VETERAN REUNION j 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FORMERLY OF j 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 Wi'i^l|tV (kftei^wkMbO ^offeiy Sfi^kde, ]\Ial\oi|eV I 
 
 Si'iiiy of Xo^'tl:^^!'!) Vii'^iilia of I 
 t\\Q doiifedefkte ^tate^, I 
 
 July 30th and 81st, 1874. 
 
 i 
 
 SAVANNAH: 
 S. J. M. Baker, Printer. 
 1875. 
 
VETERAN REUNION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 , FORMERLY OF 
 
 AYi'igl^t's (aftei^vafd^4') fioti^oVfi Sfi^ade, Mkl^oiie'^ 
 
 Sfuiv of ;^oi'tl|ei'i| Vit^T[ici of 
 tlie doiifedei'ate $tate^, 
 
 July SOfh and 31st, 1874. 
 
 SAVANNAH: 
 S. J. M. Baker, Printer. 
 1875. 
 
# 
 
In submitting to his old comrades and the public 
 this record of the Reunion of the surviving veterans 
 of the Third Georgia Regiment of Infantry— a regi- 
 ment that bore so prominent and distinguished a part 
 on the tented field in the struggle for the independence 
 of the Confederate States — the undersigned believes 
 it has been made his duty to contribute an important 
 and interesting page to the full history of those stirring 
 times. 
 
 Valuable aid has been received from the very excel- 
 lent newspaper reports made at the time of the memo- 
 rable alfair, and ready assistance has been rendered 
 by every surviving member of the old Third, and of 
 the old brigade as well, who has been approached ; 
 and for all this the amplest acknowledgements are 
 offered. 
 
 Bespeaking what he knows he will receive— kindly 
 indulgence for any inaccuracies that have escaped the 
 compiler's inexperienced eye — he lays down his pen 
 with a sigh as the task closes over which he has lin- 
 gered with many tender memories, and wishing long 
 life and happiness to all the gallant friends who were 
 left by war's vicissitudes to enjoy our late Reunion, 
 indulges the hope that so pleasant an occasion may be 
 vouchsafed to us all again. 
 
 A. A. Winn, Secretary. 
 Savannah, Ga., Jan., 1875, 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2013 
 
 http://archive.org/details/veteranreunionofOOconf 
 
[Extract from a private letter from •'Commodore" G. N. Dexter, 
 formerly Quartermaster Sergeant of the Regiment. 
 
 Madison, Ga., IN^ov. 8tli, 1874. 
 
 Capt. A. A. Winn : 
 
 My Dear Friend : — Your favor of the 2d inst. just at 
 hand. Having been absent this week at the Fair at 
 Union Point, I did not receive it as soon as it reached 
 Madison. 
 
 In relation to the date of the first call to take the 
 subject of a Reunion of the Veterans of the Old Third 
 into consideration, I will state that it had impressed 
 my mind for the past three years that nothing could 
 alford greater pleasure to the survivors of our old 
 regiment than to meet at some suitable time and place 
 and clasp each other' s hands again, renew old acquain- 
 tance, talk over the struggles we together had to pass 
 through, our days of suffering and danger in the camp 
 and on the battle field. I hesitated from time to time, 
 in doubt as to what would be the result of such a 
 move, surrounded as we were by political confusion, 
 and questioning if radicalism, negro-rule, military 
 despotism and the many other evils of the times might 
 not combine to favor and propagate to the injury of 
 our people and section a misconstruction of the mo- 
 tive we would have in view. And hence, I delayed 
 making any special mention of it until the first of May 
 last ; but on that day I consulted with ten or twelve 
 of old Company D, and found the suggestion met the 
 approval^of all. Consequently, I had a call published 
 for a meeting of all the survivors of Company D, to 
 take place on the 16th day of May, 1874. 
 
 Thus the ball was put in motion, and it rolled on 
 and on by the assistance of yourself and all others 
 favorable to the movement until it was crowned with 
 the grandest success that has marked a Southern 
 
6 
 
 gathering since the war. Others since then have met 
 and enjoyed the pleasures of a reunion, but in so far 
 as I have seen or read, none to my mind has been 
 equal to the old Third Georgia's, at Union Point. As 
 ours was first, it stands foremost ; and with pleasure, 
 as long as I shall live, will I remember those two days. 
 How I delight to dwell upon them ! May they ever 
 be fresh in my mind ! I love the spot, and the three 
 days I spent on the same ground enjoying the hospi- 
 talities of the good people of Union Point, at their 
 County Fair, were doubly delightful from the happy 
 and cherished associations that now cluster at that 
 place. The ladies (God bless them !) they looked just 
 as sweet as ever ; the citizens, all were just as warm- 
 hearted and as anxious to make one of the old Third 
 at home ; and mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, 
 would all be glad, they say, if we would call on them 
 again next year. I must confess, that in all my trav- 
 els, I never have met a more unanimously hospitable, 
 social, clever community ; it can't be beat.. 
 With best wishes for your success, I am 
 
 Truly yours, 
 
 G. Dexter. 
 
 FIRST CALL. 
 ATTENTION, HOME GMJARDS ! 
 Company D, 3d Georgia Regiment ! 
 
 You are hereby requested to attend a meeting of the Company to be 
 held at the Court House, in Madison, on Saturday, May 16th, 1874. 
 
 COME ONE, COME ALL! 
 As business of interest and importance is to be transacted. 
 
 By request of Many Members. 
 
 FIRST PRELIMINARY MEETING. 
 
 Attention, 3d Georgia Regiment ! 
 In response to a j)revious call, a large number of the 
 surviving members of Company D, of tlie 3d Georgia 
 Regiment, met in tlie Court House, at Madison, on 
 Saturday, 16tli May, 1874. 
 
7 
 
 On motion, Capt. C. H. Andrews was called to the 
 chair, and W. T. Hollingsworth requested to act as 
 Secretary. 
 
 Upon taking the chair, Capt. Andrews announced 
 that the object of the meeting was to consider the 
 proposition of having a Eeunion of all the surviving 
 members of the 3d Georgia Regiment, and to deter- 
 mine upon the time and place of holding such meeting. 
 
 The following resolutions were offered and unani- 
 mously adopted : 
 
 Resolved, That each surviving member report to the 
 Secretary his name to be enrolled, and if wounded, give 
 time and place, that it may be recorded opposite his name. 
 
 Resolved, That the proprietor of the Home Journal be 
 requested to publish the roll of the Company when com- 
 pleted, and the proceedings of this meeting, as a matter 
 of public interest. 
 
 Resolved, That the Secretary compile from the muster 
 rolls, morning reports, and other data, a history of the 
 Company for pubHcation. 
 
 The following is a list of the names of those present 
 at this meeting : 
 
 C. H. Andrews, G. N. Dexter, R. H. Harris, E. A. 
 Furlow, W. L. A. Whitton, J. M. Brown, P. W. Wal- 
 ton, W. T. Ballard, B. H. Overby, I. W. Reese, S. A. 
 Harper, J. P. Almand, J. M. Stovall, J. A. Fannin, 
 Dan. Towns, J. W. Reese, J. K. Wright, B. B. Brown, 
 W. T. Hollingsworth, A. J. Reese, W. D. Wynn, F. 
 M. Luster, G. B. Stovall, W. T. Jones. 
 
 Letters were read from Capt. Corker, of Company 
 A, Capt. Nesbit, of Company B, and Sergt. Levy, of 
 Company H, all fervently and cordially responding in 
 favor of the movement for a Reunion of the old Third 
 Georgia Regiment. 
 
 Mr. G. N. Dexter moved that Union Point be 
 selected as the most suitable place for the Reunion to 
 "be held. 
 
 Mr. A. J. Reese offered, as a substitute, that 
 Augusta be selected. 
 Mr. R.'s motion was put and lost. 
 
8 
 
 Mr. Dexter' s motion was then voted on, and carried 
 by a large majority in favor of Union Point. 
 
 A motion was made that the meeting take place on 
 Thursday, 30th of July next, and continue for two 
 days ; which motion, on being put by the chairman, 
 was unanimously carried. 
 
 On motion, a committee of five, consisting of G-. N. 
 Dexter, W. D. Wynn, B. B. Brown, G. B. Stovall and 
 B. H. Overby, was appointed to make general arrange- 
 ments and correspond with other officers and men of 
 the old command in reference to the meeting. 
 
