The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-11

April 18th. 1875, we were the first
State to declare ourselves free, and
by the close of the year, North Caro-
linians were living under a govern
ment of their own making. Right
nobly did they maintain their declara
ton. We sent troops to the North of
us and troops to the south Of us. In
1777 General Washington, almost for
saken, had retreated to the Delaware
River, with scarce five thousand men.
There General Nash with six full
regiments of North Carolinians, join
ed him, doubled the American forces
and proved Washington's main reli
ance at Brandywine and Germantown.
In this last battle General Nash, Col
onels Buncombe and Irwin, Captain
Turner and other gallant North Caro-
linians were slain.
Colonel Campbell, of Virginia, COM
manded at Kings Mountain, and with
Colonels Shelby, Cleveland and Sewer
and our other mountain heroes, gain
ed a victory which was the turning
point of the Revolutionary War.
The Carolinians fought with General
Dan Morgan and Colonel William
Washington, of the Old Dominion,
against Tarleton at Cowpens: and at
Eutaw Springs, the Virginians in the
hardest fought battle of the war, sup
ported General Jethro Sumner, of
North Carolina, in the famous bayonet
charge which saved the Americans
from defeat
Again, at Guilford Court House, 1t
was the united valor of Virginians and
Carolinians that made necessary the
surrender fof CORVALLIS at Yorktown.
In the war of 1912 when, the Vir
ginia peninsula was in danger, we hur-
ried Major General Thomas Brown, OF
Baden, the hero of Elizabethtown, to
your defence at Norfolk. His division
was composed of the brigades of Gen
eral Thomas Davis, Of Fayetteville, |
and General James F. Dickinson, OF
Murfreesboro.
In the establishment of the Ameri- |
can Government, North Carolina for
two generations followed the lead of
your great apostle of free government, |
Thomas Jefferson, and supported him
and his doctrines as Loyalty as did his
own people of Virginia, against the
Entertainments of Federal power and
Hamiltonian measures.
Reviewing the history of our Re-
public in peace as we'll as in war, it
will be found that Virginia and North
Carolina have always acted In unison,
AS one people Virginia's fame is
our common heritage and Carolina's
glory shares its lustre with you.
In the War for Southern Independ-
ence, when the clouds of strife and
death were lowering over your de-
voted land the Carolina soldier again
came to Vfrginia-came to this PEN
insuIa,- caYY1e to Bethel; Bethel, sacred
name, WHOSE ancient meaning was
"HouSe of Coda fitting place to lay |
our first sacrifice upon the altar OF |
the Confederacy and consecrate our
selves to sacred cause. In my child |
hood | heard 1t at my mothers knee
heard 1t from a soldier father who
loved the cause with religious devo- |
ton.
Forty-four years ago today was
fought the first battle of the great war
which was to drench our land i'm
blood, slay the flower of our man
hood-desolate our homes-w widow our |
nomenclature our children and de-
stroy the mighty fabric of State Sow |
ereignty.
When the wires flashed the shock !
of battle to the world half million !
Southrons sprang to arms. The man
sions on the great plantations gave UP
their petted cavaliers, scions OF a |
knightly race who knew no fear; the |
farmer and the laborer gave their |
only sons. They came from the
mountains and from the sea; the +!
coastal plain sent its rugged farmer
boy and the Appalachians furnished !.
of battle they knew no class distinc-
tion-valor was their code and the |
bravest were the greatest-Patriotism
was their religion and 1t seemed they /
believed with Eastern fanatioism, that
falling face to the foe. meant transla- |
ton to the Elysian Shore. In the |
march of death they went forth as
school boys to May festival. No
FURNISHED helmets encircled their
u nod
their breasts. They were not arrayed |
i'm all the rich panoply of war-but
on their cheeks there shone jewels
richer than the Kohlnoor's ray-'twas I
the Carolina woman's tear and for her
and their native land they went forth |
to battle and to die.
You have just heard graphic story !
of the Battle of Bethel by more elo-
quent tongue and from the lips of !
gallant soldier who participated in the
fight and helped to make history on
that glorious day
We came to Bethel 500 strong-the I,
flower OF Carolina chivalry Eager |
for battle and hungry for glory were
the heroes we sent you. Heroes bear !
ing Industrious names in their ma
tive land-names to which added hon.
ors came Commanding the regiment |
was Colonel Daniel Harvey Hill, the
taught the art of war in the National
Military Academy He had also been
taught there the admitted right Of a
State to secede.
At West Point he was leader in the
class composed of such distinguished !.
Generals as Longstreet, A. P. Stewart, |
G.. w. Smith, r. II. Anderson and Van
Dorm, OF the Confederate army and !
Rosecrans. Pope. Skies. Doubleday. |
Stone and Reynolds. of the Federal /
army. He found fame in the war
with Mexico and was one of the six
officers twice brevetted for meritori- |
Gus service upon the field Of battle |
and was awarded by his native State
a sword of honor for his valor. He |
was in command of the North Carolina |
camp of instruction and when it APP |
peared that a battle was imminent. he |
was allowed to form the First North |
Carolina Volunteer Regiment. With |
ten thousand men to select from he |
chose a regiment whose personnel has
not been surpassed in military histo-
ry. The officers of the various COM |
panies were men of prominence in the |
State and the rank and file were men |
of character. worth and social posi- |
tfOn-Iaa ders in III Dir regnnptiyp poro- |