The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-05-18
aEmORIAL DAY.
I The Annual Tribute to the Revered
Memory os the Heroes of the Lest
Cause.

G3GSGs
The following is the address deliver
cred by Lev. n. j. Mikell:
stand not here today, as so often
stand. dropping into the open grave
sha symbol of mortality with tne
stately music OF the burial OF the oeao
upon my lips, Earth TO earth, Asnes
80 ashes, dust to drss;;" but ssano
in the presence of an immortal COM
parry TO add q feeble strain to the
chorus of undying praise which greets
them, to say Fame TO fame, honor
to honor. glory TO glory.
Ne speak Of the g Confederate dead!,.
these man are not dead. In this
month Of May Stonewa1 Jackson,
wounded upon the field of Chancel-
lorsyille, lay surrounded by his brok-
ell.hesrfed soldiers, and as his noble
shirt took it's fight he gave MS last
command, Let as cross over the
Riyer and rest under the shade OF the
trees. y
If Is that command of their daunt-
less and undying leader which all
these Confederate soldiers whom We
remember on each 10Th Of May have
obeyed. They have not died, they
have followed StonewaH Jackson over
tha river. and are encamped under
fhe shade of the laurel trees IN eter-
nal psacs and everything glory. These
moral soldiers have put on lmmor,
tality IN this world and IN the Worlo
to come.
For where is the man, be he ever SO
ignorant who has not heard OF Gne
stainless heroism, the self-sacrlhclng
devotion, the daring bravery OF the
Confederate soldier Where IS the
country whose inhospisable shores
have not rung with the sound OF their
.nrafse? Where is the language, how
ever strange it's characters and harsn
It's accents, IN which their deeds nave
not found expressions
TIE annals of the world have been
CHALLENGED again and again to pro-
duce sheir equal, and the challenge
has meyer been answered. No, not
~ sha Ten Thousand Immortals OF
Greece. she Macedonian Phalanx, the
Roman Legion, the English at Water
loo. or the Old Guard of Napoleon.
as the Enoor at night sheds path
of glory oyer the waves OF the sea, SO
The light reflected from the flashing
arms Of the Confedsracy sheos gleam
( OF glory over the deeds and records OF
the world.
How gallantly and hopefully the
non of the South took up arms In the
defence of the New Nation which
thew had called into being! Our South
Carolina poet has voiced in verses the
feelings with which they saw the flag
s Of the Confederacy unfurled to the
Southern breeze.
I Hath not the morning dawned with
added light;
And shall not evening call another
star
Oatof the Infinite regions of the night,
To marx this day in Heaven? At
last, We are
a nation among nations, and the
WorId
ghaIIssoon behold in many distant
pors another flag unfurled. I"
The hopes and dreams of their
Statesmen were that they had founded
an Empire whose history would be
as cloudless as their Southern skies,
whose record as fair and shining as
their Southern seas.
The Confederacy was TO be among
nations Of the world as giorlous as
the stars which form the Southern
Cross we're among the consultations
of the Heavens; the influence OF it's
govern uient and institutions was
TO be 70 the institutions Of the world
what tae Gulf stream was to its geo.
graphy; carrying to their cold, un-
tempered oceans strange tropic warmth
and hints Of summer seas.
Men OF Southern temperament have
been not only dreamers, but Of cease
less and untiriug activity in the reail-
zstsop Of their dreams and visions.
So when these men knew that tn elr
visions of fair empire could not be
of peaceful realization, their quick
spirit sprang to arms to compel its
coming. IF need be, the onjurer's
wand at whose waving the vision OF
the Confederacy would rise, from the
vasty deep would be sword. Peace
fully, if possible, with ploughsha,es
and pruning hook they would build
M a nation from their fertile fields,
bat If not peacefully then they WoCto
beat their plough->hares into swords
and their prcning hoohs into spears and
their church bells Ito caunon balls,
and with unexan.s lea daring and en-
durance safer aud oIe for the fulfilling
of their. hlgn purpose. Ano SO tney
suffered and endured and oied.
rom every Southern home father
and son took up their arms ana
marched to the fighting line, and IN
those four years hgntlug those men OF
she South gave TO the history OF the
world a hitherto unoreamed OF record
of bravery In paGtie, endurance IN the
march, patience III prlva:ions. vac
sorry against feartul odos ano skill IN
leadership.
what one nation in one war caii
show an equal numoer of generals
wno as once gained tue 'hrsJ rank
among the military leaders of tne
uorld: Rooert Z. Lee, Stonewall
jackson, Albert Sidney .johnsoE, Jo-
ssph Z. Johnstone, Kirby Smith,
Polk. stuart, Forrest, s1,li. Wheeler,