The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-18

State, and in more than one of Gen. Lees
great battles they exceeded the dead
from all other States put together"
These facts and figures, my dear friends,
are not brought forward today to deco
gate from the proud record of Virginia.
This cannot be DONE for from the Kama
wha to Norfolk, from Romney to the
North Carolina line, the bosom of this
dear old State is set thick with the scars
of battle. Nor are they brought forward
Iinvidiously of any State in the late Con-
federacy, for he knows but little of the
mettle of Southern pasture who dareS to
say that where the obligation to duty
was SO high, any State failed of achev-
ing the highest record possible. 1t may
lie permitted me before closing this adj
dress to say one single word in regard
to four of North Cardinals sons, whom,
for many reasons, | fain would honor.
Sleeping on either side of the banks OF
the Tar river at Louisburg, Wondering in
the dust of their native State, lie the 81
lent forms Of Col Thomas Ruffin, killed
in battle at the head of the First North
Carolina regiment of calvary, and
that of the late Judge Joseph
Jonathan Davis both natives of Frank
lin county, North Carolina, and as pure
patriots as ever put their foot in stir
rup of saddle. The other two are Col
ChaS. Blacknall. sleeping here in this
cemetery. and Gen. l.. OB. Branch, as
| devoted sons of North Carolina as were
| over honored by her people in peace or
war. To these four friends of my
father AND my own as well | have paid
| this lust tribute of honest and well de-
seq we'd homage. not because they were in
| ANY sense any nohlcr than many others
| of North Caroina's sons. but because Il
! closer knowledge of them disclosed quail
ties both Of heart and mind which shed
! Il luStre upon citizenship in my native
! state. Ransom at large camp fire of
| Confederate Veterans in LOuiShurg, y.
! C.. On the Dist of August last. as the
! orator OF the day. said that if all the
| slaves of the South could have been sub
| Stitutcd 10y as many white people, the
/ issue of the struggle could not have
| leCu doubtfuI.' leg leave to reply that
! had there been no such institution as
! slavery at the South. there never would
| have been such an organization as the
army of Northern Virginia. either in the
| splendid personnel Of its matchless phi
yate soldiers or the fine materials of its
| officers. both the commissioned and non
commissioned as well. The patriarchal
! institution of slavery CSay what the
world may of it, produced that type of
manhood in its clean cut individuality
which SO far differentiated the
| Southrn soldier from MI 9th
or types of armed men
as 10 make him sui generis and stamp
| hiIn with such fine form of heroism
closely akin to if not identical with mar
shallcd Immortality. OF the fair women
of my old State, members Of the State
| Monumental AssOcia ton. and their fair
| compatriots it will be pardOned me If
say with gratitude and admiration both
| in what they have done i'll that beauti-
| full and commanding monument at the
! western gate of the State Capital
grounds in Raleigh-in these beautiful
| head and foot stones here iii this lot of
| pre-eminent honor in Stonewall ceme-
| tery-thcy richly deserve and receive
what they modestly wear the gratitude
| OF their native State and that we have
| fun assurance that they will go on in
| the blessed labor of love until we shall
| he called upon on some other red-letter
day III North Cardinals calendar to un-
veil and consecrate IL central monument
with pride and pleasure, the corner
stone of which we lay to-day in North
Cemetery, Symbolizing the unity of the
Cemetery. smbolizing the unity of the
State, which with lofty apex and broad
base shall eloquently declare to on-com-
ing generations the power and province
of pure Southern WomanhoOd in nerv
ing the arm and strengthening the
heart of patriotic manhood. 1t is true,
ay, sadly. tearfully, true, dear friends,
that the Southern cross ShOnc out with
great brilliancy again and again amid
the dark clouds Of internecine strife. 1t
Wellnigh breaks the heart fully to realize
that so near came we more than once to
the very brink Of the chaSm separating
us from the fair fields of separate ma
tionality that we inhaled the aroma Of
the tloYerS blooming therein. but we
could not cross to gather them. Some
nScrutable barrier interpOsed between
us and our fOndeSt hopes; the loss of
Il dispatch at Frederick City; the death
Of Albert Sydney Johnson, at Shiloh;
the death of Stonewall Jackson, enforc-
ing his absence from Gettysburg; or
some other hindrance. But with the sad
refrain of Vac Victisi Vac Victis! We
know Motive know not why, waiting
in our ears, the very tolling of the death
knell of our fondest hopes, the crushing
to earth of all brightest anticipations, we
dare look all Christindom in the face to-
day and say that when in future the his
tOrian in search of the traditions OF lib
| erty, i'll quest of the truth, shall look for
the causes which led up to an enthroned
centralism, ranker and fouler than that
of the cringing muscovite, the Goddess
of Liberty, if she walk this earth, at
that time will point him with tears in
her eyes to that dark hour of human his
tory ut Appomatox Court House, and
bid him write it down with iron pen that
| liberty died when the army of North
ern Virginia fell. For the great Vir-
| ginian said truly with the prophetic ken
of an uneering seer of the Confederate