The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-01-05
B|vOUAC AND CAMP
MEETING HELD At
THE COURT HOUSE
A MOST INTERFERING PAPER
READ BY coMRADE J. N.
MERoNEY A
ROUTINE BUSINESS TRANSACTED

kUUllN[ DU0lN[0O ihANORIILD
Resolutions on Death of Comrade
Richardson and Garner--Cther
Committee Reports Postponed un-
til February Meeting.
Leonidas Polk Bivouac No. and
William Henry Trousdale Camp NO.
495, Confederate Veterans, held their
regular monthly meeting Monday In
the county court room with fairly
good attendance.
Nothing outside Of the regular bus
mess was transacted except resolu-
ton son the death Of Comrades j. A.
Richardson and s.. L. Garner. The
committee on death Of Comrades A.
G. Hall and Lovick Loftin were not
ready to report and were continued
until the next meeting.
Comrade j. IN. Meroney read a
touching and appropriate paper on
the results of the year just past, and
urged all the olds oldiers to draw
closer to each other.
An order was read from Gen. Wal
ker, the commander-in-ch cief, fixing
May Z, 8, 9, 1912 for the twenty-sec-
ond annual reunion of the U. c. VS.,
at Macon, Ga. ="
Following is the paper read by
Comrade Meroney:
"Mr. President and Comrades:
Another year has passed by and
now a new year is beginning; how
fast time flies. We are reminded
that just fiftyione years ago today
was ushered into the calendar or
time that dreadful year Of 1861, and
following close upon it those years
of suffering, toll and danger that but
few of us are now left to remember,
and that few is passing fast away.
Very soon the acts of that fearful
war will be no more related from
memory of the actors, but will be
only partly told in history. GOD
grant that some honest man may be
able to brush away the fog of preju-
dice and give a truthful account of
those dreadful years in history for
future generations.
There have been three years in
the past that marked epochs in
American history--1492 Christopher
Columbus discovered America; 1776
the declaration of independence was
signed, freeing these colonies from
English Tyrany, and 1861 when six
hundred thousand patriots united to-
gether to sustain the principles of
states rights and self-government.
For four long and dreadful years
they struggled manfully in support
Of that cause, but were overwhelmed
by an avalanche of mercenary SOL
-diers from all over the world; over
powered but not conquered, they
yielded to the arbitrament of war, but
not until half their number rested
in bloody graves. A half century
has passed and a few of the actors
in that bloody drama are yet alive.
BY far the greater majority have
passed from time into eternity, and
the little remnant that is left must
soon follow. If / asked our venera-
BILE secretary to give us the number
and names of our comrades of this
Bivouac who died in the year. 1911,
he could turn to his record and an
swer my question, but if l asked him
to give us the number and names of
the dear old comrades that will die
in 1912, the ominous shake of his
white covered head will show his in
ability to answer my question. Meth
err can you or | answer it. God only
knowsi but we do know that our
ranks are thinning fast; that the de-
tails called for every year are grow
ing larger, and the proportion OF
those taken compared with those
who are left is growing fearfully
larger every succeeding year. Co
lumbus and his compatriots have
long since mouldered back to moth
er earth The noble signers of the
declaration Of independence have
been long numbered with the dead
and only few years more and not
one member of that army of six hun
dred thousand men that followed the
Confederate battle battle flag will
walk the earth among his fellow
men. @
"These are solemn thoughts, but
known facts, and they should hold
us very close together as old com.
rades whose frieudshins 'were form