Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1909-06-18

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breastworks, strung around with can
teens and Drawing the enemy's fretogo
TO their wounded and cool their parch-
ed tongues with water. Col. Martin
of the lst Ark. inf. Cleburne's Division
Jumping on the few logs behind which
they had repellel repeated assaults OF
the zoe, on Kennesaw Ridge. until
10. coo killed and wornded lay, It's said.
IN the burning woods bs'ore him: and
Jumping mp, waving q handkerchief 10
stop the fr'ne. then shouting "come
on boys" ara leading his men With
out guns, down TO the p wounded
enemies, and carrying them TO places
OF shelter; private Sam DaYis of
Tennessee: d monument to whom has
ius. been unveiled at Nashville. Tenn.
clugLt within the enemy's lines with
plans of their Notifications and other
discriminating papers upon him, and
going to the ScafiOld rather than eX-
pose the man who gave them to him
lperhaps one Of his foes: that Il year
iold .rkansas lDoGd helieve his name
wa suffering death in a similar
way and for a similar cause: Hiram
IT. Smith that p year oil Missouri
boy from Palmyra, who when told he
must die in place of another nan who
was a husband and father, said ne
was ready, and going to bucket of
water. declared in his homely yet inn
mortal words that he was "as willing
10 die I'm such a cause rs that. as he
wa, to drink a dirror of water when
he was thirsty: surl was the stun OF
which the typical confederate was
made Sir Philip Sidney stands out
in English History. glorious for all
time as the paragon Of mediaeral
chivalry. but here are natures noble
rcn from rustic southern howes and
verify their ,zcelleocy eAc-lleth his.
Yea. and / beiieve that there were
hundreds like them. Where, when tho
record is fully made. as it viii he
surely made. where in all tine annals
of an time will you find so many Illus
t~ations of that rare blerd o. hcroism
and humanity that marked so gener-
ouSly and peculiarly the "Men OF pur
ranks"
E' But must close tbs pant of
address. aad therefore .et mc 90
SD. by declaring lally that these
Men ttlcEank,, vcre So.G.erly M.
]. True. not so as to Dress. IN
comrades. shall l set You forth before
Ac .or'- as you were in 20?
ID - crown of your dingy ola cotton
irlt hat bad an ample hole at The
,op through which a tuit OF hair waved
10 to the breeze. and us limp rir
generally tapped down along your
checks: your grey Jacket vas dirty.
brown and ragged, likewise your
trousers which we're also burned or
worn to frazzles sometimes 10 The
knees almost: yourselves We're often
minus. and instead thereof, your feet
were wrapped in rags, Ah see YOU
now. And ought not you to bs
ashamed OF yourself No.Oh no my
.omrade, The dress Is bat society'S
stamp: a mans man for that. And
You were men, those DAYS: and you
have been men ever since.
SO too. as TO Drill and Discipline.
Alas. those three "D's" Drill, Dress
and Discipline: they werenotOur strong
points Nevertheless, We were not
mob. We had enough drill and dis
cipline for battle purposes. and make
bold to declare that not single battle
of any great Importance was lost
through the fault of the Men OF the
Ranks Missionary Ridge not eX-
cepted
,. But whst were the positive and
distinctive traits that made the Men
of our Ranks, -" "Soldierly Mem
4 singular Elasticity OF Spirit,
which no hardship, no privation, no
su ring, noreverses could break. ~
| fellow of infinite Jest, was ourPrivate
| soldier. Volumes could be made up OF
his wit and humor. Irrepressible too
whether ii advance or retreat, in
victory or defeat. Defeat? Look at
that snow ball battle. in the Army OF
Tenn. after the defeat at Missionary
| RIDGE. when one would think the men
would have had no heart for anything
but desertion or surrender: thousands,
lduring a March blizzard under their
officers, lining up against each other
In pitched snow ball battle" And
in rags and nake1ness many were. Pa
tient, faithful physical endurance, al
most now past our own belief, as We
look back on it. Hunger thirst, cold
heat. exposure, fatigue, increasing ever
, increasing. In trench or battle or
picket line or march, doing two or
three mems work day and night,
against two fold three fold four fo. d
our numbers. Is this exaggeratlon,
. veterans OF Robt. Lee?
. Patriotism too, was one of their sol
dierly traits. Oh tell ii not that any
thing but patriotism sustained those
unpaid half fed country boys with their
homes burning or rayaged heflnt
them, their loved ones suffering and
scattered: sustained them on the bre
: ing line. those four long and fierce
ferocious years! What else can ex
plain that scene on Tunnell hill, Ga.
. after the Missionary Ridge defeat
p" when one bitter January moonligh
Z night in 1864, a roaring mob o
70 thousands from other camps besid
:. INA/Han/ 49,