Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1895-05-16


to advance the standard Of the
captain of our Salvation, ever
seeking to extend further
and further the lines of the
Army of the Great King, until
at length, all the nations of the
earth shall gather about the
Banner of the Lord in the unity
Of faith and life. And now un-
to Him that is able to keep US
from falling and to present US
faultless before the presence of
His glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our ac--iour
be glory and majesty, dominion
and power both now and ever. :"
Amen.
Mr.. Logan D. Howell, chief
marshal, then introduced, in well
chosen words, the orator of the
day, Mr.. H. B. Parker, Of the
Goldsboro Bar, synopis of
whose splendid speech we give
as follows:
of the Memorial Association of Colds
borO:
This beautiful 10th of May is again
upon US. Another year spans the dis
tance between US and the graves of
those whose memory we are here to
honor and to praise.
We are rad to pay our tribute of
love and affection to the memory of our
dead heroes and around this beautiful,
beftting monument erected to their
memory, to tell of their devotion and
heroism, and though our cause sub
mitted to the test Of war was lost and
we were forced to return to our devas
tated homes with furled banners, it
was Just and righteous one. They
were not traitors who wore the Gray,
but true patriots. whose sutferingS and
privatiOns and noble deeds have never
been surpassed in the history of any
nation. And it is with no nobler theme
with which | expect to address you to-
day than that of the private soldier of
North Carolina.
While he has long since been laid to
rest in the bosom of his mother earth,
and many of their names have faded
from the tablets of the memory of the
few who survive them, yet the cause
ished will ever remain fresh and sacred
in our memories so long as their pa
triotic blood shall flow in our veins and
We have tongues to tell of that cause
for which they died.
We have heard the names and deeds
of the leaders in the late war eulogized
time and again by the great orators of
our land. And their praises are echo
ing and re-echoing in the ears of our
people until the music has all but OBJ
liberated the names of the private sol
der and the principle for which he
fought.
[ would not utter one disparaging
syllable of the great and deserving
| commanders of 1861 and 64, but rather
| if it were possible add lustre to their al
ready glittering names, for in my
opinion we could not sing too loud the
praises of our illustrious Lee, J ackson,
Stewart. Pettigrew and Vance were
we to devote our lives to this duty.
Justice has never been done the private
soldier. His .virtuous merit and un-
failing patriotism has never been
| Justly estimated. [ do not speak of the
soldier who fought for the paltry sum
of S12 per month, nor the coward who
skulked, nor the laggard who was
forced to fight. These few are not un-
der my command. [ would speak OF
the great body of citizen soldiers, who
constituted the provisional army of the
Confederacy, and who, at the sound OF
trumpet. marcEed out with rifle and
n usket to repel their country's in
vaders or perish on that soil which
their fathers bequeathed them with
the glorious boon of civil liberty. These
are the gallant men of whom | would
speak. These have made a breast
work of their manly bosoms to protect
the sacred precincts of home and fire
side.
Among these private soldiers we had
men of ample means, OF gentle train
ing, of intellect, of character. Men en-.
deared to a domestic circle of refine
ment and elegance, and who gave tone
and character to the society in which
they moved, and men who for conscience
sake made a sacrifice of comfort, home
property. family and their own lives
upon the altar of their country.
Many of these could they have sacri-
feed honor, could have remained in
possession of all these comforts, but
did as the Roman who said: ''Pu1
honor in the one hand and death il
the other and I will look on both in
> differently
Animated only by the highest ant
+ noblest sentiments which can infiu
ence our common mature, the private
labored and toiled and marched ant
fought, endured hunger, thirst and ia
l tigue, through sleepless nights AM
} cheerless days he held up before hin
the one glorious prize. Freedom t.
my country, independence and m
lhome.'
If we can suppose the intervention c
less worthy merit it must be with tn
: officer and not the private.
The officer may become renowned
} the private never reckons upon tina
, the officer may live in history, th
tprivate looks to no such record. tn
u public gaze, the private does not e.
lpect such recognition; the officer has
SALARY, the private only MONTH
e stipend.
h The officer may escape harm in ba-
+ tie by reason of distance, the priva1
:, must face the storms of death.
'.c The battle has been fought, the vi
u tory won, and Lee or Jackson or othe
o achieved a glorious success, but th
d success was attained by the private {
the cost of his patriotic blood of sha
tered and mangled limbs. l do NJ
81 mean to underestimate the couras
|, and patriotism of the officer. l dra
a the parallel for the purpose of sho'
- ing that If other than the highest b
man motives prompted the soldier
action it was the officer and not Il
b private who was liable to feel its inf
,S ence.
e 1 have often felt panied at the fipa
- reference to the private, while the u
y reasoning writer seemed to regard Il
5 officer as the prime and meritoro
N agent of all that was done, when
;. very truth in those ranks was ;
10 amount of intellect which would ha
: instructed and astonished a statesma
er The opinion of these men have guild
70 the pen of the historian and fixed tt
merit of orenaralS The 0nininn of tho