The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-20

I the same number OF men and Lee
! would whip him Immediately. In June
I 1864 Grant refused to exchange prison.
ers. thus ~suspending all the great laws
of Christianity and war. Grant enlist
! ed negroes, 2o0, COO slaves into his army.
1t caused a mighty protest from all the
north, but Lincoln replied in those
f! memorable words that cannot down,
You appeal 10 me no ito enlist slaves
| in our army, / tell you we cannot over
! come the rebellion unless we employ
| their slaves to fight them" The war
| went on through the terrible winter OF
| '64-65. Lees army was starving. No
| new men were added. Our guns were
| worthless, ammunition exhausted. and
| teams destroyed, but every time Grant
| made a nov our men faced him. April
| 1866, found a narger number of northern
| soldiers in the confederate states than
| the whole white male population COM
bined in them.
Our men the speaker said, were
| Drawer than Spartans, Drawer "a Ro-
| mans, facing Grant, fighting step by
| step. 1t was Grants number and the
| destruction Of our country that beat US.
| Our brave men laid down their arms at
| Appomattox, unconQuered, invincible,
| brave to the last. But it was best that
| we should have fought to our death.
| than have tamely resigned in 81 with
| out a struggle The men that fought
| for the south had such f%ortitude, cour-
age. bravery, Christian bravery. He
| made a comparison Of Andrew
Johnson n General Lee. one leaving
the south to go north, became hated
| and despised, while, Lee, leaving the
| north to defend his native land, be-
| came the most honored. the best loved
and most cherished in all the world.
The time will come, said General
Ransom, when to have to have been q
confederate soldier will be a proud
boast in all the land. Now the duty of
the south is to go back into the line
| and do their duty there. Here the ora
tor paid a most touching tribute to
| southern women and continued, this
| country is ours-a southern son George
Washington is it's father n founder"
Briefly he traced the course of south
ern men in the recent war n said:
THE blood of Shipp and Bagley makes
the south sacred and the north can
never lift it's han against US, when
they look at the flag and see the blood
of three noble heroes upon it,"
The greatest English critic say that
the army of northern Virginia was an
u~nconquerable me Search the history
of all time and where a you find such
a body of men, with so much honor,
truth, loyalty and fidelity.
He referred several times to DR..
| Kingsbury and wished that the were
| present so that he could invoke this
great writer's aid in trying to get a
| history worthy the name, written. He
spoke of the great patriots of this sec
ton. the StrangeS, WrightS, Ashes, Lii
| lingtons,- Holmes, WaddellS and others.
He referred very pleasantly to Will
mington and thanked her citizens for
l their recent heroic work.
| General Ransom then spoke very
| touchingly of Jefferson Davis n re-
| quested Major London to read Greely's
| tribute to Davis. His peroration was a
! general tribute to the southern army
and it was very beautiful. His conclu-
| sion was greeted with tremendous ap-
| plause.
No attempt is made in the above to
| give any sort of synopsis bu only
a general idea of the great worth of
| his address as a historical taper n as
IN appeal for justice to the southern
army.
The dress parade set for 6 o'clock
was called off.
The Second Regiment Band, Of VIII
mington. went down on the 5 o'clock
trail and Serenaded the. confederate
veterans at their camp.
Most Of the veterans will return to
their homes today. They have enjoyed
/ their outing and have received much
/ pleasure from this contact one with an
other.
THE VETERANS HERE.
Comrade P. Heinsberger assisted by
| Comrade ]. r. Marshall made a roster
of the veterans, but many names were
missed. as some of the il soldiers went
away without being able to be placed
upon it. Besides the officers already
named. the roster contains the follow
ing names:
L. D. Giddens, Twelfth North Car
DINA
p. Heinsberger, first sergeant. Cum
ming's battery; STAIRS battalion.
F. w. Kerchner. Captain ordinance
| department.
A. L. DeRosset, captain P. A. c. s.
F. w. Ortmann. Company A, Twenty
| fifth South Carolina.
j. R.. Paddison, Surry coun camp
No. 797.
J.. Sterling Jones, adjutant general
| Guilford camp No. 795.
| j. A. King, captain.
D. A. Caldwell, Fifth North Carolina
| cavalry.
| r. B.. Douthit, Norf1eet camp No. 1856.
D. P. Mast, Norfleet camp, No. 436.
Owen Fryar, Fifth North Carolina
| cavalry.
James Evans, Company B, Eighth
| North Carolina.
J. A. Oldham, Cape Fear Light Artil-
lery.
John II. Tharp, captain Company a,
| Forty-seventh North Carolina Artillery.
Matthew J%innett, Company +, No. 10.
w. a. Moore, Company E, Eighteenth
North Carolina.
w. F. Mobiles, Company E, Twenty
seventh North Carolina.
David Seasons. Company B, Fifty
sixth North Carolina.
John p avaUauCh C0r1nanv & No