The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-05-20

n1oltuhenI 10 the Ih1rd Division, of
the Ninth ARMY Corps Of the Federal
army, here today. Maj. Isaac Brown
en- Brown eulogized the men Of both
the blue and the gray, and expressed
the nope that the government of the
united States, and all the states of
I the American union may, in a fra.
ternal and loyal spirit, unite in the
building OF q joint monument to the
Coniederate and Union soldiers,
which shall be commensurate with
the great sacrifices and the unsur-
passed bravery which characterized
the American soldiers in the great
siege Of Petersburg" =.
A Familiar Phrase. =.
Here, Near Petersburg famiI-
lar phrase, of old war days" said
Major Brown, upon the sacred soil
or Old Virginia, made forever halloW-
ed In the unprecedented clash of
arms and the shedding OF American
blood, do two great commonwealth
extend fraternal greetings. Look
ing backward; not in bitterness. not
IN resentment, but in pathos and
veneration7--i4 tears for the sacrific-
es Of their chiyalric sons, and in ven
Grafton and pride for their limitless'
valor. Yes, reverently do we obey
the command look backward when
1t Is given In the name Of American
blood and American bravery, but in
all these ours thoughts are of the flu
ture; our enterprises, our energies,
our ambitions, our fondest hopes are
In the promising future wherein we
| look for the advancement, the up-
lifting and the greater instrument
| tally for good-of this reunited Am
| erican republEc0
Iathos in the Pines.
There was pathos," said Major
Brown, "in the signing OF the pines,
grown to great dimensions on the
time-worn Qualifications, for elo-
quently and sweetly do they sound
requiem for those whose blood
crimsoned the soil on which thew
grew. Ile feathered tribes futter
through their branches, carol their
songs, build their nests, and rear
their young, as joyfully as though
peace had here dwelt in these habi-
tat1ons, unmolested, for a thousand
years. Thus does nature, sublimely
and sweetly, In her rythm OF music
and In her processes, furnish an ex-
ample Of Peace on earth, good will
toward men, worthy Of our emula-
ton, and in this almost divine spirit
are here met, in their old age, these
survivors Of the great Confederate
and Union armies and in this meet
ing bless our country and our Dos
cer1ty In concentrating the valor
of the American soldier. Pen never
could portray, songs of poets or elo-
quence Of sageS describe, the cam
paigns between the Army of the Po-
tomac and Lees Army Of Northern
Virginia in the struggle for suprem-
acy around the be1eagured city OIL
Petersburg. !
:. 1t was fierce, prolonged un-
precedented, most sanguinary siege,
in which the vaIor Of men was put to
its most crucial tesla struggle COW
ertng then seemingly endless months
"a death grappIe-a test for su-
premacy wherein human lives seem
ed but atoms of dust and scarcely
considered In the plans of cam
paigns."
Into such a stage, In the fall Of
1854" said Major Brown, "appear-
ed the banners OF six Pehnsylvanial
regiments, whose survivors were nowl
gathered around the monument err
ccted by their commonwealth. Be-
coming the Third Division of the
Ninth Corps, those regiments were
reserved and were sent RAPIDLY from
place to place, as necessity required. !
and thus rendered service in nearly
all the territory embraced within the |
great siege.
ut pierced the darkness Of Sted- |
mans carnage, to meet, to check and |
to repulse the last grand oxensive !!
movement Of Lees Army Of North
ern Virginia. Here it fought in the
presence OF Abraham Lincoln. Here
1t met the flower Of the Confederate |
army as 1t came surging through the
broken embellishments of Fort Sted-
man, and, like resi8tless avalanche. |
passed on to sever the Army Of the
Potomac in twain. Here it won
fame, and its conduct in the grand
picturesque array in the final assault
for the recapture OF Stedmaf,, was
most hlgly commended by the, great |
military chieftains,"
Soldiers Of the Third Division.
Major Brown congratulated the
soldiers Of the Third Division that
they had lived TO see the day and
meet with each other again on such
a sacred spot.
How meaningless would this obe-
lisk be-" he said, "had the men who
fought here not been - among thei
br8yest Of the braEe7 No classic, no
anthem OF praises no enconjnrn of
glory, no Athenian panegyric for he.