The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1899-12-01
.BOYNTON'S SPEECH
WAS SENSATIONAL
Compares Veterans Of '6i with Those
Of the Late War.
A SEVERE ARRAIaNMENT
Representative Of Secretary Root
Ridieules Spanish War.

Tho exercises Of dedicating the 1O7
, monuments and markers Of the state
Of Illinois on the batteGelds sur
rounding the city Of Chattanooga were
held Thursday at Orchard Knob, the
site Of one of the principal memorial
shafts and famous during the civil
war as the headquarters Of General
Grant
Among the visitors were Senator
y Cullom, Governor Tanner and staff,
\ Commissioner of Pensions II. Clay
Evans. General II. " Boynton, rep
resenting the secretary OF war, and a
large delegation from the confederate
camp of Chattanooga.
Major Charles A. Connolly delivered
the speech presenting the monuments
to the governor of Illinois on behalf
of the Illinois commissioners.
Governor John b. Tanner, of Illi-
nois, received the monuments aud in
turn presented them to the govern
ment
General II. Y. Boynton, chairman
OF the national park commission, in
receiving the monuments, said in part:
"Ihe citizens of any state, or of any
nation, might well be proud to stand
on this historic spot, with the right to
stand here as the military associate of
General Grant, participants with him
each IN his appointed rank in that
miracle Of military history, the storm
ing of Missionary Ridge First, to-
ward this point, and then from this
point he dereeted that series or mem
orable battles which have given Chat
tanooga a worldwide fame
''What of the soldiers who won the
battles which these monuments COM
memorate and the great captains who
commanded them? Did General Grant
spend his time about the commissary
stores in the capacity Of a pure food
commissioner? Did he send his staff
y officers throughout the limits of his
command to gather evidence to prove
that the war department did not know
more than o thing or two about war?
Did he fill the press of the land with
interviews criticising every hing and
everybody but himself? When he tel
egraphed General Thomas from Louis
vile to hold Chattanooga, did Thomas
reply, 'We are out Of the proper brand
of meat and it can't be done, or did
he reply, we will hold the town till
we staryeP Did General Thomas and
his general officers send o round robin
to Washington concerning the eondi
ton of their stomachs, their temper
allure and their pulse, and promptly
furnish copy Of it to.the press?
"And what Of the soldiers who serv-
ed under General Thomas? They
went about the streets of Chattanooga
and the horse and mule corrals, pick
ing up kernels and scattered corn.
They gathered about the refuse heaps
of the commissary stores where moldy
bread was thrown, whitfield off the
mold, and filled their haversacks with
the crumbs; and when interrupted by
the play of the seige guns, they would
look up at the smoking summit o.
Lookout and exclaim: IF these ra
tinons hold, Mr.. Johnny Reb,. wei
get you yet
"The monuments which Illinois here
U6ulCdI6b are 10 buCl OIuc6rb ana men
Let the small, but the loud persistsn
crowd of grumblers of the nationa
guard in the war with Spain, who
filled the land with their baseles!
groanings, take notice of the kind o
soldiers which an American state do
lights to honor.
"And those who thought agains
these iron men were soldiers Of a Xix
mold. When union veterans gather
that fact should never be forgotten
and ever be held as a matter Of pride
since, together, they fix the universe
and undisputed standard of American
pluck, endurance and heroism on til
field of battle.
"This great park, embracing sevel
battlefelds, is being established wit
absolute impartiaity as military oh
iect lesson and an illustration of til
powers of the American soldier in bat
tie. More than thousand histories
tablets attest this impartiality. Tn
like of it was never seen before in an
land,