The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-05-15
DAY PROPERLY
OBSERVED IN CHESTERFIELD

~ ehe otonewau Chapter, U.D.C.
with an elegant dinner, served at the
Courthouse. Too much can never he
said in praise of any dinner prepared
and served by these excellent ladies'
Ihis one was grand, in proportions
and quality. There were only twen-
ty odd veterans on hand to partake
OF the feast spread for them.
At 8 o'clock in the afternoon
memorial exercises were held at the
cemetery in honor of those veterans
who sleep the long sleep with Lee
and Jackson. Major w. L. Gillespie,
OF Cheraw, formerly Captain of old
Go. "I", was the orator of the occa-
sion. His fine address follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen and Veter-
ans of the Gray:
1t is an honor to me, that I, soldier
OF to-day, greet you, soldiers of yes
terday. My father was a veteran of
the Civil War and from my earliest
childhood my idea of hero was a
man who gave himself to this great
cause. My ideal was to grow up to
be like these men, who fought, bled
and died for principle. Children
are imitators and they strive to be-
come like those they love, and loved
all soldiers. I used to sit by the hour
and listen to the old soldiers tell of
their thrilling experiences, and o,
how longed to be a soldier, to be a
leader of men. have lived to attain
my ambition of being leader of
men upon the battlefield, but have
learned that there is but one spirit
that makes a true soldier-the spirit
of the Sixties.
Victory has perched again upon the
Starry Flag, placed there by the same
riotous blood of the South that,
though defeated, was never conquer
ed. Placed there by the sons of. you
heroes, by you noble men who taught
the world what courage means, what
endurances accomplish. Glory con-
sists not in never falling, but in ris-
ing again every time we fall, in per-
sistence to an ideal, in sticking to
principle. The path Of progress in
every nation is marked by the bleach
ing bones of its martyrs to some
cause-religion, politics, science, and
in every line of development, but not
one drop of heroic blood was shed in
vain, if our hopes mount higher, our
dreams come nearer to becoming re-
alities, if more deeply ingrained into
our hearts are the principles Of trust,
honor, justice and liberty, and al
though we fought losing fight, we
won victory even in defeat when
our Bonnie Blue Flag was furled and
laid away and we took up the duties
of a united nation, with malice to-
ward none, and with charity for all.
When we cease to honor our heroes
of the Grey we will cease to love
valor, cease to be worthy of the sac
rifice of blood that has been shed in
every momentous change in the his
tory Of our nation, q nation built by
achievements of men like these who
helped to shape the ideals Of the pres
ent, to build those Of the future
men whose high principles, whose one
ness of purpose and whose love of
liberty shall keep forever burning the
Fires of Freedom in every new gene
ration, fed by your faith, an unassail-
able bulwark upon which rests our
hopes as a nation.
To-day we have citations for brav-
ery," but many a gallant battle was
fought by you brave men in which
every man was hero. Many an un-
marked grave holds one Of those
grand and valiant soldiers who died
unhonored, commended only by his
own conscience, remembered only by
his God.
Again our love of liberty and JUS
tice has called America into bloody
struggle, and we have gone bravely
overseas to fight for those principles
you taught your sons to honor, and
we were led by unseen leaders, the
spirits Of Robert E. Lee and Stone
wall Jackson. This war has brought
forth no great military leaders. Lee
and Jackson stand apart as the great
est generals the world has ever
known. The leaders Of to-day are
great strtegists, great tacticians, but
they do not 60 themselves upon the
battlefield to stand side by side with
men who would gladly die to carry
out their commands, men who fol-
lowed where they led, charging brave
ly forward into the very jaws of
death, feeling and knowing that for
many Of them the bugles of destiny
were sounding taps for their last long
sleep. Shall we forget these men