 It was moved and carried that Col. J. S. Reid (who 
 was not present at this meeting) be the permanent 
 President, and W. T. Hollingsworth permanent Secre- 
 tary of the Company (as newly organized). 
 
 On motion, a committee on by-laws was appointed, 
 consisting of B. B. Brown, R. H. Harris, E. A. Fur- 
 low, P. W. Walton and W. T. Hollingsworth. 
 
 A resolution of thanks was unanimously voted to 
 our old comrade and Regimental Quartermaster, Capt. 
 A. Phillips, of Company Gr, for his attendance at this 
 meeting. 
 
 On motion, the meeting adjourned to meet again on 
 the 13th of June next. 
 
 C. H. Andeews, Ch'n. 
 W. T. HoLLmGSWORTH, Sec'y. 
 
 SECOND PRELIMINARY MEETING. 
 
 Meeting of the Home Guards. 
 
 According to previous adjournment, a goodly num- 
 ber of the Home Guards, Company D, met in the Court 
 House, at Madison, 13th June, 1874, Col. J. S. Reid, 
 President, in the chaii\ 
 
 The object of the meeting was stated by Capt, 
 Andrews. The reports of committees were then an- 
 nounced to be first in order. 
 
 The committee on rules and regulations made its 
 report. Six rules are embraced in this report. Rules 
 1st and 2d read as follows : 
 
9 
 
 First— This corps shall be called the "Veteran Home 
 Guards," and shall consist of all the surviving men 
 who were enrolled and mustered into the service dur- 
 ing the late war as Company D, 3d Ga. Regiment of 
 Volunteers. 
 
 Second — The objects of this organization is to keep 
 intact, as near as possible, a roll of the survivors of the 
 former organization, and to collect and preserve all in- 
 cidents and facts of interest connected with its war 
 record, in order that the same may be perpetuated. 
 
 The other four rules have reference to the officers of 
 the corps and their duties, etc. 
 
 On motion, these rules and regulations were unani- 
 mously adopted. 
 
 The committee on general arrangements and corres- 
 pondence reported, through its chairman, Mr. G. N. 
 Dexter. Printed copies of the meeting of the citizens 
 of Union Point, tendering the hospitalities of the town 
 and the use of the Fair Grounds, etc., were distributed 
 among the members present, and letters were read from 
 old comrades from the different companies that com- 
 posed the regiment, heartily endorsing the movement 
 for a Reunion of the survivors of the old command. 
 Arrangements had been made with the officers of the 
 Georgia Rail Road to pass all who were members of the 
 3d Ga. Regiment to the place of meeting and return 
 for one fare. 
 
 It was moved and carried that each member of the 
 corps provide himself with three days' rations and 
 such bed clothing as he may deem necessary. 
 
 Capt. Andrews moved that the committee on general 
 correspondence be instructed to invite Gen. G. M. 
 Sorrel, of Savannah, to deliver an address to the regi- 
 ment on the occasion of its Reunion, which motion 
 was unanimously adopted. 
 
 Dr. Hollingsworth moved that a speaker be selected 
 independent of the regular orator for the occasion to 
 
lO 
 
 deliver an address upon the history of the Third 
 Georgia Regiment, and upon its deceased and lamented 
 first commander, Gen. A. R. Wright, and that the 
 same committee be instructed to make the selection. 
 The motion was adopted. 
 
 On motion, the committee on arrangements was in- 
 structed to conler with the authorities of the Georgia 
 Rail Roaa to try and get an extension of the free re- 
 turn tickets from the Reunion to five days, instead of 
 two days, and that the family of each member be in- 
 cluded in the same. 
 
 It was moved and adopted that all the colored ser- 
 vants who were with the regiment in the field, be invited 
 to attend. 
 
 It was moved and carried that each member be 
 assessed twenty -five cents to defray incidental expenses. 
 
 On motion, the meeting adjourned to meet again on 
 Saturday, the 25th July next. 
 
 J. S. Reid, Pres't. 
 
 W. T. HoLLiNGswoRTH, Scc'y. 
 
 The old members of Company D can procure certifi- 
 cates of membership to enable them to be at the 
 Reunion, by calling on either Capt. C. H, Andrews or 
 Capt. J. K. Wright. 
 
 THIRD PRELIMINARY MEETING. 
 
 Pursuant to previous adjournment, Company D met 
 in the Court House, on Saturday, the 25th July inst. 
 Col. Reid being absent, Capt. C. H. Andrews was 
 called to the chair. The President detailed to the 
 members present the plans and arrangements that had 
 been perfected in reference to the approaching Reunion 
 of the 3d Ga. Regiment. 
 
 The Secretary read letters from a number of mem- 
 bers of the old command— of the number was one 
 from Col. Snead, accepting an invitation to deliver an 
 address on the occasion, together with his printed cir- 
 cular addressed to old comrades. 
 
11 
 
 A letter from Gen. G. M. Sorrel, of Savannah, was 
 also read, regreting his inability to attend and deliver 
 an address, but promised himself, as some partial 
 compensation, the privilege of communicating a letter 
 at the Keunion, conveying his congratulations on 
 the occcasion. 
 
 In consequence of previous engagements. Gen. J. B. 
 Gordon could not be present. 
 
 Gov. Smith had not yet been heard from, in reply to 
 a request that his Excellency be present on the oc- 
 casion. 
 
 The action of the committee in arrangeing a pro- 
 gramme for the occasion of the Reunion, was reported, 
 and unanimously approved and endorsed. 
 
 On motion, it was resolved that we return our sincere 
 thanks to the Panola Guards for their kind invitation 
 to us to attend and participate in the festivities of their 
 Keunion on the 29th inst. 
 
 And it was further resolved, that we hereby extend 
 to each surviving member of that gallant Company a 
 cordial invitation to unite with us as special guests of 
 Company D, on the occasion of the Reunion of the 3d 
 Ga. Regiment, at Union Point, on the 30th and 31st 
 inst. 
 
 On motion, the Secretary was requested to at once 
 make known to the Panola Guards the invitation thus 
 extended them. 
 
 It was moved and adopted that Mr. Dan. Towns be 
 appointed as the Company Quartermaster, to look after 
 the baggage of the same. 
 
 A resolution of thanks was voted to such of the 
 public press as have kindly noticed the proceedings of 
 our meetings on the subject of our Reunion. 
 
 On motion, the meeting adjourned, subject to the 
 call of the President. 
 
 C. H. Andrews, Pres'tpro tern. 
 
 W. T. HoLLiNGSwoRTH, Sec'y. 
 
12 
 
 CIRCULAR. 
 To the Surviving Members of the 3d Regiment of Georgia Volunteers. 
 
 Augusta, Ga., July 14th, 1874. 
 
 Friends and Countrymen: — As the last commanding 
 officer of tlie old Third Georgia, I take pleasure and 
 pride in endorsing and uniting in the movement among 
 our comrades to celebrate the first Reunion of the 
 surviving members of the Regiment, at Union Point, 
 on the 30th and 31st instant. 
 
 Such a Reunion in these times of peace of those who 
 have stood side by side and unflinching amidst the din 
 and dangers of many a hard fought battle, cannot but 
 prove gratifying in its features and happy in its results. 
 
 Every arrangement has been made for the success of 
 the occasion, and some efforts will doubtless be inau- 
 gurated to perpetuate in enduring form the glorious 
 history of the war-worn organization. 
 
 Be assured your presence in full numbers is earnestly 
 requested. Over the line of the Georgia Rail Road 
 and connections members of the Regiment will be 
 transported for one fare and return free. 
 
 Hoping to meet you all on the days of the Reunion, 
 I have the honor to be, comrades, 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 Claiborne Snead, 
 Surviving Colonel of the 3d Ga. Regt.. 
 
 REGRETS 
 
 From Dr. Kilby, of Suffolk, Va., late Surgeon of the Regiment. 
 
