Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-20

put made acquisitions upon the South
ern States-aye, upon Virgnia-to fur
nish troops to crush the South; and
even then the South sought to avoid the
conliict-not by aggression upon the
North, but by quietly withdrawing
from the Union. The North insisted
upon coercing them into submission;
ana then 1t was, after exhausting all
peaceful means. the South exercised the
sovereign right of seeding from the
Union. In proof OF the business of their
claim OF the right OF secession under
tnen existing conditions. we need only
cite the simple fact that the Fedora,
government, while denying the right,
ana claiming that the Southern States
mad never gotten out of the Union, re-
fused to admit them back into the
Slsterhood OF States except upon the
CONDITION precedent Of rcnouncing that
fiSnt Tor the future. SO that now the
right does not exist; but its enforced
remuneration was plain declaration of
its previous existence.
But you are rapidly passing over the
river. and upon you devolvcS the Sa-
cred duty of Installing into the minds
ana infusing into the hearts of your
children n knowledge OF tho heroic
deeds of their Confederate ancestors,
and II proper appreciation of their glor-
ious record, so that their memories may
be fervently and revercntly cherished
generation. At your family affairs and
in your schools these lessons should be
taught to the rising generation, who in
turn Will transmit them to their Jos
terty, and so on to the end of time.
1t would exceed the limits of this oc-
casion TO attempt the most summary
details of individual instances OF Prov
ess or even of remarkable events dur
ing that grand epoch-nor is 1t neccs-
sary The entire dramatic joint force
nE 1,a
was one sustained exhibition of heroic
endurance and magnificent courage.
| These virtues will be aptly llustra ted
in few general references. Instead of
figures of speech, will substitute n few
! figures of arithmetic.
! There were twenty-five rich and pop
ulous States on the side of the North,
and only eleven States on our side. BY
the census of 1850 there were 81, 1S5. 900
people in the whole United States, white
and colored. OF this number $4,000. 900
and upwards were north of Mason and
Dixon's line. The South had only g.
100000. OF these 100000 nearly 4,000,-
goo were blacks, and they did not enter
our army. That gave us about 5000. 900
against the North's 81, 600 900. The North
recruited 100000 men in foreign coun
tries. and put $4,000 negroes into their
army. They recruited ISL 900 from the
states of Maryland. West Virginia and
Kentucky, and they recruited $40. 900
from the Southern States. They had the
whole world to recruit from and to
draw supplies from. The Confederacy
was shut in from the outer world. And
now as to the relative strength of the
two armies. We had in the aggregate
600.00 men in the Confederate army,
against 2,S59.143 men in the Federal
army Our men were poorly equipped.
poorly fed. and poorly clothed. And yet
for four long years our army, with II
spirit born of herolsm. maintained the
unequal fight against these fearful odds
and wreSted victory from their oppo-
nents on many n bloody battlefield. and
were finally overcome alone by sheer
weight of numbers and exhaustion.
Again: The Federal government it
self has borne and still bears the most
convincing testimony to the valor of the
Confederate army, in the enormous
sums 1t annually eXpends in pensions
to Federal soldiers and their families.
The Federal pension roll Is Il Confed-
crate roll of honor. Nearly one hun
dred and fifty millions Of dollars are
annually appropriated FOR pensions. In
1890 there were more than a million
Federal veterans of the civil war liV-
ing in the United Statcs-nearly twice
MS many soldiers as we had in the Con-
fedcrate army during the entire war;
and the surviving widows o. Union
soldiers and sailors at that time num-
cred 1850.
The Hon. ]. ]. ingalls,. at the
time n Senator Of the United States
from Kansas. in an Grafton delivered
at Gettysburg on Memorial Day. May 3,
1850. tersely summed up the conse-
Quenccs to the Federal army in the
civil war by saying that $500 400 Amer
lean citizens enlisted and marched to
victory, 100000 fell by the bullet and
disease. and many were disabled for
life. Six thousand millions of treasure
were spent, unnumber6d wives were
made widows and children orphans. and
homes desoated." What colossal mon
umcnts are these to the soldiers of the
Confederacy!
These facts and figures are not cited
HAN invidous ot'-v7r11rf,5t77 TINS spirit
nor as gloating over the disasters we in
iiicted upon our opponents, but to vim
dictate the truth Of history and as Il
simple tribute to the endurance and
valor of the thnned, ragged and half
starved Confederate army in bravely
holding out for four long years against
such overwhelming odds Eternal honor
to their memory! Palsicd be the South
ern heart that does not cherish and the
Southern tongue that does not raise
It's voice in sounding the everlasting
praises OF those immortal heroes, Their
fame is safely preserved in history. IL
will shine undimmed through the ages.
and shed q brilliant lusire upon the
race.
Nor is there any conflict between de-
Votion to the memories of the Confed-
crate cause and loyalty to The Federal
Union. When the Confederate army ii
nally yielded to overwhelming num-
bers. they laid down their arms in
good faith. and with them the war was
ended, and in like good faith they ne
cepted it's results-renouncing the right
of secession, declaring that slavery
should no longer exist. ana asseverat-
ing their allegiance to the Federal
IrniNn md ihnN luNa linnt thn