The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-06-30

Battie.scar7ed Chief,sir, Gen. GordoI
in His Farewell Address TO Hts ComrsGs
Of the Upitsd Confederate Veterans.
The following IS the farewell sd
dress OF Gen John B. Gordon, deli7
cred Wednesday morning, on the oc
casion OF his voluntary retirement a
Commander ir Chief OF TIE Unitet
Confederate Veterans, q: the grant
reunion in Nashille, Tenn:
Mr.. President aud Comrades: Per
nit me with few words 70 return th'
commission with which you h&v
honored me for sight years and b.
unanimous vote. Within The mex
few hours you Will elect my successor
When this duty is performed by yet
l shall gladly take my place by thos:
uRtitleu heroes who SO grandly bore
the battles brunt in the stern work G
war. Such step voluntarily takel
ought not to be considered strange
condeScension by any man. To me i
Is s privilege. It was SIS a private
that ! enlisted IS soldier on the frs
indication OF approaching wars. It is
true that the psrtiaiity Of my com
rades, which has followed me from ths;
hour TO this, did net permit ne to
serve in that honorable and self.sacrl-
fcing position. But, Mr.. President,
through all the vicissltudes Of war,
amidst its lights aud its shadows, It's
slories and is gloom, I never lost
sight for one hour OF mvobligationS to
the private soldiers. From first to
last, IN all those years of alternate
victory and defeat, of hope snd de-
Soar, my heart was ever paying It's
spontaneous tributes to the matchless
fortitude OF that intrepid band, who,
shoeless, half clad and hungry, mach
ed on foot, suffered on picket and
bravely de6ed the battles carnage
and from the beginning to the end of
that struggle without one murmUr OF
discomfort Sir. If had the powers
would erect to the private soldier the
most splendid memorial that graft
tude could suggest, genious could
plan CIR money build. but I am too
poor for that. Or if I possessed the
nesded gift Of speech, I would leave
upon record tribute worthy Of them,
and such as my own convictious and
emotions prompt; but my worcs are
too feeble for that. There IS one
thing, however, which 7 can do. /
can lay at their feet the commissions
which they won for me in war and the
honors with which they have crown
ed my life in peace. can promptly,
SIS shall proudly, take my place N
their now thinned and rapidly oissolv.
ing ranks.
'.Mr. President, in these closing
hours Of my long service SIS com
manding general I must ask the con-
vention's indulgence fora brief review
of that official relation and possibly
for some suggestions as to the future.
son the 10th day Of June, 1889, eight
years ago, while serving as Governor
Of my native State, I received from
NV Orleans the Wholly nnaxpected
announcement of my election as
comman6er-in-chiei Of the newly Or
ganized United Confederate Veterans.
This new communion of ex soldiers
began its somewhat unpromisipg
career with the modest number OF bat
ten organiz atoms, united for peaceful
and noble ends. To day it presents
the proud array of more than thou,
sand camps answering the roll call
and rejecting merited honorS upon
the different commanders and espec
tally upon our able adjutant general.
In the next few hours ! shall turn
over to my successor this army OF
more than a thousand organizations
rapidly advancing toward the second
thousand.
II said, Mr.. President, that would
turn over an army. It is an army OF
ex soldiers, ofex Confederate soldiers,
of ex-fgnting Confederate soldiers,
at whose proves and endurance en-
lightened Christepdom stood IL breath
less amszenent. 1t is an army still,
Mr.. President, but an army for the
bloody work of war no longer. It's
banners no longer bear the Asming in
sigma OF battle. It's weapons no longer
flash defiance to the foe nor deal death
to opposing ranks. It's weapons are
now the pen without malice, the
tongue without aspersion and history
without misrepresentation. It's aims
are peaceful, philanthropic and
broadly patriotic. It's sentiment is
lofty, generous and jast. Its mission
is to relieve the suffering Of the hg
ing, cherish the memory Of the dead
and to shield from reprosch the fair
name of all. This now mighty or
ganizstion, while insisting upon com
plete historical justice to the South,
will scorn to co less than couplets
Justice to the North. Proud Of the
South's chivalry in defending the
rights of the States, they honor the
heroism of the North in defending the
perpetuity of the Union. Having
committed the South's cause to the ar,
bitrament of battle, they Loyalty and
manfuliy stand by that tribunals yer
dict. Fighting and suffering for
their homes and rights as men have
rarely fought and suffered IL the
worlds history; exhibiting on g
hundred fields and in a thousand
emergencies heroism never excellsd; {;
yielding from utter exhaustion and
only when their PROSTATE section was
bleeding atsevery pore; failing after the
mcst desperate defensive struggle in
human annals to establish their cher
ished Colfederscy, these high souleG
sons of the South offer this record OF
devotion as the noblest pledge Of their
fealty to freedom and Of their reaai-
ness TO defend the republic OF the
fathers.
My comrades of tbe United Cor
tolerate Veterans, if the BRET sunma.
~ fairly represents your sentiments
aud your aims, then ny cup Of JOY IS
full indeed. I cannot doubt. | do
rot doubt, that ! ha ;e caugh. and
correctly voiced the impulses and
EnneS of this rnost ro.rosenfoti-a hNSv