Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1906-11-28
gen. BUTLER'S SPEECH II

AT the unveiling of the Wade Ham
Spton statue at Columbia; S: c.,
General Butler said i'll part:
ssThe story Of Wade Hampton's s
life goes back to the founders Of the
State. Those glorious men who had
taken issues with the mother coun-
try. had bepueathed the divine right
to rule to every citizen Of this coun-
try. Among those men, battling for
their couhtry's rights was found a
Hampton. General Wade Hampton,
in whose honor this statue is erected,
was one Of those who opposed seper-
ate secession Of State, but when the
long debate was adjoined to the bat
Istlefeld he saw his duty to his State
aid did it. He had no doubt in his
mind as to where his first allegiance
was due.
"It has been the speakers purpose
to review General Hampton's militia
ry record, and to that end he has
written to tile War Department, re-,
questing to be furnished with such IN.
formation as the government possess
ed OH the military services of Gener-
al Hampton.
He had found on Investigation and
reflection that it would require vol
tune to do justice to such q career
as Rampton's. The battles mentioned
on the base of the monument wera
but few of the fights lie was en-
gagged in. Want Of space forbade
mention Of more, but as he thought
of old days, what an array Of bat.
ties rose up before him.
He had often been asked if Ham,
ton were tactician, and in the mar
row sense Of that word, he would
answer, "No." He seriously doubted
if Hampton ever read book on tac-
tics in his life. He was first a cit:
izen, not soldier. But in the broad
er sense, General Hampton was a
grand taetician. He knew how to
seize the advantage points in field
of battle far better than most COM
manders, and the enemy was always
guessing where he would strike next.
He kept them mystefed.
He said Hampton stalked the enc
my like he was hunting big game. As
an instance in point, lie cited Trevil-
lian $ station, where Hampton had de-
feated the enemy with odds of three
to one against him, and had thereby
checked Que of Grants grand move
ments.
"It was due to General Hampton,
after General j. E. B. Stuart's death
in April, 1864, that he received the
appointment Of Lieutenant General,
but for some reason the appointment
was temporarily withheld and he did
not receive it until the following
year..
General Butler here traced IN de-
tail some Of the stirring incidents Of
the war, citing instances Of conspic
suous gallantry, and mentioned Maj.
Tbeo. G. Baker, as having been left
for dead, when he was here on the
stand, fort y7odd: years .af forwards Al.
- ssI regard to tile burning of CO.
:slumbia, lie gave a graphic account,
never before made. He said that he
5(Butler) was ordered to remain in
charge Of the evacuation and see that
no act Of offense was committee. He
remained i'll the city three hours af-
ter General Hampton had quilted it
and personally saw that no fire had
been started and when he left, just
ahead Of Sherman's advance guard
there was no fire in the city.
1t was perfectly clear that the fire
begun after all Confederate troops
had left the city for many hours.
General Butler gave a graphic ac-
count also of the nomination Of
Hampton in 1876 and cited the speech
he made. He also called attention to
Hampton's message and letters as
containing wise deliverances, in clas-
sic phrase.
He predicted that Hampton would
go down the centuries with increasing
fame and that no brighter example
could be chosen by the youth of the
State. His peroration was pathetic
and impressive.
At the conclusion of the address
the students Of Winthrop, the Coluln-
bia Female College and the College
for Women and the school children
from this and other cities sang the
"Bonnie Blue Flag" and other pa
triotic airs while the Daughters of
the Confederacy banked the monu-
ment with garlands and wreaths.
Hampton in History.
Significant is the fact that just 80
years ago all eyes were turned to
Hampton. At every railway station
anxious crowds were assembled to
catch any news that might be afoat.
Hourly messages came and went from
one end of the State to the other.
Here in Columbia angry crowds surg
ed to and fro. No man knew what
an hour might bring forth. The one
supreme figure, calm and unruffied,
that kept his head through all the
storm, was Wade Hampton. On his
broad shoulders rested the fate of
people.
The people trusted not in vain. He
rose to the occasion saw that con-
fict with the Federal authorities must
be avoided at all hazards, met the ex-
cited crowd of his fellow-countrymen
at Democratic headquarters and told
them to go home-that was all.
ct have been elected Governor of
South Carolina and By the eternal God
shall be Governor, III else there shall
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