Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-06-01

yelling Of the cavalry charge. Wnen we
look into the United States senate Of
thirty years ago it seems as though the
field officers Of a great Confederate
army had been collected for council
Of war; But, though those southern
statesmen assembled in Washington,
they were not assembled for a council
of war, but for a council Of peace.
Those eX-Confederate soldiers were
planning and contrlvlng for the pros
perlty Of the whole United States and
not for n part. They were working
hand and glove with their northern
colleagues for the success Of our re-
united land. And. though the north,
as a whole, in the early seventies did
not have confidence in the loyalty OF
the new south. the northern statesmen
In Washington who came in touch with
those southern statesmen learned TO
trust the south.
When such true leaders as Charles
Sumner, from Massachusetts, and Luz
cius Lamar, from Mississippi, and hun
ir,ds and thousands Of men like them
could strive as soon as the civil war
was over to weld this broad country
together, is it any wonder that after
awhile the rank and file should rail-
into line and cry, "My cOuntrymen,
know one another and you will love
one anotherY Oh, yes, the return OF
the Confederate flags by the north was
a natural sequence to such a patriotic
love as that. No sooner was the Apo
mattox treaty signed than the true
spirit of the north and the south started
in to obliterate sectional strife.
Lastly, I remark that the north gave
back the Confederate flags because the
two sections of our country, by travel
and intercOmmunication got acquaint-
ed and learned to know each other.
The northerners Travelled south, and
they had taste of southern hospitali-
tv. including the hot breads and the
iohnnycakes, and they liked them. And
the southerners travelled north and
learned that there were chivalry and
warm, loving hearts among the New
England SHOWS as we'll as among the
Georgia flowers. And new genera
ton began to grow up which knew not
Joseph. The college boys Of the north
would persist In falling in love with
the bright eyed maIdens from the
south. The sons of the old southern
brigadler generals would persist in at
taciing the fresiGes Of their fathers
old enemies and carrying away the
northern girls as willing captives In
the old war called love. Cupid's darts
were flying everywhither until at last
the north awOke and said, "Why, those
southern boys are not born with horns
and cloven feet" And the southerners
began saying why, those nOrtherners
do love something besides the dollar
Then the golden cords of affection be
gan to intwine themselves about north
ern heart and southern heart until the
same blood by the cradle was beine
pumped through the arteries Of both
Had the north known the south anC
the south known the north In 1857 al
they do In 1907 there would have beer
no civil war. That war for the mos
part was caused by the ignorance o
the different sections of each other.
The Confederate Flag.
Thus. brave men of the north ant
brave men of the south, in the nam'
Of our reunited country before this ap
preaching Memorial day l salute you
You two classes of veterans have no
only proved to the world that you ar
physical heroes, but greater than this
that you are moral and spiritual he
roes. You have not only proved to tn
great wide world that you have couI
age and backbone enough to fight bu
that YOU also have nobility of sou
enough to forget and forgive past Dill
ferences. In this beautiful land of our
for 364 days out of the year we onl
want one flag. That flag must be tn
stars and stripes. We want it wavin
from every home and every schoo
house and every church and every leg
islative hall. But on the spring Memo
rial day we like to see the folds OF th
old Confederate flag for q little Will
vrapped about the folds of the star
and stripes. which once battled wit
/, It. That Confederate flag Is the en-
blem of many heroic deed of the tru
American heart, as the United state
fag IS also the emblem of many tru
heroic deed.
Oh. the bravery of the past, whe
the great armies of the north and I'll
, south were in mortal conflict! Did n'
- the two armies then respect the bra
= cry and nobility Of each other and bo
I'm reverence to the heroism of the
foes? At the siege of Vicksburg, Ma
;, %. 1868. the commanding general 0
dered the Ninety-ninth regiment OF
linois volunteers to charge n redoul
- occupied by the Second infantry
. | Texas. AS the northern regiment mo
ed forward to the charge the colon
:, gave the command: Boys, don't loo
- back. Keep your faces toward the e
t ,my and charge" On and on went u
r. line. Under the whitening fire OF u
8 enemy the northern regiment Drol
and retreated. But the color bearer
Y that regiment, Thomas Higgins
q name. was feeter footed than the re-
q He carried high the flag in the chari
Y and moved straight on. He dld u
n know that his companions had turh
v back. lie kept his face toward the e
% emy. And there he was, one northe
y soldier. with the old flag flying nj
,r over his head, charging alone a tho
" sand men in gray. Then there rose I
CRY from the Confederate ranks: do
VI VI shoot him! Let the hero live! DO
sbootw And so Thomas Higgins, I
" " color bearer, carrying the old flag
~ ~ the Union, moved on until at last
~ Confederate soldiers opened their ran
and swallowed him up and then st
~ him back again free man.
- ali