The Opelousas courier., 1904-03-05
oRpnRs FoR coNrnpERATEs
Official Circular Issued by New COM
mander.in. Chief

death of Gen. John b. Gordon, relat
to the assumption of command by Ger
Lee and TO the matter of having a ros
ter OF Confederate officers and soldier
printed by the national government
The circulars are an follows:
New Orleans, La, Feb. 23, 1904.
To all Members of United C0nfederat
Veteran Camps:
NV Dear C0mrades-The death OF GU
almost id0iized commanders, 8 eminent
iy fitted for the place by bis splendi,
war record, his oratory aud his winning
magnetism, has imposed a difficult tasl
upon me, bis successor, in keeping u
our organization; doubly difficult with
nat your continuing to me the sal ~
tender feeling, 409e and esteem which
o bestowed upon him in snch heaped
uD measure. No living Confederate
can fill his place as he filled it.
To obedience to Natures laws, in til,
thirty-nine years since we laid d0wl
p1r arms. our great Generals and man,
of the rank and file who followed them
have crossed over The river, and TIL,
survivors are but a remnant Of tiis
most valiant army that ever eoDtendeC
against mighty odds and untold re.
sources. We are SO near the river our.
selves that we can almost hear thu
roaring OF the waters
Orr commander has fallen, but tiit
cause for which we toiled and tile prin-
cipies for which We toiled still liVe-caI
never die. Let us-a We did in the
heroic days of 1861 to 1866, when 0ul
leaders fell in battle and our commands
were thinned by shot and shell-close
up Our ranks and step forward perpet-
uate our great fraternal organization,
rwsr GN - n ntrn sans "a MD ~ afaFr}lfGrc cfnr
into our places as we vacate them. and
continue to vindicate the integrity Of
our lives and the ends for which ne
commended.
The proudest part OF my life is the
remembrance that / was o Confederate
soldier. I love the name and all who
bore it,. Our constitution and bylaws
have temporarily made me your com
mander until one Ia elected at our next
reunion. I yeaTn for d portion OF that
tender regard and confidence you gave
Gen. Gordon.
Let us BIO true, even to the end. Fra
ternallY, STEPHEN d. LEE.
Circular Orders No. 1.
Inasmuch as there exists a misappre-
tension as to the action taken by the
New Orleans convention ms 10 the pub
lication OF the rosters of tie Confed-
ADf&Bo II 0AAOn Gh tlb(Ef&EAOe NRA1Ck IL
Commanding makes the s~ubj0ined ex-
tracts from the proceedings af the con.
vention:
Extracts from the proceedings of the
United Confederate Veteran ConFeH-
ti0n held at New Orleans, Friday, May
22. 1903.
The resolution was one By General
Stephen I'd. Lee, as follows:
Whereas, at the second session of
the -FiEty-seventh Congress q provision
was inserted in House resolution 1921,
an act making appropriation for the
legislative, executive and judicial *
penses of the government, making
special provision for the compilation
and publication, under direction of the
Secretary OF War, ut valuable historical
federate soldiers Ia hi f0ilowing words,
t0-wif.
.sPr0vided. That under the direction
OF the Secretary of War, the chief of
the Record and Pension Office shall
compile from such records as are in the
possession Of the United States and
from such other authentic records as
may be obtained by loan from the vari-
Gus States and other official sources, d
complete roster OF the officers and en-
listed men of Union aud Confederate
armies
Sin order that a formal expression of
the appreciation of the United Confed-
crate Veterans Oft the broad and pa
triOfic action Of tho general govern
Ment, be it
ssResolved, That the United Confsd-
erata Veterans, in annual reunion as
senshled. recognize in the publication
of d ~c9lnplets roster OF officers and en-
lated man nv Eha national u-0varnmank