Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-10-19
THE GRAND CAMP
and Vetersns Reunion Of StonewatI
Rrlaade and Cavalry.


and Vetersns Reunion Of Stonewa
i Brigade and Cavalry.
Last week will long be notable in th
annals of Stanton aud Augusta coun
ty as furnishing three days OF sue
continuous attractions as have NJ
been known in Stanton before
drawing such successive crowds a.
the best judges and Oldest citizens sa
they never saw here before, affOrdlnl
q larger number of fine speeches AM
addresses, than were ever heard here
in the same length of time, and closing
with the largest and best street Earad
THAT has ever been seen in Staunton.
The committees of StOnewall Jack
son camp, who had charge OF tn
preparation and entertainment OF tn,
visitors confess that their largest esti
mates were surpassed. and the visiting
guests, some of whom have attended
the twelve meetings of the Crane
Camp, say that in many respects TILL
was the most successful ever held, tha
at no time, save in Richmond, in 1897
VIXEN the corner stone OF the JET
| Davis monument was laid, was there
so large a crowd, and never 80 many
good speeches, and that the sons OF
| veterans meeting on Thursday nigh,
was the best of the kind they evel
attended.
Several causes combined to bring
about these unusual results. The
Grand Camp of V irginia always brings
| together many of the most prominent
and active COnfederates in the State
In addition to this there was the long
talked of reunion of the Stonewall
Brigade, which, occurring in the CEN
tire Of the Valley where more Of those
veterans live than any where else,
brought together more of them than
have yet assembled; again there was
the reunion of the let Va. cavalry and
remnants of the 14th Va, the 18th Va.
and other regiments, bringing another
large element of veterans not especially
assembled before, while the presence
of 21 sponsors and maids OF honor from
every congressional district in Virgin
ia, selected for their special fitness in
every respect, brought a large follow
ing. Then too, such speakers as At
tOrney General Montague, Senator
Daniel. Fitz Lee and Hon. Jas. Mann,
expected from abroad, and from home
Mayor Landes, Capt. Opie, Messrs. w.
A. Pratt and s. d. Timberlake, Jr.
drew their thousands, while the at
tendance in full ranks, kindled with
enthusiasm, of the teachers and pupils
of the Mary Baldwin Seminary, the
Virginia Female Institute, and Duns-
more's Business College, over 800 al
together, lent unusual attractions to
the occasion. Taking all this, with
the fact that this meeting was held in
the great historic Valley of Virginia.
and in the county where at least 1000
Southern veterans still are living and
their children, grandchildren and
friends are numbered by the thousands,
it is not surprising that about 1000
veterans came to the reunion and some
5000 of their friends followed them,
attended their meetings to applaud,
welcomed them on the streets and in
their homes, Joined in their parade or
crowded the streets to cheer them as
they passed.
Resuming our report of the pro-
ceedings of the Grand Camp where we
left off last week Quartermaster Gen
eral Washington Taylor reported with
q balance in the treasury of $235 and
showed that there were still a number
of camps delinquent in their dues.
Inspector General T. G. Morton pre-
sented his report, which is given in
another column. A rather exciting
episode occurred here, Gen. ROsser in
sisting that the clause should be
stricken out at the beginning of the
report which suggested that the
GRAND Camp consider the matter of
disbanding such camps as were prac
tically inert and recognizing new ones
in the same territory. An explanation
was made by the Inspector General
which seemed to satisfy every one but
Gen. Rosser, who continued to haran-
que his apparently unwilling listeners,
notwithstanding the rule of referring
this report, with others, to the usual
committee was insisted on and finally
ordered by the Grand Commander.
Shortly after, Gen. Rosser again arose
and interrupted the proceedings by an
appeal in behalf of the ''old soldier
who could not pay bis dues, &C., and
appealed from the decision of the chail
ruling him out of order. The Grand
Camp, however, by a unanimous vote
disposed of the matter and of Gen
Rosser, who Immediately left the hal
and did not again take part in thu
proceedings. No regret was expressed
and no appeal was made, as has beer
stated, for him to return.
The report was afterwards taken W
and after a strong commentator of il
by Judge Christian and Col. Kean, wa
unanimously adopted.
| The feature of this days session wa
the report of the History committee
1t is an exceedingly able paper, an6
among other things the chairman said
''As showing that the north took tn
first steps in belligeracy, cited dis
patches from Seward to Judge Camp
bell, telling the Southerners that troop
would be removed at once from For
Sumter, and yet the military authori
ties were then sending out to southern
waters, under sealed orders, sailors
ships, men, munitions of war, and tn
means of landing them. These act
were real overt acts of war, MAXIM
the Federals the active and first az
gressors. 1t quoted freely from New
York, Boston and other northern pa
pers that declared that the South haC
already gone the limit in lite ability TO
qualification. 1t quoted facts tending
to show Lincoln double dealing an
duplicity. Ida Tarbell g life of Lin
coin is quoted, where Miss Tarbel
tells the tale of how Joe Medill, th
Chicago editor, and others. attemptet
to dissuade Lincoln from enforcing tn
draft of troops in the West. when Lii
coin said Boston and Chicago ha
clamored for war and brought it on
now go home and raise your allOtmen
Of men. The report condemns tn
errors hostile to a fair statement of tn
Confederate cause, as found in Johl
Fiske IS and Estill's histories. and urge
Virginians to teach their children, NO
southern history, not northern histo
ry, but true history-that tale of trut
having no habitation or name othe
than the living truth.
Upon the conclusion of the report
, which was adopted without dissen
ing voice, Commander McIlhany too
the chair, and Rev. DR.. Ct. W. Finle
introduced Senator Daniel In a hanl
some manner, and he arose amidt
tho oppIauoo ~ tho 10 rnoof aud;opo