The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-24
THE ORIGIN OF MEMORIAL DAY
BY MRS. GEO. w. LAMAR.

The beautiful and appropriate custom
Of setting apart one day annually for
the decoration of the graves of the
heroes of the Lost Cause" originated
in Columbus. Ga, in 1866 The woman
10 whom we owe this lovely inspiration
was Mrs. Mary Ann Howard Williams.
Mrs. Williams was the daughter OF
Maj. John H. Howard of Columbus and
wife of Mai. C. ]. Williams, who serv-
ed in the Mexican War as major of
the First Georgia Regiment, command
ed by Col. Henry r. Jackson. Col.
Williams commanded the First Geor-
gia regulars in the war between the
states, and died in the service.
After her husbands death, Mrs. Will
liams devoted her life to the care of
Confederate soldiers, and it was,
through her anxious thought for their
welfare and comfort, that she conceiv-
ed and put into active operation from
Virginia to Georgia the benehcent sys-
tenn of ''wayside homes" where any
Confederate soldier could receive at
any time rest and refreshment and
also medical attention, if i'll or wound
ed. These "wayside homes" were the
means of inestimable good all during
the war. One of Mrs. Williams an
nual customs was the decoration Of
her husbands grave on the anniversary
OF his death, and on one occasion her
little daughter, Florence, accompanied
her to assist in the loving duty. Miss
ing the little girl, after they had been
thus occupied for a short while, she
| also missed a large proportion of the
| flowers, and on her return her mother
said:
Why. Florence, you have taken
nearly all of my flowers"
"Oh, mamma" she said; they were
soldiers. too"
The little girl had scattered her
flowers, as far as they would go, on
the graves of other soldiers, buried
nearby.
This incident first brought to Mrs.
Williams mind the idea of devoting
one day annually to decorating, in
loving memory, the graves of the men
who wore the grey The following
is the able letter written by her to
the Columbus Times. suggesting the
| idea. that was accepted, and has been
III operation ever since. and that the
Daughters of the Confederacy, the Con-
federate veterans and all true South
erners, hope will continue, through the
years to come, in the spirit in which
it was intended, a day made sacred
as the Souths tribute to the men who
gave their lives for their country and
not as a day for holiday sports:
Columbus, Ga, March u, 1S66.-CO-
lumbus Times. Messrs. Editors: The
ladies' are now. and have been COR
several days, engaged in the sad, but
pleasant duty of ornamenting and i'm
proving that portion of the city ceme-
terry sacred to the memory of our
gallant Confederate Dead; but we feel
it is an unfinished work unless a
day be set apart annually, for its
especial attention. We cannot raise
monumental shafts, and inscribe there
on their many deeds of heroism, but we
can keep alive, the memory of the debt
we owe them, by dedicating at least
one day in each year to embellish their
humble graves with flowers
Therefore, we beg the assistance of
the press, and the ladies throughout
the South, to aid US in the effort to
set apart a certain day to be observed,
from the Potomac to the Rio Grande,
, and be handed down through time as
religious custom of the South, to
wreath the graves of our martyred
dead, with flowers, and we propose
the 26th day of April as the day.
Let every city, town, and village
| join in the pleasant duty, let all alike