The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-21

river at the point or the b1yOnet, hurl-
ing their adversaries by the hundreds
into the water that only a few of the
federals reached the northern bank.
1t was a pitable spectacle, hat Of 5000
federal troops killed and drowned with
200 prisoners, and one large brigade
nearly extinguished by the disaster.
This was the penalty which Mcclellan
had to pay for his mendacity in claim
ing a victory at Sharpsburg. Here 1t
may be asserted without any fear On
contradiction, without the slightest sug-
gestion Of invidious comparison that
when the old S~tonewall brigade, and
Hoods noble brigades of Texas, and
those noble sons Of Georgia under
Lewton, in fine where all responded
so nobly to the test applied by Cen
eral Lee, for it was General Lees con-
fidence in his men, and not b nee
cessities of the situation, which caused
the battle of Sharpsburg). North
Carolinians have cause 20 this day to
be proud Of the record which the hero
ism of her sons made with their blood
on hat illustriOus day, and there is
no wonder hat while the 18th of Sep
TENDER will ever be a day Of adness
to thousands Of our people, yet must
it be ever a day when that adnes Is
tempered by the consciousness Of the
glory Of her noble sons. lie is very
lOIt1Su " Tic puI pOSC "a lAlS oOA4CSo
to carry you through the campaign
Of the Rappahannock, with its great
battle of Fredericksburg, nor shall I
detain you while / rehearse any part
Of the Charlottesville campaign dur
ing the months Of April and May 1863,
where at Charlottesville the great
giant Of military genius fell off the
edge of battle, where Stonewau jack
son crossed over the liver and rested
IL H. 49, Iavy;>r ~ an tho NO
in all the battles from first
by his devotion as a christian the
splendor of his heroism, and his match
less genius as one Of the great captains
of the 18th century, aye, in any age.
I shall not detain you by referring you
to that with which you are so familiar,
the Gettysburg campaign in June and
July '63 longer than barely to intimate
| the fact thai if this great battle of
Gettysburg was decisive Of the war,
the splendor of it's heroism, the purify
| ing powers of it's great suffering, the
| full consciousness in spite Of factiOus
| criticism that every man did his best,
that these were in part ~prepatory for
the %grandest of all the campaigns,
Grants overland campaign May and
June ga. It was in that campaign of
between General Lee and
| Meade from July 1863 to March 1864
/ llldl we may Z " AulAy ONAASA GA
| Lee overmatched Genera Meade.
| Military critics AVE said, and some of
them so void of prejudice, and SO full
of high capability as to entitle their
opinions to full notice, that the most
remarkable Of all military movements
in the 10th century was that beginning
| May the 4th, in which with 52,626 men;
! foot, horse and artillery, General Lee
| baf1ed and beat back General Grant
j with hic fO11r great QrmV cOrDS CIV
ing him a movable column Of about
140,0 600 men of all arms. Gladly, though
sadly, had I the time would I light up
| your thoughts with the splendor of
the army Of northern Virginia at the
battle of the wilderness along tine lines
at Spottsylvania Court Hous and
from Spottsylvania to the Chickahorn-
ing, where I would detain you at the
battle of Cold Harbor, where General
Lee reached the apex Of his fame, from
which he has never been forced to
come, although the shadows of the
siege Of Petersburg and those ever
| dark events eliminating at Appomatox
Court House announced the fact that
| the circle Of the hunt was made, and
the great lion hearted Lee was brought
to bay. Sadly and tenderly was the
organized body the army of northern
Virginia stepped out Of existence
among the martial hosts Of this earth,
but stepping into history stepped
| heavenWard. And thus on the 9th of
April 1865 at Appomatox Court House.,
Virginia, having done its duty nobly,
expired the most remarkable OrganiZa-
tion of armed men the world has ever
known. For fou long years the up
per milestone of the army Of the PO-
tomac of II inches thickness had been
whirring around, fabricated by the oil
Of sympathy and the active support
Of the whole outside Worthwhile the
understone of the army of northern
Virginia, 10 inches in thickness i'm
| bedded in the affections of the southern
people carrying their noble cause Of
constitutionally recognized state SOW
ereignty and other forms Of cOnsti-
tutional liberty on the points of their
bright bayonets, was worn thinner and
thinner, till as last, no thicker than a
wafer, General Lee surrendered as
the body guard of liberty 5000 men
with muskets to an army Of over 125,
900. Caesar a. his truth legion,
Philip the Macedonian Phalanx, Alex
ander his picked troops in ~conQuering
the world, Hannibal his corps invin-
| chile on the battlefield of Cannae, We'll
! lington his life guards at Waterloo,
! and Napoleon a his imperial guards
/ under the matchless Ney, but h army
of northern Virginia with its roll of
victories, at first and second Manassa,
seven days around Richmond, Fred
ericksburg, Winchester, Crosskeys,
| Port Republic, Charlottesville, Cold
Harbor and Sharpsburg with Long
street and Beauregard, the two Hills,
| Ewell, Gordon, Early, Malone, Rhodes,
Stuart, Hampton, Ashby. PettigreW,
Branch, Hoke, Anderson, Pender, DAN
iels, Ramseur, Grimes and the two Ran
SONS lead them, as they were led by
StoneWall Jackson, and as they were
ali led by the illustrious Lee, in point
of honor, efficiency and noble devo-
ton to the cause of the constitutional
liberty, may we'll cor over the battle
fields of the world with no suggestion
Of envy, but with devout thankfulness
to the God Of battle for all he enabled
them to do and dare against the
world in arms. This noble band of free
men with the blessed motto PRO arts. ct
Focis," inscribed on their banners died
in tho worry thronc Of hoft1o with tho