The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-22
JAMES G. NELSON,
The Cash Grocer,
Phones 527.
Branch'S Old Stand.

fantry," said Col. Estill, amid APP
plause and laughter.
Continuing, Col Estll said
Fellow Soldiers of the Oglethorpe
Light Infantry: In comparison with
! other famous battles between the
! Southern and Northern armies the one
| we commemora te to-day was a mere
skirmish, but had the enemy triumphed
| at Manassas. it is doubtful if there
! would have been any greater battle in
! the War of Secession. There was no
/ other organized force to stay the
/ Northern armys march, according to
! its programme "On to Richmond" and
! the new nation, the Confederate States
of America, might have expired in it's
! swaddling clothes.
THE victory at Manassas and the
| utter rout of McDowell's army, so par
| alyzed the Lincoln government that it
was over half year before it recovered
| sufficiently to send another army into
| Virginia. This second army out num-
| bered the Confederate army that OPP
| posed it by four to one. 1t numbered
| 222 900 men and it took four months for
| ii to reach the confines of Richmond,
and it was only saved from capture by
| the assistance given il by the Union
| gunboats.
The victory at Manassas had given
to prepare for a vigorous defence of its
capital. and also enabled it to concen-
trate in the central government, the
power and resources which the rapid
development of the war spirit in the
North showed would be necessary to
the defense of the South.
Marching from Washington.
"McDowells army left Washington
week before the battle with coIors fly
ing and bands playing. 1t was SEEM
ingly military picnic on large
scale. Civilians followed the armed
! pageant, in vehicles and on horseback
to witness the capture of Beauregard
| and his army, and to take part in
the triumphal return of the Union
army to the national capital
But 1t was not to be as our late
| fellow citizens wished it, The. great
constitutional questions which had dis
| turbed the republic for three genera
| lions were destined to be fought out
to finish, and settled forever
I'm this great event, this preface to
the history
of liberty born of patriots dream
Of storm cradle nation that fell,
the Oglethorpe Light Infantry of Sa-
vannah was a participant in the hon
ors and also the sorrows of the day
"A very brief resume of the Incl
dents that preceded the battle of Ma
nassas i'm which your corps took part
may not be out of place. Passing
over the organization of the Eighth
! Regiment of Georgia, Volunteers. at
Richmond. in which your corps was
| to be ever after known as Company
| b, and whose commander. Col. r. S.
Barlow, was its first war captain.
II will begin its history in this cam
| paign at Harper's Ferry, where the
irseer fy
| Heights. When Johnson and others in
| authority decided that II was impos-
| sible TO hold Harper's Ferry without
an immense, army, and the machinery
and other material of the United
| States armory having been moved to
! Richmond. the Confederates fell back
| to Bunker HILL where they offered
battle to Gen. Patterson's Union
army.
Retreat to MartinsburE.
THAT general however. retreated to
! Martinsburg, and the Confederates
continued their march to Winchester,
The little army had hardly settled it.
self i'm camp when, leaving everything
behind, except what could be carried
by the men, ii started on the march
again. After leaving Winchester some
! miles behind, the report came down
the line that the destination of the
army was Manassas, where Beaure-
CARDS army had already had a fight
with the advancing Union army.
AT Front Royal Johnstons army
was transported by railroad as rapidly
as possible, and the Eighth Georgia
| Regiment i'm due time. was placed in
box and coal cars and hurried to Ma
nassas junction. 1t biVouacked on the
the railroad depot.
AT daylight Sunday morning the
long roll beat. and as we fell sleepily
into line, we heard the distant boom
ing of cannon, and we marched to the
sounds of the guns. Il was a long
march over hin and dale. through
woodland and planted fields, until we
arrived at what would now be called
the firing line. Every Oglethorpe
knows the story of the 21st of July
1861. and it is therefore not necessary
TO repeat il i'm this presence.
Scared Infant Republic.
THE battle of Manassas saved the
life Of the infant Republic. a nation
founded upon the constitutional prin-
Ciples for which our forefathers fought
Questions Of government however,
shaping and reshaping themselves as
conditions changed, eventually be-
came sectional. and a series Of ex-
citing disturbances among the arm
ed contest between the Pro Slavery
men and the Free Sellers in Kansas
and the invasion of Virginia by John
Brown and his band Of fellow fanat-
les. followed by the election of Lin
coin to the Presidency. the result OF
a division in the Democratic party
produced the climax The secession OF
the Southern States followed and war
was the result.
The battle Of Manassas was the
meeting Of the armed forces of the
| Unionists and Secessionists. each
enthused with the righteousness OF
their creeds. II was a Battle in which
the militia Of the North reinforced by
the regular army of the United States.
/ and the militia and volunteer oraani-
cations of the South. we're pitted
against each other Numbers and
1 organization were with the first. but
| earnestness born OF deep conscien-
tiousness Of the business OF their cause.
and better commanders were with the
/ latter.
The Northern army was feastine on
! the Fat Of the land while the Con-
4 federateB had already learned that a.