The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-05
Guilford battle-ground High Water
Mark Of Foreign Invasion.
GENERAL BoYNToN'S ELOQUENT TRIBUTE
A Great Throng Gathers to Hear Him at Gull
ford battle-ground. Presentation Of
Statue of Vance to the Bat
tleground Company.
Especial to News and Observer.


battle ground was enormous and all trains
going out were loaded to the fullest ex-
tent.
At II o'clock Bishop j. Il. Cheshire
asked a divine blessing upon the occa-
sion and those present. Col. Jas. L. Eoyd
gracefully introduced the orator OF the
day, General Henry V. Boynton, a native
of Massachusetts, General BoYnton said
in part:
"Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen,
every American should esteem it high
privilege to take part in public exercises
whenever this day commemoraIlng our
national independence is celebrated. 1t
is an exceptional privilege as well as
high honor to so participate N this COM
monwealth of North Carolina, upon whose
soil the first battle against unjust taxa
tion was fought in the colonial era, where
the first declaration of independence was
issued and especially upon this memoir
able battle ground the high water mark
of foreign invasion from which that tide
cbbed swiftly away to British surrender
at Yorktown. Behold the mile posts
which are set up along that shining way
which leads straight on to American in
Observation-Disclosures, Meeklenburg,
Kings's Mountain. Cowpers, Guilford
Court House, Yorktown.
but in celebrating the Revolutionary
period we should not forget that the
fires of patriotism of defiance to British
authority. and of independence burned
brightly in. North Carolina long before
Lexington, or Concord, or Bunker Hill,
nor that the Legislature of this State
was the first to recognize the end Of
royal authority, that of March, 1774."
The speaker then spoke eloquently of
the wonderful feats of arms by the peo-
pie of the United States, North and South.
He said that if the war between the Uni
ted States and Spain had accomplished
nothing else than the bringing together
again of the North and South the war
has not been fought in vain.
He touched upon the effect of the late
war as launching gigantic military force
in this country so that now We are start
ing hand in hand to distant battle fields
to give to destitute lands the blessings
won in the battle fields of the Revolution.
The General roasted the British who,
under the leadership of Tarleton and Fur
gcrson, perpetrated every known species
of atrocty on our people. Referring to
the magnificent stand of the North Caro-
linians against the British the speaker
said: In spite of this blackness of dark
ness the Old North State stood defiant
without regulars and with scattered
militia citizens singly and in groups fired
upon and harassed all hostile bands and
held the State steady until it could as
sembe it's scant resources and rally such
outside aid as could be reached. There
is no more honorable chapter in Revo-
lutonary history than that which covers
the time from CORVALLIS appearance on
the southern border of North Carolina
until the fires of patriotism famed on
Kings Mountain fed with the wreck of
Furgersons camp and army. There is
nothing finer in the romance of war than
| the gathering of those lover mountain
| North Carolinians, from what in part is
now Tennessee to hurl back the too con-
| fident invader. They came with the
scant outfit of hardy mountaineers, but
with those deadly rifles which they soon
| made the terror of British regulars"
| The speaker combatted the errors that
| have crept into our histories regarding
| North Carolina, especially concerning the
battle of Gulford Court House. He spoke
of the glazing mistakes and misrepresen-
| tations in the histories, even of SO late
a period as our Civil War
| The General paid high tribute to the
courage of the North Caroinians in the
| Civil War. comparing the losses of North
Carolina brigades with the more recent
| fighting in Spain. Said he, I'm the fight
at Ell Caney the per cent of loss of the
| men was only 8, while the 26th North
Carolina regiment, under Pettigrew, lost
| 81 per cent at Gettysburg. The Second
| North Carolina battalion at Gettysburg
lost CO per cent"
| General Boynton expressed the hope
| that the Government will come to the as
| sistance of the Guilford Battle Ground
| Company and make it still more beautiful
| and imposing.
At the conclusion of General Boyntons
| splendid address Major Morehead intro
| duced Mr.. Wilson G. Lamb, of Edenton,
| President of the North Carolina Society
| of the Cincinnati Mr.. Lamb made
most finished and instructive address, re-
| ferring in complimentary manner to the
| splendid work of the battle ground COM
pany. Prof. G. H. Crowell, of High Point,
| and Mr.. David Clark, of High Point. rep
resented a portrait of General Vance
| to the Battle Ground Company.
Prof j. M Bandy accepted the portrait
on behalf of the company. Judge Schenck
| introduced DR.. Kemp =. Battle, of Chapel
Hill, who made a most interesting, witty
and impromptu speech, comparing the
conduct of the North Carolina militia at
the battle of Guilford Court House with
that at Bunker Hill, stating that the
conduct of the militia at the latter place
was certainly not any more courageous
than that of the North Carolina and this
information said the Doctor comes from
high authority in Massachusetts
At the close of the exercises the band
played yankee Doodle" and 'Dxie," both
being cheered literally.