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f' eQ NO. 35. { NF^o s £ K i 1 if s ‘ Memorial Address. Delivered ox the Dedication of THE MoXUMENT TO THE CONFEDERATE Deai> of Clarke County, An. June, 3d, 1872, by A. S. Erwin, Esq. It is said by some that the spirits of the dead come back to the earth, and visit the scenes of their mortal life; that though we cannot see them, they can see us: that they hover round and about and near us, and in tense interest all that transpires here. If this be trtle, which I am not pre pared to deny, then may we toot hope that the spirits of our fallen heroes are to day silent and unseen witnesses of this testimonial of our of their lives, our gratitude for their ser vices, and our undying love for their memories. , 1 The principles for wliicl these nen toiled, and marched, and il-if^<fpd, aitd fought, and died, were priir *ses wlr/li stated on betore, the formation of this /go/emmeut. They were principles in iyhich we liad been trained and educates from our youth up. They had gr'.wii with our growth, and strengthened with our strength. Snrely never were principles more conscientiously entertained, as certainly none were ever more heroi cally defended. That we did not command success does not prove that we did not deserve it. The sword never did and never will settle a prin ciple, and practical results may not always be right results. The cause may have failed, the banner may be furled and laid away; the brave' men who upheld that cause and carried that banner may sleep in the dust, but the principle will live forever. “This shall resist the empire of decay When time is o’er and worlds have past away Cold in the dust the perished hearts may lie, But that which warmed them ’once can never die.’’ These men were not hired mercen aries, with no interest in the struggle, no appreciation of its merits, and no incitement to service but plunder and pay. They were our lathers, our hus bands, our brothers, our sons, our friends. They were men whose hearts glowed and burned with love for liberty and love for their country—they j were free men, who counted nothing j too dear—not even life itself, to give i sl freedom s cause—all were true men ! —leaders and followers—struggling ! for what they believed to be right ! Perhaps in no other contest in the I "•'Grid's history was there felt on the | part of every man a stronger, more j personal and direct interest in the re sult of the stniggle, than in this. The I humblest private in the brave armies of ! the South felt that the cause was his | own. To this feeling that ran through all our ranks and inspired every man, are to be attributed those deeds of courage and heroism and terrible valor that will go sounding down through ages—that shed a renown that "'is world-wide and imperishable upon our arms, that covered our banner with a halo of light, even when it trailed in the dust, and enshrouded our cause in glory forever, even when it sank in disaster and defeat. The glowing tribute of our lament- BY THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY, AUGUSTA, GA. FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JUNE U, 1872. ed Elliott to the private soldiers of the South was both eloquent and true. “Our victories," said be, “are the vic tories of privates. It is the enthusiastic dash of the onset—the fearless bravery with which they rush even to the can non's mouth—the utter recklessness of life, if so be that its sacrifice may only lead to victory—the heart-felt im pression that the cause is the cause of ereiy man, and that success is a ne cessity. He can have no other motive than the cause, he knows tliathis valor must pass unnoticed save in the narrow 'Circle of his company; that his sacri fice can bring no honor to liis name, no reputation to his family, that if he survives he lives only to enter upon now dangers with the same hopeless ness of distinction—that he will receive nothing but au unmarked grave, and yet lie is proud to do his duty and maintain his part in the destructive conflict. His comrades fall around him thick and fast, but with a sigh aud a tear he closes his ranks and passes on ■Vo Ms destiny.’’ | rwould that the time and occasson j allowed me to pay a tribute to each ! honored name upon this roll of fame, j but there is one of whom I must be J permitted to speak—my leader and \ commander in the terrific contest in i which he laid down his life. I bear 1 my personal testimony to the fact that |he fell with his harness on, and with j his face to the foe. A devout chris i tian—an ardent patriot—a learned ! jurist—an eloquent advocate—great and good everywhere—in the halls of I peace, anil on the field of war—he died as he lived, “a being honorable to the earth from which he sprang and worthy of the Heaven to which he aspired.” And no nobler sou was ever laid on the bosom of his mother earth, and no purer, manlier spirit ever winged its flight to the courts above, than that of Thomas It. R. Cobb. I pause a moment to say something of another of whom this town was so justly proud—the gallant and gifted Delony—a very Chevalier Bayard; a man without fear and without re proach—true type of a Southern gen tleman and a Southern soldier—the soul of manliness and honor—he soared I as far above an unworthy thought or j action