The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-02
'AhI[LOQUENT TRIBUTE J | /
TO GENERAL r. [. LEE

Address Delivered in Wilmington
on the Last Anniversary OF
Lees Birthday.
The following address was delivered
before the Confederate camp of WIZ
mington on January ~ by MI. annus
Davis. OF that city, son OF Attorney
i General George Davis, III Freslue'i
Jayis's Cabinet:
Since the last anniversary of this
y]ay. the birthday of our beloved chief
who was the greatest captain OF wal
that the Anglo-Saxon race has eyer
produced, many OF lis have fallen from
+ the ranks. Year by year our number
is slowly but steadily thinning. and the
i time is near when tho last Confederate
veteran will have passed over the river
tn join the comrades who had preceded
him. and find eternal rest beneath the
shade of the trees. But when tho last
grand reveiIle Is sounded in that nys-
tic and unknown world beyond tho
grave, and we are mustered before our
great Father ut the last roll call. may
we not we'll hope, as against our trans
gressions in this world, to brinR before
him the plea that VIC did our duty to
our country in her utmost needs.
War is an institution as deeply fix
cd In the history of nations as peace.
There will always he war on this earth
until the coming OF the great inillon-
mum. when eternal peace shall brood
over land and sea. And with every war
we shall have armies, bloodshcd. prt-
vations and sufferings, but as some re-
ccmpense therefor we shall also have
glorious examples of bravery and he
roic 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 tho hearts
of all true women and men, than honor,
courage and duty? In all the history
of the wars of this world. and of Its
celebrated captains and soldiers. there
can nowhere be found more frequent
or more brilliant examples of the high
est 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 cooperation OF other ma
tions. yet the valor and ACHIEVEMENTS Of
the Confederate army enlisted the sym
patty 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 tho greatest captains
of the present day have not failed to
acknowledge, to practice, TO adopt, and
TO teach.
Won Nloitkc's Estimate.
1t has been said that the great Ger
man soldier. Won Moltke, called the War
Between the States n battle between
mobs. But yet the men who composed
these mobs knew how TO fight. In each
of the two greatest battles, Gettysburg
and the Wilderness, the loss on both
sides amounted to about $4,000 men.
in each of these two battles the number
killed was larger than the death roll
of the British army during the whole
of the Peninsular War. and including
: Waterloo and Quatre Bras. Mobs do
not fight with such desperate courage.
Recall TO your memory. my comrades
the personnel of the mon who COM
posed our army. their ages and ex-
perience. Few of our officers had any
military training whatever, and large
proportion of our army We're boys be.
tween sixteen and twenty years of age
Stuart. one OF the greatest of cayalr,
leaders that ever lived was onl,
twenty-eight years of age when tn,
war began. and the gallant Pelham
the most brilliant and dashing of al
acknowledgement was only twenty
three when
Just as the spring came laughing
through the strife.
With all its gorgeous cheer,
In the bright April of historic life
Fell the great cannoneer.
brunt.
The champion of truth,
s He bore his banner to the very front
OF our immortal YOUTH
Listen. my comrades. to what one o
the greatest masters of the science O.
war wrote of our great chief Speak
Ing of the Federal leaders, he said
with some of them it was like the oil,
E days upon the border, when tho Eng
l1sh mothers used 10 stop their cryin;
children with the name of the Blacl
Douglas. Thsl fneres, mention of Lee
name to officers Of Che stamp of Hook
aer and Burnside seem to have bee,
enough. They were paralyzed at once.
54 Listen again to the words in which
another British soldier speaks OF tn
army which followed Lee; The arm,
which followed him was worthy of It
chief and ranks In value With tina
which NAPOLEON lead to Jera, or wit
the matcnless crews which manned tn
British battleships at Trafalgar. as on
OF the most perfect military forces +
history
We. who are soldiers. Well know tn
FIERY furnace through which we pass
ed We need no praise from our ow
people But It's grateful aud pleasin
to hear and know what the soldiers q
other nations say OF us ana our deed
And therefore ! quote YOU tho viyi
picture of the Confederate soldier n
drawn by that great master OF III
science of war. Lieut.. Col. Henderson
81 of the British headquarter staff: ira,
ned by the hot Virginia sun. thin VI,
aged and bright eyed gaunt of fran
and spare Of flesh. they wore neith
more nor less than tho rank and Fl
OF the Confederate army the proau
of discipline and hard service, mould
after the same pattern, with the san
hopes and fears. the same needs, Il
came sympathies -. Pipe In mou
he could pass in review the strate,
and tactics of both armies. the capa
tty of his generals and the bearin
OF his enemies, and on each one OF the