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

hand of affection rears above the
graves of their loved ones bear
sile witness that this universal
yeneralion for the dead is some-
thing deeper than a mere senti-
ment. The horror Of death would
be magnified to you and to me if
we knew that when we slept no
loving hand would place a flower
upon our grave: that no stone
would mark our final resting
place; and that we would be for
gotten like the beasts Of the field
or the birds Of the air.
And yet. my comrades, there
are many thousands of our best
and bravest who sleep upon dis.
tant battle fields, where only the
forest trees moan out their sad
requiems over their unknown
graves; or the ploughshare turns
the sod above their sacred dust.
But thank God their memory
still lives in the hearts Of their
countrymen; and it may be that
the spirits Of our gallant COM
rades who are on duty in the
great army of heaven today, are
looking down upon US; and
it may heighten the joy Of their
immortality to know that hearts
which they loved ard the country
for which they died still cherish
their memory here on earth.
Comrades, when ! thus recall
the scenes in which you and
and cur heroic dead were actors
the memories Of the past are un-
folded before me as if it We're but
yesterday. can see you hurry
ing along the dusty road, foot
sore and weary, to take your
part in the shock of some great
battle on the morrow. | can see
you, when the days march is
ended, tired and exhausted I,
sleeping upon frozen ground, or
chilled by piercing rain, await
ing in grim silence the awful
dawn Of death. | can see you
when the sullen boom Of the sig
nal gun awakes you for the fight,
| can hear the order given to ad
vance, | can see the line Of battle
sweep steadily forward can
hear the sharp crack Of the rifle
upon the skirmish line-I can
hear the shells crashing through
the tree-tops; / can see the solid
shot plowing the ground before
you-then comes the crash oil
musketry and the deadly hiss OF
the minnie ball--a few yards
more and you are breasting a
deadly hail-storm Of grape anu
canister; and comrades, and
brothers and friends 90 down be-
fore it as trees go down before
the awful cyclone s power; and
then comes the rebel yell and the
glorious southern cross is waving
over a captured battery and the
foe is flying!
And when the smoke of tbs
battle has lifted, and night, ir
pity, has dropped her curtain
over these scenes of blood ant
carnage. | can see the survivor;
gathered sadly about the watch
fires, waiting vairly for some alb
sent comrade, or listening FOL
some merry voice that is hushec
in death. And at the morning
roll call the ranks were thin; anc
names we're called to which there
was no response, and to which
there could be no response for
ever, until the great arch angels
trump shall call them from thc
grave.
Historians may attempt to de-
scribe it: the poet may sing thu
story in heroic numbers; thr
painter may immortalize the can,
vass and his name with splendiC
battle scenes; but they canno
describe, nor sing, nor paint th'
awful reality as you and have
seen it. They cannot reproduc,
the fearful pictures that are en-,
graved in burning lines upon thi
memory of every Confederate
soldier; and which may neve
grow dim, which may never b
effaced until the tablet is obIiter
ated in death.
1t was the heroic fortitude viii
which they endured; it was tn
splendid courage they displayed
upon every battle field that ha
won for them the admiration 0
the civilized world and will Civ
them a place in history beside tn,
three hundred at Thermopy,
lac, the Tenth Legion of Caesa
and the Old Guard of Napoleon
Thus it was, my comrades, tha