The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-31


eight gentlemen. This party formed in a
procession and the gentlemen escort, with
the ladies, passed through the lines of the
veterans to the first gun and when they
stood beside it General Underwood gave
the command, "Consecrate the guns
Colonel Stewart advanced to the piece,
and with him went Lieutenant Colonel
France, carrying triangular bolt of steel,
and General Noel, who bore heavy ham
mer. Colonel Stewart spoke the first
words of the ceremony:
"This gun, having fired its last shot on
the field OF battle, will now be silenced
forever"
Lleutenant-Colonel France placed the
spike in the vent of the gun.
Spike the gun!" commanded General
Underwood. Down came Mr.. Noels
sledge on the head of the spike, driving it
home and rendering the cannon forever
harmless.
Colonel Stewart then escorted Miss Lucy
Lee Hill to the pedestal beside the spiked
cannon, and Miss Hill said:
This cannon with its glorious record
on fields of battle, having been silenced
forever, do consecrate to the memory of
y,
ment 1t as military decoration for their
bravery and honor unto death"
The ceremony was repeated at the other
guns by the other members of the conse-
Grating party with slight changes in the
phraseology of recommendation.
Fayette Hewitt, chief of staff, then as
sisted Mrs. Katie Cebell Currie to the CEN
trail pedestal, whence the lady delivered
the final words of conservation saying:
These four cannon, being guns captured
from the Union forces in the battles of
Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, and after
ward manned by the Confederates and
fought on the Southern side in the battles
OF Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Dalton,
Kennesaw Mountain Peach Tree Creek,
Atlanta and Franklin, were finally recap
tured by the Federals in the battle of Nash
vile and subsequent engagements. They
constitute field battery of light artillery
of distinguished battle record, and they
are here permanently parked, never again
to belch forth deadly missiles in the horri-
bic splendor of war. All hail the silenced
guns we consecrate, which, with the shot
and shell piled in monumental decoration
on this burial plat, are henceforth dedi-
Gated as a military tribute to valor, forti-
tude and DEATH"
Decorate the monument" commanded
General Underwood, and then Miss Gather
inc Stewart, Miss Marion Sullivan and Mrs.
K. l.. Walker, dressed in white and escorted
by three staff officers bearing floral decora-
lions, approached the inscription face of
the monument and in turn placed white
cross and laurel wreath on easels at the
center and corners of the base, dedicating
them to the chivalrous bravery of the dead
there buried, and kneeled upon the lower
steps with their arms folded on their
bosoms while the Arion octet chanted GAS
God Wills, Amen" Miss Eliza Washing
ton, advancing to the front of the three
ladies still kneeling, recited requiem
poem. After this ceremony the monument
guns and piles of shot were covered with
flowers. Then the field was cleared and
Colonel Turner of the First Regiment
marched the command to position beside
the graves and three volleys-the final
military tribute-were fired over the
graves. A bugle blast and taps were
sounded, and the ceremonies of the day
were over.
Following these came the decoration of
the graves of Union soldiers in the GENE
terry by ex-Confederate associations, as
sisted by large number of visiting ladies
from the South, MANY Of them noted
Southern beauties, among whom were
General Underwood's daughter, General
Longstreet's daughter, General Capelrs
daughter and many other celebrated
Southern women. After the exercises the
guests were entertained at luncheon by
the Chicago Club and reviewed theApro-
cession of the G. A R. from the balcony of
the Auditorium. Tonight there will be a
military ball and reception at the First
Regiment Armory and a reception at the
Palmer House.
The display of flowers on the graves of
the Confederate and Federal dead was
very impressive and will long be remem-
bered. For several days they had been
coming by the carload, six carloads having
come by one railroad alone. Savannah
sent palmettos, moses, wild smilax, mag
nolia blossoms and laurel wreaths. New
Orleans sent 5000 magnolia blossoms, and
other tributes came from New Orleans and
Pensacola. The Charleston car contained
5000 green palmettos, 1000 pounds of Caro-
lima moss, branches of cedar, magnolia
and laurel and many set designs in laurel
leaves interviewer with the letters "S. C. -
the work and offering of the women of the
Daughters of the Confederacy and the
Ladies' Memorial Association of Charles
ton. Two carloads that came from Atlanta
include roses, palmettos, moss and designs
by the Ladies' Memorial Association of
Atlanta.
The heat during the exercises at lakewood
was intense. The unobscured sun beat
down upon the heads of thousands gath
cred there until it was almost more than
flesh and blood could endure.
Every few moments women would faint
and even strong men were overcome. The
crowd around the speakers stand was i'm
mense, every seat in the grand stand was
taken, and during the exercises a part of
the stand directly in front of the speakers
fell with crash. Miss Dixon, a Southern
lady in the grand stand, was overcome by
the heat.
The monument dedicated to-day stands
forty feet from the ground to the top of
the figure which surmounts it. The pedes-
tai is OF pearl granite from quarries at
Constitution Hill, near Atlanta. Its lower