The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-05-30
WADDELL'S EL0QUENCE.

| and the Confederate soldier appeared
to attract the admiring gaze Of the
world, and win an Immortality OF
fame, but alas only TO suffer and be
strong in hopeless struggle.
He needs no vindication from
mortal lips. Taught from his child
hood, as all American youth had been,
that in any event and under all cir
cumstances, his first allegiance and
whole duty was to his State, her call
for his services was his allsufhcient
Justification, as it was his proudest
badge of citizenship. He did not
hate, but had always loved the Union,
and would have been ready, as his
fathers always were, to give his fortune
and his life in its defence against a
foreign foe but he loved his State
more, and to her appeal his heart
| leaped responsive and his hand grasped
his sword.
Who shall frame in fitting words
the story of his career? Courage on
the battle field is the common attribute
of good soldiers everywhere, and if
that constituted his only claim to
admiration, he would be but an ordi-
nary figure on the page OF history.
But it is the moral aspect OF his
career that is sublime. 1t was his
magnificent struggle against over
whelming odds for the preservation OF
Constitutional liberty, for the right OF
self-governmcnt, for all, indeed, that
was sacred in his heritage that has
made him hero and martyr for all
time. And this magnificent struggle
was made, not only against over
Whelming forces, and resources, and
equipments, but in a country blockaded
at every port, gradually stripped of
the commonest means Of subsistence,
unable to pay him for his services, and
finally reduced to rags and starvation.
Still, throughout it all, even to the
last moment, he stood innexible,
patient, cheerful, self-sacrifcing, brave
and true. Who Can withhold from
such virtues the tribute of praise, and
honor, and respect, and who that hath
the semblance of man dare call their
possessor a traitor?
ust as at the formation of the Union
North Carolina held back and refused
accession to it, SO at the formation of
the Confederacy, with characteristic
conservatism, she withheld her assent,
in the hope of an amicable adjustment,
until the proclamation of the newly
elected sectional President, calling on
her for troops to war on her Southern
sisters, fell upon her ears, and fired her
soul. On this same historic day, "a
years ago, she again declared her indie
pendence, and girded herself for battle.
The war cloud burst, and for four
years its pitiless pelting fell upon her
people. How did they acquit them
selves in the conflict? Did they prove
themselves worthy Of their Revolu-
tionary sires? For answer l turn, not
10 the testimony of any commanding
officer, living or dead, Federal or
Confederate-not even to that utter
ance of the stainless Lee, in the last
asonies Of Appomattox: "God bless
old North Carolina !" l point to the
inscription on that stone, " First at
Bethel, last at Appomattox."
appeal to the records, written alike
by friend and foe. tender her poll
list of voters of 1S61-II3,ooo, and
the total of her Confederate rank and
flle-I25,ooo.
point to the fact that she contribu-
ted nearly one-fifth of the soldiers of
the Confederate army-that she lost
onetourlh of those killed in battle
that she lost more than one-fourth of
those who died of wounds-that she
lost one-third of those who died of
disease.
cite the appalling and unprece-
dented fact that at Gettysburg, her
ever memorable Twenty sixth Regi-
ment lost 90 per cent. of the men
carried into action.
put in evidence the fact that, on
several battle filds of Virginia, she left
more dead and wounded than all the
Southern States combined.
| remind you that her Thirty second
Regiment floated the standard of the
Confederate States at the farthes. point
North which it ever reached.
proudly show that one of her sons,
commanding Confederate ship, was
the only man who carried the Conted-
crate flag around the world.
And, finally, l show that when the
end came, and her banners were furled,
both at Appomattox and at Green's
boro, she stacked as many rifles as any
other State of the Confederacy.
This is the answer, the glorious
answer, which North Carolina makes
to those who ask where she was and
what she did during the war between
the States. To every call of duty
whether to stain with bleeding feet
the rough line of march, or to labor
IN the trenches, or to lead the way
into the flaming hell Of battle, or to
cover a retreat-her study answer
always was "Adsum."
Shall recite the times, and the
places, and the deeds? Ask me TO |
condense years into an hour, volume
into word, prolonged and thrilling
tragedy into brief sigh.
Go, listen to the Atlantic breeze
that sings in the pine forests from the
Virginia peninsula to the capes of
Florida; go, sit beside the waters of
any of the great rivers Of the South,
and hear their voices as, rushing
through rocky passes, or gliding
grandly through lowland stretches,
they seek the sea; go, stand upon the
heights OF Cemetery Ridge, or South