The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-04-20

enough for both Virginia and North
Carolina Tracing he history OF the
two States, he showed how their
glory and their deeds were similar.
Coming down to the events of 81
65, he said North Carolina troops
were the first to reach Virginia soil
and the battle of Bethel was fought
by Virginians and Carolinians side
by side, and shoulder to shoulder,
and in the providence of God the
first blood of IL Confederate soldier
to sanrtify Virginia soil was shed b.:
Henry l.. Wyatt. of the first North
Carolina Regiment. He quoted from
Virginia papers OF that date to show
that there was no question as to this
fact. The speaker then went into a
most thrilling story of the battle Of
Gettysburg, and said the last charge
on the third day was made by Vir-
ginians and Carolinians. They were
ordered to charge and takeif possible
the rock fence on the ridge. The Car
olinians happened to be on the left
and Virginians on the right. The
rock fence was not straight but
curved, and it SO happened that the
part in front of the Carolinians was
further from the starting point than
was the part in front of Virginians.
The troops of both States did what
they were told to do-they went to
the wall-neither could do more. 1t
just SO happened that North Caro-
lina's part of the fence was further
towards the enemy than was Vir-
ginia's.
THE INSCRIPTION.
Governor Glenn's explanation of
the Appomattox inscription was sim
liar to that of Major LondOn's. Cen
erals Grimes and Cox, acting under
General Lees orders, were with North
Carolnutroops protecting the retreat
and trying to clear the road toward
Lynchburg. AS they were successful
they refused to believe that the order
to withdraw had come from Lee
until it was thrice repeated and kept
fighting. Thus it happened that they
were the last to quit firing and the
last troops to surrender.
Referring to another inscription he
, quoted from official statistics to show
that in the war the whole South had
! killed ,524 men. and North Caro-
| linas loss in killed WAS 1868. Said
he, The dust of most of them lie in
Virginia soil Surely noble Virginians
will not object to our honoring their
memory and will not object to our
inscribing upon their tomb what the
history records as facts" He said
there were some Virginia soldiers
buried in North Carolina soil, and
turning to Gov. Montague, Governor
Glenn said: "Whenever YOU wish to
place a monument over their dust, we
will welcome you with wide open
arms; you may write anything you
please in the stone to their honor and
glory and all the power of North Car
olina will be exerted to protect and
defend it," Amidst the shouts of the
multitude the two Governors cordial
ly shook hands on that proposition
At the conclusion of Governor
Glenn's speech. and when the cheer
ing he'd ceased the great throng, led
by the band, sang The Old North
! State
MEMORIAL ODE.
Professor Henry Jerome Stockard
OF Raleigh, read the following memcr
ial ode. his own composition, entitled
1.-The Last Charge at Appomattox.' y
Scared on a hundred fields before,
Naked and starved and travel sore.
; Each man a tiger. hunted,
They stood at bay as brave as Huns,
{ Last OF all the old South's splendid sons,
Flanked by ten thousand shotted guns,
And by ten thousand fronted.
Scorched by cannon molten breath.
They d climbed the trembling W walls of death
And set their standard tattered
Had charged at the bugle's stirring blare,
Through bolted gloom and goddess glare,
, From the deads REDEEMED gulchers, where
The searching Shrapnel shattered.
They formed that Carolina band
With Grimes, the Spartan, in command,
And. at the word of Gordon,
Through splintered fire and sitting smoke
They struck with ightnings seathing strok
Those doomed and desperate men-and brok'
Across that iron Gordon.
They turned in sullen. slow retreat