The record-union., 1897-04-30
Statues Of Davis, Lee, Jackson and john
StOn Unveiled at Dallas, Texas.
Monuments Erected Through Efforts OF
Daughters of the Confederacy.
John H. Regain, le-Surviving Mem
Der of the Confederate Cabinet,
Eulogizes the President - Cere-
monies End With a Battle of
Flowers.


monies End With a Battle of
Flowers.
DALLAS (Tex), April 29.-The Con-
federate monument, erected through
the efforts of the Daughters or the Con-
federacy, at Dallas, was unVelleo TINS
morning. It is a Texas granite smart
fiftyfeet high At the top of the coIumh
stands a private. At the base, on TOUR
pedestals. are life-size statues of JET
ferson Davis, r. E. Lee, StoneWall
jackson and Sidney Johnston.
Jefferson Davis pulled the cord that
unveiled the form of his grandfather.
Lucy Hayes did the same for Robert l..
Lee, and the little granddaughter OF
Stonewau jackson completed the I'M
yelling by pulling cords which removed
the wells from the statues OF jackson
and Johnston.
After the young ladies representing
the Southern States had decorated the
monument with flowers, John h. Ike
gan, the only surviving member Oh the
Confederate Cabinet, delivered eu-
lOgy on President Davis. He said IN
part:
ITO me has been assigned the duty OF
saying in a. brief way, something ol Iiie
character and services of the Presloeht
of the Confederate States the beloVeu
Jefferson Davis. My association WIN
MIR. Davis during our great struggle
and the very high opinion L formed OF
his disinterested and patriotic devotion
to the cause of the COnfederacy, anu
of his unvarying constancy ana cour-
age. makes the duty most agreeable
except that I recognize my lnaplllty "
give such an account of his services
and portraiture of his character as Is
due to his memory.
In one respect there was to some eA-
tent misapprehensiOns of his character
1t was sometimes alleged he was selI-
willed. imperious and stubborn. IhoSe
in close contact and association Win
him did not so regard him. nave
heretofore expressed the view, and now
repeat it, that practically he had TWO
characters. or rather two methods OF
thought and action. While in his prl-
waite relations he was genteness ana
Kindness: while in the discharge or ms
public duties he seemed to be guldeo
wholly by a sense of duty. And ne
seemed to expect those who conferred
with him about matters to address
themselves directly to the matter under
consideration and was not at all times
patient with such persons as sought TO
occupy his time in general conversation
or as to matters about which they could
give no information
1T will be readily understood that
one occupying his position, in which
his whole time was necessarily given
to the discharge of important public
duties, could not permit that time to
be wasted in commonplace converse
ton. or in listening to men who could
give him no real information. This
doubtless created the idea with such
persons that he was self-willed and
imperious.
Another mistake as to his character,
made by some persons, was that he
would not listen to advice about mat
tiers of Importance More than four
years of constant contact with him as
a. member of his Cabinet enables me
to say that this was a great mistake.
His habit was, when he took up a
public question upon which he had to
act. to exhaust all available sources
of information on it before coming to
81
with the members of the Cabinet, and
with others who might be able to give
him information.
After doing this and reaching his
conclusion, the matter was settled with
him unless the presentation of new
facts required further consideration.
He had not time to consider questions
upon the same facts; and in the posi-
would ha
been about as bad as the erroneous de-
cision of public questions. 1 say this
much on these points. because 1 think
in respect to them some injustice has
been done to his memory.
THE solicitude of President Davis
for the success of the Confederate
army caused him several times to put
himself under the fire of the Federals
on the battlefield. At the battle of
Seven Pines (Fair Oaks l saw him,
General Lee and General Magruder I'M
der a heavy fire of musketry, and re-
monstrated against his so exposing
himself when there was no special ne
cessity for it. During the first seven
days fighting near Richmond he was
exposed to the enemy's fire, and Gen
eral Lee ordered him to quit the field.
Lee appeared in the Cabinet Mr.. Davis
jocularly said he had supposed he was
Commander-in- Chief, but that General
Lee had ordered him from the field. on
the day of the battle between Richmond
and Petersburg, 1 saw Mr.. Davis in
company with General Beauregard UNI
der brisk fire of cannon and sharp
shoote for considerable time, during
which several persons were hit, and one
soldier boy, standing near the Presi-
dent. had his arm shot off by a shell
At the request of some Of the officers
urged him to leave the field, as his
exposure to the fire of the enemy was
unnecessary.
IN the Cabinet next morning, refer
ring to my advice that he should quit
the field the evening before, he said
he felt as I did, that he could do nc
have been an unpleasant thing to ride
off under fire
president Davis had the chivalric
courage of a Richard Occur de Lion
and the Roman virtue, constancy and
the love of liberty of a Cato. God bless
his memory"
Other eulogies were pronounced as
follows: On General r. F. Lee, by Hon
George n. Aldridge; on Stonewall Jack
son, by Judge II. w. Lightfoot; on Cen
eral Albert Sidney Johnston by Hon
Norman c. Kittrell: on THE Private, u
by Hon. A. T. Watts
The ceremonies ended with a battle
of flowers, participated in by all, the
base of the monument at the end be-