Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-05-23
Commander of Post

Commander of Post.
IN r shea, Commander w. =. Hancock Post,
Ne. ~, Department If Missouri, q \. X.
HEADQUARTERS MEXICO CAMP UNI
TED CONFEDERATE VETERANS, Mex
leo, Mo, May n, IS95.-DEAR SIR
/ am in receipt of your kind invita-
tion to take part with you in the ex-
e~rcises of Memorial Day." May 30.
The matter will be put before
the Camp at its meeting next Satur-
day at , p. nj. But, speaking for my
self and | feel that | voice the senti-
ment of Il great part, if not all, of the
Camp, | must most respectfully de-
cline the invitation, not because of
animosities or hatred, nor that /
would do anything to promote the
good will and fraternal feeling of all
citizens of Il common country.
Wiki the true soldier these animos-
tiles have long since been buried, and
if they exist it is only in the hearts
of fanatics, or the imaginations of a
I StliiSl dlIu SOIiiu HdIuIS'
At APPROXIMATION the "Boys in Gray"
laid down their arms, surrendered
their flag and declaring the war was
over pledged their "'loyalty" to the
one country. How well they have
kept that pledge the history of the
past 80 years will attest. The country
from that day to this has been their
country and for its honor and the sa-
cred hand of union they joined hands
with the "Boys in Blue" and then and
there united their force, determined
to ''spend their remaining strength in
cementing between them, their chill
dren and their friends, the hands of
fraternity, charity and loyalty" No
people are prouder of America
or of being an American than the
Boys in Gray" am not willing to
admit that the true soldier upon either
side has been faithless to that pledge;
that the Boys in Blue'' will be SO
ungenerous as to demand its being
repeated over and over. The devo-
ton of each and their united action
forbid such a conclusion. No true
soldier is disloyal.
But i'll our distinct organizations we
are the representative of a separate,
distinct thought, a principle, a cause,
a struggle, a period in American his
tory separate and apart one from the
other; and a cause of which each
may justly feel proud. This being
true [ am unwilling to believe that
good feeling cannot exist without OBJ
literating, in any degree, the lines
that make us two organizations.
believe that your Americans ism is too
broad, your charity too great and your
hearts too magnanimous to charge
us with anything but honest motives
and pure intentions in our effort
to maintain our separate and distinct
organizations. | rejoice to know that
we have reached that broad plane OF
manhood and that in us Americanism
has been so gloriously developed that
it admits of these two organizations
as separate, distinct and at the same
time antagonistic representatives OF
the past without the fear of gendering
strife, kindling any of the old fires Of
animosity, or widening the breach o.
fidelity to duty.
We feel, as Confederate soldiers
that we represent a cause for which
we were willing to sacrifice our all,
and, though lost, it is none the less
dear to our hearts. And the purpose
of our organization is to p~erpetuate
these sacred memories until the
lengthenlng shadows shall cast then
mantle over the last grave. And ther
we would have written on the monu
ment of that grave, "Here lies the las
representative of a cause that he helc
most glorious"
When the EBoys in Blue" and the
'Boys in Gray meeta as citizens of one
great country, they meet upon a com
mon level and they gladly unite
their strength in the defense of al
they hold dear, but as soldiers ont
represents the "Blue" the other the
"Gray.'' Those two words express i
all. You extended the olive branch
we have accepted. The magnanimitI
of the one has been met by the gener
osity of the other and thus has beer
shown a heroism, a patriotism, a de
votion to country without a parallel il
the history of the world.
We are a family, and while we homo
the patriot dead of the "Boys in Blue,
vet when | come to the grave of tina
soldier that stood by me in the shocl
of battle, with whom I shared tn
Z stormy scenes of conflict, that gave NJ
his sweet life for home, honor, princi
; pie and country, L feel that l woul'
d take with me his brother in arms. tn
hands he loved should strew the flow
. ers; the feet that trod with him tn
3 rugged road should press the so
above the grave, and the lips he love
r should sing the funeral note, and tn
eyes with which he looked shout
sprinkle the e drops as sweet dew
upon the grave. l would have tn
family alone with their dead. Excus
me, but l believe you are too mag
unanimous to deny me this sweet priv
laoa At q Eadara grave I shnuld fa.