as the heavens are above the earth. In the morning of his existence and in the opening of his usefulness, he | took his young life, a willing sacrifice, and laid it upon the altar of his country. !In his brilliant achievements in the j field he nobly illustrated this town, and i this State, and in his life and death he revived the antique chivalry and hero ism of the past: “Thy spirit, Independence, let me share, Lord of the lion-heart and Eagle eye; Thy steps f follow with .ny bosom bare, Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky.” And there are Barrow, and Grady, and Cook, and Newton, and Hays, and \ incent, and Hunter, and Hill, and Dunnahoo, and Camak, also, whom I saw as his sword flashed for the last time in the clear sunlight—men who would have done honor to any age or country; who will say that it is not better with them 1 “There is no bond age in the tomb—in the soul’s world there are no chains." Athens, to-day, weeps over all her fallen sons—some of them poured out their lives in red libations on fields that their valor and pro" ess have rendered historic forever. Others of them sank beneath the load of privation, fatigue, and disease, and perished in the camp, on the march, or in the gloomy hospital, while others taken tnjsoners by the foe were immured in Northern dungeons, and like caged eagle: , pined and droop ed and died. Whether they were lead ers or followers—whether they fought under the bauner of Bee or Johnson— whether they fell beside the Potomac or the Mississippi, or in*the country of those who were then our enemies—they are all dear to us alike, aud no defeat, no misfortune, no tyrant, no President, no Congress, no fanatical party, no mad majority-r-no time, nothing, can ever dim the lustre ot their names, or rob us of the rich and cherished memo ries they have left behind them. In honoring the memories of these men we honor ourselves. There can be nothing wrong in remembering with pride aud affection those who have done so much for us, and so much for our country. The senriwoi-1 ot grrntnde is JSQgf “ heavOn-bofn', inconsistent with the high duties we owe the State and society as patriots and citizens. The people of the South are not sit ting down in silent and sullen despair. They are not dwelling amid the wrecks and ruins of the past. They are meet ing and wrestling manfully with the great problems of the presen t. In spite of the desolation and devastation pro duced by years of war, aud years of what is called peace; in spite of the loss of hopes the fondest and the dear est; in spite of disappointment the sorest and the bitterest; in spite of hu miliation the deepest and most shame ful ; in spite of oppression the most tyrannical and malignant; in spite of robbery the most flagrant and attro cious; in spite of all the vials of wrath that the most cruel and devilish hate could pour upon their heads ; in spite ot the treachery and betrayal of once trusted friends and cherished children; in spite of everything that can break the spirits and crush the hopes of a brave people—they have exhibited a recuperative energy and power unpar alleled in history. They have been true to their past history—true to their “ancestors of high renown and hallow ed worth —time to the lofty principles of freedom and honor that they imbibed at their mother’s breasts, and true to the memories of their dead heroes. Such a spectacle of moral sublimity must challenge the admiration of the world aud of posterity. God bless the people of the South great and noble in the time of prosperi ty and victory—but grander and nobler far in the hour of adversity and in the day of defeat. The rich rewards of this courage and fortitude lie in the near and opening future. We will not despair. “It is not longtill morning." We have every thing to inspire and encourage us; we have sons as heroic and as true as those who sleep beneath the sod. We have women as pife and as brave as ever ennobled our exalted humanity. We have example* in our past history as bright as ever shone in the annals of this world. We have a dear country, rich in every gift and bestowment of nature; rich in glorious memories; rich and smiling even in the very ashes of the brave that rest in its bosom; for there is truth in the daring imagery of Lhelley: “Still alive, and still belli, shouted Earth— I grow bolder and still more bold: The dead fill me ten thousand fold Fuller of speed and splendor and mirth. ******** I was cloudy and sullen and cold, Like a frozen chaos uprolled, Till by the spirit of the mighty dead My heart grew warm.” Ladies of the Memorial Association: I should do injustice to the feelings of the people of Athens did I not thank you for your noble and untiring efforts. To this town, through these efforts, be longs the high honor of having erected the first monument in Georgia to our Confederate dead. I know the many difficulties with which you have to contend, and how bravely you have met them. For years you have labored ! untiringly to accomplish this object. When others lost interest in the move ment, with a zeal that never wearied, with an enthusiasm that never abated with an energy that knew no such word as fail, you pressed steadily on ward to the completion of your labor of JOve. This marble pillar while it reminds us of the gratitude