The Opelousas courier., 1901-06-01
The Old COnfed's at Memphis.

The eleventh annual reunion Of
the U. c. VS.. took place at Mem
phis this week, 1859 camps being
represented by 2309 delegates.
Other old Confed's and their fam
lilies swelled the attendance to be-
tween eighty and ninety thousand,
and scenes of indescrihable enthu-
slsam were Tie order Of the
day. Grand old John B. Gordon
presided and was reelected COM
mander-in-chief and all the old
department commanders were
also reelected, viz: Gems. Cabel
(of Texas), S. D. Lee (of Missis-
sippi), and Wade Hampton (of
South CarolinO. Fitzhugh Lee,
Joe Wheeler and most of the
other prominent Southern sur
vivors of the great and bloody
drama that opened forty years
ago and closed four years after
wards were present, us we'll as
thousands of others who played
less conspicuous, but no less he
roic role. They adjourned on
Wednesday to meet in Dallas next
year.
Gen. Geo. Wood, of Memphis,
welcomed them in the following
stirring words-words that should
be treasured in the memory Of
every man, woman and child in
America:
~ am profoundly gratitied to see here to-day
| so many of the venerable men who did battle
| for the cause for which Lee aud Forrest fought
and for which Johnston and Jackson died.
Until this hour have regarded and valued
my commission as brigadier-general III the
| Confederate States army as the highest honor
have ever achieved; but to-day l esteem IT
the proudest distinction Of my life to meet and
| to greet the heroic survivors of every import
| ant battlefield from the Potomac to the Rio
! Grande. The followers of Lee and jackson,
| Hampton and Stuart, Gordon anu LonRstreet
| and Fitz Lee and other leaders Of that 1nyinel'
| OF Albert sidney and Joseph +. Johnston,
| Bragg, Beauregard and Hood, Forrest and Van
| Dorm and Wheeler are here. Those OF Kirby
Smith and Price and Taylor are here. So that.
! every army and army corps that illustrated
! the yalOr and proweSs of Southern soldiers ana
| threw lustre upon the Confederate arms Is
| represented here to-day; aud this fact alone
| would make this reunion all interesting aud
| glorious oecasion. l esteem it u dlstingu ished
| honor merely to stand in the presence OF, much
| less to address, such an assembly OF patriots
and soldiers, with such a record as you can
| justly claim And allow me to say. without
| exaggerated laudatiOn, that III my estimate the
world has yet to witness i'll soldiers or the line
f.! q higher degree of martial Individuality, Prov
| ess, courage and efficiency than tnat displayed
by the private soldiers OF the Confederate
armies.
| For four thrilling years the Confederates
| successfully maintained their cause-many
| against heavy odds when barefooted, ragged
| and hungry. We may search history Ill vain
| for loftier instances OF heroic endurance IN
private soldiers. We have seen them, uncOni-
| plainingly, hnping barefooted to the front
| through burning sands and freezing SHOWS.
| And we would marvel that men of such mould
| could have ever been yanquished if we die not
know that they were overcome more by the
| momentum of numbers titan by prOwess. more
| by famine than by fighting.
| THE ConfederateS were Uutnumbtred III
| whine population at the beginning of the war
| by four to one; besides. the North received ad-
ditious to its army from cur territory and Tor
eiyu countries to the number Of more than 900,-
| 0UU men, or about one ana Onc-lai1
| times as many as the South had III all her
| armies. From first to last the North enlisted IN
! her armies in round numbers 2,Sj0,G00 men,
| while the south had in similar numbers only
| 800 600, or fewer than one to four. We not only
| fought the Horth-to some extent. we fought the
| world from which the North largely received
| both soldiers ami supplies. Nevertheless, Tor
| four becoming and blazing years we made 1t live
| ~ for them. And when disparity Ill men IN
| means, in war facilities and appliances Of all
| kinds are considered, It must I've admitted that
| the South made gallant fight in defense of her
| right TO independence. Think oft. 1t took
| four Federal soldiers four years to overcome ono
| Confederate. ! congratulate you OH such