Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-06-18

assembled for the purpose OF nonoiins
their dead and decorating their graVes
with beautiful gariands. How dlnerens
here. We have assembled to oecora'e
The graves OF both northern and southern
| soldiers most or whom came across ,i'a'
| ocean with me united I'm a common cause
and following the flag Of common cou,-
try. In these graves before US HHls III
unbroken ranks with the dew on the'i
brows and the rust on their mail sleeps
| the Virginian. and by his side Hes SUI
der from Indiana. a lttie iuT'ner ""
| you will find a soldier from Illinois rest
! Ing side by side with the soldier iIV"l
South Carolina. and out little further
| on YOU will see the grave or soluIeI
| from Nebraska by the side or the graN'S
| Of soldiers from Texas and LouisiaI'a,
while almost under the same head-DouruS
| lie the dead OF Iowa and North Gar
| Here on this same stand we see nohyi
oble and brave officers VINO tousn,
through the civil war for the stars anu
Strines while the sneaker who IS address
! ing You to-day fought upon the other sue
| through those four years from 1851 TO ls.o'
| What a picturesque scene presents .,
| self Grouped around us in this Amer
can soldiers cemetery are the ladies Oh
| the Memorial Association, always Ioie
most In good works. Yonder the srea'
orb Of dav I'm the splendor Of an uncloud-
|
| horizon. while here. on this SIDE, we see
that great ocean whose waves lap these
| shores. beyond which Is the vast AmeI-
| can republic. stretching from where the
! frozen North lays its icy fingers on the
| Lakes TO where the Father Of waters
| paws his tribute to the Gulf, ana from
where the crested pillows Of the Atlantic
break into shining fragments on us east
! ern shores 20 where the chasing waves OK
the Pacific wash the golden sands or cal
| ifornia.
After touching on the bitterness that
first existed between the sections, and
WAS more or less nurtured by both sides
during the reconstruction period, General
| Lee continued:
But. as the years rolled on, this I'M
| friendIfucss growing less and less, We
at last nnally extinguished by the clouu
! of war which began 10 oVerspIeau ln0
| country's horizon. When the clear pusiV
Of America rang out. calling upon her
sons to come 10 her assistance, All sec
tions Wed with each other In prompt
response to the call. by the vote or the
! southern as we'll as the northern repre-
sentatiyes. $j000Q0o was quickly gwen
for the nations defence. The regular
army was raised from 1900 10 G2.OO0 men.
: The President of the United states call
ed for 10000 volunteers, and from the NIL
sides. from the cities. from the fields, IN
every state IN the South. and every state
i'm the North. men rushed to arms, and
tried TO reach first the mastering ofhcer'
that they might help to defend the flag
Of their country. The southern soldier
and the northern soldier entered the same
brigade. the same division, and the same
corps. The country could have enlisted
five, ten fifteen. twenty times the num-
Der called for as there were fifteen men
to step up where only one could have
place.
We have taught all nations upon the
face Of the globe 20 respect the Ameri-
can soldier and the American seaman.
Previous 20 this Spanish-American war
foreign countries had a most imperfect
idea Of the power and pluck Of America,
or what she could do when she became in
volved i'm war with foreign countries
Those who thought the United States
could not maintain herself in time Of war
did not understand the courage and bra
very Of her soldiers and seamen. In
brief interval an army Of 10000 men was
raised and equipped. and to-day history
records in glorious letters. SO clear that
all can read. the magnificent pIowess
, Of the American fleet. end the valOr
and discipline Of American soldiers in
Eastern Cuba. There are two things
which we must be thankful for IN this
war. one is the bringing together OF
men from the North and the South. men
who had fought for and against a flag
that now flies over both. The other, the
revelation to the world Of the power and
strength Of the American republic. In
the exercise of our duties we are here to-
day 10 decorate these graves. We must
not fail to remember that perhaps an
aged father. or a poor old mother. or
weeping sister, or. perhaps a wife are
wondering if their soldier boys are going
to be remembered in memorial exercises
held here to-day. Just before ] left my
headquarters / received a cable from Col
onel Durbin, Of the 16lst Indiana, asking
not TO forget the four soldiers of Indiana
that rest here in quiet graves. l am sat
isfied, from the presence of the ladies here
to-day, that those four Indiana soldiers'
graves are now covered with beautiful
flowers.
Alas! some Of them have crossed over
the river, and were forever mustered out
I'm Cuba, deprived Of the happiness Of re-
turning and being mustered out with their
commands in their own country, ard OF
resuming their old places at their own
hearths and homes.
General Lee concluded as follows:
The flag of our republic floats for the
first time, and has been planted with the
principles it represents. on foreign lands,
1000 miles from Ike western shores of the
United States and at a much less distance
from its southern boundaries. The search
light of American liberty has been thrown
far and wide oven distant peoples. and
the dark mists of past centuries. being
penetrated. will gradually dissolve under
the progressing rays Of humanity, civili-
cation. commerce, and religious freedom.
The limit Of the bOundless Influence or
the United States upon the islands now
occupied by her soldiers cannot be con-
fined by human vision. Can immOVable
boundaries bind the beneficial results
which follows her banners? The map OF
the world has been changed, for the en-
lightenmcnt and the universal good OF
those who now inhabit these countries.
The waters between our republic and the
Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba-"The
Smile of the Sea'-will hereafter roll be-
meath increased commerce. giving fresh
life and remunerative employment TO cap
ital and labor. And l hereby prOphesy
that the course Of our republic Will be
lever upward and onward" in all ques-
lions pertaining 10 the extension Of Amer
lean ideas. and all matters relating 10 the
'loftier ideals OF perfection in human
government"
senator Uanna's MaIady.