The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-05-13

valor, to sincerity and honor, to
conscience and patriotism, to coun-
try and to God. This we do as
faithful citizens of our reunited
country, accepting the results of
our great struggle as the decision
of heaven concerning us. Yield
ing the cause of Southern indepen-
dence to the God of battles, we
we accept the victorious flag as the
flag of His providence, and the de-
feat of our hopes and efforts as the
Christening of His Almighty hand.
But we can never yield to oblivion
the memory of our dead brothers.
We have never surrendered the
grateful duty we owe their memory
and sacrifices. We would embalm
their virtues in the sweetest incense
of grateful love, and build their
characters in Parian marble. We
would make their examples speak
to generations from the pages OF
our history, and have the legend OF
their valor live in our songs and
echo in our hearts, an inspiration
to our posterity,
If our Southern soldiers had won
no fame in the great contest they
made, if every campaign had been
a failure and every battle defeat,
if the Sonth had produced no great
generals or able seamen, but, on
the contary, we had met our over
throw in half the time consumed
b. the millions who effected it.,
still. our dead soldiers would be
worthy of our commemoratlon, Tor
they died in obedience to the polltl
| cal, social and religious principles
held sacred by US all. They were
not soldiers of fortune waging war
for theconquest of territory. They
did not fight for dominion over
their Northern brethren or to en-
force upon them their convictions
| of truth and right. The Confederate
soldier took up arms for his rights
in his old home-lhe land Of his
fathers; rights he believed to be
his under the Constitution his fore
fathers framed; rights which guar
anteed to united people the choice
of their own governments, that
which would best secure to them
''life, liberty and the pursuit OF
happiness" This truth, my
friends, has been again and again
acknowledged by candid minds
who were opposed to us in the
great contest of '61'o5.
Brave and accomplished soldiers
who led their battalions against
our dead brothers respect and praise
the motives which inspired their
service under the Southern Cross.
In a recent number of the Century
an officer of the United States
Army, brevet-Lieutenant Colonel
Dodge, writing of the skill and
valor displayed on both sides, pays
this tribute to the Southern soldier
The Southerner felt that he was
fighting for his home and freslde.
This greatest of all inspirations we
(of the North) lacked. He fought
with an intimate kno Wedge of the
county, with the aid of every
farmer, indeed, Of every woman.
He was more IN earnest, as a rule,
as will be every soldier whose fields
and homesteaGs are being wasted
and burned. 1t is not difficult to
state the task of the South it was
simply to conquer its independence.
No student of the war, no old SOL
dier, no American, but what har-
bors the warmest admiration for
what the Southerner did. He be-
gan the war with view TO win or
die in the last ditch. He did not
| win, but he did actually do the
other thing. He gave up the strug-
gle because he had practically used
up his last man and fired his last
| cartridge. Nor he nor any other
could do more" Century for May
1902 This is his vindication be-
| fore the civilized world, and this