The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-05-17
The Veterans Re-urien.

seven or eight thousand persons.
Just before the audience was cal!
ed to order General Moorman met
General Gordon on the stage and
threw bis arms about his neck and
all but kissed him. General Gordon
vas escorted to the presiding chair
by General Norman, chief of staff,
and General G. I. Walker, command
ing the South Carolina division.
Hon. F. B Gary, speaker Of the
South Carolina house of representa-
tiyes, read a resolution of welcome
from the general assembly. Cover
nor Ellerbe wired be could not at
tend the reunion on account of i'll
ness. His telegram of regret was
read by General Walker. In the alb
serce of the Governor the address of
welcome was delivered on behalf OF
the State by Lieutenant Governor
NJ. B. McSweeney.
Major j. Adger Smythe delivered
an enthusiastic address Of welcome
on The part OF the city.
Gen. John B. Gordon, commander
ia-chief of the United Confederates
was then introduced ard spoke as
follows:
After a glowing eulogy of South
| Carolina and Charleston, Gen. Cor
don said:
No resolutions, I repeat Common
wealth extends it's loving welcome
we're needed to assure these remnants
| Of the South's immortal armies that
the freedom of the State was theirs,
and that every heart within her
borders was a soldiers Shine. We
had but to remember that South
Carolina was the nursery Of heroes,
as we'll as of statesmen and Of
patriots-tEat 60 one State, except
that she he endowed with an almost
bourdIess af1uence of greatness,
could in one century have given to
the cause Of liberty and the republic
such a splendid galaxy as South
Carolina presents in her Ratledge,
her Sumter, her Moultrie, her Mic
dleton, and Der n ,rior: in her But
Ter, her Pinckney, and her P;ckens;
in her McDufie and her Calhouo; in
her Hamilton, her Hayne, and her
beloved Hampton.
Gen. Gordon presented Mrs Stone
wall Jackson, and in the lull OF the
enthusiasm, said: Il will shake her
hands for you all, AMI in an instant
he al led, $40, I will do more than
thai: I an going to hug her for you,
aud with that he did what he said he
was going to do, which met The
hearty approva! Of the vast thropg.
Gen. S:ephn D. Lees resolutions
in the interest of frat"rnal feelings
were introduced and referred to the
committee on resolutions.
The parade CT the veterans occur
red in the afternoon, and they
marched through a dense crowd of
cheering people. Led by Gems. Cor
don aud Wade Hampton, a long line
CT the Srizzled men who had followed
these leaders and the other captains
OF the Confederate armies through
four years Ct hardship and battle,
marched sturdily under the blazing
southern to the inspiring strains
of Dixie" CT the "Bornie Blue Flag
and the irrelevant but irrepresable
"Therell be a hot time in the old
town tonight At intervals along
the line the futtering Ct a war-worn
and sbo!-torn battle fl g called forth
cheers, while many heads were b.red
as the frayed emblem Of a dead cause
cleaned over some organization
whose name is a household word il
the South. Generals Hampton and
Gordon were cheercd. There was
disappointment that Gen. Wheeler
was not 10 the parade.
Inclu1irsthe kindred organizations
and distinguished guests and com
mittees there were probably 5000
persons in the line, probably 5000 of
them veterans.
The presentation Of State banners