we owe to those whose names are recorded here, will also remind us of the gratitude we owe to you. While it speaks to those who are to come after us, of the valor and sacrifice of these departed patriots, it will also s] ieak of your devotion to your country, and your love for its cause. The South is as proud of her noble daughters as she is of her living or dead sons; and the sacrifice, the suf fering and patriotism of the women of the South, are fresh in the recollection of all. Without a murmur they gave up those who were nearest and dearest to them. They cheered and sustained the spirit of our people. In the gloomy hour of defeat, when men’s hearts grew sick and faint, and began to de spair, they reanimated their courage and kindled anew the fires of their pa triotism. They crowded to our hospitals on their missious of mercy. They min istered to every want; with feathery footfall, and tones as mild and gentle as the accent of an angel’s voice, they hung round the couches of suffering and death. They wiped the death dew from the brows ‘ of our bleeding, fainting heroes, and caught and trans mitted home to the loved ones there , the last fond words of affection that ; trembled on the dying lips of our brave 1 defenders. : The pages of history that transmit to posterity the recoid of our great strug gle, will borrow a softer lustre, a gentler, milder, and more heavenly radiance, from the story ot the patriotism and sacrifices of the women of the South who suffered and were strong, -and many of whom died and made no sign. You are about to decorate the sol dier’s graves—to scatter flowers over the last resting places of those who sleep here. It is a custom worthy to be perpetuated, and one that will be perpetuated. There is beauty, there is poetry, there is touching pathos in this annual tribute from the beautiful to the brave—from the living to the dead. And now, my friends, I have little more to add. As an humble partici pant in the great struggle to which I have referred; one whose proudest re collections linger around that period, I am deeply grateful lor the honorable office that has been assigned me on this occasion. To-day we dedicate this { OL vol K iii ES ’}NO, 32 monument to the Confederate Dead of Athens. The great lessons which their lives and death teach, and which I. would impress upon you all, are adhe rence to principle, devotion to duty and a pure patriotism that claims for our country our love, our services, and if needs be, our lives. Their bodies have returned to the dust from whence they eaine. Their souls have gone back to God who gave them. Their names, their fame, and their record, we confidently commit to those who are to come after us, and to History. “This faithful heralil’s lasting stone With mournful pride shall tell, When many a vanished age hath flown, The story how they fell; Nor Summer’s sun, npr Winter’s night, Nor Time's remorseless doom, Shall inAr one ray iif glory’s light That gill's their deathless tomb.” (MSOKGIA ITEMS. Quite a £mfuber of Summer visitors i have alreftdfvVriveil in Griffin. . _ A series of interesting meetings are m progress at the Methodist Church in Griffin. The Methodists of Bainbridge have purchased the residence of Mr. J. N. West for a parsonage. A. H. Cox, Esq., of LaGrange, will deliver the address before the young ladies of the Lucy Cobb Institute, in Athens. Mr. W. J). Teilwell, an old Campbell county man, father of Maj. R. W. Ted well, of Atlanta, died on the 15th in stant. Anew alarm bell, weighing 5,500 lbs., has been received by the Savannah Fire Department. The location of the tower has not yet been determined. Seme fiendish thief recently entered the house of Mrs. McCloud, a widow lady, near Dawson, while the fam ily were asleep, and administered suffi cient chloroform to render all of them unconscious until the house was robbed. The Marietta Journal reports the wheat yield in Cobb county good. Corn luxuriant—heavy crop anticipated for the area planted. Cotton never more promising, with a larger crop in view than ever raised in the county. Oats, excellent. Mr. Benjamin Cartlidge, of Wilkes county, committed suicide on the Bth instant, by shooting himself, while un der temporary aberration of mind. His’ mind had for years been partially de ranged in consequence of a blow receiv ed at the hands of a negro. The directors of the Griffin, Madison and Monticello Railroad have elected Judge J. S. Boynton, President, and Hon. D. E. Butler as Director. The contract with Messrs. Finnegan &Cos to furnish iron for the first 20 miles of the road, has beenjclosed, and track lay ing will commence as soon as the iron arrives. Susan Wait, a colored damsel in Sa vannah, had the weight of a bar of iron laid on her head by a colored sister, and, strange to remark, her head was so fraz zled as to require some considerable stitching to get the skin back in its place. The heads of the Savannah negroes must belong to the soft-shell classification. The grand jury of Chatham county have found a true hill against George W, Swepson, the famous Florida railroad bond operator, who disposed of 550,000 first mortgage bonds of the Georgia and Pensacola Railroad, to Messrs. Bryan & Hunter, of Savannah, the redemption of which was afterwards refused. The trouble now is to find Swepson.