 Suffolk, Va., July 20th, 1874. 
 Capt. A. A. Winn, Savannah, Ga. — 
 
 3hj Dear Sir .-—Yours of June 19th came to hand in 
 due time, and should have been answered before this 
 late date, but I have been trying to make arrange- 
 ments to go to Union Point, and be with you at the 
 Reunion of the old 3d Georgia. I regret exceedingly 
 that it will be entirely out of my power to make a visit 
 to your State, that I have so much desired since the 
 war. Our sickly season is now on us, and we are 
 
13 
 
 having more sickness than usual, in consequence of 
 which, I am very closely confined at home plodding 
 along in professional duties that are arduous and not 
 profitable. It is impossible to express my gratitude 
 towards you and others for the very kind manner in 
 which you and many others of the regiment have 
 thought and still think of me, and for the many ex- 
 pressions of kind feelings towards myself and mine. 
 It is certainly very kind in all of you to think of me so 
 far away, and to extend an invitation to be present on 
 the occasion of your re-organization. Accept my 
 thanks— but I connot find words to express my feel- 
 ings — imagine them if you can. I want you to present 
 my name at the Reunion, and have it placed on the 
 roll as a permanent member of the regiment, and if 
 consistent, would be more than delighted to know that 
 I can again subscribe myself ''Surg. 3d Gra. Regt." 
 
 If you come to Virginia this summer, I shall cer- 
 tainly expect to see you, and then what a jolly good 
 time we will have, talking over and recalling the many 
 pleasant moments we had around the camp-fire of the 
 old 3d Georgia. Why, Asa, I feel real jolly at the 
 bare idea of meeting with you and talking about 
 ^'Si)be" Barnwell, Parson Stoakes, Dr. Thompson, 
 Jim Hester, and a whole host of others. Do you re- 
 •meniber how Parson Stoakes, Dr. Thompson and I, 
 used to abuse you and Sebe because you had us up 
 so parly those cold mornings, and sound the ' 'surgeon' s 
 call " for at least one-fourth the regiment to march up 
 and receive his portion of castor oil or blue pill and 
 quinine, with an occasional dose of bad whiskey and 
 red pepper? Those were jolly times. What has be- 
 come of Sebe and his little drum ? When you see 
 Sebe, ask him if he has forgotten the big blister he had 
 put over all the bowels and stomach hoping to get a 
 furlough, and then didn't get it? I should like so 
 much to see him, and hear him beat the "double quick;'' 
 it would look so much like those good old war times, 
 when we fought for glory, quarter rations and no 
 
14 
 
 clothes. What has become of Jim Hester and Dr. 
 Thompson ? 1 have heard from them once or twice 
 since the war, but have heard nothing in three or four 
 years. If still alive, and you see them at your Reunion, 
 give them a good hug for me, and tell them to keep 
 me in kind remembrance — not to forget their old chum 
 and comrade in hardships and short rations. Don't 
 fail to present my kindest regards to each and every 
 one of the old Third ; and tell them I still hold them 
 in the most affectionate remembrance, and never pan 
 forget their many kindnesses towards me. You niust 
 send me all the papers containing any account of your 
 Eeunion, and let me know all the proceedings and 
 facts. I hope, by the time the next meeting takes 
 place, business, health and other circumstances will 
 permit me to be present for duty. I regret so much I 
 can't be there to answer to my name, present,'' when 
 it is called — but, Asa, you must do so for me, and 
 look just behind your President's chair and you will 
 see my spirit, for that will be there though the body is 
 denied the pleasant privilege. 
 
 The idea has occurred to me to try to get up a "Begi- 
 mental Photograph Gallery,'' for my parlor. For this 
 purpose, I want you to ask as many as can do so, to 
 forward to me here their photograph pictures (with 
 their families, if they choose), with their own signature 
 and address, and I will return them mine as reminis- 
 cences of war times. Do you think I can succeed I 
 If they would do so, and give me the letter of their 
 company, I would arrange them in company order 
 around the wall. 1 took a large sheet of paper that I 
 might write a long letter. Let me hear from you as 
 early as possible, and tell me all the news about the 
 Reunion, etc. Present my kindest regards and un- 
 mingled regrets to the old Third, at my not being able 
 to be with you on the happy occasion of the Reunion. 
 Let me hear from you, and believe me as ever, your 
 sincere and attached friend, 
 
 Jno. T. Kilby, " Surg. 3d Ga. Regt." 
 
Thursday, July 30, and Friday, July 31, J 874, 
 At union point, Ga. 
 
 Some three months previous to the date, " Commodore '" 
 G. N. Dexter, of Madison, Georgia, at a meeting of his old 
 Company, the Home Guards, had suggested a social re- 
 union of the survivors of the Third Regiment of Georgia 
 Volunteers (infantry), of which the Company had formed 
 a part during its ser\dce in the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, in the war 
 for the Confederate States ; and the 30tli and 31st of July 
 were fixed upon as the days for this novel and pleasant 
 gathering, and Union Point, on the line of the Georgia 
 Rail Road, between Augusta and Atlanta, was chosen as 
 the place. 
 
 At one o'clock on the morning of Thursday, the 30th of 
 July, a special car on the Georgia Road from Augusta 
 was left at the Union Point depot by the passing train, 
 and in it were many of the veteran members of the Con- 
 federate Light Guards, of Augusta, and of the Burke 
 Guards, of Burke Co., among whom were Col. Claiborne 
 Snead, Capt. S. A. Corker, Lieut. M. Rice, and Lieut. S. 
 J. Bell — the latter two gentlemen having had their left legs 
 shot off at Gettysburg, and received then- wounds in al- 
 most identically the same places. Gardner's brass band, 
 of Augusta, was along, and having escorted the veterans on 
 their departure from that city with the " Bonny Blue 
 Flag," amidst the cheers of the assembled crowd, con- 
 tinued to awaken enthusiasm with patriotic strains. It is 
 recorded that the first symptom of the Reunion had been 
 early observed in this special coach in the shape of an 
 ominous black bottle moving aroimd the water tank. 
 
16 
 
 Bank seemed to be forgotton in the presence of this un- 
 erring emblem of ciyilization, this companion in peace, 
 war pestilence, famine or plenty. " An American never 
 starts to do anything without first taking a drink," some- 
 body said, and had the author of that been along, he 
 would certainly have had reason for strengthening his 
 opinion. 
 
 Detachments from the Athens Guards, Clarke Rifles, 
 of Clarke Co., Home Guards, of Madison, Dawson Grays, 
 of Greene Co., and Young Guards, of Co^dngton, were first 
 to greet and welcome these first arrivals. The principal 
 hotel of the town having been unfortunately burned sev- 
 eral months previously, the majority of the visitors re- 
 mained on the train until dawn, and a few found accom- 
 modations in private houses. 
 
 With the later trains from Athens, Atlanta and xlugusta, 
 the number of veterans increased, many of the survivors 
 of the old Third Georgia promptly appearing — glad to 
 take part in the festivities of a social reunion for the first 
 time since their blood-stained banner was forever furled 
 at Appomattox, nearly ten years before. 
 
 FIRST DAY. 
 
 Several days in advance of the 30th, "Commodore" 
 Dexter, the indefatigable chairman of the committee of ar- 
 rangements appointed by Company D — the Home Guards, 
 of Madison — had occupied the Fair Grounds at Union 
 Point in force, and assisted by Capt. Alexander Phillips, 
 of the Confederate Light Infantry, of Augusta, had 
 thoroughly prepared the place for the coming celebration. 
 The generous citizens of Greene had previously held a 
 public meeting, inviting the iieunion, and pledging in no 
 stinted [terms their sympathy, co-operation and hospi- 
 tality. Not a few came themselves, and lent strong help- 
 ing hands in satisfactorily effecting the setting in order of 
 the chosen camping ground. 
 
17 
 
 The Greene County Fair Grounds contain several acres 
 of land neatly enclosed, lying just without the limits of 
 Union Point, and in a direction somewhat South East 
 of the town, on the line and South of the Georgia Bail 
 Eoad. That portion of the grounds nearest to the town 
 is shaded by a beautiful natural grove of oak and hickory, 
 amidst which have been built by the energy and enterprise 
 of the County Fair Association the usual exhibition edi- 
 fices. Among these. Floral Hall, a circular central build- 
 ing, and the Grand Stand, which overlooks the race track 
 to the East in the wide open space that forms the Eastern 
 part of the grounds, are most prominent ; and within these 
 buildings comfortable bunks made of plank and filled with 
 wheat straw had been constructed, and here the veterans, 
 each man with his own blanket, were to recall in a pleas- 
 ant, practical way, their experiences of actual soldiering. 
 A magnificent spring in the South West corner of the 
 grounds gushed forth amidst the embowering oaks, and 
 furnished the rare luxury to soldiers of pure and refresh- 
 ing water in generous abundance. South of the Floral 
 Hall a platform had been erected and benches arranged, 
 and not far from the Entrance Gate had been dug trenches 
 for barbacuing meats, and put up a half dozen long 
 tables, on which was to be spread the grand feast tendered 
 the assembled veterans by the Dawson Grays, of Greene 
 County, and the noble citizens of that county. The en- 
 tire grounds had been thoroughly cleaned up, and, to- 
 gether with all the buildings, were in most admirable trim 
 and condition. Bountiful donations of supplies and pro- 
 visions of all kinds were generously sent in by the people 
 of the town and the county, and many an " old reb " there 
 was permitted to smile complacently at a commissariat 
 which in the days that that happy event was so vividly 
 recalling would have been regarded as wonderfully sump- 
 tuous and magnificent as the heaps of treasure that 
 dazzled all beholders in Aladdin's palace, 
 
 At 2 P. M., in the City Hall of Union Point, a meeting 
 of officers of the regiment was held, for purposes of pre- 
 liminary organization, the Grangers in the mean time 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 occupying the Fair Grounds in mass meeting, before 
 whom speeches were delivered by Gen. A. H. Colquitt, 
 Gen. Goode Bryan, Col. David E. Butler and others. 
 
