Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-05-25

| signaiized on many battlefelds They were
peculiarly situated, being refugees from their
| homes-all their dear ones, wives and child
rem, mothers and sisters, without protection
aud without support, were inside of enemy
lines nevertheless they were unwavering i'll
their allegiance, and were prompt i'll the per-
Torrance of duty under all circumstances.
| Verify, a splendid record One that any pco-
Pile may be proud Of All honor to the men
who were so severely tested but who never fall
tered But, | am expected to speak to you,
for little while this evening, only Of the
fallen heroes-the Confederate dead-our
dead To me this is a pleasant but a sad task
| aemembcr so well, and am sure there are
many before me who remember as we'll as 1
do this day thirty three years ago, May 24,
1861, when about dawn of that day the
Alexandria companies, composed Of our
brothers, our sons and our fathers, marched
westward out Duke street; none OF them to
return for four long years, and some of them
never to return again. That scene is as vivid
to me now as if had been but yesterday.
can picture another scene. How different it is
| from the one l have just mentioned.
| 1t is scene in which the joy Of
those restored to their families after
long absence, mingled with the sorrow
of those whose loved ones were sleeping I'M
was after four years of arduous service
marked by unsurpassed courage and forth
tude" that the survivors Of those companies
who had passed through many hard fought
| battles and remained stcadfast to the last"
had returned to their homes and to ther kin
drtd. And when they were all gathered to-
gether, the roll Of those who had left here in
1861 was called over; and as each of the
names of HUMPHREYS Saunders, Morrill,, Fitz-
hugh, Proctor Allison, Murphy, Hart, Har-
per, Murray, Harrington, Burgess, Ballinger
Lunt, War6eld and Wilmington, and nearly
one hundred more was called, response came
from the ranks, Dead OH the field of glory !"
They need no bronze and marble which
their surviving comrades have erected to
their memory To perpetrate their fame. Their
heroic deeds were written upon the hearts Of
their fellow couutrymcn Of the Southland And
long after the bronze he's corroded. and long
after the marble has crumblcd away the Incln-
CRY of them will be preserved ana cherished
by generations to come.
To-day the whole earth is filled with their
story" A story which will grow more bril-
liant rs time rolls on; and which will never
cease to excite the wonder and a;lmiratson OF
mankind We need have no fear that pos
uerity will not do full justice to their charac-
tiers. The worlds verdict upon the righteous
ness Of tine cause for which they fought suf
fered and died, we may with perfect conf.
dcncc leave for the future historian 10 find;
but the worlds verdict upon the glory they
Won has already been rendered anu re
corded.
That is final. Even now, their brave foes
do justice to it and claim the right to share
in it.
Oh how proud and happy arn-to BIO able
to toll dar hat al
oures no vindication at the hands Of any
man. What did they do that We want to for
get. What We admired priced and veneratt
iii them can never be forgotten. Let those
who despise valor, fortitude and yrtur for
get; but let those of you who survived the
four years of bloody strife and who shared
the hardship5. trials and perils of it, and
your children, and your chldrens children
never forget their deeds, but keep them green
and fresh as the garlands they bring annually
to decorate this monument Can brother
forget his dead brother? Can a daughter for
get her dead father? Can a mother forget her
dead son? To ask it of them would be asking
something more than human.
If the roll of the dead whose names are in
scribed on yon marble was now called, the
silent response to each name would be a heart
throb of a mother, or of daughter or OF a
spring up in your minds and what tender
feelings would well up in your bosoms!
Some of our dead, it is true, are resting in
unknown and unmarked graves; but the
memory of their dear presence is with us to-
day, and although their mortal bodies have
long since nodded and mingled with the
dust, their immortal spirits, invisible to our
eyes, may be here, participating with Us in
the commemoration of their deeds done in
the body. Sweet thought! May its influence
tell in our YES; and may the lesson of this
memorial day, TO be repeated year after year,
be carried home to us and to our households,
to the bringing down of blessing from the
Father of the quick and the dead.
Was over such renown as that of the Con-
federate soldiers earned by any people in the
world2 Does history afford an example of a
more stainless record than theirs i'll tho con-
duct of the great struggle? This we can &C
count for upon one ground. They were the
offspring of long line of frecmen-loyal,
brave, patriotic, generous and hospitablc.
They believed they were in the right. They
believed in the justiccsof their cause. They
believed they were fighting for country and
for home. and they possessed the strong hope
that the God of battles would give to them
the victory. Animated by this spirit the
southern people entered into the cause with
an alacrity and unanimity unparalleled i'll all
time; and after the contest began they continu-
ed it with a self-sacrificc and devotion unequal
led in human annals Keep then this most pre-
cious possession, far better than riches or
power, that can neither fade nor vanish away.
Hold on to the priceless heritage bequeathed
to you by The Confederate dead; protect 1t at
all times, everywhere! Let it be your in
SEPARATION, your faith in life. Live up to it
,1,, ,,-il Na
and You and they will become purer citizens,
truer patriots and better men thereby.
1t is your sacred loving duty to preserve
and cherish the memory of the beloved dead
The cause for which they died, and for which
some of you fought, may be condemned and
denounced, and consigned to obloquy; even
some of our own people have changed their
| opinions upon that great controversy, and
| their right to have done so must be conceded
but they can still be true to the hallowcd de.d.
The cause was lost. Men aud things pass
away, but principles never perish. do not
believe these died in vain! That which made
these meu and men like them cannot die.
The principles-love Of country and love
of homc-whieh were the springs of their ac-
ton. and for which they laid down their lives,
still survive. The dross-that foul disease Of
the body polite, human slaycry-was con-
sumed by the fire ofbattlc but the purc gold
patriotism and love OF country-remains; and
| let us hope it was purified and rcgenerased
By sacramcntal blood And may the new
birth. now Just in tho bud, blossom and bring
forth fruit, making us happy a prosperous
and reunited people Of a common country.
The choir then sang "Rock of Ages, !"
and this was followed by the quartette
who sang "Still, Still with Thee"
Then the choir sang GLOW Firm o
Foundation, and during this the vet