Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-02-06
GEN. LEE EXT0LLED
By Yankee Soldier" at the Barquet OF
the New York Confederate Camp.

| Francis Adams, notable Massachu-
sets orator, and an old soldier OF the
Union, responded to the toast of "Rob
ert E. Lee-Nature made him and then
broke the mould" Upwards OF 500
members of the camp were present
with great many ladies, making up
an audience of a thousand persons,
who cheered loudly the following sen
timents, which, coming from North
ern man and a former "Y ankee" sol
der, will be read with interest in the
South. He spoke as follows:
Mr.. Commander, officers, and mem
| bers of the Confederate Veteran Camp
of New York: A New Highlander by
birth, descent. tradition, name. and
environment, closely associated with
Massachusetts. | was Union soldier
from 1861 to 1865, and the one boast l
make in life was. and is, and Will ever
be that also bore arms and confront
ed the Confederacy and helped to de-
stroy it. Formerly of the Army OF the
Potomac, through long years l was
intent on the overthrow OF the Army
of Northern Virginia. SO far, more
over, as that great past is concerned,
having nothing to regret, to excuse, or
to extenuate. | AIN yet here on this
day to respond to a sentiment in hon
or of the military leader once opposed
to us-a Virginian and Confederate.
Nor all this being thus and 80, If asked
why am here, would the answe be
far to seek. Primarily, as a Massa-
chusetts man confess to feeling OF
special kindliness toward two other
| States of the UniOn-twO OF the orl-
| ginal thirteen, above all the other for
| ty five-South Carolina and Virginia.
| Those, with Massachusetts, | hold to
have been essentially pivotal States,
Communities peculiarly prolific of men
the opponents of ideas-from them
have gone forth those migrating col
umns which met in fierce grapple fol
| the maintenance and the ascendancy
of that in which they believed.
So am here this evening, as l have
said, Massachusetts man, as we'll al
a member of the Loyal Legion, to az
honor to the memory of him who was
chief amongEthose once set in ARA!
against US. Of him, what shall say
Essentially soldier, as a soldier Rob
ert E. Lee was manysided man.
might speak of him as a strateglst
but of this aspect of the man enough
has perhaps been said. l might refe
to the respect, the confidence and low
with which he inspired those under hi
command. l might dilate on his re
straint in victory; his resource ant
patient endurance in the face of ad
verse fortune; the serene dignity wit
which be, in the end, triumphed owe
defeat. But, passing over all these
we'll worn themes, 1 shall c0nfine my
self to that one attribute of his which
recognized in soldier by an opponent
cannot but regard as his surest an
loftiest title to enduring fame. l refe
to his humanity IN arms, and his scrI
pulous regard for the most advance
rules of civilized warfare.
LEE STILL AN AMERICAN.
AS an American-aS an eX-SOldlef
the Union, as one who did his best
honest, even fight, to destroy tn
! fragment of the army of the Confe'
4 eracy to which he found himself o
Z posed-I rejoice that no hatred attach
to the name of Lee. Reckless OF Ii
to attain the legitimate ends of wa
he sought to mitigate its horrors. U
} posed to him at Gettysburg, L her
forty years lately, do him justice.
more creditable order ever Issued fro
commanding general than that Il
d mulated and signed by Robert E. l.
as. at the close of June, 1868, he
yapced on q war OF invasion. ~
i greater Disgrace be then declare
can "befall the army and through
onr whole people than the perpetratl
= of barbarous outrages upon the lnr
cent and defenseless. Such proce
ings not only disgrace the perpetrat'
and all connected with them, bnt
subversive of the discipline and eff
ency of the army, and destructive
the ends Of our movement. 1t m
be remembered that We make war Of
on armed men," Lee did not,
Tilly and Melac, exhort his follow
to kill and burn, and burn and
and again kill and burn, to make
I hell. He did not proclaim that
wanted no prisoners. He did not
lioin it upon his soldiers as duty
cause the people Of Pennsylvania
remember they had been there
thank heaven be did not. He at lie
though a Confederate in arms,
Ia still an American, and not lilly
a Melac.
And here, as a soldier of the A
of the Potomac, let me bear my t.
mony to such CT the Army Of No
ern Virginia as may now be pres
While war at best Is bad; yet its
essary and unavoidable badness
not in that campaign enhanced.
scope and spirit Lees order was
served, and | doubt if hostile t
ever advanced in an enemy's cou
or fell back from it in retreat, lea
behind it less cause of hate and bi
q ness than did the Army OF Mort
" Virginia In that memorable camp
which eliminated at Gettysburg.
a. cause be was soldier, Lee did moi
lit incumbent upon him to proc
himself brute or to exhort bis
flowers to brutality.
q This was succeeded by the rend
~ - ss1,ha Ronpia Plue Ela00 and