The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-06-29
VETERANS HEAR ADDRESS
BY S. T. BlEDSoE AND w. T. SIM.
MONS ON THE WAR YESTER-
DAY AFTERNOON.

John H. Morgan Camp United Con
federate Veterans held its weekly
meeting yesterday in the Christian
church. The speech of the afternoon
was made by S. T. Bledsoe. The
speaker said he occupied peculiar
situation with reference to the civil
war for the reason that his fathers
family were in the federal service,
and his mothers family were In the
ground gave him an opportunity Of
taking an unbiased view of the war
and his own reason taught him to
sympathjze with the Southern soldier
tn the sixties and he still feels that
close sympathy with the men who
wore the gray. He said he could not
pay a greater tribute TO his father
than to say that while he himself
fought on the federal side he reared
a boy who was sympathizer Of the
opposite side. lie said the southern
cause was often referred to as Lost
Cause" Such an expression In his
opinion is wrong for the reason that
the cause OF the south was not lost.
He grew eloquent when he said had
it not been for the civil war there
would have been no Lee, no
Jackson, no Jen Davis, as We know
them today; mere would have been
no memories OF the gallant men and
devoted women, there would have
been nothins to inspire southern song,
southern music, southern stories and
southern legends and there would
have been nothing TO inspire Father
Bryan to sing so sweetly OF the south
land.
And had It not been for the civil
war there would have been no Dixie
to stir the hearts and arouse the pa
triotism of the people. He said he had
seen audiences that seemed deaf to
the finest music, their lethargy allow
ed the sweetest strains 20 pass un.
noticed until Dixie was touched when
every heart was thrilled and every
eve was ready to shed a tear. Dixie
not only stirs people south OF Mason
and Dixon, but all through the north
and in Canada.
The speaker said the fiji st real test
of loyalty to Ie union given the peo-
pie since the civil war was furnished
by the Spahsh-American war and he
congratulate the south upon its ac-
tive part ti-ken in this struggle. He
was in Washington when Fitznugh
Lee returned from Cuba and told of
the stirring scenes enacted there. lie
also reviewed the part taken in the
Spanish war by that idol of the
south, that gallant soldier, Joe Wheel
er. lie Id the Confederate soldier
had done a great work and had left
tender memories, a record for gal
lantry and a glorious country to their
pos;ority.
NJ. T. Simmons who bears many
scars of the war told something of
real warfare. He went into the army
in 1861 at the age OF seventeen. In
May 1862 was ordered to Virginia He
took part in many of the bloodiest
conflicts of the war and saw as hard
service as any solder in the field.
| The Seven Pines, Gaines Mil, White
Oak Swamps, Fredericksburg, Peters
! burg and Richmond, Gordonville, Bat
| tie of the Wilderness and Missionary
| Ridge were some OF the battles in
/ which he took part He was in the
/ siege around Petersburg and was or
uercd to Richmond twenty-four hours
! before the explosion Of the mine that
killed almost every soldier that took
the place of his company The com
pany that was destroyed was made
up OF his neghbor boys, lie was
wounded at Lookout Mountain and
stayed in hospital in Georgia and
reioined his command in Tennessee
He told of trottIng six miles to take
part I'm the battle Of the Wilderness
and of breaking the ice and wadin2
the .'otomac river. He said he was
wounded, but was never arrested
never captured. never surrendered
and never took the amnesty oath
His speech was intensely interesting
Misses Norman and Hannah con
tributed TO the entertainment of the
veterans and their friends with read
ngs and songs.
District Court Term,