The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-20
THE CONfEDERATES
THEIR GREAT REUNION AND ENcAMP-
MENT AT WRIGHTSWLLE.
Splendid Annual Address by Genera
Carr and q Great Speech by General
Ransom-The Omcers Re-Eiected-To
Meet Next Year at Greensboro.

| confederate veterans reunion and en-
| campment at Wrightsville. Many new
arrivals came to camp during the
morning, and all day long a roster was
being prepared Of all the delegates
| present.
The annual meeting was held in the
morning at IL o'clock, and the exercises
! were opened with a fervent and touch
ing prayer by Bishop Watson. General
Julian S. Carr then made his annual
address, it's delivery consuming about
an hour. 1t was a complete and thor
ough synopsis of the valiant acts and
the war. 1t was as fin tribute to our
soldiers and his paper is a very valu-
able document. On every side it is
spoken of in the very greatest praise.
At its conclusion nearly the entire au-
dience swarmed around General Carr
and thanked him for his effort. It was
moved and unanimous carried that his
speech be printed in pamphlet form and
be inserted in the third volume of
Clark's history now in course of pre-
| paration.
The dc officers were without excep-
ton reelected, and on motion of Major
T. NJ. Emry it was decided to hold the
next reunion August 20, 1902 at Green's
boro. Raleigh invited the veterans to
meet there but as there was no audito-
rum in that city Of sufficient size to
accommodate the veterans they select
ed Greensboro.
A resolution of thanks to the rail-
roads for reduced rates was adopted
n a vote Of censure was passed be-
cause the Wilmington Seacoast road did
not do likewise.
a resolution of sympathy, expressing
the great sorrow of the camp for Gov
ernor Aycock in the recent death Of
his son, was adopted.
A resolution of thanks to Judge
Clark for his services in editing the
regimental sketches was adopted.
Special trains on the Seacoast road
took down large crowds to the after
noon session and it is estimated that
700 people were present, including many
Daughters of the ~Confederacy.
Assembly was sounded at $3.50 o'clock
n then the whole audience joined
heartily in singing 1.-THE Old North
State"
GENERAL RANSOM'S SPEECH.
Major London, chief of staff, then
brifly introduced the orator, THAT
Carolinian of whom all true CAROLYN
ians are proud. that soldier, statesman,
gentleman, n orator, NJ. w. Ran
SON."
General Ransom was greeted very
enthusiastically. The crowd expected
a great speech. They got a better one
than they expected. 1t was full of the
old time fire of Ransom that made him
a power in the land. 1t embraced elo-
quent tributes, coched in beautiful
language, words of praise, sincere and
convincing because of their sincerity,
arguments strong, fearless, forceful.
1t charmed his audience and oftimes he
was interrupted with prolonged ap-
plause. No synopsis can do it justice.
He began:
eff 1 dared do it, 1 would offer suppl
cation to the Supreme Ruler that
this day I could do justice to the great
I represent. I feel now unable. I
am to present the argument to YOU. I
shall make you an argument in which
I have faith, absolute faith, and which
will leave no doubt Of the excellence,
superiority and extraordinary merit Of
the southern army. I shall show you
that you nave not done hat army
justice. Veterans, you know it, but 1
want the noble young men, the sweet
girls, h people to know what what
that army did"
General Ransom said when the wal
began, there were II southern states
n q northern states, more than 2 to
1. The northern states had a popula-
ton of q, 1000, 700 while the south had
only $500, 600, 4,O0O,O 900 Of whom were
blacks. In their army were 2,S59, 1872
men, while h highest estimate places
the entire southern army at less than
100000 or ) soldiers to /. The border
| states, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland,
West Virginia furnished to the union
army, 341, 900 soldiers. more than half
the total of the whole southern army.
The north mad all the world to enlist
from; We had no ships, no factories and
only l mile of railroad to their 10.
He briefly recounted the battles
around Richmond, the battles of Ma
masses. Fredericksburg, Harpers Ferry,
Sharpsburg, Charlottesville, Gettys-
burg, C~hicamauga, Rappahannock and
Cold Harbor, showing that always the
union forces far outnumbered the
l southern troops and that they were
better fed and all supplied with guns
and ammunition, and yet with these
odds in their favor, generally they were
repulsed and defeated.
The battle of Gettysburg was not/the
decisive battle of the war as many
claim it TO be. Thirty days after that
battle, Lee sent n third Of his army
to Georgia 20 fight at Chicamauga. 1t
4 uoS ono vaar ond afCbf months affor