 At 4 P. M., the veterans of the Third Georgia assembled 
 at the platform in the Fair Grounds, and were called to 
 order by Capt. C. H. Andrews, of the Home Guards, of 
 Madison. On motion of Col. Claiborne Snead, A. A. Winn 
 was elected Secretar3\ 
 
 Upon taking the chair, Capt. Andrews said : 
 
 My Friends and Comrades 
 
 of the Old Third Ga. Regiment : 
 In the month of May last, Mr. G. N. Dexter, the Quarter- 
 master Sergeant of our old regimeni, suggested a reunion 
 of the surviving members of the regiment, at some con- 
 venient time and place. Upon that suggestion a meeting 
 of Company D was called, to consider the question. By 
 correspondence our plans were approved, and the co-op- 
 eration of the other companies was promised us. To 
 avoid divided councils, Company D, through a committee, 
 proceeded to make all general arrangements, after fixing 
 the time and place. The efforts of that committee have 
 resulted in our meeting to-day. I feel honored at being 
 called upon to preside at this, the first reunion of the 
 regiment. In by-gone days, I felt it an honor to lead you, 
 as soldiers, on the march, and in the impetuous charge on 
 the battle-field. At meeting you, war-worn veterans, 
 memory crowds the mind with incidents of our four years* 
 struggle. Your valor is blocked in imfading letters in the 
 granite heights about Gettysburg, and wpon the moun- 
 tain side in Manassas Gap ; your endurance marked the 
 line at Petersburg, and overcome the snows of Northern 
 Virginia ; your dead sleep within ear shot of the rolling 
 sea at Roanoke Island, in the swamps of the great " Dis- 
 mal," by the sluggish waters of the Chickahominy, be- 
 neath the green slopes of Malvern Hill, upon the fields of 
 Sharpsburg, in the thickets of the Wilderness, in the 
 enemy's works at Chancellorsville, and along the line of 
 the retreat from Richmond. We, the survivors, only sur- 
 rendered when General Lee said we should return to our 
 homes and fight no more. 
 
 Comrades, we meet to-day to recall the past — its pains 
 with its pleasures, its endurance with its hardships, its 
 devotion and its disasters. We meet to look into faces 
 again that we learned years ago to love ; to clasp again 
 
19 
 
 hands that battled for our homes and for our Hberties. 
 We do not meet to revive angry discussion, or to conjure 
 up sectional hatred. In olden times we were patriots 
 enough to be jealous of our rights in the government, and 
 we were manly enough to endeavor to defend them. We 
 never were degraded enough to hate a foe, who dared to 
 defend his side of the question. We propose to perpetu- 
 ate the records of our valor, to be an association of veter- 
 ans to keep green memories of the past war, only to be- 
 come extinct, as an organization, when the last one 
 of us is carried in silence to the " low browed mystic- 
 vault.'' The meeting being now organized, we are ready 
 for any business that may be submitted for our consider- 
 ation. 
 
 On motion of Col. Snead, the roll was called by 
 companies, the following veterans responding to their 
 names : 
 
 ROLL GALL OF THE YETERANS. 
 
 Company A, Burke Guards, of Burke County — Capt. S. 
 A. Corker, Lieut. S. J. Bell, Sergt. Drewry Reeves^ 
 Corp. J. P. Bell, Corp. F. N. Burton, James Attaway, 
 Abram Chance, B. D. Lester, W. McCatheren, J. W. 
 Sandeford, W. Warnock. 
 
 Company B, Broion Rifles, of Putnam County — Capt.. 
 Jno. S. Reid, E. H. Yancy. 
 
 Company C, Daioson Grays, of Greene County — Maj. R. 
 L. McWhorter (formerly Captain, promoted), Capt. 
 J. F. Greer, Capt. J. R. Sanders, Capt. J). Sanders, 
 Lieut. J. F. Cheney, Sergt. Joseph Davidson, Sergt. 
 C. B. Mitchell, Sergt. J. T. Chapman, Corp! E, R. 
 Cheney, Corp. M. S. Hobbs, H. E. Jernigan, C. L. 
 Lankford, W. K. Mullins, N. Pippin, E. S. Powell, J. 
 S. Barnwell, R. T. Dolvin, C. C. Lankford, B. E. 
 Spencer, Wm. Morgan, Thos. Aikin, W. S. Williams, 
 W. H. Johnson, A. Agee, J. R. Aikin, Jno. Armstrong, 
 T. W. Benton, R. S. Cheney, J. H. English, J. IS". 
 English, S. Agee, C. M. Sanders, J. W. Watson, 
 J. H. Whitlow, J. B. Williams, B. Johnson, S. Eng- 
 lish, W. T. Lindsey, Thos. Foster, J. L. Wilson, 
 W. R. Wilson, J. O. Boswell. 
 
20 
 
 Company D, Home Guards, of 3Iorgan County — Col. 
 Jas. S. Reid (formerly Capt. and i^romoted Lieut. 
 Colonel), Capt. C. H. Andrews, Capt. Jas. K. Wriglit, 
 Lieut. W. D. Wynn, Dr. W. T. Hollingswortli, Asst. 
 Surgeon, Q. M. Sergt. G. N. Dexter, J. W. Reese, N. 
 Pitts, D. Towns, B. F. Sammons, R. L. Peacock, W. 
 Wiley, J. Reese, F. Laster, G. D. Harwell, S. Harper, 
 C. B. Barrow, C. Hill, J. Richardson, W. T. Jones, 
 C. Brooks, R. H. Harris, W. T. Bullard, G. B. Stovall, 
 J. P. Almands, Peter W. Walton, J. C. Anderson, B. 
 
 B. Brown, W. A. Brooks, W. L. Thrasher, J. A. Fan- 
 nil, E. A. Furlow, A. J. Reese. 
 
 Company E, Governor s Guards, of Houston County — 
 Capt. Jas. W. Mathews, R. W. Rutherford. 
 
 Company F, Wilkinson Rifles, of Wilkinson County — W. 
 H. Tillery. 
 
 Company G, Confederate Light Guards, of Augusta, Ga. — 
 Col. Claiborne Snead (Capt. and promoted Colonel), 
 Lieut. M. Rice,W. Bartlett, Moses McCook, T. Roney, 
 G. A. Snead. 
 
 Company H, Young Guards, of Neioton County— Ma.^. 
 John F. Jones (formerly Capt. and promoted Major), 
 Capt. S. H. Starr (Lieut, and promoted Capt. of Ord- 
 nance), Lieut. A. H. Zachary, Sergt. R. W. Bagby, 
 Sergt. G. S. Cowan, Sergt. Jas. DeLaney, Sergt. M. J. 
 Harralson, J. C. Anderson, J. S. Carroll, J. W. Davis, 
 M. E. Ellis, T. K. Harralson, Maj. A. H. Lee (formerly 
 Capt. and promoted Major), Cor23. T. H. Kennan, 
 Corp. W. H. Hammett, Jo. Harris, J. H. Harris, E. J. 
 Horton, J. M. Levy, A. C. McCalla, W. W. Osborne, 
 George Russell, J. E. Wheeler, H. C. Harralson. 
 
 Company I, Carsioell Guards, of Wilkinson County — No 
 representation. 
 
 Company K, Athens Guards, of Clarke County — Col. H. 
 
 C. Billups (formerly Captain and promoted Colonel), 
 Lieut. S. D. Mitchell, Sergt. C. W. Reynolds, Corp. 
 John T. Greer, R. K. Reaves, William D. Luckie, 
 George Griffith, Frank Jackson, W. A. Sims, S. M. 
 
