Saint Mary's beacon., 1894-03-22


II be called secession, revolution or rebel
lion, il II the fundamental principle Of
American liberty, declared in the Deciara
ton, announced by all the Courts, pro-
claimed in every Bill Of Rights Of every
State, North or South, old and new, that
all government rests upon The consent of
the governed. And when the go-ernment
Of the Northern Stafes was repndiaied By
the Southern States, their right 70 establish
such government as they pleased was the
iagical result Of the fundamental principle.
They were not defending slavery They
were asserting the hereditary light Of self
government, and repudtating government
that had become dangerous and hostile 70
them. The Northern States deliberately
prepared TO subjugaie their sister States by
arms. The Southern States did not want
war The Gulf States certainly did not be
lieve that war would result, or If there was
q collision, il would last longer than few
months. The Middle Stafes declined TO
join the Gulf States in their movement 10
form a new government and held en- 10 the
Union with the hope of maintaining peace
and securing further guarantees ia the Un-
ION. There was no Gisunion party in Ma.
fyland. There were few secessi0nists here
With the younger men of the State per
sonally was arden; in opposition 10 the un-
constitutional government Of Lincoln, and
advocated uniting Maryland 10 the fortune q
OF the South. But we made absolutely no i'm
preston on public sentiment In this State
Geography was against us The Chesa.
peake, the Potomac, the Paiuxent opened
US TO the guns of the Northern ships and
we were pOwerless tO move as a State
When Lincoln called for 1900 troops To
suppress insurrection in the South. that
call compacted the South intoa stene wall.
II lighted the beacon fires on every hill
IL made every valley echo with the tramp
OF armed men marching 10 the cefence "
their homes In night the issue was
changed from Union or Disunion, 10 Sub.
jugation or Resistance.
1t was the issue of the Barons with King
John-the issue Of The Commons with King
Charles-oft the Colonies with King George
The right TO resist by force Illegal invasion
of right. That was the issue presented 10
Maryland ard Virginia in April, 1861.
Institutions, climate, environment, politi-
cal and moral, have evolved on the Chesa-
peake and Potomac a type of character as
distinct and strongly defined as ny in histo-
~. The Marylander is born 10 believe
that every man has the right TO his opin.
ions. The consequence is that courtesy
must be the rule Of intercourse and cbivai
ry the principle of action. Generous,
warm hearted, high-minded, he dcspises
low things and mean men. He turns his
back on neither friend nor enemy. His
sword and his arm, his blood and his purse
have ever been at the disposal Of those he
loved. Prudence forms no part If his plan
of life, and selflshness Il a sentiment IN.
known to his heart. What he loves, he be-
lieves in; what he believes in, he stands by,
absolutely regardless ofcost or consequence,
In 1875, he had no cause of quarrel with
the mother country. Not 100 people in the
Colony knew the taste of tea, and the whole
tax would not have paid for a gentlelnans Z
velvet coat or lady's satin gown. But
when the news came that our brethren in
Boston were confronted with armed force
ito suppress insurrection and TO preserve
the Union" the Marylander hesitated not
moment, and the first troops from outside
OF New England q report at Cambridge
were Cresap's rifles, VIII, marched from
Frederick Town, and, during that whole
rebellion, the Maryland Line bore the black
and gold wherever there was death, wher.
ever there Was duty; sometimes TO victory,
ottener 10 disaster; but always 10 glorg,
never TO disgrace. When, therefore, in
1861, the issue was presented 10 the Mary
lander whether he should stand by in base
ease and ingiorious safety, while his blood
and kin in Virginia were dying like men.
resisting the invasion of their homes and
the subjugation Of their liberties, he hesi.
iated not a moment, and with the kiss of
his mother and the blessing of his father he
flew 10 the assistance Of Virginia.
| know no such instance of generous
chivalry, of such noble self sacrifice in all
history. Not when Peter lei the flower of
Christendom TO rescue the Holy Sepulchre
from the pollution of the heathen-not
when the Knights of the Round Table rode
the Quest of the Holy Grail was there such
an absolute abncgation Of self, ever such
devotion To honor and duty. In the Ma
ryland Line there were not twenty men
WHO had any property interest in slave V.
There was not man who sought promo
tim or advantage of fortune. They went
u stand 10y their friends in trouble, 10 de.
iend rights inherited from free ancestors.
Those Of us who were of mature age had
distinct ideas OF policy and of the future.
We believed that the interests of ofMaryland
required that she should become one ofthc
Confederate States. We did not Believe
she would be safe in the hands OF the law
less 'emocracy of the North We knew
that orr people had the same feelings anS
that we fully and fairly represented them;
and we knew that the only way to secure
that future Union was to hold for the State
representation in the armies OF the South
With that purpose firmly fixed in my
mind, refused b accept a commission of
Lieutenant Colonel from the Governor of
Virginia and was mustered into the army
of the Confederate States as captain. 4 nd
never in that glorious epoch AMI fiery trial
did we cease 20 maintain a Maryland or
ganiZation, under a Maryland flag. in the
army of the Confederate States General
George III. Steuart Captain George Thomas
and the rest were earnest, faithful and de-
votod to this end, aud we succeeded in
writing the name If the State on the
brightest pages Of American history. The
existence OF the Maryland Line of the
Army of Northern Virginia is not recorded
on single page OF the archives of Mary
land. Not single honor decorates our
gallant comrades; not a recognition of the
self sacrifice, devotion and chivalry of the
Maryland Confederate has ever been ma6e
by the powers that have controlled Mary
land for thirty-four years. But these men
were the best soldiers she has ever had.
They fought more battles, won more glory,
achieved more victories than the Old Line
of the revolution.
The combat Of tile 1st regiment at Front
Royal was finer thing than the fight of
its predecessor at Eutaw under Williams.
Its manual of arms before the batteries at
First Cold Horbor was a granier Exhibition
OF coolness and ioriitude than the da h of
the Line under Lord Stirling at Long Is
land. The charge of the End regiment at
Gettysburg, where one man out of two
was killed sr wounded, where Murray died
anu every field and line officer was stricken.
down, was more effective aud bloodier than
that OF Camden where Dekalb died. lead
I'M q. 4