Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-05-25
1iotic hymns of the past aRd tn
present.

A stand draped IN colOnlal coioi'
and red, white and blue, had been
erected at the intersection OF Wash
ington and Prince street facing the
statute to the Lost Cause and from
this stand the exercises were held.
Commander William A. Smoot,
presided and the invocation was
delivered by the Rev. John W. Duff
fey, D. D. chaplain of the camp.
Commander Smoot, introduced the
orator of the day, camuel g. Brent
commonwealth attorney of Alexan-
dria and a son of the late Major
George W. Brent, brilliant Con-
federate soldier4 .s
Mr.. Brent made an eloquent and
impassioned address in which ne
told Of the glories Of the past, the
bravery of the Confederate soldier,
the veneration in which he was held
by the people of Alexandria, wind
ing up his remarks with a plea for
world peace. 1t was a speech that
was worthy Of the occasion and
worthy of Mr.. Bren: who is regard
ed as one of Virginia's most gitted
speakers. In part he said:
In 1861 when wars loud tocsin
called our fathers to arms to fight in
a lust and sacred cause, they left
their homes, their wives, their chill
dren, their all, to defend the princi-
pies in which they believed. They
shouldered their muskets, placed their
knapsacks upon their backs, and for
four long, weary years, they stood
the fatigue of the march, suffered
the trials of the camp and faced the
dangers of battle without a murmur
or complaint.
The rank and file Of the Confede-
rate Army was composed of our best
people, many of whom had been
brought up in the lap of luxury, un-
accustomed to hardships of any kind:
But these men made the most cou-
rageous soldiers the world has ever
seen-no page in the history OF any
country contains or records more
splendid valor than that displayed by
the Southern soldier upon the march,
in the camp, or in the forefront OF
the, battle. The brave deeds of the
Confederate soldiers were due to the
fact that each soldier. whether rich
or poor, of high or low estate, felt
that he was fighting for a principle
that had been imbued in him from his
birth. He fought with that spirit
which animated and stimulated our
Fathers of the Revolution; he fought
fer that principle which: is ergrafteti
in the Declaration of Independence,
that "All men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights; that
to secure these rights, governments
are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent
Of the governed"
In this conflict the City of AleXan-
dria furnished her quota Of men to
the Confederate cause, whilst her
women remained at home and suffered
many privations for its good. In
your midst to-day, we find still sur
viving their comrades, and paying a
tribute to their memory, such men as
Colonel William A. Smoot, George
William Ramsay, and John M. john
son. If any of you wish to know the
suffering and privations Of the Con-
federate soldier, and how patiently
and how heroically he bore them, ask
either one of these distinguished and
gallant men. and they will tell you
that the Confederate soldier, with
out food, without clothing, rushed in
to the conflict and fighting for prin-
ciple, imperiled all in the sacred cause
of right.
The companies which were formed,
organized and equipped in the city
of Alexandria, were known as the
Alexandria Rifles, Captain Morton
Marye; Mount Vernon Guard, Cap
tain S. H. DeVaughan; Old Domin-
ion Rifles, Captain Arthur Herbert;
Emmett Guards, Captain j. E, Tow
son; O. Connell Guards, Captain S.
W. Freshman, and Alexandria Bat
terry. Captain Delaware Kemper.
These companies formed a part of
the Seventeenth Virginia Regiment,
which was known as the alexandria
Regiment" The Governor assigned
the following officers to command this
regiment: Colonel NJ. D. Corse
Lieutenant Colonel William Mumford
and Major George w. Brent.
We owe much to the noble woman
of the South for her devotion to the
Confederate cause, and we should al
ways show an appreciation OF the
service which she rendered in behalf
of the Confederacy. She inspired the
men to the performance of their duty
in. times of need and danger she res
bonded willingly to their call. Sht
was ever ready to sacrifice every
thing that she possessed on earth Of
expected to have, in defense of he1
native land. She sorrowfully but will
inrlv parted with her husband. sol
and brother, and very often, alt three
in order that they might offer ~
their lives in defense of the princi
pies in which she believed. | hav'
heard it said that a woman in Geor
o.;, rooo;yad . message that she ha,