21 
 
 Barber, Geo. Mabry, R. T. Durham, A. A. Edge, Jas. 
 O'Farrell, B. Durham, I. L. Rice, J. G. McCurdy, A. 
 A. Winn. 
 
 Comixiny L, Clarke County Rifles, of Clarke County — Capt 
 Warren H. Beardin, W. H. Hale, W. A. Thornton, J. 
 y. Bradberry, S. D. Hardigree, William Collier, W. 
 J. Fielding, William Nowell, James Wilson. 
 
 Capt. S. A. Corker, of the Burke Guards, ex-mem- 
 ber of Congress from the Fifth District of Georgia, sub- 
 mitted the following resolutions, which, after discus- 
 sion, were passed : 
 
 Resolved, That a committee be raised, consisting of 
 one member from each company, to whom shall be 
 referred all matters of business. 
 
 Resolved, That said committee consider and perfect a 
 plan of organization of the regiment as a corps of 
 veterans, and submit the same to the regiment at 9 
 o'clock to-morrow morning. 
 
 Resolved^ That immediately after the adjournment of 
 this meeting, each company perfect its organization 
 and elect their member of the committee raised, and 
 report the names to the Secretary. 
 
 The Chairman designated the following gentlemen to 
 compose this committee : 
 
 Capt. S. A. Corker, of the Burke Guards, Chairman ; 
 Capt. John S. Reid, of the Brown Rities ; Capt. D. 
 Sanders, of the Dawson Grays ; Priv. George B. 
 Stovall, of the Home Guards ; Priv. Robert W. Ruth- 
 erford, of the Governor's Guards ; Priv. W. H. Tillery, 
 of the Wilkinson Rifles ; Capt. Alexander Phillips, 
 Assistant Quartermaster, of the Confederate Light 
 Guards ; Lieut. A. H. Zachary, of the Young Guards: 
 Priv. James O'Farrell, of the Athens Guards ; Sergt. 
 S. D. Hardigree, of the Clarke County Rifles. 
 
 The chair announced that a letter Ironi Dr. John T. 
 Kilby, of Suff'olk, Ya., former Surgeon of the regi- 
 ment, was in the hands of the Secretary, w^hich, on 
 motion, was read and heartily received. 
 
 The meeting took recess, on motion of Maj. R. L. 
 McWhorter, to 9 o'clock A. M., next day. Subse- 
 
22 
 
 quent to the recess, calls were made for Col. Snead, 
 Maj. A. H. Lee, Gen. E. S. Thomas, of Covington, who 
 commanded a brigade in the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia, Maj. McWhorter, "Commodore" Dexter and 
 others, and brief and happy responses Avere given. 
 
 In the evening, the camp of the veterans was bril- 
 liantly illuminated by torch-light beacons, and amidst 
 the radiance they threw over the grove and the grounds 
 gallant and fair forms flitted as the old soldiers and 
 their lady friends made merry in the balmy summer 
 night. Gardner's band, with joyous music, lead the 
 dancers on the ample platform through the bewitch- 
 ing mazes of the waltz, and the more stately evolu- 
 tions of the cotillion, until the twinkling of the morning- 
 star warned the happy revellers that night' s candles 
 were burning low. Nor was all the pleasure of the rare 
 occasion confined to the immediate camp of the old 
 soldiers. In Union Point, the ladies and gentlemen of 
 the Dramatic Club of that goodly place, catching the 
 enthusiasm of the boys of the old Third, enlivened the 
 evening with amateur theatricals, Bulwer's play of 
 the "Lady of Lj'ons," and the farce, "Loan of a 
 Lover," being most creditably presented early in the 
 night for the entertainment and amusement of such 
 of the veterans and their friends as desired to preface 
 the terpsichorean festivities awaiting them at the Fair 
 Grounds with the equally as pleasurable enjoyment 
 afforded by agreeably rendered dramatic interpreta- 
 tions ; and thus, with admiring the soldierly character 
 and sympathizing with the unhappy love of Claude 
 Melnotte, and laughter at life's comicalities, and danc- 
 ing ' neath the glinting stars, and telling tales of dan- 
 gers past, and rehearsing warlike scenes, the veterans 
 closed the first day of their Reunion. 
 
23 
 
 SECOND DAY, 
 
 Friday, the 31st of July, dawned as bright and 
 beautiful as the preceding day had been, and from 
 the balmy air and golden sunshine that fanned the 
 earth and filled the world with merry beams it looked 
 as if heaven's most auspicious smiles were blessing 
 the occasion. 
 
 At an early hour a vast concourse of visitors had 
 joined the veterans at the Fair Grounds. The opening 
 ceremony of the day was indeed an interesting one — 
 it was the unfurling and hanging over the platform the 
 old battle flag of the Third Georgia. This flag, the 
 regular Confederate field flag, the Southern Cross, in 
 blue with thirteen white stars, on a red ground, had 
 been borne by the regiment with the Army of North- 
 ern Virginia, and at the surrender at Appomattox 
 Court House, on the 9th of April, 1865, had been taken 
 from the staff" by Col. Claiborne Snead, and, wrapped 
 around his body, thus concealed, was rescued from 
 the hands of the enemy, and by him brought home< 
 It was faded by sunshine and storm, and shot into 
 fragments by bullets ; and as it again floated in the 
 morning breeze amidst huzzahs and cheers from men 
 and women, it caused a strange thrill and a wild throb 
 to vibrate through the hearts that again surrounded it. 
 The flag hung in its place all through that day. 
 
 At 9 o' clock the long roll was beat, and the veterans 
 assembled at the platform. The meeting, in pursu- 
 ance to adjournment, was called to order by Capt. C. 
 H. Andrews, who in doing so made appropriate refer- 
 ence to the old battle flag just suspended in view, and 
 by his suggestion the veterans and audience rose to 
 their feet in greeting it. 
 
 The minutes of the previous meeting were read by 
 the Secretary and regularly conflrmed. 
 
 The Committee on business and permanent organi- 
 zation, through Capt Stephen A, Corker, Chairman, 
 submitted the following report : 
 
24 
 
 We, the committee, recommend that the following 
 rules be adopted for the government of the Third Regi- 
 ment of Georgia Volunteers, at their future Reunions. 
 
 We recommend that we style ourselves the "Vet- 
 erans of the Late Third Georgia Regiment." 
 
 The officers shall be composed of a President, a 
 first and second Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assis- 
 tant Secretary, Historian, Quartermaster, Assistant 
 Quartermaster, a Commissary and Assistant Com- 
 missary, Surgeon, Assistant Surgeons, and a Chaplain, 
 who shall be elected annually, at the reunions, and 
 continue in office until their successors be appointed. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the President to preside at 
 all reunions of the Regiment ; in the event of the Presi- 
 dent being absent, the Vice Presidents shall preside in 
 the order of seniority. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a record 
 of each meeting of the Regiment, and report the same 
 to the Historian. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Historian to gather all the 
 incidents of the Regiment that w^ould be of interest, 
 and have them recorded for preservation. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Quartermaster to provide 
 for personal comfort, quarters, fuel and transportation 
 at each reunion. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Commissary to take 
 charge and provide for this particular department at 
 each reunion. 
 
 The President and Vice Presidents shall be a com- 
 mittee to arrange for each reunion. 
 
 There shall be a committee of one from each Com- 
 pany, who shall prepare a full history of his Company, 
 embracing the muster roll, encampments, battles, 
 marches, list of killed and wounded, the time and 
 place, and all other matters of interest, including 
 memorial notices of the dead during the war and 
 since — which committee shall communicate with the 
 Historian, in order to aid him in preparing his history 
 of the Regiment. 
 
 The committee further recommend that the follow- 
 ing be chosen as permanent officers of the Veterans : 
 
 Col. Claiborne Snead, President. 
 
 Col. J. S. Reid, First Vice President. 
 
 Maj. John J. Jones, Second Vice President. 
 
 Capt. A. A. Winn, Secretary. 
 
 Lieut. S. J. Bell, Assistant Secretary. 
 
 Capt. A. Phillips, Quartermaster. 
 
35 
 
 "Commodore" G. N. Dextef", Assistant Quartermas- 
 ter. 
 
 Capt. Rnfus K. Reaves, Commissary. 
 Sergt. W. D. Luckie, Assistant Commissary. 
 Dr. John T. Kilby, Surgeon. 
 
