The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-22
MEMORIAL ADDRESS
MADE BY COL. ]. HARVEY WILSON,
On May 18th, 1901.

Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men: thank the Ladies Of Dick
Anderson Chapter, Daughters Of the
Confedesacy for the honor they. have
done me, By. inviting me- TO make the
address on this Memorial day. No
honor they could confer on me,
wonld ;be more appreciated than the
privilege1o of paying an humble tribute
to the memory OF my dead comrades. :
fndeliibly Stamped upon all things
earthly, are the evidences Of passing
sways5!A vast; maGo11ty: oe@that Har-
tiel hest, whe,; forty Fears ago. IN
obedience to the guidance Of dTty,
left their quiet homes,s to follow the
ffs5srsSEnes 0fi the So5utSlkSsern cross, have
pssssdcinfo 8as gfest a1knoRA, sasnd
thoseeS]ns, who ase leaksbea1:t the 2indi-
cations. thai, ere. long, we viii be le:sJ Hall-
iothsT sisass. siisas GReeks; sahas Then wore The
:bloomfoH ,yoESh, neVe a5eas the 2shtafsss5tSs'
marks of timea the elasae sbagtfhas
been changed to he, slew gait Of age,
the locks that were golden, brown
or let, have assumed a Tniifform color
.-age astt wear the gre% But amid al
the. changes Of eiTcp1astsRcbss9 amid
all the ravages Of time, there lss one
thing that has known no change, that
has Experienced no dimiuSion :, It is
to- aopesnd the reverence the ghTers
of the South have always eNineed }fen
their Lost, but. cherished dead. -
. [ have selected as the subject Of the
few remarks Shall make this after
noon, This Confederate Soldier and
the Women who have so faithfully.
watched -tthasgzaZeseess their dead.
I shall speak Citizen mainly together,
for, the, history, of the one. is. Intel,
twi7iisned with the history Of the other.
The sanne lofty patri otisrn' that I'm
PEELED the one TO-. go to the ffeaAss and
do battle for his country inspi red the
other to give him up without muz-
muf. d;T;: and Is send Hin forth With her
blessing e ave.al#ays felt that the
Tot of the. Confederate soldier,e,iha
though it proved to be, in many .re-r
spects, was to be envied, in compari-
son with the lot of those who were left
behind TO watch, to- #aiS and to pray
for: his returniE All the physical snHera
ing he was called upon to bear found
a. counterpart in the mental anguish
his,loped ones left at home, were forced
to,endure. They suffered together. I!
When. South Carolina resolved to
sever her connection with the Ameri-
can union, her sons and daughters
were not ignorant of the consequences
of that act. They realized that In all
human probability it. meant war, with
all of. its. attendant horrors 1T meant
that fond and loving mothers would |
be compelled TO offer as sacrifices upon
the altar of their country, many of
the brightest, best and, sbrayest. OF
their sons. it meant that devoted wives
would have to part and part forever
Wi tn ekeiE. hearts idols. fOK!tftt meant
''Tha palhuthe akuslI3 She,hbaer land
all we knox, or, dream oE5feaE1of isger,
n.y." i meant that in almost tevegyii
Southern home there would be a va s
cahtrcHair and that for Years yet to
come there would be those .fsA
'.Who would sigh for, the. touch OF a
vanished Hand,
And fosFsthea sound .oss voice shat was
still, :n.41:fC. E.aDGo>1 81 4
With. these. conseqneneessssaging, themI
in the face they. might well have pans
ed. but With the courage born, Of the
CONVICTION that they were ffght, and
thah.their rights9wers being assaaseo:
South. Carolina. did, not hesitate, to-
take the initiative, passing, ,her! solemn =.
ordinance Of secession, and sending her
to her Southern sister
states, inTiting Fhernsto cooperate WITH
her. She raised aloft the Bonnie
blue Flag that bore a single star,
and called upon her sons to defend 1T
with their lives, their fortunes and
their sacred honor. And, what was
the, response?:- The artisans bench, the
counter, the professional
mans Office, the plough handle and
the college walls were alike deserted,
and'from her rugged mountain heights
across the State, to where the Magnolia
blossoms by the sea, went up the
universal Shout, eve are. coming ::
Counties We'd with each other in
their: haste TO furnish troops under
the first requisition men fitted by
nature and by education to command,
did not wait for their conntry's com
mission but deemed it an honor to be
found in the ranks as private soldiers:
The man of culture and tne son OF toll,
the same common uniform.
stood Shoulder to shoulder, they shar-
ed each others dangers, each others
hardshius. they fought the same bat
ties. and often. they slept ln:the same
common grave. And the sequel has,
proven that the one made just as good
a soldier as, the other, for they. were
all actuated by patriotic devotion to
the grand old commonwealth that
gave them birth. When our armies
we're being organized, were the daughl--s
ters Of the South idle?@ Oh! no, the
Young people present, must: bear IN
mind that. we. had no COVE rnment
store houses from. uhich to draw our
supplies. The first troops who yolun-
tered had to furnish their own outfits,
some of the. old soldiers who are pre-
sent will remember, how We. came INTO
town to the store of that good man,
MrADavid J. VIM and were measured
by a man named Meldau, and each
man. taking fhis- bundle; carried IT
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