be held at Franklin.
~ H,log, Honool,oId Rfnfmanf