The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1895-05-31
an original poem written for the occasion,
rnlnfnk ararnnat.n halns.r
HERoEs ID aRA1

z
HEROES IN GRAY.
Peace with gentle seeptre reigns
Ger ali Columbia's lands,
Across the Mason Dixon line
The Blue and Gray shake hands.
Both were worn by gallant men
For heroes all were they;
But we are filed with tender love
For those who wore the Gray.
For those who left their peaceful homes
And brayed the shot and shell,
Who gave their lives in the hour of need
For the cause they loved 50 well.
Whether that cause was right or wrong,
Is not for MS TO say.
Enough-they fought for Southern homes
And wore the Southern gray.
When the trump and drum were sounded
At the roaring Of the guns.
Forth to the field Of eonfiet
Rushed Dixie's staIwart sons
Among those valiant heroes
And foremost in the fray,
Were the gallant boys from Upton,
Wearing the dear old Gray.
Theirs the glorious privilege
0fjoiniIg in the fight,
And laying down their noble lives
For what they thought was right.
They murmured not at hardships-
For we'll content were they
To take their stand for Dixie's land
And wear old Dixie's gray.
Though now on fistory's pages
Their va1orous deeds are told,
And on the shining scroll of fame
Their names have been enrolled;
Yet in their memory we
No nobler thing could say,
Than that they fought for Southern homes,
And wore the Southern gray.
And now once more in Southern breeze.
Let Dixie's banner wave,
As we pay our loving tribute
To Tipton's heroes brave
And when the gloom that shrouds the tomb
Has vanished all away,
Theirs will be honored place
1T4Yf1xa NnTrar N1a6af SNa4y
We this morn, with swelling hearts,
This monument unveiI,
To men unborn, in future years,
Twill tell noble tale.
This man in bronze, with head erect.
Stands ready for the fray
Fit emblem, he, of Tipton's sons
Who loved and wore the Gray.
Col. Sanford next called on the speak,
ers present for addresses in the order oil
their names; u. w. Smitheal, Capt Alex
Merrill. Joseph Forsyth, DIR. T.W. Roane
Capt. JAS. l. Hall, Capt. ID. J. Wood, Pey
ton J. Smith, N. w. Baptist and Dr. j. r
Sanford. Only three Of the above respond
ed to the call, viz: Messrs. Smitheal
Merrill ond Baptist. Mr.. Smith rose from
his chair on the stand and made his apol
Ogy for not speaking, in a few we'll chosen
words. After this Mrs. Boyd, as "Confed
eracy," Mrs. Black as columbia ant
AOEly-nBS young representing
States of the Union, sang ''Star Spangles
Banner" Capt c. B. Simonton was thei
called on and made a short address. Tn
speakers confined themselves to historical
facts and incidents of the war and wer
interesting and vivid in their portray al
eliciting the loudest applause from Tia
vast audience. The band, at the close o
the speeches, played yankee Doodle,
after which the choir sang ''Columbia til
Gem of the Ocean,
This closed the exercises of the morning
Col Sanford then announced DINNER an
said that every Confederate soldier woul
be provided for by the citizens of the tow
| and county. Dinner was spread in tn
courthouse yard and in many of the beau
tiful yards near the square. So far as W
have been able to ascertain the dinner ful
nished was ample for everybody and wa
composed of the best things that could b
collected by our good housewives.
| In the afternoon at 100 o'clock Co
Sanford again called the assembly to oil
der. Gen. j. j. Dupuy, Of Memphis, mad
short address and Capt. Simonton rea
letter from Col. T. B. Edgington, whic
| is published elsewhere. Capts. j. p. Youn
and w. w. Carnes, ColsW L. Duckwort
and w. f. Taylor also responded to cal
and made good short speeches. Mr.. Gree
Williams, of Company A, sang "lse GwiI
Back to Dixie" and 'tSewanee River"
the chorus of which he was Joined by Ii
company. Nothing that transpired du
ing the day seemed to stir up more enthl
4 siasm.
The veteran company then formed au
gave short exhibition drill, firing thrs
salutes. This ended the days exercise
Altogether the affair was one of the gran,
est ever given in Covington and will |
remembered by old and young as long
they live.