Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-11

her own Lee.
| Another Union. under the form OF our
old constitution Is given us; another child
| for our adoption. We are pledged Tor
its support and protection. and support
| and protect we will. come what may.
| HARKEN TO THEIR CALI.
| Upon whose Invitation are we metz We
are called together by the president and
| the ladies' OF the Oakwood Memorial As
| ISOLATION. And we do well 10 obey their
| call. for when Virglnla's daughters call
| TO her sons and point the way, that Is
| always the path of duty and OF honor.
Nations have been honored only as they
| have honored woman. What would Eng
| land have been without her queens? Rome
| without her matrons? Sparta without
| her mothers? What would Virginia be
/ without her daughters. who are queens,
matrons mothers-all In one?
| When II was seen that war must come,
! who hade the men preserve the honor
| and see that no harm befei THE Old
| Commonwealth? When war did come,
| who. with their own fair hands, clothed
| the soldiers. and without a tear buckled
swords upon lovers. brothers. sons, and
husbands. and babe them return upon
their. shields rather than without them?
| When battle came and the fierce goa
| OF war claimed his victims by the thou
/ .,
every side, who nursed the one and So
| laced the last moments of the other?
| When victory perched upon our banners.
| as oftentimes IL did. who rejoiced with
| us? when defeat frowned upon us, who
| cheered the dropping and restored conf
| dence to the faltering? Woman.
| And when the end came: when man
hood was of no avail. devotion and daring
| OF no effect: when the noble band had
| dwindled 10 few, when the sword had
| fallen from the nerveess grasp; when
| the night was over. and the day came
| that knew no evening shadow or setting
SUM-" when Virginia, like Rachael sat
weeping for her loved ones. and would not
| be comforted because they were not;
| when called upon to degrade her living
| and dlsown her dead: when all hope had
! flown; when 1.-THE hour and power OF
darkness" was upon her, who dried the
| tears of the dear old mother State, bend
| ing in weight of woe over the stricken
| manhood of her sons. who lifted her
PROSTATE form, and by instilling new
| life. new hopes, new faith, new energy,
| and new aspirations into the veins of
| her sons. placed again her government
! in her own hands? 1t was woman God
| last and best gift TO man.
| And il is upon the invitation OF such
women that we are met, for side by side
| with the Confederate soldier stood ana
stands the southern woman, true and
| tried and glorious in her answering
| fidelity and love.
| In all the books OF history there will
| be no prouder page than that on which
| is recorded her heroic patience. courage,
and devotion.
| Ii Is well to erect monuments TO the
| fallen heroes of the Lost Cause, but
there Is one monument that ] long TO
| see erected--a shaft OF pure white marble
point hedvenward--in honor OF the
women OF the South.
| We are called together to-day by the
ladies' of the Oakwood Memorial Asso-
cation-VirginIa women. the highest type
| OF womanhood, the noblest order or
womanly nobility, the queenliest of a
| queenly race.
For what purpose are we come to-
eether? These little children, why are
| they here, clad in white not purer than
| than their own young hearts. bearing
| wreaths and flowers not sweeter nor
| prettier than themselves? Why have
| these boys and girls put aside the games
| i'm which they delight? These young men
and maidens. why have they quit their
| daily duties? Why have these fathers
and mothers put away the cares OF bust
| ness and the worry of the household?
| Why have We here these young soldleN
boys, the sons OF those who fought so
| long and so we'll and these veterans OF
many battles, who bear upon their per
| sons the scars of conflict and who have
scarce removed from their cheeks the
bronze of wal? They have all come 10
pay tribute to our dead heroes.
| THESE ARE THE TIES.
| Let us see what these men have done,
| what are the ties that unite, the bonds
that bind, that all thus meet to honor
| them?
| The question is answered by the First
| Manassas" where Bee and Barlow fell,
where Jackson stood as a stone wall
| da shing back every wave OF battle that
| burst upon him.
| By the Second Manassas" where "a
| a thunder bolt of war Lee scattered and
| crushed everything that opposed, ana
| thus showed that reversed position, IN
| creased numbers, and changed command
| ers could avail nothing against bravery
| such as we this day commemorate.
The question is further answered by
| the battles around our own beloved city,
| where for seven days there ragged each
day battle each battle a victory. the
| whole a grand triumph. which left the
| enemy broken, shattered, and covering
| beneath the shelter of his gunboat;
| Harness Ferry's rugged heights, with
| its captured army and countless stores |,
| SharrSburg's crippled hosts, slauSht-rei
| and destroyed Fredericksburg continues
| the RESPONSE; the Wilderness. won AT so
| great a cost; Slaughter Mountain. SO ap'iy
| named; Spotsylvania's bloody hsld ana
| hard-edrne1 victory; Cold HarDots USE
| less butchery.
Virginia from all her hill-torS and
mountains proclaims the her)iJm, while
all her plains and valleys re-echo the
praises of her defenders.
| Ia the language OF an old veteran, Il
am lost in establishment that 30 small
| a share of the glory wo1 is ascrDed 10
| the private soldier, while the brow Oh the
| officers are wreathed with laurels.
HoNoRs THE PRIVATE.
would not detract one iota from the
slory which enshrines the noble char-
| acters of our brave officers, but L wouid
| erect a monument whose crested top
would meet the clouds. and there | would
write the names OF Lee. Jackson, stuart,
Ashby. Bcauregard, Pickett. Wickham'
| Cooke. and 9th RS, and alongside OF tnem
[ would write the names of the Private
| Soldier, not one whit lower or hlShef'
and when the lightnings at play on the
| bosom Of the dark clouds should KISS each
| name | would direct the gaze or the
| whole world 10 them.
| COLONEL HARWOOD'S CLOSING.
Let the hand be palsied that would
refuse to decorate their grayes-let the
tongue cleaye to roof OF mouth thdt
would defame their memories, and should
| the day come when they cease to be re-
membered and honored, "let that day
| be darkness, let not God regard II from
| above; let the shadows OF death stain
| IL: let il not be joined to the days OF the
week, the month. or the years and
| ''let there be no joyful voice there
When We cease 10 remember you, "ye
namel SIS -gods-each with smile
| on his face, methinks, as IL he reJoiced
| to make so poor sacrifice as his life for
so great a cause as his country when
we cease to remember you. may the
woods refuse us shelter. the earth
home, the grave u resting-place, and God
bar us from the very gates OF Heaven.
The inscription upon this monument
tells us these heroes have not failed, since
they died in good cause. Having never
known defeat, they sleep las sleeps the
hero upon unsurreudered shield They
have fought their last fight, they have
won their last battle" They sleep their
last sleep. and nausht shall ever waken
them save the trumpet Of THE Mighty
hrchangel," when they shall appear In the
grand heavenly review, for then God VIII
Judge the right