Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-04-08
IPubiIshed hy re- est,l
ADDRESS OF
WARNER BALL.
Delivered on the Occasion of the
dwelling of the Portrait Of Capt.
James K. Ball. 9th Virginia
Cavalry.

The soldier fights for love of freedoms goal
At bugle cali the soldier noun Is to charge.
And meets the foemen i'm III deadly fray;
Then swords must clash. the booming guns dSehsrce
The dead are honored in the lovers lay.
Yes. love doth make the gallant soldier brave.
And love OF country makes him draw his blade
And tears of love will fall upon the grave
| OF him who lived-but now IN honored shade.
| oh Sunny South. men make nation s worth.
| Your noble warlike sons have to you given fame
To YOU and woman we still ri dge our troth.
And initiate the brave who sleep in your domain
If ecr to bless thy sons my voice or hands deny
These hands let useful skill forsake: this voice in
silence die.
1t is with pleasure | present the pic
ture of one so kind, SO true, so brave,
to the Honorable Court. This picture
of James K. Ball, the last captain of
Company ID, of the Ninth Virginia Cav
airy. Confederate States of America. is
the contribution of his widow, Mrs.
Fannie Ball, who still loves the memory
OF her brave and faithful husband.
Before her marriage she was Miss
lglehart, one of Maryland's fair daugh-
ters, and this happy marriage helped to
bind the tie that holds Maryland and
Virginia dear to each other, and in
honored graves their soldiers sleep
together. Mrs. Fannie Ball was of the
noble ladies who helped to have erected
the monument to the dead soldiers of
this county-honored in her husbands
love, and he honored in her love through
the clouds of war and the sunshine of
peace.
Time does not permit me to tell of the
many battles in which Captain Ball
fought; but higher officers were salts
fled when he led the squadron of the
Ninth Virginia Cavalry-which he
often did, to glorious victory.
His father and mother were noble.
and his record is one OF which his child
rem should be proud. He was never
doubted by those who knew him best.
he was faithful and loving husband,
kind and indulgent father, and hospi-
tally was one of his shining virtues.
As member of the cd County Court.
he was honored and respected by the
people as true and just man. He was
born in this county. and when we trace
back his ancestry we fipd that his pater-
nal and George Washington's maternal
ancestors go back to he same family,
the Balls. who first settled at,Millen-
beck i was told by a. friend of Capt.
Ball that it might be said of him. as
was said of Washington. that ''he had
heart without guile and soul with
out fear. By others, that he was a
gallant officer, trusted on the battle
field and loved in the camp. He was n
true gentleman, and his life was above
reproach. And General Beale said of
him that he had seen Captain Ball per-
form deeds of daring on the field of bat
tie, for which. had he been in the army
of Napoleon, he would have been made
marshal on the field. He with others
helped to make glorious the cause of the
Southern Confederacy; and when tn,
flag he loved was furied, and the bright
est hopes of a noble nation were blasted
he in silence grieved over his Inflated
country. And with fortune wrecked
he still maintained the dignity of gen
tleman and the kind and noble heart of ,
true Virginia Cavalier, faithful I,
friends, charitable to enemies.
The flag he loved to-day way Is not:
-Four years it was a nations pride:
o Memoryl 'tisinot forgot
But still adored. though laid aside
The Southern soldier fought his fight,
His folded flag he babe farewell:
His cause. though lost. was for the right
Let love in song his glory tell.
The victor wreath crowned not his brow:
High hopes are sleeping with the dead;
Though brave he has no country now;
Still honor rests upon his head.
The Southern cause for which he fought
Is buried with our buried dead:
But from the grave-how sweet the thought
Our dead will come with martial tread
A nation dead will rise again:
Confederates then can all unite
And none will then their flag disdain
When angels sing; their cause was right
How Southern soldiers FOUGHT and bIed.
| And why they fought: they too should know
or tears that Southern mothers shed
Until that day let love entyviae
Fresh Rariands for the silent brave;
Let poets write their deeds in rhyme
And song the Southern cause will save.
Nothing that can say compares with
the honor bestowed by the gallant
soldiers OF Lancaster county when thew
gave to their camp the name of Major
Lawson and Captain Ball. Major Law
son yielded up his life on the battle
field, clothed with glory; and Captain
Ball offered his on many hard-fought
field, and lived to be honored by his
comrades. Lawson and Ball, types of the
Southern soldier, and opponents of Lam
casters brave!i
The mysteries of God we cannot I'M
derstand. but with humble faith we
should bow in silent submission. But to
me one of the most beautiful acts of his
life was his refusal of promotion to
higher rank than Captain because it
would take him from those with whom
ne went to war, preferring, as he said
to live or die with the boys of his COM
pany. His love was greater than his
ambition-to me beautiful trait.
rnRuH