Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-06-01
Confederate Memorial pax.

| The gathering from the county to wit
ness the annual decoration OF the Confeder
ate graves last Saturday was not very large.
nor was the procession that marched to
the cemetery. Perhaps nothing shows how
fast is fading the memory of the war and
OF those who fell in it, and how hard it is
to Stimulate a feeling that like other feel
ings is giving away before the work of
time-than to contrast the decoration DAYS
| of ten, fifteen, twenty years ago with those
| of this day. StauntOn does her share. the
| StonewaL Veteran Camp does it's share, and
| the ladies especially do their share, but the
poor attendance from the county, number
ing tens where it used tonumber hundreds,
shows too plainly that the old veterans are
no longer able to come, and the younger
generation are thinking about something
else and require some extraordinary attrac-
| ton to bring them in to the celebration.
| The procession Saturday consisted of the
West Augusta Guard under It. r. S. Ker,
the cadets Of the Fishburne Military School
at Waynesboro under Capt. F. L. Pear
son-both companies forming battalion
under Capt. Henry w. Holt-the Stonewal
Jackson Camp, about 25 members; the ora
tor OF the day and guests in carriages, and
few horsemen, the whole headed by the
Stonewan Brigade Band in their new
fatigue uniform. A feature that attracted
a good deal of attention in the line, was the
cute little drum corps of the Flshburne
Cadets, two OF three of the skillful little
drummers not being much higher than
bass drum.
At the cemetery the ceremonies were
opened by Rev. Dr.. G. w. Finley, acaptan
IN the. l4th Virginia infantry during the
war, who offered up prayer. Another
clergyman present on the stand was Rev.
w. g. Hullihen, rector of Trinity church,
who was an officer Oh Gen. Jeb Stuart's
staff during the war.
| Capt Thos. D. Ransom introduced the
orator of the day, w. A. Anderson OF Rock
bridge. He said that Comrade Anderson
(Who by the bye is one of the most distin-
guished men in Rockbridge) was not one of
the 'Colonels" but one of the plain soldiers
that pulled the triggers that helped to make
the colonies. He was orderly sergeant of
the Liberty Hall volunteers, of the Fourth
Virginia Infantry, the boy company from
washington College, commanded by their
beloved professor James j. White He re-
TERED to Rockbridge as the nursery of hard
fighters from the days of the Revolution
tie described the scene at First Manassas,
when the Confederate forces were driven
back by the advancing Federals, who in
turn were repulsed by Jackson's unwaver-
ing line. Among them was the Liberty
Hall Company, and on the bloody field, a
boy with a shattered knee was left lying.
That boy, said he, have the honor to in
troduce to you-Comrade William A. An
derson of Rockbridge.
MI. Anderson delivered a very interest
ing address in which he made reference to
the fact that Speaker Crisp of the House of
Representatives (whose wife and daughter
were among the guests on the stand was
a private soldier in the 10th Va. infantry,
having enlisted in it at Luray in this State
AS the address of MI. Anderson closed, a
shower OF rain came up which scattered
|
salute, the military marched to town.
The ladies had nice lunch prepared at
the Y S room on Water street, at which
the visiting military and the veterans who
had attended were RECALLED
A large number of business houses on
the route of the procession were decorated
very prettily, and several had pictures of
Lee and jackson and other Confederate
generals.
After the ceremonies at the cemetery the
Augusta Memorial Association OF the Con-
federate dead met in their hall and elected
the following officers-President, Rev. DR..
e. w. Finley; Vice Presidents, F. B.
Berkeley, q. A. Fulcher, D. W. Drake;
, Secretary, Newton Argenbright; Treasur-
Ell, r. B. Berkeley.
June 9th was fixed as the day for cele-
brating the Confederate memorial next
year.