Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-01-22
PORTRAIT UNVEILED.
Handsome Oil Painting Of Capt.
James X. Ball Presented to
County.


Monday was red-letter day in the
annals of Lancaster county. The
weather was propitious, and large
crowd was present at the Courthouse,
largely drawn thither by the fact that
fine oil portrait of the late Capt.
James K. Ball was to be presented and
received with appropriate ceremonies.
Early in the afternoon his Honor, Judge
I. r. b. Wright, who has done so
much to beautify and adorn the walls
of the courthouses within his circuit
with the portraits of the worthless of
this section, called the meeting to order,
and on motion of Goodman Degges. esq.,,
Mr.. William Chiffon called the roll of
Captain Balls old Company, those
present answering there" as their
names were called; but alas! only few
of the 167 who served in famous old
Company D of the Ninth Virginia Cav
airy are now living to answer to the
roll call here on earth.
Judge Wright then introduced Warner
Ball, esq.,, who proceeded to present
the portrait of his gallant kinsman in a
speech flaming with poetic fire and pa
triotic enthusiasm, almost every SEN
tence of which was pGnctuated with
applause. Mr.. Thomas J. Downing, on
behalf of the court and the people of
Lancaster, accepted the portrait in
brief but eloquent address. Judge
Wright then introduced Hon William
Campbell, of Essex, who as adjutant's
clerk of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry,
became the daily companion and intimate
friend of Captain Ball. In short but
thrilling address Mr.. Campbell described
some of the most striking Incidents in
the military career of the gallant Cav
alryman from Lancaster. His address
was heard with rapt attention and when
he closed there was storm of applause
and many persons were seen wiping the
tears from their eyes.
The Confederate choir of Lancaster,
under the direction of Miss Genevieve
Pinckard, and with the assistance of
the young ladies of the Lancaster High
School, sang with fine effect such old
Confederate airs as ''Dixie, 1.-THE Bon
ME Blue Flag" Maryland, My Mary
land" etc., and when at the conclusion
of Mr.. Campbell's speech the choir and
the audience joined in singing "Auld
Lang Syne," the old veterans came to
the front to shake hands with Mr..
Campbell and greet each other for the
sake of other days, presenting scene
that will never fade from the memory
of those who witnessed it.
. The portrait, which is a splendid oil
painting, is a gift from Mrs. Fannie
Ball, widow of the late Captain Ball,
who, owing to her advanced age could
not be present. IL was unveiled by Miss
Jennie Ball, eldest daughter of Mr..
James K. Ball, jr.,r and granddaughter
of Captain Ball 1t was painted by Mr..
Paul Halling. of Baltimore, one of the
foremost portrait painters in the country,
from an old photograph taken in 1867.
It is genuine work of art and strik-
ing likeness The work was done under
the cultured and skilful eye of Miss
Anna E. B. Clark, of Baltimore, a niece
of Captain Ball, who has from the first
taken a great interest in the work.
Mr.. Gabriel Clark, brother of Miss Anna
Clark, was present as the representa-
tive of his mother and sister, who were
detained at home by illness. Capt.
James Kendall Ball, whose features
the portrait so faithfully preserves, was
born in this county at ''Beudley," the
ancestral home on the Rappahannock
river, in 1923. He, like Mary Ball, the
mother of Washington, traces his an
cestry back to the Balls who in the early
days of the colony settled on the Rap
pahannock river near Millenbeck. At
the first call to arms he took the field
in defense of his native State. He rose
from the ranks and became the third
Captain of his famous Company, and by
his fidelity to duty and courage in the
face of danger won the admiration of his
superior officers and the love of his men.
His kinsman, Warner Ball, in his presen-
tation address, aptly described him in
saying that he was trusted on the field
and loved in the camp; and when time
and again promotion came to him he
declined to go up higher because he
preferred to remain in command of his
famous Company and to lead the men
whom he had known and loved from his
boyhood days.
At the close of the war he retired to
his home, where, with his family he lived
an honorable and useful life till 1895
when he died and was laid to rest beside
his fOrefathers in the graveyard of his
toric old St. Mary's White Chapel.
In short talk Judge Wright told of &
"Cross of Honor" which had been giver
him by Essex Chapter, Daughters OF
the Confederacy, to be presented at tina
time to DR.. w. M. Kirk, of Whit.
Stone, bat as DR.. Kirk was not presen
Il tha xxrnralI -. e<x,k liz