The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-05-29

lights Illuminated these grand overhang.
ing mountain peaks with lurdness
never to be forgotten. Once again as in |
it's legendary historic past, o "a Chicka-
mauga became the tramping ground OF !
hosts of men embraced in an ensan
guincd struggle for annihiation and de- |
struction. Both sides were ably led. |
Both sides fought nobly. Both sides
conscientiously acted All Of them pa
trots; mono Of them rebels.
Lee had detached from Virginia and
sent his great corps commander, Long
street, with his hardened veterans to al
the Confederate chicftain, Braxton
Bragg (he, the same Captain Bragg who,
under the stars and stripes at the bloody
Mexican battle of Bucna Vista, had re
ceiyed and yaliantly carried out the
memorable order of Gen Taylor, "Give
them little more grape, Capt Bragg")
Grant had hurried forward the flower OF
the Western army To the aid of the Federal
commander, Rosccians And when the
mlsts had rolled away" on that autum.
nal Sabbath morn Of the second day and
rcVea cd the scrried ranks of the oppos
ing hosts to each other, it was sight
before which the Sun of Austcrlitz would
have dimmed, and sight to which the
Old Guard of Napoleon and the English
Squares of the Iron Duke at Water 90,
opposing each other, was but a circum.
| stance.
What was donc-what deeds Of daring
were achlcyed-what charges and Coun.
ter. charges were developed how bat
| tcrics were handled with wonderful sci
entiiic skjll-how battaions Of infantry
ana siuadrons of cavalry covered them
selves with glory-how particular com.
mands and individual commanders espc.
a lu IL .spl,,
who were here and mingled in the fray
can better tell than l.
| The carnage of the contest best tells the
tale OF the lighting. 1910 on the side
or the Fcdcrals l7,SO4 on the side of
the Confcdcrates.
When nightfall came the complete dis
comtiturc of the Federal army was ar.
rested only by the intrepid stand of
George II. Thomas, himself Virgin ian,
who has gone down into history as the
Rock Of Chickamauga" and whose name
as an imperturbablc leader Of fighting
men should be written high in the GAL
lery of fame
How those who persisted here, whose
blood darkencd these slopes, ravincs and
hillsides, are rcvcred by their pcop'c at
home, is told in mute and silent language
by the monumental spires that have been
erected in this National Park by sixteen
OF the States of this reunited Union, at
the aggregate cost Of $506,0
1t W. certainly a bciitting and mag
nanimous act on the part of the Govern
ment of the United States to permit the
establishment of q N NAtioual Park on this
battlefield, where the Confcdcratcs OBJ.
tanned the advantage, and especially
whcn the Act OF Congress permits both
sides to mark their lines Of battle and to
| erect monument O ~ thnir =, a
The South has accepted the opportunity
and Joins in the spirit Of reconciliation
She did her best. Whatever she hat
OF blood, of treasure, of spirit and love
she unstintedly laid upon the altar as a
sacrifice for love of freedom and liberty
OF conscience
What Courts and Constitutions and
Conventions and Congresses and Plcsi
dents could not do, it took the arbitra
ment OF stern war to do. The "Indisso
lublc Union" on the one side, and "Indc,
structlblc States on the other side, have
become the "indissolub,e Union" of "in
destructibc States"
Whoever else VIC may fight as al
American people, we will never again
fight ourselves. Discussions and strifcs
and turmolls, bcgottcn of political fer
mcntatlons and uphCavals, will come
but the question of the separate action
of the States (whilst they have theiI
rights, which exist and are respC ct cC
every day by the courts and the govern
mcnt,) is settled for all time.
To day the Palmetto State, the granC
old Commonwealth Of South Carolina
as member OF the American Union
comes to this shrine of sacrifice, this nj
tar Of freedom, where the pride ant
glory OF her yComanry shed their blood
to show her appreciation of their patri
otic cndcavors
True, she was the "cradlc of scces
sion, but she always was and always
Will be leader in conscientious action
and her history of patriotic devotion tC
duty has been open to the world from
the time she joined with Massachusctt.
in dcfying the tyranny of taxation with
out representation" to the present time
For her devotion to republican prin
ciplcs, as fairly understood by our fore
fathers, let tho bones OF her sons who per
ishcd at Kings Mountain, at Cowpcns
at Eutaw, and at the Palmetto Fort
speak For her determination to per
pctuatc those principles let the blood o
Bonham who pcrishcd at the Alamo, anC
the Palmetto boys who fell with Butler
amid the halls of the MontcZumas speak
For her firm determination to stand
and to die for what she conscicntiously
believed to be right, let the trail of hcl
dead and wounded in the war between
the States from the Potomac to the Ric
Grandc speak
"Carolinas dead, Carolinas dead
On every hill they ic."
In Virginia her spirit was cvinccd b,
the brave boys led by such men as
hampton ana Butler and Gary and Nc
Gowan and Hagood
Ripley and Elliott, Rhctt and Mitch
eli, Gaillard and Hugucnin, and thciI
noble boys stood amid the crumbline
walls of Sumter for four years and cvcl
surrendered
And here, right here, amid the crash
ing OF arms, the martial muster of battle
and the terrifying trials Of the frav, 10
seph Is. Kcrshaw, States Gist. Ellison
Capcrs, Irvine Walker, Arthur NJ. Mani.
gault, John ID. Kennedy and those chiv
alric warriors, Elbcrt Bland and John
Hard, who fell with their faces TO the
foe within few feet OF the placc where
we now stand and those othc. brave
gentlemen who led her boys to victory
on this spot, illustrated the spirit Of
Carolina, always prepared to do her
duty.
The granite shaft has not vet been
cut that would be tall enough to com.
memorate the deeds Of her private sol.
diery.
Her white voting population in 1860
i =