The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-07-26

At their annual reunion at Ebe-
nezer church, near Fernbank, Ala.
on July 18th, DR.. G. S. Barksdale
was the speaker for the occasion,
paying the following beautiful trib-
ute to the memory of the old sol
diers:
Confederate Veterans ~ You all
know that / am not an orator and
do not make a habit of speaking on
public occasions; in fact, have been
taught all my life not to talk, as you
know physicians bread depends on
his keeping his mouth closed.
However, when your committee
came to me with an invitation to ad-
dress wou on this occasion, ] knew
that it was a command, and felt that
could not ignore it and escape being
courtmarshaled.
When a man pretends to speak
on any occasion he should be orig
jnal, but you know that it is impos-
sible to do so in speaking to a re-
union of Confederate veterans-the
grandest and bravest men that God
ever made. | can say nothing that
would add luster to your fame; you
have gained all the hOnors that can
be bestowed by the hand Of man by
your heroism and self-sacrifice on
thousand crimson fields of carnage.
THE old Twenty sixth Alabama
Regiment - that immortal few not
born to die-was composed of seven
companies from Fayette and what is
now Lamar county, two from Marion
and one from Tuscaloosa. The brave
deeds, the heroism, the patriotism of
this regiment is known the world
over. The old battle flag, worn and
bullet torn, was presented to the
regiment by the ladies of Williams
burg, Va. Dear old flag, baptized in
the blood of our Southern heroes,
eonsecrated by the prayers and tears
OF our Southern womanhood en-
blazoned with glorious names-WiI-
Iiamsburg, Yorktown, Seven Pines.
Mechanicsvil1e, Gaines Mill, Cold
Harbor, Malvern Hill, Cedar Run,
Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Boons-
boro, Shepherds Town, Fredericks-
burg, Gettysburg, Wilhamsport, Mine
Run, Charlottesville, Atlanta cam
paign, Seven days around Richmond,
South Mountain, Peachtree Greek. |
Franklin, Nashville, FIT. Henry, Ft. |
Donaldson, White Oak Swamp, the
Wilderness, New Hope Church. and
+aT 1F /
ty-nine battles and skirmishes and |
adding six for the seven days battle |
at Richmond. make a grand total of /
thirty-five. I challenge the world to
present the name of regiment with |
a more glorious record.
u cannot speak of all the battles
that you fought, but have selected +
the battle of Gettysburg, not because /
1t is more glorious than others in /
which you were engaged, but because
Picketts charge has immortalized it /
In song and story.
when the Southern army set out /
on the march to the enemy's country,
Gen. Lee issued that famous order
no. 73 which marked the high tide /
Of civilized warfare-''No retaliation,
no robbery, no spoliation, no outrage,
no waste: we make war on armed
men only" the armies maneuvered
for position.
The battle opens. and for two
days 1t RACES without decisive re-
suits. Pickett's men were not en-
gagged during the first two days. On
the morning of the third day, Lee
opened fire on the enemy's works
with one hundred guns. This chal-
lenge was promptly accepted, and the
clouds of smoke that issued from
each hill top looked like the crater
OF a boiling volcano, enyironing the
mountain and valleys with death and
changing the streams into blood. At
one o'clock a cannon shot from the
Washington artillery opened the ar
tiIlery duel that was to last until our
heroes began to ascend the slope that
led to the enemy's works. Pickett's
men were lying behind the crest that
faced Cemetery Ridge. The supreme
had arrived. At 3:15 in the
afternoon Pickett gave the order,