The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-10
RANSOM THRILLS
SOLDIER HEARTS
He Speaks at the Kenans-
Vile Reunion.
MANY "OLD BOYS" THERE
/. Our Children Should Know the Truth,
He Cries.
MANY "OLD BOYS" THERE
SOME UNwRlTTEN HISTORY IS GIVEN
Grant Refused 10 Exchange Prisoners, Admitting
That II He Did So He Could Not Crush
the South. The Negro as
Factor.
Especial to News and Observer. }

Especial to News and Observer.)
Kenansville, N. c., Aug. S.-This town.
hoary with age and famous for it's num-
Der of men who have gone forth into
self proud today in her tribute to the
old man eloquent and her treatment of
the old veterans of the grey who were
present in reunion. Notwithstanding
the freshets and swollen streams every
where present making travel dangerous,
and in some places impossible. some
fifteen hundred and more from Duplin.
Onslow, Pender, Sampson and Wayne
counties, the old Veterans, their sons and
daughters were in attendance. Battle
SCARED were many, for the old Vets were
more numerous than one might have ex-
pected, some with sleeveless arm, others
minus leg, all proud of the part they
bore in the conflict in the days gone by.
At GoldsbOrO General Ransom, the
orator of the day, was Joined by Capt.
Alsa J. Brown. Jno. +. Switzerland,
correspondent and the Knights of Pythias
band, who dispensed sweet music
throughout the day. Alighting from the
car at Warsaw, conveyances were in
waiting and soon the party, Joined by
DR.. John NJ. Faison and DeLoney Hines,
of Faison; w. l.. Hill, Nick Cox, Isaac
Brown, J. Carroll, Chas. E. Hussey, S. E.
Hines and host of others from Warsaw,
and the Hon. B. F. Grady. the sage of
Hawkhurst started for Kenansville.
About eleven o'clock the vast throng
gathered on the court house common,
facing the old Allen office, from which the
speaking was to take place. Then arose
DR.. John M. Faison who, in behalf of the
Committee of Arrangements, extended a
most cordial welcome to veterans and
visitors preceding the Sage of Hawk
hurst, Duplin's most distinguished citi-
zens, Patriot and scholar, who should in
turn present the orator of the day Mr..
Grady arose. and with most glowing
tribute to General Ransom, sketching
rapidly his career as warrior and states
man, introduced him as the orator Of
the day.
AS General Ransom arose the band
broke forth with Dixie and three cheers
for the statesman, patriot and soldier
General Ransom spoke in part as fol-
lows:
my countrymen: Your friendship for
me, the friendship of fifty years is some
thing that touches my deepest SOUL
your fathers and your brothers, you have
been my friends and have supported me
for fifty years. When l think of it, it
overpowers me. l thank the Committee
of Arrangements for the great honor
they did in asking me to speak today,
and for selecting Mr.. Grady, of all men
l know, anywhere among the States two
to present me to you. No man
could speak words more kind, more gen.
erous. l wish it was proper to say of
him what l know. No people ever had
better man in Congress than Grady. =
l am here to speak of the Southern
army. = y / want these bright boys,
these noble, sweet girls to know the
truth. The North had twenty-four States
against eleven of the South; twenty-three
and half million against eight mill
lion, five hundred thousand-(E eight mill
lion slaves. not one in our army; $780,
1872 soldiers. in round numbers 5000, 200
as against 100000. The Northern people
have tried to magnify our numbers but the
record shows they had five soldiers to our
one. Gust here an old soldier shouted:
And we whipped them like the devil" to
which the General replied. almost, my
friend, almost
Here followed description of
the Norths advantages. the Norths re-
sources. etc. The speaker contend
ed the resources of the South consisted
only in her soldiers. The blockade cut
us off from all the world, while Missouri
Kentucky, West Virginia and Maryland.
these four States furnished the Union
army 351, 900 men, more than one half
of ours. They had 81 900 men who left
the South and went to the North, besides
10000 negroes enlisted. | am speaking
from the record. We whipped them at
Manassas, we whipped them all to pieces
in the even-days- fight around Richmond
with $4,000 men we tore Burnsides
army to pieces and left it wreck at
Fredericksburg. Who will ever forget
Lees gallant army? We whipped them at
Charlottesville and drove them back
over the Potomac. What did we do for
them at Observation-Disclosures over into
Maryland. We lost at gettysburg, why?
not the fault of Lee, nor Longstreet nor
Pickett, nor Pettigrew. but just because
we didn't have the men. If Lee had had
only $4,000 more men we would have
walked over them.
'If we had only had four million white
Southerners. the world could not have
overcome us.
General Grant stops exchange of pris-
oners. Lee writes an appeal. Lincoln
writes Grant. to which he replies: Il can
not exchange Lee his prisoners. If we
do, l cannot overcome the rebellion.
SIN the fall of "a the good people of the
North, patriots and Christians, went to
Washington in great numbers and ap-
pealed to Lincoln not to put negroes in
the army to fight their former masters,
greatly to their honor.
Lincoln, wise and great. wrote them a
letter mot much published now saying.