The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-14
ABlE. DEFENSE OF TIE SOUTB,S
POSITION IN THE CIVIL WAR
JUDGE George {. Christians Report of the History
Committee of the Grand Camp Confederate
Veterans of Virginia, Submitted at the
Annual Meeting Last Week

acting chairman of tho History Committee
NJ the Grand Camp Confederate Veterans
nf Virginia. which was submitted. TO that
body While IN annual session in Stanton
last week:
no the Grand Camp OF Confederate Ye.e-
rams OF Virginia:
Some time ia July last, DR.. Stuart Nc
Cure. seeing that mis- father, D-. Hunter
Mcclure. the able and distinguished chair
saaa of This committee was permanently
disabled Tor longer dischargins the duties
devoir9as on him, sent his resignation to
your commander. a meeting of the com
rsittee was promptly called, and j: was
the unanimous opinion Of the members
present that the resignation should not be
accepted, hu: that some member of the
committee should be designated 10 write
The report fer This meeting l was dessig-
cafeG by The commander fer the PERFORM
Snce Of this important task.
Fully recognizing then. as i co now, bosh
my inability and the lack Of time al my
command Tor the proper discharge Of tho
5asy assigned me. easnes ~ asked 10 DE
excused from the undertaking, and MOTH
Ing but my devotion, both to DR. McGare
and the Confederate cause, coaid have IN
Guced NE to consent 10 undertake such
work for which i felt SO poorly prepared
Since that tf.ne me Hand that St2keS
no erring blow mas taken from US our able
and beloved chairman. and ne now Sleeps
IN beautiful Hollywood. / have no words
to express the personal loss / feel at this
calamity, and ! know that you and each OF
you share with zne in these feelings. Dis
tiaguishe6 both n war and in peace Tor
ability and fidelity 10 every trust, there
WAS nothing Tor which he was more dis
tinGuished than for his love ana fidelity
TO our cause and TO those who fought to
sustain Il He is ioSt 10 us as counsellor
md friend. lie IS Iosf 20 Us as our leader
IN laborins Tor the truth / am here not 10
supply his place. No one can know as
do how unequal am to such an undertake
ing. Nevertheless, shall try. as best
may, 10 carry out the plans he had formed,
% obey his instructions, ali unconsciousiy
gwen. 1 persuade myself that in this at
Tempt / shall have your kind Indulgence
The evening before DR.. Mcguire vas
stricken with the malady which forever
incapacitaIed him for any earthly service,
I was with him. and as was frequently
The case, we were talking of The cenfede-
rate war. in The course of the conversa-
tion ale alluded TO the report of last year,
and feelingIy expressed his just pride in
the way you received it. He then said:
81 am already making preparations for my
mex. report. 1 intend in that to Vindicate
the South from the oft-repeateG charge
that ne were the agsressors in bringing
on the war And he then added: "This
viii be my last labor of love for the
dear Southern people Within less than
twenty hours from the time that sentence
was spoken the splendid intellect that con-
ceiyed Ii was a 1nournful wreck, and the
tongue which gave It utterance was para
lyzed-
NOT THE AGGRESSeR.
My purpose IS 10 show that your
chairnen was right III saying that the
South was not the aggressor in bring
ing on the war: that. on the con-
trary. we did all that honorable men could
do in the vain attempt to avert lt--ail that
could be done without debas!ng the men
and women of the South with conscious
disgrace. and leaving TO our chlicren
heritage Of shame; ana SHAH iufther
prove that the Northern people, with Abra-
ham Lincoln at their head. brought on the
war by provocation TO war and by act OF
war; and that they were, and are. therefore,
directly responsible for all the multiplied
woes which resulted therefrom. In doing
this, shall quote almost exclusively from
Northern sources: and, whilst l cannot
hope to bring to your attention at this late
day anything new, L do hope, by re-
i;eratirg and repeating some OF me oiu
facts, 10 revive Impressions winch may nave
faded from the minds Of some: / shall
especially the young. who have been the
victims OF false teachings with respect TO
these facts, and have had no opportunity,
or. perhaps little disposition to become
familiar with them
II is we'll 10 set forth the reasons that
actuate us in preparing such papers as
these. They were presented with great
force IN the report Of 1899 Now, as :hetl,
they are found IN the fact that denials or
+l,o hrpaE-
cast all over the literature of the North
Not only does this characterize their per-
maneut histories as then shown with
such ciearness OF criticism and coEeacy CT
reply, but their story-writinss, :aelr pc
,.iodicais and transient newspaper publca-
tioas-all are vehicles, 10 degree at least,
of misrepresentation on these points. Their
wo-thiest orators and writers have dared
10 tea the truth on important points, Out
the literature we have described is that
which reaches he haphazard reader and
perraeates the South as well as the North
Tha Grand Army OF the Republic coa-a ais
,aar.7 brave men. We have met them
with arms in their hands. 1t contains 9TH
ers whose weapons of warfare are oppro-
brious epithets and denunciatory resoiu-
tions This is a matter of annual display.
Annually the Northern public is again
misled, and its Gay of repentance post
1p0neG. Inc men sotGtis die,
fore. constrained 70 make record of the
truth. 1, therefore. proceed TO restate my
PURPOSE. which is 10 show that the South
did not, ana that the North did. inauSurate
the var, Before proceeding TO the diroct
discussion of this question. and because
the right of State 10 secede from tie
Union was the real issue involved the
conflict. and the proximate cause .hereof.
I think is pertinent TO inquire particularly
In wha. special locality. if IN any, this doc
trine originated. by whom. If by either
marty rather than the other. il was most
e,rphaticaily taught: and especially when.
81 in either section. The threat of the ap-
ylication for the dissolution OF the Union
vas first mos; frequently and most omi-
nously heard2 In pursuance of this n
curry, and a6herng TO our plan OF calling
the North to witness, let us ask, hrst,
THAT was the opinion OF Northern and
other unprecedented writers on this cues
lion both prior 10 and since the war? Or
course we know that the right Of a state
to sccede was commonly held by the states
men Of the South. and we venture the as
sertion that no unparalleled mind can to-
Gay READ the i:istc-y ef tee pdaptfen OF
-he Constitution and the formation OF this
Government under II, without being con-
WINGED that the right Of secession, as ex-
ercIsed by the South. did exist. A distIn-