Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-01-20
HoNoRED LEES MEMORY.

| eIn Senators and Repre- eSentallVeS were
present. DR.. McKim delivered an elo-
quent invocation in which he gave
thanks for the man whom they honor
ed as a hero to duty and faith. Rev.
DR.. McKim with effective voice then
| read the farewell lines of Lee to his
army at Appomattox and at the finish
tire band played the bonnie Blue
Flag" The feature of the services was
an address by Colonel Charles Marshall,
private secretary to General Lee, IN
which be answered with much elabor-
ateness the criticisms made by General
Lonstreet and others of Lees Gettys-
burg campaign. The keynote of his
address was that General stuart, in
command of the Confederate cavalry,
had failed to comprehend his orders
and thereby had left General Lee WITH
out information of the movements Of
the federal troops. Colonel Marshall
said that all persons who have read
what has been written by prominent
army officers cannot fail 10 have OBJ
served how much the writers are iii-
huenced in their OPTIONS and also their
accounts of events by after-acquired in
formation of tie facts. Ifsome of these
writer's would put themselves in the
position in which they were when
the events occurred, they would not
be as infallable, perhaps, as they now
make themselves appear, but the truth
of history would suffer less. Thus Gen.
Lees conduct OF the Gettysburg cam
paisn had been misjudged by assuming
that be knew what we now know. One
OF the most striking traits Of General
Lees mind, Colonel Marshall said, was
his ability to form correct judgment
from all the facts and circumstances
that came TO his knowledge.
Colonel Marshall gave q slap to
Longstreet and other prominent Off
GERS who have written books thirty
years after the war to prove, as the
speaker claimed, that they were infalli-
bic in their movements during the COM
paigns CT the great conflict.
The march WAS there taken up to
the banquet hall. Maj. Holmes Conrad
was toastmaster. At the tables were
25O men and women. Senator Daniel
made the principal address in response
to the toast, The Army of Northern
Virginia"
"The men of the rank and file of the
Army Of Northern Virginia." said the
eloquent Virginisp, "find their glory
merged in the cause they served.
There is no fact in their life
or career which they cherish more;
none that they would exchange for
any gift of glory. then for the fact that
they were the followers of Robert E.
Lee in the army Of Northern Virginia.
"That army was born and died in
battle. 1t begin its career upon the
memorable plain of Manassas. AL
though out-gcneraled, hanked, sur
rounded, the army of Northern Virginia
showed that its men were not surpassed
in yalor
"As the army of Northern Virginia
fought the first battle of the war SO it
fought the bloodiest battle September
II, 1862, was the bloodiest day in the
history OF that conflict. Just $1,000
sustained the charges of Mcclellan with
81 900 at his back. AS the army of
Northern Virginia fought the bloodiest
battle so it fought the greatest battle OF
the war, Gettysburg. AS it fought in
the greatest battle, SO it fought in the
longest. There is no precedent for that
battle, which began May 5, 1864. When
Grant crossed the Rapidan the army of
Northern Virginia sprang at him. Un-
il April 8, 1865, almost one year, the
air resounded VITA the crack of mus
( etry and the thunder of cannon. AS
it mad fought the first, the hloodiest,
the greatest, the longest, so it fought
the battles of the war. The army of
Northern Virginia, my countrymen,
was born and died in victory, as far as
t was within human power to make
victory"
A number Of other speeches were
made during the evening. Among
those present were Gen. W. II. Payne,
Col. Arthur Herbert and Col. w. a.
Smoot.
The New York Confederate Veteran
Camp gave banquet Saturday night
in honor of the birthday of Gen. Robert
E. Lee. Speeches were made by Col.
w. S. Kelley, Gen. Sickles, Col.
Fellows, Capt. II. r. Garden and
others.