Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-12-05
A Pleasing Letter

II will be remembered that on the
18th day of last June there was held
At Forest Hill Cemetery, under the
AUSPICES of Lucius Fairchild Post, Wo-
mans Relief Corps and Henry Harm
den Camp Sons of Veterans, the dedi-
cation of a monument to the Con-
federate soldiers buried there in what
is known as Confederate Rest. An
account of this matter got into the
papers, and they were sent to two
or three officers of the society known
In the south as the United Daughters
of the Confederacy. Also, letters
were written by the post adjutant to
two of these ladies giving an account
Of the dedication. Very kind and ap-
preciative answers we're received to
these letters at the time. The writ
ers thanked most heartily all who had
part In those exercises, whether in
word, deed or spirit. The members
of the Post, Corps and Camp, as a
whole, felt that every deed done in
the true spirit of charity is bless
ing to the world in uniting the hearts
Of men and strengthening the bonds
of fraternity, charity and loyalty;
and they were glad to do what they
did. A few days ago Commander Nc
Kay, of the Post, received the follow
ing letter:
New Orleans, La, Nov. l., 1906.
To the Commander of Lucius Fair
child Post.
G. A. R., Madison, Wis.
My Dear Sir:-In a recen number
of Dixie Land" a magazine pub
lished in Dallas, Texas, read most
interesting account of the unwilling
of q monumen in Forest Hill to the
memory of the Confederate soldiers
buried there in Confederate Rest. /"
and to their friend and country-wo-
man, Mrs. Alice Waterman. In the
name of the Association which rep
resent, let me thank you and your as
ISOLATION for this noble and magma
nimous deed, and assure you that you
have won our everlasting gratitude
A few years ago I had some CORE
spondence with Mr.. Hugh Lewis on
this subject, and. II he still lives,
please convey to him my highest
esteem and most hearty congratula-
tons that his cherished plan has
finally been accomplished. In the
name of the women OF louisiana ]
than you for the beautiful tribute to
that noble woman who asked to be
allowed to rest with her boys"
Let as rejoice that the day has
come when both the North and the
South can honor the men who fought
for principle, and let US pray God, in
his mercy. to spare our great and
prosperous country from the recur-
renee of strife and dissension. Let
US pray to live together in peace in
this reunited country now and for
ever
With sentiments of the highest es-
TEEN, believe me, my dear Sir,
Yours very fraternally,
(Mrs.) Katie Walker Behan,
President of the Southern Memorial
Association.
The sentiments expressed in the
above Letter, especially those in the
last paragraph. are sure to find a
hearty response In the heart of every
Grand Army man. member of the
Relief Corps and Son of a Veteran,
No one wants peace and harmony
more than the old soldier who has
seen for himself the horrors of war.
] suspect, too, th It no one is more de-
sirous than he to have every bit of
the enmity of war days pass away
and become a matter OF unmention-
able history. AS matter of fact,
we hear in our G. A. R. posts and In
the conversations of old soldiers
scarcely a word OF bitterness. |
cannot myself remember when |
have heard one such word. Now
and then there is an old dyspeptic
who does not seem to know that the
war is over, but he does not say
much about 1t; he could not easily
find a sympathetic listener.
But there Is one matter that IN
these days every OLD soldier does
most deeply regret,-the talk in the
south concerning a monument TO
Wirz, of Andersonville fame. | do
AOL SupiO5C tudl tnciS 10 any bhlAAb
else that could SO stir to indignation
the heart of any man who was a
prisoner in Andersonville. Comrade
David G. James, who Is now at An
. Jacksonville attending to the erection
of a monument there to the memory
p of Wisconsin soldiers who died there,
and who was himself a prisoner
there, has said that he does not be-
lieve such thing as a monument to
Wirz will ever be erected; that he
has while in the south talked with
many ex-Confederate soldiers on the
subject, and that they do not favor
such a thing. But the. Confederate
Veteran, a magazine published at
Nashville, Tennessee, In its October
number give much Of its space to
the advocacy of the building of a
monument in memory to this man,
the very mention Of whose name
carries the minds of those who were
so unfortunate as to have been in
Andersonville back to such human
misery as they have never seen or
heard of elsewhere in this fair land
OF ours. 1t is not easy to get these
men to talk about that place of tor
ture. because of the sad thoughts it
brings to them. They seem quite
content to let the memory of the