The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-27

z So e asSss-Is. c. 8 = - : c. s-s-. - -
by his side on many field until at last
he met a soldiers death, and they meet
no more until they shall again stand side
by side in WalhaHa beyond the grave.
Each heart thinks Of different name,
but all sing Annie Laurie. "
We commemorate tonight no one bat
tie, one day, no one man. We meet
10 honor the Confederate soldier and all
his deeds; and though more than a gen
GRAFTON has passed since he laid down ms
arms, we are deeply thankful that God
has spared many of you TO remain among
us living witness to Us and TO our chill
dren and our childrens children of what
our fathers did. All honor to you, rem
nants of The lost cause, soldiers of The
army whose fame is ours! Gone IS the
government you served, crushed by the
wager of battle are the issues you sought
to maintain, wasted are your lands, scat
tered are your goods, Claimed are your
limbs. sad, perhaps, your lot. But where
is there one of you who for the return
of all that you have lost, would blot out
the glory Of those days, and surrender
the honor Of having been a Confederate
soldier--a rebel, if you please? And why
not? Can you not afford to be classed
with those who fought under Wallace and
Cromwell and Kosciusko and Washington
and host of others who have taken all
the sting from the word?
All through the South today are gath
cred the remnants of the great army and
those who love them, TO honor the Con-
federate dead. 1t seems particularly APP
propriate that We of Savannah should par
ticipate, for we have every right to be
proud Of the record which this city has
made. Containing but a few thousand OF
white popula ton In 1861, she came man
fully TO the front and performed, as she
always does. more than ner share of the
stern duty imposed.
Sixty-sx companies of brave men went
to the front from our own city. sixty
six companies OF brave men engaged in
peaceful pursuits, left mother, father, wife,
children, tore themselves from their
homes and were transformed into war
riors destined all of them to untold suf-
fering and hardship. many OF them to dis
ease, TO starvation, TO death. The cause
for which they fought did not triumph;
the government they sought 20 maintain
did not live, and thus the records of these
companies are but scantily preserved; in
many cases there are none. We cannot,
therefore, get any accurate idea of the
numbers of these men.
A most crelitab.e effort has, however,
been recently made to rescue from obiiv
ion the names of these men, and to place
them. from the general to the private,
side by side on Savannah's roll of honor.
And how deeply must We regret that the
Union soldier, who seemed to be render
ing the generous tribute OF the brave TO
the brave. should be found to be still pos
sessed, after living among us for so many
years Of the spirit of hate and spleen,
exhibited by n demand that we should
teach our children to repudiate and Willy
the cause and its defenders, 10 shame the
living and dishonor the dead. But let US
be thankful that his commercial enter
prise overcame his principles His strug-
gle for dollars has enriched us with
the Roll of Honor contained in the City
Directory of the current year, giving us
the names Of 2.213 soldiers of The Confed-
crate Army who went forth from this
city. And this should be augmented by
the names of the unknown-the humble
men who did their duty as faithfully as
did the heroes of song and story, but
whose names alas, have not been pre-
| served-many OF them filing nameless
graves in unknown places.
If, now. we have the names of so many,
we know that there must have been many
more; and It is well within the bounds of
| reason to say that Savannah furnished
| to the Confederate Army not less than
! 5000 officers and men.
| 1t will, perhaps interest you to hear the
! elements of which these 2213 names are
| composed 1t is a favorite subject OF jest
! that the Confederate private soldier disap-
! peared from the face of the earth when
| Lees army disbanded at Appomatox, and
| that the hundreds OF thosands who were
! enrolled during the four years of strife
| consisted exclusively OF ofiicers-mostly
! colonies; and ii is suggested that, even if
! this be not true. the co,onels seem to sur
/ Vive for longer period.
| Whatever may be the foundation for
these jests. they are certainly not true
! of our Savannah soldiers. On the Roll of
Honor are preserved the names of eleven
general officers, fifteen colonels. eight lieu
| tenant colonies, thirty-six majors, 105 cap
| tains and 159 lieutenants; but We next
read the names of ,S75 non-commissioned
officers and privates as having gone from
| this city alone.
1t Is true that in this list the proportion
of officers to men is unduly high. but
1t may be accounted for by many causes
| First. It would be utopiau TO think that
the natural and ambitions desire of all
soldiers for promotion did not operate
as strongly then as now: and
the pressure of political influence on The
executive 10 fill vacancies among commits
stoned officers even when ranks were al
most empty was possibly too great 20 over
come. How terrible was this depletion not
only from loss in battle, but from disease
and from exhaustion On the march (par.
ticularly in Jackson's foot cavalry is H.
Illustrated by the case of a Virginia regi-
ment which went into the ba tile o.
Sharpsburg with forty-seven men ard
twelve officers. and came out with twenty
men ana three oIiccfS. Iheie was prob bin
no difference in the courage OF the officer
and the man. There can be no difference
between the courage of perfectly brave
men. If there was any difference between
them among those who. after the battle
answered the roll call on the other sho e.
probably the officers, fighting side by side
with their men-"Death loves shlnino
mark'-suffered IN larger proportion. But
the vacancies among officers would ia
filled for the reasons l have stated, while
the ranks would perhaps remain but thin
grey line.
Again, recruits were not sent forward tc
existing ORGANIZATIONS already IN tic
field. but new ORGANIZATIONS with new on
GERS would be enrolled and move 10 the
| front
But perhaps the most potent reason OF
all why Savannah's roll should show az.
officers as against 1875 men, Is that large
numbers Of those whom our city sent on,
~ private soldiers won their commiss on.
on the field OF batlle. The troops we seq
were composed of our best young en-ths
| dover a. our CltN.1ud Largo uuual..ra a.