The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-11-19
Nor the winding river be red;

Waiting the Judgment Gay.
Love and tears for the Blue, ..
Tears and love for the Gray
-
,your pilgrimage here Of love will solace
many a widows and mothers heart.
win them your devotion will be some
rccompcnse for those who would fondly
kneel by the grass-grown mounds and
bedew with tears OF love the resting
places of the uncoffined and unshrouded
dead. But. when you and they are gone,
there will be others still to strew the
flowers and cherish their memory. As
tho two Marys found their way to the
sepulchrc OF the Redeemer OF mankind
so will the children OF the future find
their way TO the graves OF the men
whose sacrifices redeemed a nation from
bondage.
The State that was the keystone OF
The Federal arch: that holds within her
bosom the cradle Of American liberty;
whose fealty to the Constitution franz
cd in our Philadelphia has never wav-
cred: whose hills and valleys have re-
echoed IN the shock OF war at Gettysburg
and whose sod gave sepulchre TO heroic
dead; whose sons have always rallied 10
the call Of patriotism, and whose people
have ever chung with loving tenderness
to the flag OF the fathers-that State now
calls upon the nation, for whose per-
petuity these men marched and fought
and bled and died. to preserve these mon
umcnts as enduring witnesses of their
courag' and devotion: sec TO II that they
are preserved TO the latest generation;
that no vandal hand shall mar their
beauty that they shah be perpetual re-
minders or American valor. and that
those who live in the years TO come may
know and understand that the victories
won and the battles lost were accom-
plished by heroes who face the North.
as well as the South, i'm an unparalleled
struggle. from out whose sacrifices and
bereavoments there came the great adj
vance in the worlds civilization and un-
told benefits 10 the human race.
There are patriotic sentiments that
show there is no longer a trace in the
minds of men like Governor Hastings Of
the bitterness Of the war period. They
are most gratifying TO the South, be-
cause they indicate that the time has
at last arrived when even our old enemies
concede that the part OF the South in the
war IS not to be viewed from the stand
point of people who are considered rebels
and traitors, but from that Of conscien-
tious men. who were upholding their ira
ditional rights with a tenaclty, cour-
age. and a spirit OF self sacrifice that the
world has never seen matched.
These exercises about Chickamauga re-
call 20 the mind Of the Confederate sol
der the incidents of that most remark
able battle and make him renew his won
der why the Confederate arms did not
reap the fruits of that great victory that
they had so well earned. This is one Of
the most perplexng questions Of military
history. The bloody battle had been
fought with as much courage and devo-
ton as was ever seen upon any field,
and the triumph of the Confederate arms
was complete and overwhelming, yet in
a very few days all trace Of victory was
gone and the triumphant Confederate
army had gone. as by q dissolving view,
into q demoralzed and dsorganized mass
Fastening away from the scenes Of its
triumph with no man I'm pursuit. IL is the
most remarkable and unexplained Incl
dent OF the war. An Englshman has
said, that there was too much of the
"epicene' in the nature Of General Lee,
and thoughtless men have repeated the
remark until it has beclouded the mind
Of some about the character of that
immortal man. There was nothing OF the
sort in his nature. lie had been educated
a. a military school. and his whole life
Je fore our war had been one Of the
sternest military discipline But when he
took charge Of the Army Of Northern
Virginia his overpowering mind taught
him he could not apply the regular army
methods to that body of men, and no
placed them at once, therefore. upon the
footing almost of comrades. in this way
he made his army the greatest fighting
machine the world ever saw.
There was no man in that Western army
that could measure up 10 General Lees
methods, so that while they had there
as good fighting material as there was
in the Confederacy they did not have our
army trained to catch its inspirations
from ifs commander. and hence il was
that when their valor had defeated in
enemy upon the field tho organization
necessary for securing a complete tri-
umph was wanting. AS time passes it
will become more and more evident that
the greatest man this country has pro-
duced since Washington was named Rob-
ert j.. Lee.