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

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and re-enlist for the war. Was there
anything more moving, more pathetic,
1t was { Revival of Patriotism, among
the "Men of the Ranks, " and it burst
out as YOU know. among you also,
men of Virginia, and spread through
out the whole confederacy.
But above all, the Men Of our
Ranks, had the soldiers chietest trait
OF Courage.
The courage OF the typical con
federate was peculiar. 1t was not e.
pendent on discipline, on numbers, on
success. 1t was personal and inde-
pendent, and individually self-reliant.
See them al Gettysburg charging up
great heights and breaking through
the heavy breastworks held by equal
numbers-see them at Franklin, l., ,Oo0
Inf. charging across that mile wide
level plain ON works held by almost
double their number, and holding the
outside until the enemy fed in the
early morning But confederate
courage was not mere dash, like the
French; it was the bull dog English,
also for defense. 1t was as good for
one as for the other: it was French and
English both.
Two great impressive facts, attest
the peculiar quality of confederate
courage-1st. The vast territory they
defended. The map Of the confederacy
shows that It's northern border line
was an Irregular crescent, its horns
pointing upward, the eastern horn be-
ing practically Virginia. The western,
Missouri Those two horns were a
thousand miles and more apart. ''The
thin grey line" had 10 stretch itself,
from point 20 point, and along the dip
OF the crescent in the centre. As wc
look upon it now, that four year, of
defense. seems incredible. The centre
cruubled. but the two horns never
crumblcd Those two horns glowed
with the white heat OF uuconquerab'e
resistance 10 the last. Virginia had
three times as many conflicts on her
soil, as any other state, and her far
separated daughter. Missouri. with
the exception OF Tennessee. come, next
= her. Men OF Virginia, allow % little
boastirg. from a stranger Mi,sou"ian
born of Virginia parents: not for him-
self bat for the little known record of
MS native STATE. one organized COM
pany OF Missourians fought on Nir-
ginia soil. I'm tie battle OF New Mar
ket. They lost $50 out of 80 men killed
and wounded. This is a we'll authenti-
Gated fact Missouri. abandoned early
In the war ly the Confederacy, main
taiueI an army of her own to the ast
of from H. ID 2J.OIO men. and they
never formally surrendered. Thous-
auds of her sons fought elsewhere in
almost every other battle OF the war.
I say tnesc iew things to show you
that Missouri wasuo unworthy daugh-
Ter OF her mother. The Men OF the
Ranks there were worthy OF the Men
of the Ranks here In old Virginia.
The other great and impressive fact
about confederate courage IS this: that
their huge and four-fold foe was as
much worn ont As they were. at the
close. To illustrate. the Democratic
Platform In the North, IN 1864 during
the war. declared for a cessation OF
hostilties. and the campaign between
Geo. b Mcclellan ana President
lincoln for his second term was on
that issue \ transfer of 2j0, 900 votes
would have given Mcclellan "A ma
iority of tne popular vote. Aad thai
too. despite the polls 10 many
places being gar"isoned by thousands
Of iutimidating bayouet,. Mark YOU
that was in Noeembr 1864 That Is,
after sherman had gone far on, in
his ex,ermina,ing march to the sea. II
the Army of Tennessee had not been
removed from his front, who can te II
,be orr,.t their continued and impend-
iug opoo.iiion would have had upon
that vote? rs it was, it shows well,
how tired the northern people even
then. we're of the war. But l must
hurry to my close. Ny aim has been
- show the typical confederate SOL
der. the Men OF the Ranks. | deem II
not too much to say, that as soldiers
they we're in many respects unique and
uncomfortable. The world probably
will never see their like again. Ano
for the reason. that like their incom
parable leader Lee, they we're the
Product Of civilization that has
nassed away. For like their leader,
they were the Product of the "Olo
South" civilization.
nD II remains still to show the
"place in History" fthis uoique and
IN some respects Incompatible char
actsr.
F,om a dozen sources the evidences
increase that his place in history vii
be high aud well assured can onl!
cire a few. but they will all be signi
Gcant and weighty facts.
lA) There is Anew North 'dispos
ed 10 justice and magnanimity, an'
TO search dispassionately into South
ern claims and Southern records "a
+, the war OF 6l-G5. Says Norther
writer. Hamilton Mabie, "a more rad
ical reversal of opinion and feelin
on macy points than that which ma
taken place in the North, during tn
last decade is hardly afforded in an
other period or section" a multlI
licity of proofs bears out this stron
assertion. The busts of Robt. +. Il
n AGrFyElEasS|