The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-07-05

upon tAe N0rth ana upon tAe
South.
To me, my comrades. the Lost
Cause was, and still is d most
holy one. The principles Of civil
liberty and OF states rights for
which we fought, were living
principles then and they are liv-
ing principles now, and upon
them rests the foundations Of this
great government Of ours. Be-
lieving thus have asked myself
a thousand times why did We
fail? How could we fail? But.
this We may not know with cer-
tainty until God himself shall
answer, through history, to fu-
tire generations. Bear with me
for a time, while | try to solve
this extraordinary problem, and
see if can find reason why
our storm cradled nation fell:
why our conquered banner was
traile / in the dust Of defeat. That
there was a divine cause for our
defeat is certain. The Yankees
never whipped US is equally GER
tain. Man for man they always
went down before the desperate
courage of the Confederate arm
les, and the consummate skill Of
our Confederate leaders. But
history plainly teaches us that
the nations Of earth have been
but the instruments in God s
hands by which he works out his
grand designs for the guidance,
the government, and the moral
elevation of the human race
that they are but pieces on the
great chess -board Of the world
and are moved at his sovereign
will.
1t has always been a most in
teresting study to me to trace
through history the wonderful
unity Of design that controlled
and directed the fate Of nations
in accomplishing the viii Of God
on earth, and | firmly believe
that while it was his hand that
laid US low, it was still the hand
81 4 Father, and that il is already
ma manifest by subsequent
events iaaJ We the living did not
figu1 ln vain; and that the heroic
dead. vho offered up their lives
up heir country S altar, made
E yai1 sacrifice In order to
GaGe il clear to you that Cod
uacs compel the destinies of ma
tions ~ Ills own glory and honor,
! vii, briefly trace the events in
the worII s history which, guided
by the divine hand, prepared it
for the coming Of Jesus Christ,
and the discrimination Of his doc
trines. But before | do that, my
old comrades, desire TO make q
short depression, and to compare
the late war in Cuba with that in
which you and bore part. You
all know what war is. You we're
taught this knowledge upon many
a bloody field, and perhaps ! may
be able to interest you, The
battles around Santiago will suf-
flee for my purpose. When first
read in the newspapers the fam
ing accounts OF the desperate as
sault upon, and the capture OF
| Caney and San Juan, and of the
fearful slaughter that resulted /;
and how our gallant troops forced
their way through a hailstorm of
shot and shell; and how they
waded ankle deep in blood and
drove the Spaniards from their
defenses at the point Of the bay
onet. | was simply Mortified. |
had seen something of this sort
of thing myself, and it never oc-
CURED to me to look at the list Of
the dead. In view Of the great
| improvement in the art of killing
since you and | fought, II thought
surely all our gallant soldiers
must lie dead or wounded upon
the field Of honor, except it may
be corporal s guard or SO, VINO
had happily survived!
was greatly relieved, a few
weeks later. to learn from the Of
fetal reports, that our total loss,
after one week 8 fighting, was
about 200 killed and 1900 wound
ed. AS there were about 10000
men engaged in this battle the
ratio OF the killed was, approxi-
mately, one per cent, or one in
every one hundred; and of the
wounded about six per cent, OF
siy in every one hundred.
At Fredericksburg the loss ol
Hancock's corps Of Federals was
Al per cent in killed and wounded
At Charlottesville Lee lost
over IS per cent. and the Federal