Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-01
RICHMOND CAP|TULATES The City Taken by General AS-
 sault Yesterday. THE ONSET IRRESISTIBLE The Gallant and GrizzIed Veterans Swarmed
 Through Her Every Gate. STARS AND BARS FLOAT TRIUMPHANT First Day of the Reunion-Wade Hampton the Lion-Governor O'Ferrall's Nov
 ing Words General Gordon's
 Eloquent Address.
STARS AND BARS FLOAT TRIUMPHANT

The Confederate Auditorium, Rich mond, Va, June 30-The sixth annual con- vention of the Confederate Veterans met this morning in the vast and gaily deco rated auditorium erected for the purpose at the exposition grounds, this city.
 . Intermingled with the Confederate col ors and battle flags are the national flags, and just above the presiding officers seat are two large star-spangled banners. Around the galleries are the coats of arms of all the late Confederate states. Just above is another tier of banners, on which are inscribed the names of all the famous battles of war and intermixed with these are large star-shaped designs bearing the names of all the famous Con- federate generals
 The auditorium, which can seat over 10000 people, was comfortably filled, and presented a handsome appearance when al Il o'clock the arrival of Gen. John B. Gordon, commander in chief of the Con- federate Veterans, was greeted by cheers and the band played Dixie" He was presented with a gavel which General Gordon announced was made from tree cut on the battle field of Chickamauga.
 He opened the convention by introduce ing Chaplain J. William Jones of the Con- federate Veterans, who made an eloquent and impressive prayer, which was fol- lowed by the ba d playing Nearer My God to Thee"
 On the stand were seated all the digni- taries, among them Governor O'Ferrall, Mrs. Gen. George E. Pickett, now of Washington, Mayor Taylor of Richmond, !. Gen. Peyton Wise, Gen. Stephen D. Lee, Mrs. General Gordon and daughter, Ex- Minister to Spain J. l.. M. Curry, General French and numerous others.
 At the conclusion of the prayer General (l IfAnr rsah fra welcome the veterans to Richmond, but that gentleman had barely began to speak when a cheer broke forth from the far end of the auditorium, and the venerable form of that gallant old sol- dier, Gen. Wade Hampton, was seen limping up towards the stand. His prog ress through the audience was greeted by the widest cheers, and when at last he reached the stand General Gordon an- nounced him as "the brave con handler inichief of the Confederate e1valry," which called forth another rou.id of cheers and rebel yells."
 Order being restored, Governor OFer- rall was reintroduced and welcomed the veterans to Virginia.
 Governor O'Ferralls Speech.
 The governor said:
 "Veterans and Comrades: You were enlisted in these bands who wrote their names in glorious skies and carved them deep in the temple of fame; who made the cause of the south so imperishable and the renown of her armies so fadeless You endured hardshps which no human imagination could picture and no mortal tongue could describe. Your exploits equaled those of the heroic age in Gre clan legends, and your devotion was not surpassed by Leonidas and his Soo at Thermopylae In the path or duty no danger daunted you, no suffering sub dued you True as the dial to the sun, firm as the rock of the mountain crest, resolute as the lion aroused in his lair. with unblanched cheek and steady nerve, you obeyed every command, however rained the missiles of death. The greater the peril the stiffer were your views; the fiercer the battle the hotter was your blood No Grecian phalanx. no Roman legion were ever adorned with badges more honorable than those you wear upon your manly breasts It was neither con quest nor power for which y," fought; 1t was in defense of home and coul- ry.
 ''The rights for which the founders of the republic struck were no more sacred to them than the rights for which you struck were dear to you. If you were rebels So were the fathers of constitu- tional liberty of 120 years ago. If you fought to sever your connection With union whose bonds were, galling, so did the men now immortalized in song and story when they snapped the cord of British allegiance in 1776 If you had within you a spirit that would not sub.
 
 itself in the front Of grim visaged might it came to you by ancestral inheritance, or if foreign born, you imbihed it from the air you breathed"
 Pointing to a statue of Lee, he said: Just in front of us, astride his noble war steed is the great captain of the nine teenth century, unsurpassed in legend or tradition. How thankful are we that human hand has been gifted with the skill to convert inanimate matter into the living form of him who. with
 "sWashingt ton. shall ride immortal
 And shall ride abreast of time:
 Shall light up stately history
 And blaze in epic rhyme.
 Both patriots. both southerners true,
 Both rebels, both sublime.
 When the work which will be begun so soon shall be completed the world will behold a monument erected to an un- sceptered ruler by the freewilI offering of the scattered remnants of his armies and the descendants of his dead soldiers; hv the highest humble, the richest poor. Not block will be laid by taxation; not stone will be laid by government do- nation.'
 As soon as the applause on the conclu- sion of Governor OFerrall's address had subsided today General Gordon intro duced Gen. simon Bolivar Buckners of Kentucky, who was warmly greeted by the veterans. General Gordon styled him the "eagle of the Blue Grass State" and General Buckner made thrilling south- ern speech, which carried the convention by storm. When he had taken his seat and the cheering of the Kentucky states man had ceased Mayor Taylor of Rich mond was presented to the assembled veterans by the chairman.
 His honor, who has commanding presence and excellent lung power. well comed the veterans to the hearts and homes of the people of Richmond. We meet again. he said, Ion historic ground Ever since Richmond has been chosen as the place for the meeting of this conven- tion 1t has been our earnest wish to give you greeting that would show our af- fectionate regard for such worthy and