Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-04-19
MEMORIES.
Sermon Preached Before St0neWaII
Jackson Camp, C. ", April 7, by
Rev. James p. Smith, D. D. of
Richmond.

member all the way which the LORD tnJ
God led thee"
Comrades and friends, am deeply
impressed tonight, that after so many
years, l come back into the historic
Valley of Virginia, where great wal
once waged, and where a brigade OF
the men of the Valley won great
name for itself, and helped to make
the fame of great soldier, and gave
him the name which is immortal. !
speak tonight especially to my COM
rades, the ever lessening remnant of
the survivors of that heroic struggle.
We have put on the grey again, that it
may help to revive the memories OF
those times which made such deep i'm
preston on our lives, and are so fast
receding into the vista of the past. 1t
is a grateful and affecting thing TO
me that you have asked me to come to
your memorial anniversary of the day
that closed the long four years of our
army life and the strenuous and costly
struggle for Southern Independence
1t is not a common thing for men to
celebrate their own defeat. 1t must be
rare that men meet to remember the
day that ended struggle in which
they perilled their lives and lost their
fortunes, when the sun went, down
uron their hopes and their flag was
furled forever But we have never
b cen ashamed of our participation in
that long and fearful struggle, and the
close that came at Appomattox has
not seemed dishonorable to us and
our countrymen. In the remem brance
of that day we stand with honor dear
and heart untroubled by regret.
So Oh the evening of this Lords day
we have come into a place sacred to
religion, and with reverence we hear
Divine message-"Thou shalt remem-
Der all the way which the Lord led
thee.'' The biddings and appeals to
remember are SO frequent in the scrip
lures that we have the best authority
for believing that remem brance of our
past is duty History and tradition
are the foundations on which the
future is built, and memories are
among the elements of our character
today and the materials of which we
construct all that we shall be in days
to come.
We remember how in our youth, our
inexperience and ignorance of war, We
went forth from home, frcm school,
and field and shop, at the call of the
State to which we acknowledged our
first allegiance. We were so young,
so sapguine and confident. as bright
in spirit as our uniforms were fresh.
We remember with a distinctiveness
that grows as the years 60 by. the first
march, the first camp, and then the
first battle; the noise and the shout,
the hiss of the leaden ball, the scream
and bursting of the shell, the torn
flag. and the ground upheaved, the
charge and the long cry of victory; and
then the thirst and the weariness and
the sleep under the stars. Then came
the march again and the battle. We
remember the winter quarters, the
drills and the review, the preparation,
and the waiting, the scant fare, the
worn clothes, the broken shoes, the
happy furlough and the dreadful re-
turn, and the renewed campaigns.
And all this through four years, all
that battling and weary way, conf
dent, believing, hopeful to the very
end. "All the way the Lord led u.s."
We remember the homes from which
this army of young men had come, and
the women we left, how they toiled, and
spun, and stitched, and prayed, and
waited. How true they we're! What
womanly sacrifice and heart.pain they
bore without complaint That early
day when the boy went out, so fair
and bouyant, in his new uniform, and
marched away to the tap of the drum,
or Ieaped into the saddle on his own
Young horse, and dared not look back
lest his heart should fail And the
mo 5her clim bed the stairway to her
chamber and locked herself in to her
battle, and then came down pale and
silent, to work, and to suffer and to
wait. Oh, the women of the South, in
those long days of war! Who nursed
the wounded, and smoothed the pillow
OF the dying and buried the dead. Aye,
| We remember the women of this fair
| Virginia Valley with grateful admi
ration and love! Whatever was the
heroism of the field, it could not sur
pass the heroiem of the home. II the
field saw the days of conflict and cOur
age and victory, the home saw the
struggle and the patience, the ONT
long battle of love and duty, from
morning to night, and from night to
morning again, and in which there was
no rest End no furlough through th'
year. We have wanted to build mon
uments to our Confederate women
and then have felt the profound con
viction that no bronze nor marbl
could ever tell the story.
We remember the comrades who fel
on so many fields. Sometimes go GU
to Hollywood and see the great pyrs
mid of stone, and the vines that striv
to reach the top, and cover all wit
the beauty of their greenery, and tn
sea Of green on the slopes around, wit
the long lines of graves like billow
on the sea | 60 to the lonely shade
spot where sleeps the boy who fe
7 near me at Fredericksburg. as Iovel
e in face.as any fair girl, and more low
+ ly in character than in face, l mea
. Randolph Fairfax. Then l go to th
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