The Van Buren press., 1903-10-17
The Confederate Private.

SOutn; j tndtlh Nou LOT tHo ""' X
ance of the soldiers. This may be
only sentiment, hut ! would not
exchange the glory of the record
made bv Wade Hampton for all
the ambition that is given to men
FellOw.citizens. ] will speak no
more of orr soldiers--of the lead,
ers. And only few words in re-
gard to our private soldiers and let
us see if they were moved by
greed and ambition. 1t seems to
me that Sl3 per month in Con-
federate money is not sufficient
amount to tempt the greed OF any
man in this world.
"a voice from the audience
"And furnished your own rationS
and horses.'0 And what ambition
could private soldier have had
If he had fallen upon the battle.
field or died in the hospital per
hans his comrades would have
known it, but who besides7 There
was no hopeful future held out to
him; no greed for him. Take the
soldiers of western Arkansas -
men who went into the Organlza-
tiOu--there was not one in hun
dred that owned a slave. They
were not actuated by ambition.
Yet they left their homes and they
left their families and they crossed
the Mississippi river, some ofthem,
and some ofthem remained on this
side, but they went forth to march
day 10y day in the cold of the
winter, and the heat of the sum
mer. Tell me when they left their
wives and children unprovided for
TO the merces and necessities of
a civil war and for weeks and
months they remained away, what
think you, southern soldiers, who
had marched and fought and
tramped by day-wh0 had tramped
at the midnight hour when his
mind went back TO the mother,
SISTER and daughter-do you be.
lieve that any man with a thimble
full of braius-that anything but
the highest patriotism could have
kept these men where they were
q, my fellow citizens, let us
take the private soldier at Point
Lookout, far away from home and
for years penned up in that prison
with an insufiiciency of food; when
the order was read there stating
that all who would take the oath
Of allegiance would be sent to
their homes and families, of that
5000 men who heard the order
not one private soldier broke
ranks. No, my fellow soldiers. |
have been told that all over the
land France is covered with stat.
ues and monuments and lnscrlp'
tiOnG and that every one speaks
of the glory of the grand army of
France. Yet in the south it was
glory, it was duty that moved the
men to hew to the lne laid down
by the great leader, 1t was duty
that caused them to stand by the
flag day by day, week by week,
month by month; it was duty that
made them name that today eX'
tends to the four quarters of the
world. They left behind them a
record for courage, for dying IN
lhe field, for patience N the houl
OF defeat winch has never been
equalled hy the soldiers Of any
nation on earth. 1t is their glory
and their pride. Nearly forty years
have come and gone since the
close of the war aud yet this null
titude Of people have left their
homes, their business interests
aud their domestic concerns--they
have come to attest their apprecia'
ton of the labors Of those by
whose efforts II was constructed,
Where, except IN this land, could
you meeta scene hike this' A cause
that was lost, yet still kept green
IN the memory of these people; n
cause that was lost-after many
weeks aud months of work they
have erected this monument TO the
memory Of these soldiers. Now,
we measure the debt, the pride we
baye IN the memory Of the noble
women Of the south. What tongue
can tell, what pen can write the
sufferings they endured those
weeks aud months and years they
stood side by side aud toiled for
the little ones. These women toled
aud prayed aud who can tell what
they endured, aud paintthe anxiety
common TO them, They were often
without food; they were sometimes
followed by the light ofthejr burn
ing homesi they waited aud
Matched--thcy never knew who,
they suffered or what they endured
aud when the war closed II was
they that bade us take up the bat
tle Of lifeugalnj It was they that
reminded us that Hll wns not lost
while honor WAS left, 1t was they
that went forth into the battle.
helds--io the hills aud hollOws
And gathered the forms of our
fallen comrades, Day 10y day, week
hy wook fhoN hplnpI IN pnllnui