Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1915-05-07
MEMORIAL DAY
AN ESSAY
By a Daughter Of the Halifax
Chapter Of the U. D. {.

ny a Daugnter Ol inc IidiiidA
Chapter Of the U. D. c.
The tenth of May is the day
that this fair southland does hon
or to all her brave boys who wore
the gray = the private as well as
the officer. | am afraid we read
and write too much Of the gener-
ais and admirals to the exclusion
of the private. We should ask;
who laid in pits on rainy
nights,
All eager for the fray?
Who marched beneath the
scorching sun
Through many ;oilsome day?
Who paid the sutler double price
And scanty rations drew?
If officers get all the praise,
What did the privates do?
All honor to the brave old boys,
Who rallied at the call;
Without regard to name or rank,
We honor one and all,
They are passing over, one by
one,
And soon they'll all be sped
To where the book will surely
show
Just what the privates did.
Every confederate soldier who
wore the gray, and did his duty,
it matters not if he came from
halls of wealth or the lowly
cottage upon the mountain side,
nor if he wore the stars of an off
Ger or the gray blouse of the
ranks; if he did his duty, he was
a patriot, a nobleman. His old
gray jacket gave him right tC
nobility greater and grander than
those conferred by mortal hands.
God gave the confederate soldier
the right of nobility; the old gray
jacket was his decoration and in
sigma of the cause we loved and
lost. One writer says For in
dependence of spirit, for grandeur
and nobleness of character, the
confederate soldier has never
had an equal" To be the daugh-
ter of a confederate soldier is to
be the daughter of a hero, wheth-
er his position was that Of a gen
eral or a private in the ranks.
The confederate soldier will oc-
cupy unique position in history
fighting for principles he believ-
ed to be right, accepting the fl
nal issue with a nobleness OF
character, he proved his love fol
his country and her flag by
promptly responding to her cal
when the recent war with Spair
was declared. Northern gener.
ais have commanded southern
troops, and vice versa; section,
alism is being swept away, and
the stars and stripes are as sacreC
to the South as to the North
/ While we should be thankful for
such conditions, we should als(
remember the confederate soldier
is distinctly our heritage, and az
such we are bound to honor anC
protect him. Let US prove to thu
world we are worthy daughters
of worthy sires, and will prove
faithful until the end.
We are constantly reminded
that the ranks of the confederate
veterans are getting thinner, anC
there are some who say that thu
confederacy with its sad bu
precious memories will fade int,
the past with its soldiers. 1t il
true the thin line of gray is rap
idly passing beyond, and the,
are every day answering tn,
final call. But even when tn,
last of these has responded to tn,
call of the Great Commander, W
must keep up the work of maxim,
true history of the Ctnfederac
and of finding and preservin,
the records of Confederat
bravery; for the years are com
ing when our children will b.
cleaning as eagerly for valorou!
deeds of their forefathers a
the present generation gather
the fragments of Revolutionar,
lore. Upon you, daughters o
this generation, rests the respor
sibility of placing in their hand
the true history of our fai
southland.
They should know that tn