USA > Texas > The Confederate capital and Hood's Texas brigade > Part 32
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"Again, at Gaines' Farm, the brigade acted no mean part in securing that glorious victory, and the 4th Texas, by its deeds of daring valor. covered itself with immortal renown.
"At second Manassas the command was again conspicuous. and by their gallantry did much to achieve that splen ili success. The lamented Hood said of the 5th regiment on that feld of ba :- tle: 'It slipped the bridle, broke through three lines of battle. and penetrated to the very heart of the enemy.'
"At Sharpsburg too, throughout that terrible day, which has been characterized as the fiercest struggle of the war. the Texas brigade fought with desperate valor and against fearful odds. "At Gettysburg, and on other fields, they received honorable mention.
"But if there was no other page in the battle history of tha: brigade than the Wilderness. it would stand alone as a sufficien: monument of the heroism and valor of the little band of Texans. The passage of the bridge at Lodi by Napoleon was a grand scone. the assault of MacDonald at Wagram, with bis so'smin of In Och, was a sublime spectacle; and the charge of the Night bri- galle at Balaklava, since made immortal by the poet's pen, was a beroic picture: these all mark epschs of the courage of men on the feld of battle; but to my mind the charge of the Texas bri-
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gade at the Wilderness, under the eye of the immortal Lee, santis without a parallel in the annals of var. Those were trainel soldiery, and moved to the onslaught like a : tece of machinery. driven to their duty by the stern rules of Ascipline. moved to the charge in the face of overwhelming ofis against a victorious enemy. They charged with the collares of veterans, but not more nerved b; discipline that by the ares of patriotism which burned in the bosom of each citizen-soldier. and which determined him to do or die in a cause which he deemed just and holy.
".Musketry to right of them. Musketry to left of them, Musketry in front of them Vilever and thundered. Stormed et with shot an I sheil, Bollly they charged an 1 well, Into the jais of that !. "
.. Though no sculptured marble rears aloft its spotless shaft, to tell to the stranger that there, too, fell a Thermopylæ ' though no paternal government stretches forth its protecting arms to raise a splendid mausoleum to the fallen Confederate Heroes of the Wilderness, yet their deeds of valor are enshribed in the hearts of the admirers of time courage and manbord throwsbeat the world: and in the urn of history the brightest page will be re- served in which theit memories will be embalnei and go sound- ing down the ages to the remotest time.
"Suffice it that this little band of Texans, surrounded. as they were, by the most extraordinary circumstances. Felt and realized that Texas had committed to their care and keeping her fair fame and her stered honor. They were inspired by the deeds of the illustitous heroes of the Alimo, of Goliad, of Sie jacinto and they determined to Hear alof the honor of their state upon the points of their bayonets- to victory or death.
"It was no ignoble task to earn a place in the annals of the Army of Northern Virginia; and Texas need not feel ashamed of the deeds of these of her children, written in letters ci blocd upon almost every battie-field of Virginia. N. history will ever record that in the hour of danger these men aver proved recrean: to the trust confided to them, or that. in the shock of battle. they ever turned their backs upon the enemy.
".Wherever death's quick ping was quicka: Where the battle < wreck lay thickest There, be sure, would they be charging.'
"Many of them, alas' will never charge again. How many c:
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them sleep their last sleep on the soil of the Old Dominion, their bones bleaching on the battle fields of thet classic lani!
"'On fame's eternal camping grour :. Their silent tents are s' read, Where giory guards, with solemn sound. The bivouac of the de 1.
"Denny and Black fell at Eltham's Landing: Ryan and Mar- shall offered up their lives at Gaines' Farm: the soil of the Rap- pahannock drank up the blood of the gallant Whaley; the bold spirit of the chivalrous Upton went forth to meet the God of battle from the plains of Manassas, and as Le would have chosen Gregg, too, the Chevalier Bayard of the brigade, poured out his heart's blood in a skirmish in front of Richmond, though he had often courted death upon nobler fields: while Turner, the faithful soldier, is quietly sleeping under the green sod at Suffolk. Others of cqual valor, courage and devotion, if not of equal fame, res: in nameless graves, awaiting the resurrection morn, which sha !: call all true soldiers to duty.
"Let us, the survivors of that noble band of brothers, emulate their example in the battle of life which is before us,
"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for the evidences of your hospitality."
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TO HOOD'S TEXAS BRIGADE.
BY MOLLIE E. MOORE, THE SWEET TEXAS SONGSTRESS. -
[Read at the Third Annual Reunion, Galveston, June 27, 18;4.
"I wake my slumbering harp again. I sweep once inots its silent strings, I trembling touch the ohlen strati. Whose every note some me rory brings; It led to battle once. your blades Triumphant drew, a trumpet tone To victory once your bold brizade. Where banners waved and rifles shone.
"But hushed by griefs I dlare not name The song hath slept thro' lonesome years, With that neglecte.Ibridamme Whose burning stars were quenched in tears; And if its lightness all is fled. Its broken chords allay the strain, 'Tis but because the hopes are dead That gave it strength and sweetness then.
