The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-06-18
EVANS SUCCEEDS
LEE IN COMMAND
GEN. c. A. EVANS, OF GEORGIA,
SUCCEEDS GEN. ;. ID. LEE As
CONfNANDER-IN-
OF VETERANS.
Tremendous Crowd Attended the Re-
union in Birmingham Last Week
veterans Go TO Memphis
Next Year.


the heroes who fought so valiantly
for the stars and bars. the Confeder-
ate reunions are attended by larger
crowds each year, and the number of
visitors who went to Birmingham
last week was probably the largest
that ever attended a Confederate re-
union. This is accounted for by the
fact that the Sons of Veterans hold
their meetings spontaneously with
the meetings of the parent organiza-
ton, and then, too. the low rates Of
fered by +he railroads attract tourists
and sightseers from all parts of the
South
The most important matter to
come before the veterans was the Sc
lection of a commander-in-chief to
succeed the late 1amented Gen Ste
phen D. Lee, and this honor fell to
Gen. Clement A. Evans, of Georgia,
commander of the Army Of the Ten
nessee department Gen. G. Irving
Walner presided over the meeting at
which the election took place, and
Gen. Bennett H. Young nominated
Gen. Evans in an eloquent speech,
while Gen. Withers placed in nomi-
nation Gen. CabeIl, commander of
the Mississippi department.
The ballot resulted in vote of 1892
for Evans and 1,O84 for CsbelI. Gen.
Evans, having received the largest
number of votes, was officially de-
clared elected.
Gen. George w. Gordon, of Mem
phis, was elected to succeed Gen.
Evans as commander of the Army of
the Tennessee department, while
Gen. Cabell, commander of the trans
Mississippi department, and Gen.
Walker, commander of the Army of
Northern Virginia department, We're
both reelected. Gen. William E.
Mickle, of New Orleans, was reap
pointed adjutant general, and Mem
phis was selected as the place for
holding the reunion next year, hav-
ing won out over Atlanta by a vote
OF 1,196 to LILO.
An impressive feature of the re-
union was the memorial service held
in honor of the late Gen. stephen D.
Lee. The service was held at noon
Wednesday, and with the band ac-
companying, the veterans sang
Nearer, My God. to Thee" after
which Chaplain General J. William
Jones offered fervent prayer to the
God of the Confederacy, full of
thanks for blessings and entreaties
live. Gen. w. A. Montgomery, the
orator of the occasion, then delivered
the memorial address, and the
speech which Gen. Lee had prepared
for delivery at the reunion, and
which is published elsewhere in this
paper. was afterwards read. DR.. Jas.
A. Duncan, pastor of the First Metho-
dist Church in Birmingham, made an
impressive talk, and the following
were unanimously adopt
ed:
Be it Resolved, First-That this |
of United Confederate
Veterans do hereby express to the
world and to each other our regard |
for him by rising with bowed and
heads; We feel deeply our
loss, the South has been deprived of
a knightly defender. the whole coun-
try a patriotic citizen, and Mississip-
pi an adopted son of whom she was
justly proud.
Cacond-Wa declare oi1r love for
him as a Christian gentleman and
citizen, whose life and character we
hold out to the generations who are
TO follow us as worthy of emulation.
He was a man without guile, true to
every duty that devolved upon him,
and filling the Psa1mist's description
IF a citizen of Zion: Lord, who shall
abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall
lwell in Thy holy hall? He that
valketh uprightly and worketh
righteousness, and speaketh the /;
ruth in his heart. He that back
oiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth
vii to his neighbor," etc. II
Third-We admired him as soldi-
r worthy of the cause for which he
Ought and bled, and one OF our COM
.ades whose rise to distraction en- J.
tiles him to be honored by the true ]
soldiers of our country for all the i
Tears to come: the embodiment of
.hivalry. as knight1y as any soldier
Who followed the banner of Charlie >