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Vol. V.
Memorial Day and General
Johnston.
We call this our “General Johns
ton’s ovation” number.
By reference to the article copied
from the Gmstifabon our readers will
recognize the obvious propriety of our
giving this name to this number of
the Kennesaw Gazette.
If there was any leader among all
the southern soldiers that we confess
an unbounded admiration for, General
Joseph E. Johnston is the man. His
ability is a matter of worlds wide fame.
His reputation as a gentleman is one
which should go coequal with the
other. In everything that constitutes
high-souled honor General Johnston
stands as a representative.
The reception given to him by the
Confederate veterans and the citizens of
Atlanta on Memorial Day, (April 26)
was in sorhe senses the most remark
able which has ever been granted to
any public man in the south. We
cannot call to mind an instance in
Atlanta of where the horses were
literally taken from the carriage and
the carriage pulled by enthusiastic
and admiring friends, as was the case
with Geneial Johnston last Saturday.
Although the general is well ad
vanced in years the Kennesaw Ga
zette knows that it voices the senti
ments of hundreds of thousands when
it expresses to him the words of old
Rip’s toast, “May you live long and
prosper! ”
Memorial Day.
Greatest Confederate Gathering in Atlanta
Since the War.
Atlanta, Ga., April 26. —Proba-
bly never before since the war has there
been such a gathering of Confederate
veterans as was here to take part in
Memorial Day exercises today. The
special attraction was the presence of
a large number of ex-Confederate gen
erals. Among them were Joseph E.
Johnston and E. Kirby Smith, two of
the three fidl generals, Beauregard
having been compelled to decline at
the last minute; Maj.-Gen. P. M. B.
Young, Brig.-Gens. Tige Anderson,
Lt J. Gartrell, R. J. Henderson, Holtz
claw, Law ton, Bell, Robertson, Sor
rell, Vance, M. J Wright, W. S,
Walker and others. Hon. J. C. C.
Black, of Augusta, was the orator of
thfi day.
A. humorous dare-devil—tiie very man to suit my purpose. Bulweb.
OTJR “ GENERAL JOHNSTONS OVATION” ZNTJ JUL BER.
Today’s exercises consisted in the lay
ing of a corner-stone for the Confeder
ate Veterans’ Home, by Grand Master
Davidson, of the Masonic Grand Lodge
of Georgia. These exercises were at
tended by the visiting generals and
the veterans, and at 3 o’clock the
oration of Mr. Black was delivered in
DeGive’s opera house. From here a
procession of veterans from all parts of
Georgia and from other States, mili
tary companies, and carriages contain
ing the generals and members of the
Soldiers’ Memorial Association march
ed to Oakland Cemetery, where the
graves of the Confederate dead were
strewn with flowers. The ceremonies
here were brief.
“joe” johnston’s ride.
The special incident of the day was
the wildly enthusiastic reception given
Gen. Johnston by his soldiers. When
his carriage first appeared there was a
shout and probably 5,000 veterans
crowded around to see “Old Joe.”
He and Gen. Kirby Smith were in
the same carriage. The old soldiers
cut the horses loose and dragged the
carriage up and down for several
blocks, which were crowded with vet
erans. There were many touching
incidents during that ride, illustrating
the deep love of the soldiers for thpjr
great leader.
ATLANTA, CA., MAY I, 1890.
.a.
GEN. .JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON.
The Hero Comes.
General .Johnston’s Carriage Drives Up and
He Is Royally Received.
The following is from the Constitiir
tion’s account of streetscenes in Atlanta
on Memorial Day:
As the first carriage drove away, the
Governor’s Horse Guard came up the
street forty strong, under command of
Captain Miller.
The company was an escort to the
hero of the day.
With the Governor’s Horse G uard
came a carriage drawn by two large
black horses.
In that carriage was General Joseph
E. Johnston.
The old hero sat upon the rear seat,
and beside him was General Kirby
Smith.
Mrs. Colonel John M illedge and Mrs.
Wise, of Virginia, widow of Henry A.
Wise, Jr., who was the son of Gov
ernor Henry A. Wise, of Virginia.
The carriage was covered with How
ers.
“That’s Johnston. That’s Joe John
ston,” yelled some one.
Instantly the Governor's Horse
Guard’s horsesand men were displaced
by the old battle-scarred veterans.
The men who fought under the hero
surrounded the carriage.
They raised it oft the paved street
and they yelled themselves hoarse.
Words of love, praise and admira
tion were wafted to the hero’s ears.
Hands pushed through the sides of
the carriage and grasped the hands of
the man who defended Atlanta.
The crowd grew and thickened.
Captain Ellis tried to disperse it,'but
could not.
Then the police tried.
But the love of the old veterans was
greater than the strength of both Cap
tain Ellis and Atlanta’s police force;
for ten minutes the carriage stood
still.
Then, as it began to move, some one
called out:
“Take them horses away.”
Almost instantly both horses were
unhitched, and old veterans fought for
their places in the traces.
Then the carriage began to move.
Men who loved the old soldier were
pulling it.
Up Marietta street it went to the
customhouse, then it was turned, and
back, towards the opera house it roll
ed.
The rattle of the drum and the roll
of the music were drowned by the yell
of the old soldiers.
They were wild, mad with joy.
Their long pent-up love for the old
soldier had broken loose.
As General Anderson dropped his
Commander’s hand an old veteran
gathered it.
“General,” he cried, “I was there.
I was right behind you when you
signed them articles with Sherman.”
General Johnston smiled, saying:
“I wish to God you had been right
in front of me.”
The carriage stopped in front of the
stage door to the opera house.
The general and his escort were
assisted to the ground.
Old veterans tried to lift him to their
shoulders, but were warned that his
health would not allow it.
Meekly they drew away.
In it the same love was apparent
which characterized their greeting.
Mrs. Milledge took the old hero by
the arm, and followed by General
Smith and Mrs. Chevalier, started for
the stairway.
The crowd fell back silently, mak
ing a pathway for them.
It was a pathway strewn with love,
and not with roses.
As they started up the steps, an old
veteran touched the general, saying:
’“Mars Joe, let me touch your gar
ment. I fought through the war, and
have traveled 200 miles to see you.”
The old general stopped and grasped
the old man’s hand.
A jpijiute later he disappeared m
the opera, house,
NO. 9.