Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-11-02
SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS OF
THE SOUTH AND TIE WAR.


THE SOUTH AND THE WAR.
To the Editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
Tonight as sit in my cozy apart
ment, surrounded by so much that
makes life happy, cannot help think
ing OF the dear boys in gray, who, over
thirty years ago, were so dissimilarly
circumstanced. Of the poor, ragged
Confederate soldiers battling against
such awful odds!
Thinking of them tonight Yes.
thinking of them every night, every
day, for when can / ever forget them.
Sleep on, ye valiant deaol May that
death sleep be sweeter by far than that
of life. Never truer or braver martys
than you. Your best blood watered
the South and miraculous fruit will it
cause when God sees fiji.
Sleep on gently, softly, never know
ing tits night or morn. In the fullness
of time He will touch you and you will
awake to join Him in Paradise; to live
in infinite beauty, victory and happi-
ness forever, The children Of the mighty
God.
And oh! the work you did in life
Was there ever its equal? Certainly not
its superior. Miserably fed, half starved,
scantiiy clothed, partially naked, in.
sufficiently armed, wanting nearly al
the necessities of life, without medicine,
or suGcient medical care, with nearly
all the odds against you, how could
you fight so bravely, so long and so
we'll? Against inccmparably greater
numbers of almost unnumbered legions
of we'll fed, we'll clothed, well equipped, /,
we'll paid soldiers armed with the most
perfect and desdly destroying weapons
thatsthe inventive geoius of man bad
devised up to that date. The
more think of you "rebels," so-called
the greater is my admiration for and
astonishmept at your valor. Who with
touch Of beart or manliness would not
love them. Reading in northern his
tory some lime ago l saw it stated that
Gen. u. S. Hancock, federal, remarked
of the bravery of the Confederate sol
diers that such heroism should be writ
ten down as immortal. Glory not
North, for you have little to glory
about; but rather be ashamed that
with the unlimited wealth and re-
sources of men, money, munitions, etc.,
at your disposal it took you so long to
"out down the rebellion" AS ifyour vast
dense population was not sufficient,
gallant (?) armies were brought from
| Germany, Ireland and other countries.
But their love for the dollar was great
er than their hatred of the ''rebs." T"
Then the negroes were pitted against
the dear boys, and the cup of bitter
ness for the South was running over
with humiliation and indignation. But
those four slow, tortuous years dragged
by as with lt aden wings. for it seemed
as if they would never, never end
Then came that cleaning process in
which the poor country was pil!aged
ny carpet baggers and adventures.
But that, thank heaven, is also past his
tory and let me not dwell thereon.
Let us look in that beautiful, bright
and glorious future looming up so
erandly for good Dixie. Is it a solid
hope? Yes. very solid. New Eng
land was, and is, chiefly manufactur-
ing section of the country. The south
on the contrary is now both manu-
featuring and agricultural section.
When came to New York, nearly "A
years ago, never remember seeing an
order sent South for manufactured
goods. But in recent years I've seen
myriads of them. Being i'll the largest
telegraph Office in America l know
whereof I speak.
The bitterness of The war as far as Eve
observed here has nearly all passed
away. like the orthern people very
much and like their ways. 1t is ex
ceedingly pleasant for me, and I've
made many good friends among them.
But nevertheless though l love the
north much 1 love the South.
more. God has by no means
forgotten the South. Those people,
losers in the war, will be unidentified
by Him. Some here; all hereafter
richly, overAowipgly indemnitied.
Their earthly loss will be their eternal
gain. When God sees fit to perfectly
| life the veil or clouds that now some
what obscure the South many millions
of emigrants will pour therein, build
ing I'D its waste places and multiplying
its cities. And as time goes by
that once hated country will be the
Beulah Land of the world. Would
that I were some great Geni Spirit
Rivers of wealth would Il send thee
South. Vast and beautiful palaces
award thee and dot thy country from
one end to the other, with lofty monu'
ments to the heroes of the Lost Cause
SAMUEL B. LAMBDIN,