"Ye are come to the Halls of Heroes-
"A ring of old music is in the air, That thrills like a thrill of the days gone by, With its martial buren 'We do, and we dare. And the heart as of okl beats fast, beats big5: There are flags on the walls whose dark how i stains Tell mighty deevis of the battle rout- Of the columns flying along the lane- Of Honor and Duty-of Hope and Doubt.
"There are voices mingling thit once rang out High and clear thro' the battle ain, Sending the brave with a clan o shout. To where danger with death was closing ::. There are sears of a hundred battles wen And lost, on the fices gathered here, And the recor le of daring deeds that were Gone On a hundred tie'us in the lays that were.
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"But, room for the dead! Make room for the derd'
"There are phantom forms that come con 'ing in With rifle in hand an I sy ord at kny A silent army whose Bation are FOR- Grand and fearless that foi owel Let There Idares the 1 i mning ord Punte In the han l that bore it it Malvern Is.' And here is the group thit de it such .i. : me To the flying foe at GLines' MIL.
"All here! From the blue eyed boy whowent In a blaze of glory from Seven Pines
To the bearded man whose blood was spent ['nknown and unwarche i on the fish-t lines. And a ring of the old! masis in the air That thrills like a thrill of the days pehely With the martial bunden, we 'o and we lare And the heart, as of o'd, beits fast. kent- high.
"Te are come to the halls of heroes!
"Comrades, both living and dead, ari ... And pledge me in silence that won With its bloody Bells andlia gama Se And its hope sown thick on the battle 'ias :. For its spirit is here in our mist to-Par Breaking and Messiny the breed of our pain, Surely the stone shall be rolle i sver And that past shall rise and rejoice aga !!. "
LATEST WORK OF VIRGINIA WOMEN.
As so much has been given of the labor of love of the women of Richmond during the days of the Confederacy, this work would be incomplete without some notice of their exertions of a later date.
Soon after the close of the war two societies were organized. the Hollywood and Oakwood Memorial Associations.
These ladies banded together for the purpose of caring for the graves of the soldiers buried from the hos tais: to gather the dead from the battle-fields; to erect o monument at each place, and to institute, upon the anniversary of General Jackson's death. in May, a day to be kept sacredly as a holiday when each un- known grave should be decorated every returning spring. with . the floral tributes of their love and continue i affection.
The visitor to these cemeteries 's struck with the sad mourn-
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fulness of this army of graves. There lie the defenders of a los: cattse, side by side, far from home and loven otes-vas hiflocks of tufted green, the gentle zephyr sighing through the branches of the giant oaks, a continued requiem above their sacrifice of blood and life.
Not long since I wandered in the midst of this devoted remem- brance, proud that above place and power. fashion and the greed of gain, this sacred dust is cherished and the past with its re- markable history is not forgotten.
Thank God for a people who have shown to succeeding gen- erations their appreciation of the brave, tokaowu, Southern sol- dier !
At Oakwood, in the eastern limit of the city. the dead from the adjacent battle-fields are buried in a wide semi-circle, around the tall, white monument that rears its lofty Head above a broad granite base, alongside their comrades who fed from wounds re- ceived in the many engagements around the city.
This bears the inscription:
TO THE SIXTEEN THOUSAND CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS WHO LIE BURIED HERE FROM EVERY SOUTHERN STATE [here follows name of each State | ERECTED BY OAKWOOD LADIES' MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION.
. No pen can describe this scene or adequately depict the sensa- tions felt as all the immolation of self is here brought sensibly to view, but amidst it all glowed the ennobling thought that they are cared for still, and as long as these daisy-starred graves here remain, once a year, at least, the women will unite with the true and brave in a spontaneous tribute to the past.
At Hollywood the grounds are designed mitre artistically. di. vided by avenues that wind gracenily over M. and through dale. past vast mausoleums and hill-side vaults. Esvering beds, shady woodland nooks, murmuring streams, and other attractions ci fine landscape gardening.
Confederate avenue was the locality we sought -the Mecca of our pilgrimage. Stately trees threw their sha lows. interspersed by patches of sunshine, cool and refreshing. over all the sur- roundings.
As I trod the gravelled walks and threaded the mazes of arbe: vitte, cedar and holly, strange the ight swelle ] within my bosom. Longtreet's corps was again passing through the city as I once saw them, bouyant with hope, cheerful and privation-the sunny-faced heroes of every battlefield.
I stood upon the eminence from which the monument rises. As far as the eye can reach --- nothing but graves --- 12 cco South- ern soldiers resting sile by side, with only wooden Lead-boards
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to mark their place of slumber, their lovely beds attesting to the continued care they receive.
Sitting down at the base of the monument, I fell into a reverie, having wandered off alone to commune with the past mais- turbed.
Here they had brought the dead from the battle-field of Get- tysburg, -we had read of the procession a mile in length .-- the remains escorted by old military companies, city officials. citizens and ladies of the Association.
