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


| izhtlon and righteousness. He earn
| estly plead that our God shall make
the grave OF every Confederate soldier
on earth hallnwad ground and that
| every surviving veteran may bp spe-
rial "hjerts of Gni's mercy and love.
Chairman London, in calling the
great assembly to order. used a gav-l
made from the limb of n pine tree
which stood on the battlefield of
thirkn'nauga and has embedded in
it II bullet that Was fired in that fight.
1t has been used at many Carolina
Confederate renniOns.
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS.
Maj. H A. London, a prominent
mrrnt~r of the North Carolina Leyis-
lnture and the chairman of the North
Carolina Arpomattox Commission,
made the Introductory remarks and
said in part:
This monument is he first and
O'lv on" thus far erected at so his
tOric Il place, and it is eIninentlv
proper that North Carolina should
have erected here the first monument
''r memorial. Without ,lisparayiny
the bravery OF any other Confederate
Snl'li'rS fOr they were all brave)
North Caroli'a proudly boasts that
she wh~ the .'last ut Appomattox,"
b";,ust of the following four facts:
l. A North Carolinian, Mai. Gen.
Brvnn Grimes. planned the last bat
/" fought here. and rOmIlln,Ird tn .
'liantr, ellyay-d therein. the greater
part of which were North Carolina
troops.
2. \ North Carolina bri-:,lp, com
y, ii ii j.. q -, " K. Cox. rla.Ie
tiis ll~i rhar2r and tired tile last vol
lev ,f ans Or"nniz-d body of Cuni4.l-
crates. immediately precp'iiuy the
surrender.
3 A detachment of North Cnruini,
troops from the Fnruth and Four
tent II Regiment did he last hYhtin"
IF any infantry after he vii hIriwul
OF the main body i infantry.
4. North Carolina troops. Roberts,
brigade of cavalry, captured here the
last rannOns that were captured by
the army OF Northern Virginia.
Ma jor London then paid a fitting
tribute to those Confederate soldiers
who fought the last battles of the
war, saving that they deserve more
credit than those who fought the
earlier battles of the war. During
! the first half of the struggle the South
was confident of success, and until
the last campaign there was yet hope
of success. This hope cheered and
encouraged the brave men, but when
Richmond and Petersburg had fallen
and the thin gray line had reached
Appomattox, all hope had fed. And
yet that feeble remnant of what had
been the grandest army that ever
shook a continent with its tread,
fought as gallantly at Appomattox
as at Manassas.
| GOVERNOR MONTAGUE.
In concluding his remarks, Major
London gracefully presented Gov.
! Montague, who was received with
thunders of applause. The Cover
nor's address of welcome was entirely
impromptu, but was eloquent, grace
! full and inspiring. He spoke of the
cordial relations that had ever existed
between Virginians and North Caro-
linians The two States were never
divided in sentiment and seldom in
interest. Each has ever been helpful
to the other and both have done as
much or more than any other Com
monwealths to help build up our
American civilization.
In the dark days when our country
was divided, the sons of North Caro-
lima focked to Virginia but they came
not as invaders. but her noble troops
came to defend Virginia and Vir-
ginia's idea of American liberty. The
Governor then spoke briefly of the
glorious cause for which the two
States fought and said it was better
to have experienced the trying OF
heroic effort for a great cause and
lost than never to have experienced
it at all. He spoke of the matchless
commander who led Virginians and
Carolinians to battle and especially
dwelt upon his life after the war when
he set about with energy and marked
intelligence to serve his people Us
nobly as he had served them during
the war. He invoked the spirit OF
Lee in civil life no less glorious than
that of his military life that it may
set us anew to the task of making
ours the greatest republic the world
can ever know.
The Governor again referred to the
ties of affection existing between Nir
ginians and North CarOliniaps across
the border lines, between which States
there never had been and never cal
be strife, and in conclusion he most
cordially and affectionately welcomed
the Tar Heels to Virginia soil, espe