 Dr. A. C. C. Thompson and Dr. W. T. Hollingsworth, 
 Assistant Surgeons. 
 
 Rev. J. M. Stokes, Chaplain. 
 Captain C. H. Andrews, Historian. 
 
 On motion of Priv. A. C. McCalla, of the Young 
 Guards, the report was received, and on motion of 
 Maj. R. L. McWhorter, of the Dawson Grays, it was 
 adopted as a whole, and the nominations of permanent 
 officers confirmed. 
 
 Col. Snead formally accepted the presidency oi the 
 association, and on taking the chair introduced Capt. 
 D. N. Sanders, of the Dawson Grays, who delivered 
 the following address of welcome in behalf of the 
 Grays and the citizens of Greene County : 
 
 Felloiv- Soldiers and Friends — May I not add the dearer 
 word brothers, lor together we have received the fierce 
 baptism of fire, and our blood has mingled on a 
 hundred fields of battle? As a substitute for my 
 brother ofllcer, who was selected to meet you with 
 words of gratulation and welcome on this occasion, I 
 make my appearance to-day, for the first time, in the 
 role of orator. While my words of greeting may not 
 be adorned with such flowers of rhetoric, or fall from 
 my lips in such harmonious accents or such finished 
 periods as from his, yet they will come from a heart 
 as full of joy at this happy meeting, and which is 
 as true to the ties and memories of the past, as any 
 that beats in all this assembly. 
 
 In behalf of my Company, and of all the good people 
 of Greene, I extend to you a most hearty welcome. 
 We rejoice that the ball set in motion weeks ago by 
 our comrades of Company D, has culminated to-day 
 in this happy reunion of so many of the surviving 
 members of the noble Third Regiment. 
 
 We thank you for having designated Union Point — 
 a place known during the war to every soldier who 
 passed over the Georgia Railroad for its*^ lavish hospi- 
 talities and the beautiful ladies who dispensed them— 
 
26 
 
 as the point of meeting. Their doors have never been 
 closed to fair women or brave men, and to-day they 
 stand wide open to receive you as welcome and 
 honored guests. Though an Augusta soldier has long 
 since plucked the fairest flower that then adorned her 
 Soldiers' Home, to-day she has many fair daughters 
 lelt to perform all the rites of hospitality. 
 
 By selecting our native county as the place of meeting 
 you have not only given us the pleasure of taking you by 
 the hand as comrades, tried and true, but you have af- 
 forded us the additional happiness of presenting you to 
 our mothers, our wives and our children, and saying to 
 them, these are the brave men who stood shoulder to 
 shoulder with us through four years of unparalleled hard- 
 ships and dangers — whose unswerving patriotism and 
 unflinching valor nerved our own hearts to nobler deeds 
 of daring — who freely divided with us the last cup of water, 
 the last crust of bread, and who watched over and sup- 
 ported us, when sick or wounded, with all a father's 
 strength, a mother's tenderness. 
 
 Third Georgians ! After a separation of nine years, we 
 meet again to renew the ties of affection, to strengthen 
 the links of friendship, formed and cemented during our 
 unhappy civil strife. We meet again, to revive the many 
 pleasant recollections of the past, to extend the hand of 
 brotherhood to the living, and to let fall the tear of sor- 
 row and affection to the memory of the dead. 
 
 While I retrospect the past, a thousand recollections 
 crowd upon the mind. Thirteen years ago, in obedience 
 to the call of the sovereign State of Georgia, you, her gal- 
 lant sons, flew to arms, and marched to defend the soil of 
 the noble old Commonwealth of Virginia against an army 
 of invasion, just as ninety-eight 3^ears ago the sons of 
 Virginia marched to defend the soil of Massachusetts. 
 
 A band of gallant youths, with hearts fired with patriot- 
 ism and filled with visions of militar}^ glory, taking a hur- 
 ried leave of home and friends, you hastened to Augusta 
 to organize the gallant Third E-egiment, which so nobly 
 illustrated Georgia on the battle fields of Virginia, Mary- 
 land and Pennsylvania. There, on the balmy 1st of May, 
 1861, you met together for the first time to pledge fidelity 
 to Georgia and to each other. 
 
 As it had been but yesterday, I remember my own 
 Spartan mother, as she approached to buckle on my knap- 
 sack and bid me God-speed. Presenting me a Bible with 
 one hand, my musket with the other, she bade me be true 
 
27 
 
 to God and the land of my birth ; to go forth with a 
 mother's blessing, and followed by a mother s prayers, to 
 win a soldier's laurels, or find a soldier's grave. 
 
 My heart yet glows with happiness as I recall to mind 
 the lovely daughters of Augusta, whose slender fingers 
 plied the nimble needle in stitching our uniforms, while 
 their ruby lips distilled honeyed music sweeter than a 
 Syren's voice. 
 
 Oh, how our youthful hearts swelled with thoughts of 
 high ambition, and glowed with rapture, as they pictured 
 to our imagination our return from the wars, covered 
 with glory and fair woman's smiles. Long after my 
 uniform had gone to tatters, and been numbered with the 
 things that were, visions of the bright-eyed girl who made 
 it still lived fresh and vivid in my memory, driving away, 
 on the long, weary march, all thoughts of blistered feet 
 and empty haversack ; filling my dreams with pictures of 
 more than mortal happiness, and making the hard root 
 upon which I reclined my head at night feel softer than 
 downy pillows are. Some of the honey distilled from her 
 yirgin lips, as she kissed me for my sister,'' and bade me 
 fight as her knight, still lingers around my mouth, 
 
 God bless the beautiful girls of Georgia, who made us 
 feel that to die in the effort to win their approbation was 
 sweeter than to live for all else beside. While I live I 
 shall always love them, and I love to live to love them. 
 
 With hearts buoyant with youthful hope, confident in 
 the justice of 3'our cause, and in your own prowess, you 
 hurried to Virginia, eager for the fray. Little did you then 
 imagine that the dread prophecy of the Harpy Celens : 
 
 "Te/ames accisis coget dajjibics consumere mensas,'' 
 
 at which the stout knees of the brave Trojan bands smote 
 together with fear and trembling, would be more than 
 fulfilled in your experience. Even the dauntless heart of 
 iEneas quailed before the prediction that ere he reached a 
 peaceful haven hunger would compel him to consume his 
 half-eaten trencher with his meat; but often you found 
 yourselves^ with neither trencher nor meat to satisfy the 
 fierce cravings of your hunger. 
 
 During a long and trying conflict you stood shoulder to 
 shoulder with unwavering devotion to the flag you loved. 
 Your fortitude knew no limit of endurance, your courage 
 quailed before no danger. Opposed to a powerful and 
 well disciplined army, superior in numbers and in all the 
 appliances of war, you ever ofi'ered a dauntless front to 
 
28 
 
 the foe, and never refused the gage of battle. During 
 those four years of doubtful sanguinary conflict — belong- 
 ing to an army rarely equalled, never surpassed in the 
 annals of history — you ever stood the bravest of the brave, 
 rarely yielding an inch of ground upon which your feet once 
 had pressed. Always readier to charge upon the foe than 
 to receive their onset, you never once were the last to 
 advance or the first to retire. Though most of your bodies 
 are pitted with bullet marks, you hear no scars tqjon your 
 hacks. Never was a grander spectacle presented to the 
 world than you offered to their wondering gaze during the 
 last sad year of the struggle. With decreasing numbers, 
 but unabated resolution, you opposed your breasts as a 
 serried wall of defense against the great army that was 
 pressing toward the Confederate Capital. Again and 
 again did you decimate their ranks in desperate conflict, 
 only to see them refilled the next day with fresh recruits. 
 
 But in vain was your valor, in vain the libations of 
 blood you poured out like water in defence of a cause that 
 fate had decreed should perish. 
 
 The defences around Richmond were soon to be aban- 
 doned, because the brave hearts that had manned them 
 were mouldering beneath the sod. 
 