What a picture ! Grand, glorious old Virginia preserving her ancient dignity even beyond the realm of life ! The flag Lader which these had marched to a glorious death had been irled in black midnight, and gone down in grief and agony, but men and women were still faithful, and could still scatter flowers, and water them with tears, above the breasts of the unconquered
The monument is a tall pyramid of native rough-hewn granite. put together with mathematical exactness, no mortar or cement used in its construction. Half-way up its rugged four sties a marble tablet, is inserted, bearing the words: "OUR CONFEDES ATF DEAD."
Along its broad base is planted honeysuckle, running roses. ivy, wisteria, and Virginia creeper. They have thrown out their tendrils in a loving clasp, grown in and out among the crevices of the rock, climbing nearly to the summit -- a mass of living green -- a fever dying memory of the buried brave. There it stands, against the blue vault of the sky, prominent from all points, -- the simplest. grandest, most beautiful, most wonderful testimonial ever erected to perpetuate the memory of the loved and lost.
" Rest on. embalnel and sairted dead. Dear as the bioed you gave. No impious footstep here shall tread The herbage of your grave. Nor shall your glory be forgot While Fame her record keeps, Or Honor points the hallowed spot Where Valor proudly sleeps.
" Von marble minstrel's voiceless stone. In deathless song shall tell. When many a vinishe I age has flown, The story how ve fell: Nor wreck, nor change, nor winter's blight, Nor Time's remorseless doom, Shall dim one ray of Glory', light That gilds your deathless tomb."
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The dead are honored, but the living are also cherished, as the "Soldiers Home." beyond the equestrian statue of General Lee. in the western suburbs of the city, bears witness.
The building was purchased through the exertions of the R. E. Lee Camp of Confederate Veterans, assisted by the H -Sywood and Oakwood Associations, and here are gathered several hun- dred Confederate soldiers.
The grounds and drives are handsomely kept, inviting visitors to enjoy the surroundings.
The reception room, in the principal building, is adorsed by full-length portraits of Generals Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and other leaders, the expensive work of local artists.
A Confederate museum of curiosities is carefully preserved. while books in glass cases line one end of the long room.
To the left of the building is a row of eight two-story cottages, in Queen Anne style, donated by patriotic sons of Virginia. two by Northern admirers, and another by Miss Smith, daughter of Governor Smith, who built this, and also placed in the chapel a stained glass memorial window, in memory of her only brother, who was killed in battle.
The little chapel stands beyond the row of cottages, near the main road. Each stained glass window, altar railing. pulpit. seat, etc., is a memorial offering of some one serving in the Con- federate cause. Each denomination holds services bere alter- nately, every Sabbath afternoon.
Along the walks, and in front of each cottage, are plots and rows of ever-blooming roses, geraniums. and other attractive plauts. These are cared for by the old soldiers, who find this light employment pleasing, giving them exercise and cat-door work.
The institution is upon an independent basis. The city de- veloping in that direction, lots have been sold from the extensive grounds, and a large sum realized. This, together with a liberal vearly appropriation from the State legislature, has placed the Soldiers Home forever beyond want. Thus the dead and the living both share the tenderest care from a cultivated, appreci- ative people, and heaven's choicest blessing, will rest as a bene- diction over each doubly-consecrated life.
PRAYER OF THE SOUTH. FATHER RYAN. My heart is filled with anguish, dren and vast. My hopes are buried with my children's dust, My joys have fled, my tears are Rowing fas .. In whom, save Thee, our Father, shall we trust!
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Pity me. Father for His holy > :. c Whop Broken heart blod at the feet .alef. That lots ofeach, where er they 30 =c.1K. Might go to lite, and sa lavare relle .
Girdled with cloom, of all me lsishine: And garmented sith grich I kis, Thy r And turn my face, with tears a'l act an . com. To catch one stile of glory thor aux ( Around me bligat, where .Il before Was An l so much los', alas! au I nothing wes Save this -that I can lean on wreck and .. n.b And weep, and weeping pray, Thy will be done My children, Father, Thy forgiveness prel: Alas, their Hearts have . only place for tears' Forgive them, Father, ev'ry wrongful dei, And every sin of these four too ly y .. rs: And give them, strength to hear their b. t. Less loss. And from their hearts fake every thor si : cf hate; And while they climb their Calvary with their Cross. Oh! help them, Father, to endure its weight.
And for my deal, my Father, may I pray. All! sighs may soothe, I it prayer will -tothe me more I keep eternal watch above andis dev: Oh! rest their souls, ias Fisker, Iimplore: Forgive my foes-they kin net what the:00- Forgive them all the tears they arde an sied: Forgive them, though iny n i lest sous they siew. And bless them, though they curse my poor, dea: det !.
Ou! may my woes be each a carrier-dove With swift, white wings that bathing in my tears. Will beir Thee, Lather, all my prayers ofve. And bring the pence in all rir sollte an l fears. Father, I knee', 'mid ruin. wreck Quin grave- A desert waste, there il ares erst so fair- And for my children il : y Des I crave Pity and pardon. Father, Hear my prayer.
[THE END.]
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