The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-01-28

the Old Soldiers and Their Deed
A Well Deserved and Appreciat
ed Tribute.
4 feature of the interesting publ,
exercises held at the academy of mu
sic last Monday afternoon in celebra
ton OF the birthday of General Rob
ert E. Lee, was the eloquent anC
beautiful tribute paid to the merit
of the men who fought in the great
civil war by Junius Davis, Esq, OF
the local bar, himself an ex-confeder-
| ate soldier.
Mr.. Davis had been selected by the
| Daughters of the Confederacy to
make the presentation speech of the
Crosses of Honor to the several vet
erans who had been chosen by that
| organization as worthy of that great
! honor and in so doing he delivered
! the feeling and appreciative tribute
! to the men who wore the Gray, his
| words having aroused the old sol
diers to real enthusiasm.
Mr.. Davis said:
Since the last anniversary of this
day, the birthday of our beloved
Chief, who was the greatest captain
of war that the Anglo-Saxon race
fallen from the ranks. Year by year
our number is slowly but steadily
thinning, and the time is near when
the last Confederate Veteran will
have passed over the river to join
the comrades who have preceded US,
and find eternal rest beneath the
shade of the trees. But when the
last Grand Revielle is sounded in
that mystic and unknown world be-
yond the grave, and we are mustered
before our great Father at the last
roll call, may we not we'll hope, as
against our transgressions in this
world, to bring before him the plea
that we did our duty to our country
in her utmost needs.
War is an institution as deeply fix
ed in the history of nations as peace.
There VIII always be war on this
earth until the coming of the great
millennium, when eternal peace shall
brood over land and sea. And with
every war we shall have armies,
bloodshed,. privatIon, and sufferings,
but as some recOmpense therefor, we
shall have glorious examples of bra
very, and heroic sacrifices to duty
What is there in life, my comrades,
that the English speaking people
prize higher, or that can be higher
or dearer to the hearts of all true wo-
men and men than honor, courage,
and duty? In all the history of the
wars of this world, and of it's cele-
brated captains and soldiers, there
can be nowhere found more frequent
or more brilliant examples of the
highest order of courage, the most
cheerful endurance Of privation and
suffering, and more loyal devotion to
his cause and his duty, than in the
ranks of the Confederate army in
the war between the States. While
we failed to secure the help or coop
Grafton of other nations, yet the va
lOr and achievements of the COnfed-
crate Army enlisted the sympathy
and admiration of the civilized world
The strategy and tactics of our great
leaders, Lee, Jackson, Stuart and
others, have furnished lessons in the
art OF war, which the greatest cap
tains of the present day have not
failed to acknowledge, to practice,
to ADOPT, and to teach.
1t has been said that the great
German soldier, Won Moltke, called
the battle between the states a battle
between mobs. But yet the men who
fight. In each Of the two greatest
battles, Gettysburg and the Wilder
ness, the loss on both sides amount
ed to about fifty thousand men. In
each of these two battles the number
killed was larger than the death roll
of the British army during the whCIe
of the Peninsular War, and inclLd-
ing Waterloo and Quatre Bras. Mobs
do not fight with such desperate cou-
rage.
Recall to your memory, ny COM
rades, the personnel of the men who
composed our army, their ages and
experience. Few of our officers had
any military training whatever, and
a large proportion Of our army were
boys between sixteen and twenty
years Of age. Stuart, one of the
greatest cavalry leaders that ever liv-
ed was only twenty-eight years Of
age when the war began, and the
gallant Pelham, the most brilliant
and dashing of all horse artillery
men was only twenty-three when
Just as the spring came laughing
through the strife.
With all it's gorgeous cheer
In the bright April of historic life
Fell the great cannoneer.
Gentlest and bravest In The battle
blunt.
The champion of truth.
He bore his banner to the very front
OF oIr immortal Vonth
Listen. my comrades, to what one
of the greatest masters of the sci
ence of war wrote of our Great Chief:
speaking of the Federal leaders he
sid: With some of them it was
like the old days upon the Border,
when the English mothers used to
stop their crying children with the
name of the Black Douglas. The
mere mention of Lees name TO Off
GERS of the stamp of Hooker and
Burnside seem to have been enough.
They were paralyzed at once"
Listen again to the words in which
another British soldier speaks of the
army which followed Lee: THE army