The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-20
THE IMMORTAL LEE.

Yesterday was the birthday of Gen.
Robert f. Lee. Throughout the State
the day was generally observed as legal
holiday. Thousands of school children
in our public and private schools: either
on Monday or yesterday had talks from
their teachers on the life and character
of Lee, and the reasons why Virginia has
seen fit to legaiize his birthday as a State
holiday. All this has come from those
who are naturally admirers and lovers of
Lee. Eut below we give the full text OF
the speech made in Chicago not long
since by Prof f. Benjamin Andrews.
president of Brown University. President
Andrews was not only Northern man,
but he was 8 soldier in the Fedora. army.
But a more worthy tribute, higher eu
logy, or trler estimate of Lees cbarac-
ter has never been penned, and In antici
patton of yesterdays holiday, we had
clipped this speech and laid it aside to
reproduce at this time, when the minds
of Virginians would naturally revert to
the subject of this eulogy.
Many no doubt read the speech when it
was first made, and REM EN- Der the severe
criticisms that were made upon it's au-
thor by the G. A. R. camps, but there
are doubtless many who failed to see it.
At any rate it will we'll bear re reading,
and every school boy who has a scrap
book will do well to cut the article out
and preserve it as the estimate of a schol-
arly man, profound thinker and Il Fed
eral soldier, OF the grandest man and
greatest general of modern times:
''Lee had the faith of the crusader. His
letters would make a guide to holiness.
He was always q soldier.-never impure
in thought or act, never prcfane or OBJ
scene He did not touch the cup, as did
Grant, Hooker or Phil. Sheridan, aud
when he lost a fight 1t was never said of
him that the defeat was due to n habit
which makes mems heads into muddles
He was never autGeneralej by Grant in
all tie campaign from the Rappahannock
to james river, never trapped or never
caught mapping. fail to find in the
books any such masterful generalship as
this hero showed. holding that slim gray
line. half starved, with no prospects of
additions. and Eighth & when his army
was too hungry TO stand and the rifles
were only useful rs clubs. His courage
was sublime. He WAS as great as Gus
tavus Adolphus, or Napoleon, or yelling.
ron, or Won Moltke. His cause was not
the Lost Cause so much rs is supposed.
All that was good in his cause has been
grated into our laws and constitution
THE doctrine of States rights, as now
interpreted by the supreme court, is in
exact accordance with his claims on the
point.
r lncf l,n
cause the Federal troops had received a
new motor of tremendous strength, whose
power no one knew--Gen. Hancock. He
also lost because Meade's men were fight
ing on Union soii-almost within hearing
distance of the prayers of their wives and
children for victory. They were at their
hearthstones. Men are tigers when wives
and families are the inspiration in war.
"It was not until the Federal army
stood almost at the very doors of Rich
mond that General Lee was sent to the
front. Heretofore he had been but kindly
regarded, but when he took command of
that ill-d> iplined, ill-armed and ragged
army he was hailed as savior. He out
witted Mcclellan, whipped two armies
much larger than his OVID, stopped the
advance on Richmond, drove back the
Union army, saved Richmond and was
famous in day. The world has never
seen such generalship, and the world was
astounded at it.
Lee successfully defeated. outgener-
aled and routed the best generals that
Washington could send against him. and
it was not until the immortal Grant,wit
the finest army of veterans that the world
has ever seen, took the field against him
that Lees marvellous accom- plishments
received a cneck. Even against Graut.
Lee fought AS probably no other general
ever fought. and against odds that wor Id
have driven Napoleon to despair.
cit was great death struggle when
Grant faced Lee, and Lee then knew that
his was 2 hopeless struggle. He kept
that thin. gray liue of ragged, hungry
men, growing thinner and hungrier each
day, together. His courage, his wonder
fnl presence and strong personality kept
that little band Of tattered and emaciated
men in battle array, and fought to the