The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-11
ADDRESS BY MAI. LONDON
He Tells of the Great Bravery of the
26th Regiment.
VANCE WAS ONCE ITS COLONEL
WentFarther at Gettysburg Than Any Other
Confederate Regiment, and in That
Battle Lost &c Per Cent
of Its Men.

the Confederate veterans.
1t was the day set apart for memo
rial exercises in honor of those gray
coated heroes, who died in defense of
their loved and Sunny Southland. In
honor of the occasion holiday was OBJ
served at all the State and county Of
fees, and also by the postoffice au-
thorities A number of the business
institutions of the town were closed
in the afternoon. while memorial eX-
ercises were held at the cemetery.
The day was observed here with
beautiful and appropriate ceremonies.
Flowers We're placed upon the graves
of the Confederate dead, and fair
hands did homage to the memory of
the ''boys who wore the gray.
The Confederate Veteran Associa-
ton of Wake county met at ~ o'clock
at the Mayors office. Commandant
A. B. Stronach called the meeting to
order and requested Colonel Thos. >.
Kenan to take the chair.
Colonel Kenan made a short and
graceful speech, referring to the fact
that the number who answered the
annual roll calls were constantly di-
minishing, but said that as they grew
fewer, the occasion of their meeting
were of more touching interest, and
that when finally there were none to
answer the roll call, even then the
memory of the Confederate soldier
would live.
Adiutant j. C. Birdsong then called
the roll of the association, and it was
found that six of the comrades had
answered their final roll call and were
off duty forever.
The names of Major Henry A. Lon
don and Colonel John r. Lane, of
Chatham county, We're added to the
list of the Wake county association
as honorary members.
After the adjournment the veterans
met at the hall of the l.. OBJ. Branch
Camp, where they enjoyed a substan
tial repast supplied by the ladies of
Raleigh. sSa
About o'clock the procession was
formed in front of the Metropolitan
Hall, and marched to the cemetery
where the memorial exercises were
held. The procession was composed of
the Raleigh Light Infantry, the Con-
federate veterans, and citizens in car
riages and on horseback
In the carriage in which rode Major
London, the orator of the day, were
Colonel j. r. Lane, Captain S. A.
Ashe and DR.. Eugene Daniels. In
other carriages were Colonel w. I'll. S.
Burgwyn, Judge Walter Clark, Colonel
Thos. S. Kenan and other men whose
names are household words.
After the rendition of a selection
by the choir, Dr. Eugene Daniel Of
fered prayer Then Mr.. W. H.
Hughes, in a short anu appropriate
speech introduced the orator of the
day. Mr.. Hughes said:
Mr.. President and Ladies of the Me-
mortal Association Ladies', Gentlemen
and fellow comrades: The bugle of time
has sounded another assembly. Another
roll call has been ordered all over this
Southland of ours. But alas! Many who
answered to the last roll call will have to
be marked absent today.
few more roll calls and the faithful
orderly sergeant will have to close his
roll book on this side of the river
For thereIl be no one to answer here,
But when the roll is called up yonder
hope we'll all be there.
But for history to the contrary we
might suspect Walter SCOTS Old Nor
tally to be a woman in disguise, devoting
her life work to keeping fresh the
epetaphs on the monuments of patriots
and martyrs. His work was so like the
Southern women of the 10Th century.
To you women of the Sunny South, and
your daughters will be left the sacred
heritage of keeping memories fresh and
graves green of those who wore the gray.
1t is with pleasure l now introduce on
who, as a youthful staff officer, carried
one of the last dispatches to General Lee
before the memorable surrender at APP
pomattox, but now the we'll rounded ma
ture man and orator of the day, Maj.
Henry A. London, of Pttsboro.
Major London spoke upon the
Twenty-sixth North Carolina Regi-
ment. 1t was theme that was of inn
mediate interest to his audience, for
one company of this regiment was
from Wake county. Major London
spoke with ease and fiuency.N He was
frequently cheered, and when he re-
ferred to Colonel John r. Lane, the
surviving Colonel of the regiment,
the applause was enthusiastic and
prolonged.
Major London said
"The Twentysixth North Carolina
Regiment is conspicuous for having
lost, in killed and wounded, more
men at the battle of Gettysburg than
any other regiment in either tho
Union or Confederate army, in any
battle of the WAR Between the
States Not only was it's loss numeri-
cally the greatest, but it's percentage
of loss was the greatest of any regi-
ment in either army, and will be-
come as well known in history as the
Light Brigade at Balaklava, quoting
the words of Col. William F. Fox, o
Federal officer and the author of the
'Regimental Losses in the American
Civil War; Indeed this regiment
should become better known in his
tory and deserves more praise than
the Light Brigade at BalaklaYa, for