 And now comes the saddest and grandest page of your 
 history — your retreat from Richmond to Appomattox. 
 With despair in your hearts but defiance in your eyes, jou 
 still rallied around your flag and your chieftain ; and left 
 to history another " retreat of the ten thousand" not sur- 
 passed in heroism by the retreat of the Greeks from 
 Persia 
 
 Fighting jour way by day, scarcely halting for an hour's 
 rest by night, your fortitude and heroism shone forth 
 during that eventful week with ever increasing luster. 
 You did all that Avas possible for human endurance and 
 courage to achieve. At length, exhausted by hunger and 
 fatigue, your weary limbs refused to move, and your armfe 
 fell from your nerveless grasp. And the flag which you 
 had so often borne to victory — which you had wreathed 
 with glory, and which you had learned to love with a de- 
 votion equal to your love to woman, was furled forever. 
 Ah ! life had in store no bitterer cup than was then pre- 
 sented to your lips. But the gloom of that dark day on 
 which the great heart of our honored chieftain was 
 broken, on which the proud form of Gordon (the noblest 
 of Georgia's noble sons), which had never shrunk from 
 mortal danger, was bowed in anguish, that day on which 
 
29 
 
 every heart was filled with sorrow, every eye was dimmed 
 with tears, is relieved by the magnanimity displayed by 
 the brave army in blue. Never did that army pay you a 
 higher compliment, or do themselves a greater honor, than 
 by their conduct and words on that occasion. From the 
 commander-in-chief down to its humblest follower, you 
 received words and acts only of consideration and kind- 
 ness. Not a word of boasting or of insult was heard from 
 all that great army. 
 
 The truly brave ever must and will honor the brave. If 
 the adjustment of differences at the close of the war had 
 been left to the brave men who had faced each other in 
 battle, the gulf of separation would have been bridged 
 over, and complete harmony restored before the end of a 
 single year. 
 
 Fellow-soldiers, it is a source of congratulation to us all 
 on this, our first Keunion, that our State has recovered 
 from the effects of war ; that our waste places have been 
 re-built ; that our State government is well administered- 
 and commands the respect and confidence of all parties ; 
 that our laws are honestly executed, and that the greatest 
 harmony exists between all classes of our peoj)le. 
 
 I rejoice to see many evidences of a revival of the 
 ancient military spirit of our people, without which no 
 State or people can long preserve their liberty. Let us 
 revive this spirit in our own breasts and awaken it in the 
 breasts of our children. 
 
 While deep down in our hearts we will ever cherish the 
 memory of the banner which represented our loved " lost 
 cause," let us re-adopt the grand old flag of the Union. 
 'Twas the loved flag of our father ; let it also be ours. 
 Our grand sires made it glorious by their valor, and con- 
 secrated it Avith their blood; let us, their children, still 
 claim it as our birthright, and defend its honor as oiu' 
 own. 
 
 Third Georgians ! With mingled feelings of joy and 
 sorroAv I cast my eyes along your ranks for the first time 
 since the fatal field of Gettysburg. Left wounded on the 
 field, I was carried to a Northern prison, and held captive 
 till the war was over. From that day I was prevented 
 from "sharing with you your hardships and dangers. Like 
 the Hebrew captive, I could only look southward from my 
 prison window at morning, noon and night, and pray to 
 the God of battles to preserve and shield you. 
 
 I see before me the familiar faces of many who have 
 endeared themselves to me by the possession of every 
 
80 
 
 manly grace, every soldierly virtue. As my eye rests upon 
 their noble forms a thousand incidents of camp and tield 
 flit through my mind, and my heart leaps to give them a 
 joyful welcome. I see before me strange faces, to whom 
 I shall offer the hand of friendship and brotherhood for 
 the first time to-day. I read their history when I see them 
 in your ranks. They came to you during the last, trying 
 years, to swell your depleted numbers. 
 
 Patriotic and brave, they desired to go where brave 
 men were needed, where the battle shouts rang fiercest, and 
 where gallant blood flowed freest — in the ranks of Lee's 
 infantry — and they came to you. I am glad to see them 
 here, and with all my heart I bid them welcome. But I 
 look in vain for the noble forms of many who were wont 
 to be seen in the front rank of battle, and whose shout of 
 defiance or of triumph I have often heard ring load and 
 clear above the muskets' rattle. 
 
 I miss the tall form of your first chieftain — the brave 
 and noble Wright — whose clarion voice could stir ^-our 
 hearts to deeds of wildest daring. I miss the gallant 
 Sturgis, the fiery and impetuous Hays — than whom two 
 truer men never offered up their lives upon their country's 
 altar. I miss the beautifu] and boyish form of Perry, the 
 darling of the Regiment, whose soul was always waked 
 to ecstacy by the cannon's roar, and for whom the hum- 
 ming of iDullets made music sweeter than the songs of 
 birds. 
 
 The commanding form and eagle eye of Armstrong; the 
 manly grace and open coutenance of McWhorter; the 
 the young and gifted Hilly er, uniting in his person a 
 woman's tenderness, a Hampton's chivalry and a sage's 
 lore, have all gone from your midst forever. 
 
 The courtly Luckie and the gallant McCrea are no 
 longer seen at the head of their companies. 
 
 The chivalrous Dennis fell by my side on the glorious 
 field of Manassas, and died as he had lived — without fear 
 and without reproach. But the day would not sufiice to 
 repeat the names and recount the virtues of our comrades 
 who to-day fill a soldier's honored grave. 
 
 In the IdIooui of youth, with every pulse beating high, 
 with health and hope, they have offered up their young 
 lives, a rich sacrifice upon the altar of patriotism ; but 
 have they died too soon who died so well? To-day they 
 sleep beneath the sod — unknelled, unconfined, but not 
 nnsumj. When the granite shaft above their graves shall 
 have crumbled into dust, their names and deeds will still. 
 
31 
 
 live in song and in story, and fair women will bedew their 
 memory with tears and strew their graves with flowers. 
 " Dulce et decorum est, i)ro patria mori." 
 
 Let us, my comrades, who survive, cherish their memo- 
 ries and emulate their virtues. As the Angel of Death 
 shall sound the recall from the battle of life for one and 
 another, and our circle ever narrows from year to year, 
 may the survivors be drawn into closer and closer bonds 
 of union. 
 
 Let it ever be the proudest boast of your lives that wdiile 
 some of Georgia's sons — deaf to the calls of patriotism — 
 sought only how to fill their cofl'ers, and loved their gold 
 more than their country's weal — that you were prompt to 
 offer life and fortune in her defense. Wealth may vanish 
 like the morning dew, but a rich legacy of glory and honor 
 is reserved to your children forever. 
 
 " For gold the merchaut plows the main, 
 
 The farmer plows the manor ; 
 But glory is the soldier's prize, 
 
 The soldier's wealth, his honor." 
 
 On behalf of the Kegiment, Sergt. William D. Luckie, 
 of the Athens Guards, (now Capt. of the Governor's 
 Guards, of Atlanta), responded as follows : 
 
 Comrades — I came not here to-day to make a speech. 
 I simply came to grasp in friendly and fi-aternal greeting 
 the hands of my old companions in arms. I rise before 
 you laboring under great embarrassment, for I remember 
 that I take the place of one upon whose shoulders lies 
 gracefully folded the mantle of eloquence, and whose fame 
 and whose name for oratory have spread throughout 
 Georgia's wide domain. Gallant sir, would that just for 
 to-da}^ I were possessed with a silver tongue, so that I 
 might, in behalf of the survivors of the Third Georgia 
 Eegiment, express to you in fitting terms our grateful, 
 heartfelt thanks for the kind and generous welcome you 
 have so beautifully conveyed to us on the part of the 
 citizens of Greene County. 
 
 . Comrades, when I look around and about me upon your 
 familiar faces my heart swells with joy and gratitude that 
 I have been enabled to mingle with you this da3^ But 
 when I remember Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, 
 Gettysburg and Sharpsburg, the Wilderness and Spott- 
 sylvania, Petersburg and the Crater of Hell ; when I 
 remember that terrible retreat and Appomattox, my heart 
 could weep tears of blood for those gallant spirits who so 
 freely gave their lives to the cause we loved so well. 
 
32 
 
 Comrades, where are they to-day ? Go toward the sunrise ; 
 go to where Lee, our grand old hero, swept with his 
 yictorious banners across the valleys and over the moun- 
 tains of Virginia ; go to any and all of her fields made 
 memorable by their baptism of fire and blood, and there 
 you will find the mouldering bones of our brothers and 
 comrades. And shall they have died in vain? Shall the 
 principles for which they died be forever trampled in the 
 dust ? I tell you no. So sure as there is a God above us, 
 so sure will they some time be vindicated. They were 
 true and right, and they must triumph. 
 
