The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1913-05-23
ELOQUENT SPEECH OF
COL. JOHN 7. DORSEY

Ladies of the Memorial Association.
Daughters of the Confederacy, Vet
Grams, Sons of Veterans, Ladies and
Gentlemen: l know of no day OBJ
served as memorial that is more sac
red to the Southern heart than the
one you have met this day to OBJ
serve. Garlands, be-dewed with wo-
mans tears have been placed upon
the graves of earths noblest and
bravest dead, sad requiem has been
sung, and the mind dwells upon that
which is glorious and grand.
thank God | live in a land where
sleep such noble heroes, where it's
womanhood shall ever keep green
the memory of their departed dead
and where inspiration leads ever on
ward and upward.
1t was on Georgia soil that memo
rial day was born. 1t was her sweet
womanhood who first conceived the
beautiful sentiment of the day.
When l speak of the daughters of
Georgia, and of the South, my heart
warns to all that is good and true:
when | think of all her love, sac
rifice and patient suffering through
the long days, weeks and months of
61-65, | lift my soul to her as the
acme of human perfection, yea, the
completed work of an infinite Gre
ator indeed. May she from around
the great White Throne watch over
our destiny of to-day and after
awhile may we meet her there
While we are paying our homage
to the matchless heroes who sleep
the dreamlesS sleep of unreplying
dead, let us not forget the dear old
warriors, God bless them, who sur
vived the conflict, who passed
through the Reconstruction period,
and builded the new South out of
the ruins Of the old. While we seat
ter flowers upon the graves of our
honored dead, let us pin a fragrant
rose on the breast of the living who
came out of earth's greatest holo-
caust with bravery unsurpassed, and
upon whom history will place the
laurel wreath.
OF this revered number, one will
address you today You shall short
ly hear from the man who organized
the first camp of veterans in the state
and who, with General Young organ
lied the Georgia Division United Con-
federate Veterans. Honored as Ad-
jutant, thenBrigadier General of the
North Georgia Brigade for twelve
years, later as Major General and
commander, he reflected equal hon
or upon the organization. For thir-
ty six years he served the state in an
official capacity, twenty of which he
was Quarter master General, never
receiving dollar for his services,
which position now pays a salary of
some Two Thousand dollars per year
with him a labor of love.
A Georgian by birth, he entered
the army at the age of sixteen. from
Troup county, enlisting in Company
f, 4 LIST Ga. Reg, participating in the
bloody battles of Shiloh, Perryville,
Murfreesboro, Franklin, Bakers
Creek, Nicksburs, Chickamauga,
Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Kenne-
saw Mountain, Atlanta, surrender
ing with Johnston at Greensboro, N.
c. 1t was he who brought to Gen.
Johnston the news of Gen. Lees sur
render. Wounded at Perryvlle. Ken
lucky, on account of gallantry in the
field, he was commissioned Captain
by special act of the Confederate
Congress before he was eighteen
years of age.
take pleasure in introducing to
you one of the most gracious, chiv-
alrous, courteous figures of that
stirring period, the peerless, patri- |
otto, battle-scarred old hero-Gen
Andrew + Wact