The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-01-29
LEE. THE GENERAL

|
It affords me great pleasure to be
With you young friends, ladies and
gentleman and to speak to you On the
subject selected for this occasion.
Although I feel that can say very
| little, but what has already been said,
and yet; it is subject that will never
be exhausted.
To do honor to this man is but to
do honor to our country and who
among US would hesitat to do if we
could patriotic act, noble deed to
our State, our South, our country.
Young friends, ladies e7d gentle
men, none of us can ever do too great
an honor to Gen. r. E. Lee, when
we consider what he has done and
been to us; as man, an exemplar, a
leader; ever true to his purpose and
intentions in the sight of his fellow
man and his God.
It shall be my purpose in presenting
this subject to omit the great battles
and victories won and confne myself
rather to the apparent small deeds and
acts of his generalship.
Feeling that we can get a more per-
feet insight into the life and true
greatness of any great character by
| studying first, the smaller acts and
deeds than by omitting these and sim
ply referring to his deeds of greatness
knowing as we all do, that the smaller
acts and duties of life are truer in
dex of what we really are than the
greater achievements.
What would our literary world have
.r Milton
Shakespeare, Macaulay and other
such.
And likewise our military without
Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon, Jack
son and Lee?
On Jan. 10Th, 95 years ago was born
to the South, one of the FIVE greatest
! military leaders of the world.
Well should Virginia be proud of
the birth and life of this her illustri-
Gus son and the South together with
the outside world should give to him
the honor and reverence due him.
At the age of IS his military life at
West Point began, and from start to
finish we find him faithful and dill
gent. AS a reward for this, he is
graduated with honor and distinction.
Next we know him as Lieutenant
Lee Of the u. S. Engineering Corps:
from Lieut.. to Capt. we meet him
advancing on his military career.
After the close of the Mexican war,
when there is no further use Of his
services, his alma mater reaches out
her arms to him, not as one for in
struction, but as an Instructor.
Having been in the y. S. service 81
years before the declaration of the
civil war and now being offered gen
eralship: we find him turning his
back upon rank, honor, and position
and pursuing the path of duty and
dictation of conscience.
Form henceforth he is known as
General Lee Of the Confederate army
and our future. dealings with him will
be in the capacity of same.
In the short discussion of this sub
ject it shall be my purpose to present
to you only three Of the many facts
that proved to the world the superior
generalship of Robt. E. Lee.
First. The disadvantages he was at
in competing with the multiplying
odds OF men. material and resources.
Second. The recipocated love that
4ashed between general and private
soldier.
Third. The real cornerstone of Lees
]ife was his trust in his God.
When we consider the great disad-
vantages he was at in competing with
the Federal army. as to number OF
men, great wealth and superior arms,
It is then that we should truly appre-
ciate his courage, skill and calmness.
Who among us would have dared
even to line up against such an over
whelming number?
Compare the armies as to number:
IS millions of Federals against 6 mil
lions of Confederates. Three to one.
At the battle of Charlottesville Lee
won his greatest victory; here too we
find him the victor Of three times his
number.
Now for a moment think Of the con-
dition of his men. Behold, them in
rags. shoe-less and half starved, what
an awful picture it presents!
Yet when we think of what they ac-
complished, we are inclined to over
look the hardships 5 and endurances to
which they were exposed.
Not only did his men learn to love
and adore him, but the whole South
began to look to him with great love
and hope.
The next point I call your attention
to is the reciprocated love that flashed
between him and his men. There
is / think no more suitable words of
expressing this feeling, than by the
beautiful poem of Thompson, entitled
LEE TO THE REAR.
At the tn 5da dawn of a pleasant morning
Broke thro the wilderness, cool and
gray,
While perched in the tallest tree tops,
its birds.
We're carolling Mendlesolins song
with words. -
Far from the haunts of men remote
The brook brawled on with liquid
note.
And nature, all tranquil and lonely
wore
The smile of spring as in Eden of
yore.