Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-08-15

filled others with dismay and de-
spair have been overcome. and we
now witness and realize your
triumph and success. 1t is sad
reflection, cause Of profound sor-
row that Mrs. F. w. Pickens, who
first conceived the idea and work
ed so patiently and unswervingly
| for this monument has passed
f:om life and is not here to
participate with you, her associates
in the noble work and rejoice with
us all in its completion. It is a
silent, lasting tribute to her men,
ory as we'll as those she sought to
! commemorate by it's erection"
He ten went on to say what the
purposes of the monument were
and gave the reason why the sold
iers of the. Confederacy went to
war and lost their lives. That the
Confederate army never exceeded
100000 men all told. That by
comparison they were poorly and
hastily equipped and supplied.
while the armies of their adver.
saries numbered two million,
several hundred thousand men,
amply and literally supplied with
the necessary munitions of war
recruited from all parts of the
world aid from the south as well,
He was not digging up the past
with a view of reviving resentments
how happily dying out but simply
| to invite attention to some his.
torical facts which strangers in
after years will find in impartial
history. =
He then took up the record OF
Edge6eld district before she was
dismembcred. The population OF
Edgefeld district was in round
numbers 14.OO0 not, of course,
counting negroes. The vote in 1850
was 200 and she furnished 5000
men for the Confederate war
Edgefeld furnished five majors,
nineteen colonies and lieutenant
colonels, seventeen staff officers
and many others.
The address of General Butler
was an extremely fine and eloquent
one. evidently felt deply the
reference to the glorious and. sad
events of the war in which he was
such a conspicuous and gallant
figure.
The next speaker was ex-Gover-
nor John C. Sheppard. He said
that he deemed it a sweet privilege
as well as q high honor to
participate in the ceremonies of
this interesting occasion, but be
had always been oppressed with
his unwortbiness to perform his
duty on such occasions, for it was
his misfortune not to be- allowed
to share in the struggle. Such
services could only be appro-
priately rendered by the survivors
of that awful struggle-who will
carry with them to the safe and
sacred custody of the grave the
honor of the scars which they
bear in their bodies.
We stand here today under
the shadow of the past. 1t is un.
der the influence of the solemn
reverence one might. feel in the
gloom of Westminster Abbey,
surrounded by the illustrious dead
of England. He remembered well
when the secession flag was raised
upon the spot upon which We now
stand. It was our declaration of
allegiance and loyalty to the
lprincioles Of constitutional govern.
ment, for which our fathers had
fought and which they had achiev.
ed, cherished and transmitted to
| US, and which it is our duty to
transmit to our children.
He drew picture of OUT situa-
ton and concluded that we had
| no chance left but to uncondition.
ally submit or meet force with
force and that we adopted the only
alternative of free men. He COM
pared our struggle with other wars
and showed the comparative losses
In the four years of the war JAS
per arose in every fort which we
defended; there was a Leonidas
upon every field of battle; and
from the first to the last there was
not Benedict Arnold to be found
anywhere.
He paid q handsome tribute to
the old veterans.
He sold that the women OF tie
south never weakened in their
Loyalty to the southern cause and
never weakened in their courage
It was eminently and peculiarly
appropriate that they should lead
in the endeavor to perpetuate those
great but sorrowful times. 1t was
with most grateful hearts and just
pride that they proclaim to the
world that The women OF South
Carolina have no bushes for the
part borne by their fathers,
husbands and sons in the war, but
will devote themselves to purpose
of o perpetuating their memory in
stone, and m arble. He then went
IA HUSBAND