The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-01-27
c. No

moment of wild dissipation "and
left name to other times linked
with one virtue and a thousand
crimes" Gen Lee left a name
which he who DIES not honor is him
self unworthy of respect lie fought
no efeminate Persians, but met the
resolute sons of the great North and
West. men who could rally after de-
feat, and before whose eyes was al
ways borne those "stars and Stripes
which had given freedom to the
world, and which he had learned at
his mothers knee to honor, to love
and to defend He met those skilled
officers who fell upon every field and
before, whose dying eyes, the world
receding and growing less and less.
yet revealed the spirit Of patriotism,
waving that loved standard and beck
oning his dying soul to the reward of
the patriot ar the martyr And
such memory Our chieftain left that
the survivors of our folds unite in
beaping laurel wreaths upon his
humble bier Caesar was great in
peace and in war, a scholar. as well
as soldier. yet Caesar fell, not at
the hand of the enemies Of Rome,
but by the dagger7eef.. Brutus. his
friend, who struck HIM down that
liberty might live Lee had not the
ambition of Julius Caesar. and no
man could have been found within
the length and breadth of the Ameri
can Continent. friend or foe, who
would have lifted hand to hurt that
humble citizen whose brow reflected
alike to Northerner and Southerner
"those rays of light which cleaned
on Moussa's cheek, run down the
mount he trod, all glorious from the
presence of his God " Napoleon
was pre- emincntIy soldier,
genius of war, and also a profound
politician. His renowa has filed
the world, "and 10 J.! the trump of
fame makes seldom echo of nobler
name For twenty years Europe
stood aghast before the wild iIlumi
Mat on which flashed from his red
artillery. France became an orihame
of war, and all mankind recognized
and bowed before the genius from
Corsica Yet was Napoeon's pri
vate life blurred and stained by the
darkest excesses. He did not hesi.
tate to. send forth from her high
state the woman who had loved
him long ere his star had reached
it's zenith. The murder Of the
Duke d'Enghein is stain upon the
memory of Napoleon His retreat
from Moscow, where he had been de-
tanned by loathsome disease, the
loss of the grea, battle of Leipsic,
the loss Of Waterloo are blasts upon
his escutcheon. Waterloo might not
have been lost had Napoleon held
Grouchy in close communication and
thus prevented Blucher from falling
upon his flank in the critical hour of
the day. The retreat from Water
loo was not cfeditab,e to Napoleon;
and history must regard him as great
in victory. but weak in adverse for
tune, whilst Gen Lee sbone through
the darkness of the blacklist night
and became in ruin and defeat the
grand apostle of that nobler courage
which is proof against the adverse
arrows of relentless fate. His words,
when all was lost, ring in the ears of
his surviving people and will be
heard to the remotest posterity !:
Human virtue should be equal to
human misfortune, and, oh, thou
Sand deaths were preferable to this.
but if we die what will become of
the women and the children of the
South We must 60 home and care
for them, and ssbuild up anew our
ruined homes and till the soil, with
profound submission to the will of
God" These words, so indicative
of a mind attuned to the highest
sense of duty, are in accord with the
sentiment he impressed upon his
young son. "That duty is the noblest
word in the English language"
The world resounds with the pIau-
dts given in most generous manner
to Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of
Wellington, and we'll did this iron
man merit the praise he received.
Yet must it be remembered that on
the great day of Waterloo, at 4
O'Clock in The afternoon, he cried out
in the great travail of his soul !:
Would to God that night or Blucher
would conner" 1t must also be taken
into consideration that while he vas
opposed to the gratest soldier of his
day, yet the army of Napoleon Bona
parto u7ac cCpoDocod larmol1, of howe