Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-06-27
THE CONFEDERATE VETERAN.
Speech of Gen. Alexander that Stirred
Soldiers at West Point.

Speech OF 6en. RlexdhueT t"da 0'
Soldiers at west Point.
The speech Of Gen. E. Porter Alex
ander. who spoke 1.-THE Confederate
V eteran" at West Point, on the 9Th
inst. was literally applauded by the
large crowd of officers and graduates
at the centennial celebration there.
He said:
1.-THE Confederate army, which
sprang into existence almost out OF
space and nothingness, and after Ca
reer of four years. unstained bY treas
ury and arsenal, but unsurpassed Tor
brilliant fighting and lavish outpour
of blood, vanished from the earth as
utterly as if it had been phantom OF
imagination.
"It had followed as a banner, |
starry cross borne in the fire and smoke
of it's battle line, which had flown over
its charging columns on many helos
and under many leaders whose names
proud history will forever cherish, and
then in night it also had taken Its
flight from earth, to be seen no more
of men.
ga Federal historian wrote OF this
army: Who can forget it that once
looked upon it-that array OF tattereo
uniforms and bright muskets, that
body of incompatible infantry, the
Army of Northern Virginia, which for
| four wears carried the revolt on It's
bayonets, opposing constant front to
the mighty concentration OF power
brought against it, which, receiving
terrible blows, did not fail to give the
like, and which, vital in all its parts,
died only with it's annihilation Z
"And the whole people, who had
created that annihilated army and had
upheld that vanished flag. and in their
| behalf had sacrificed it's all, now, with
one consent. gave to the cause for
which they had striven vainly, but so
we'll, the it'll The Lost Cause.
"And this people mourned over their
Lost Cause as the captive Israelites
imourned over Zion. But they buried
their grief deep in their own hearts,
and, exchanging swords and guns Tor
implements of industry, set themselves
to restoring their desolate homes and
rebuilding their shattered fortunes.
1--WE believed, and still believe, that
it's sovereignty was intened to be re-
served by each and every State when
| it ratified the Constitution. 1t was
universally taught among us that In
this feature there was divinely inspired
wisdom. 1t may have been wisdom for
THAT century. Each State was then an
independent agricultural community.
The railroad, the steamship, the tele-
graph, were undreamed of on earth.
but, as in nature, whenever the Gil
mate has changed the fauna and fora
have been forced to change and adapt
themselves to new environments, so
among mankind must modes OF gov
ernment be modified to conform to
new conditions.
s.The steamboat, railroad and tele
graph by 1850 had made new plan ct
out of the one George Washington
knew. National commerce had beer
horn. and it was realized that State
sovereignty was utterly incompatible
with it's full development. The inspired
wisdom of the previous century ha(
now become but foOlishness. Nature
ld1vine law of evolution, against Whlcl
no constitution can prevail, at one
brought into play to overturn itf orces
as inevitable as those OF vol
cano. But such Darwinian COZ
lceptions as those of political evolution
had then entered few mems minds
Patrick Henry had said: Give m
liberty OR give me death ! Sure it woul
not be liberty if we could not seced
whenever we wished to. Holding thes
views, we should have been coward
had we not resisted for all we wei
worth. And posterity should be graft
full for our having forced the issue an
fought it out to the bitter end.
sNow for our bearing upon my stor
. Let me speak briefly of two matters
history. Mr.. Charles Francis Adam
in recent address has pointed o.
that it is due to Gen. Lee that at A
pomattox, in April, 1865, surrend
of the Confederate army was mac
instead of the struggle being prolong
in a guerrilla war, such as has be
recently seen in South Africa III
action does, indeed, place Lee upon
exalted plane. And it fortunate
happened that his rival actor In
great drama was Gen. Grant, brotf
graduate of the Military Academy.
LEES PATRIOTIC SERVICE.
"Our alma mater may cherish
record of that day, when two OF
sons, having each written his name
high in the annals OF war, now unit
Ito turn the nation into the father
peace; for Gen. Grant, who has bt
proudly called by his victorious ar
10. S.-'Unconditional Surrender
Grant, now seemed only to seek exc
. to spare the Confederates every po
BILE modification and to save th
from individual losses, even at
expense of his own government.
"His example was Immediately
lowed by every man in his army dc
MA to the humblest teamster. Time +
ois' me to describe the friendliness. &C
tesy and generosity with which
ad whole victorious army seemed ill
The news of the surrender and its
g eral terms was received everywf
with feelings of generous conciliat