The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-05-31
THE Blue and TEE GRAY
Dedication of the Confederate Mon
ument at Chicago.
A TOUCHING REUNION OF HEARTS.

The Roses Of the North and the Orange
Graves of Those Who Fought BraveIy
ON Both Sides.
CHICAGO, May S1-In one corner Of Oak
woods cemetery there have stood for years
many rows OF short white stones which
mark the last resting places of 5000 men
who In the days between 81 apd 'o5 wore
the Confederate gray, and who, far from
their homes and friends, sealed with their
lives their devotion to the Lost Cause"
Today there stands above these lowiy
stones OF white tail apd beautiful monu-
ment erected partly by the sons Of the
southland and partly by men OF the north
to testify-ths one their love for their gal
liant comrades fallen In the fight and the
other TO the respect which heroic endur-
ance and brilliant courage must always
evoke when II Is based, as was the endur-
ance and courage of the men who sleep In
Oakwoods, upon firm conviction Of JUS
tice of the cause for which they strove.
Yesterday above those grass grown
mounds the grizzled veterans Of the Grand
Army Of the Republic and the white haired
warrior Of the south clasped hands and re-
allied that the war Is over. The roses Of
Of the Confederate dead and over the rest
ing places Of many of those who wore the
blue were scattered the magnolia bios
SONS of the south and by the hands Of
those who had hercely sought In battle
the lives Of the silent slsepers who lay
below.
The dedication Of the Confederate mon
ument yesterday marked such blending,
or rather such On eradication Of the two
great sections, as the nation has rarely
seen before. Side by side with tho men
who sent Pickett's brave Virginians
against Gibbons wall Of steel on Ceme-
terry ridge stood the men who stoutly
hurled back Hoods mad charges at Frank
lin-Longstreet and Sohohsld. Elbow to
elbow stood the men who led the best
blood of the south behind the guidons Of
Stuart end no who was the cavalier par
excellence of Sheridan's famous cavalry
Fltzhush Lee, Hampton and Wesley Mer-
ritt.
There were present any number Of other
men who had borne their part nobly and
with distinction, and others of tho rank
and file who fought as bravely and
marched as Well, but found no glory save
that which hung around the colors Of the
army In whose ranks they fought These
men, who SO often he'd stood against each
other In the shook OF battle, stood yester-
day with eyes dimmed with tears while
the cannon which had borne their part on
both sides Of the fratrioidal struggle, and
which will nov stand around the monu-
ment were spiked and forever silenced by
the hands Of their women.
This was the most impressive portion OF
the ceremopies-that of monumenting the
guns. The four oannons used In the cere-
mony formed part Of Federal battery
during the war. They were captured from
the Union forces In the battle Of Murfrees-
boro, and afterwards fought on the Con-
federate side in the battles Of Missionary
Ridge Resaca, Dalton, Kenesaw Noun
tain, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta and
Franklin. They were reoaptured by the
Federals at the battle Of Nashville, and
did service for the Union side during the
remainder Of the war.
There was love and tears for all-for
Federal and Confederate, friends and foe.
There were AoweS AND garlands for all,
and II ip the chance Of Var the men In
blue had won the laurel while the willow
was left for {h3se In gray Done perceived
any distlbotIQb ip tho honors given to the
memoried Of The departed warriors. Laurel
and willow were iptertwined, and, SO en-
wreathed, were laid on grave and hung on
monumeht and no one asked when deco
rating each Grassy mound what uniform
he wore who rested beneath.