 It may be that the burning fiery eloquence of Southern 
 statesmen may prevail and lift them on high, or it may be 
 — but we all love peace and detest war, and our prayer is 
 that the white robed angel may forever brood over our 
 land. But I feel assured if the time should ever come the 
 Third Georgia Regiment will in the future as she has in 
 the past, carve high in glory's temple an immortal name. 
 
 Comrades, ere another twelve months roll around some 
 of us may have '-passed over the river" and be resting 
 "under the shade of the trees" with those immortal 
 heroes who have gone before. Let us, therefore, so order 
 our lives that when the last battle of life has been fought, 
 when from the gloomy walls of the grave we have snatched 
 and clothed ourselves in the robes of victory, when we 
 have plucked the envenomed sting from the insatiable 
 monster, when we have passed through the dark valley and 
 across the murky waters, standing in the presence of our 
 last great Judge, we may receive from the lips of Him, 
 who spake as never man spake, the same salutation with 
 which Georgia's sons and daughters greet us this day — 
 "well done." 
 
 An intermission of a half hour was given, and Gardner's 
 Band discoursed some stirring strains. 
 
 At 11 A. M., the veterans re-assembled, and CoV 
 Claiborne Snead made the following historical address : 
 
 HISTORY or THE THIRD GEORGIA REGIMENT, AND THE CAREER 
 OF ITS FIRST COMMANDER, GEN. AMBROSE R. WRIGHT. 
 
 My Comrades — Centuries ago a great explorer crossed 
 an unknow sea, and traversed the hills and glens of a 
 hitherto unexplored country. Ascending the tallest peak 
 of the isthmus that connects the North with the South 
 American Continent, the calm blue waters of the Pacific 
 
33 
 
 burst upon his view, when, beckoning his companions to 
 come and see what he had seen, he joyfully pointed to 
 a new ocean dazzling in the sunlight of heaven. We are 
 all explorers in this mundane sphere, passing over moun- 
 tains and hills, through vales, dow]i rivers, on and ever on 
 to the great ocean of eternity. And while pausing this 
 day in contemplation of a grand discovery — the glorious 
 spectacle of the reunion of my comrades of the Third Geor- 
 gia Regiment — I would that my voice could reach every 
 veteran of the old Confederacy, aye, I would that it might 
 ride on the wings of the wind and penetrate the confines of 
 earth itself, and I would appeal to all mankind to come 
 and see what I have seen and feel what I have felt. 
 
 Nine years ago that flag upon which the starry cross is 
 now scarcely discernable ceased to wave over us. Dark- 
 ened by smoke and torn by shot and shell, carried in 
 triumph through every important battle of the historic 
 Army of Northern Virginia, and never desecrated by the 
 hands of an enemy, it went down in a blaze of glory at 
 Appomattox. Through no fault of ours was it furled, and 
 sorrowfully we parted for our homes, satisfied that the cause 
 for which we had fought — the cause of separate indepen- 
 dence — was finally overthrown. We indulged in no mawk- 
 ish grief, no unmanly tears, but we felt a deep, agonizing 
 sorrow at the loss of the dear cause for which we had strug- 
 gled so hard and so long. 
 
 We believed our defeat undeserved, that it was an out- 
 rage on suffering humanity, a crime against civilization, a 
 wrong without a parallel — so great a wrong that the earth 
 should have been clothed in sackcloth and ashes in unison 
 with the thunders and lightnings of heaven that knelled 
 sympathizingly on that day on the demise of so sacred a 
 cause. Nine years, however, have passed since the storm 
 of war rolled over this land, leaving sad desolation in its 
 track and many lowering clouds behind. Nine long, 
 wear}^ years have come and gone, filled with suffering and 
 oppression, full of sorrow and unjust humiliation ; and to- 
 day, standing upon the soil and beneath the blue skies of 
 our own loved Georgia, we are proud to recount the glo- 
 rious history of the old organization and the immortal 
 career of our first commander, Gen. A. R. Wright. 
 
 But while scanning your ranks with pride and pleasure, 
 a feeling of sadness comes over me to which I must 
 first give vent. I miss some of the brightest jewels 
 that adorned yoar crown — some of the choicest spirits that 
 ever went upon a field of battle in this or anj* other age. 
 
84 
 
 Where are they? They rest upon the hist(3ric fields of 
 their heroic fame. They have ferried over the dark stream 
 that separates time from eternity, and there, upon the 
 opposite bank, the gentle Sturges, the generous Walker, 
 the knightly Hamilton, the cool Hayes, courtly Luckie, 
 and a host of others, led on by the peerless AVright, who 
 lately joined them, pass in review. To us, standing on 
 this side of the river, they point to a career wdiich, like the 
 face of the sun, has nothing to blemish its beauty— a ca- 
 reer that displays all that is noble and chivalric in man — 
 a career so bright in their blood as to dazzle even the stars 
 in brilliancy. Though their brave hearts beat no more, 
 though their lips are forever closed, there comes wafted 
 thence, sweet and sad as the murmur of falling waters 
 amid flowery groves at eventide, a silent yet thrilling ap- 
 peal to guard and perpetuate their memories. It is an 
 appeal that reaches the heart and touches a responsive 
 f-hoid iii the bo. i)m of every true son of Georgia. And T 
 would that I possessed all the ability necessary to a 
 proper response thereto ; I wish that for a moment I pos- 
 sessed the golden chain of Mercury — the fabled god of 
 Eloquence — that I might tell what mortal heart feels, but 
 what mortal tongue cannot adequately express. But this 
 response can here be made : They have left their impress 
 so indellibly stamped on the sands of time that the tramp 
 of succeeding ages can never obliterate. Though the his- 
 torian may not properly record, and the muses may fail to 
 weave in poesy and song, all their glorious deeds, yet 
 the waters of our near Oconee, which pass through the 
 centre of that State they loved so fondly, and for which 
 they died so nobly, ceasing to flow^ tow'ards old ocean, may 
 turn its course back to the mountains ; the ocean itself in 
 the circles of time may cease its rockings and its throb- 
 bings ; but this generation and generations to come will 
 never cease to remember their matchless valor. 
 
 In the early part of May, 1861, the following companies, 
 constituting this regiment, assembled it the navy yard at 
 Portsmouth for the purpose of organization : The Con- 
 federate Light Guards, commanded by Capt. E. J. Walker ; 
 the Wilkinson Rifles, by Capt. W. A, Bealle ; the Brow'n 
 Bifles, by Capt. E. B. Nisbet ; the Athens Guards, by Capt. 
 H. C. Billups ; the Young Guards, by Capt. A. H. Lee ; the 
 Home Guards, l)y Capt. J. S. Reid ; the Dawson Greys, 
 by Capt. R. L. McAVhorter ; the Governor's Guards, by 
 Capt. J. R. Griffin ; the Burke Guards, by Capt. W. C. 
 Musgrove, and the Blodgett Volunteers, by Capt. Foster 
 Blodgett. 
 
The election resulted in the choice of Ambrose li, 
 Wright, foi" Colonel ; James S. Reid, Lieutenant-Colonel, 
 and Augustus H. Lee, Major. W. AY. Turner was selected 
 as Adjutant. 
 
 C. H. Andrews was elected Captain of the Home Guards, 
 vice Capt. Reid, promoted ; and John F. Jones, Captain of 
 the Young Guards, vice Capt Lee, promoted. 
 
 Li a short time the Blodgett Volunteers were transferred 
 from the regiment and the Clark County Rifles, com- 
 manded by Capt. Herndon, substituted in their place. 
 
 As thus constituted this was the first organized regiment 
 of Georgians that stood upon the soil of Virginia to hurl 
 back the threatened invasion of that noble old Common- 
 wealth. They arrived upon the banks of ilia beautiful 
 Elizabeth river before the secession of the State, and 
 organized amid the smouldering fires and crumbling walls 
 of Gosport Navy Yard. They were no bar d of adventu- 
 rers, ilicy wuro neither soldiers of fortune nor of pleasure, 
 but the very tiower of our youth, at the bidding of whose 
 State they enlisted and cheerily Avent forth to meet the 
 shock of battle, carrying with them their great hearts, 
 every impulse of the soul and all the energies of their 
 nature. 
 
 A few months thereafter the regiment, under the com- 
 mand of the lamented Wright, was sent up the Elizabeth 
 river, and through the canal connecting the river with 
 Albemarle sound, to reinforce Fort Hatteras, that was 
 besieged by sea and by land. AVliile in transif n, and when 
 only four companies had arrived in Pamlico sound, the 
 unwelcome tidings were received of the fall of the fort to 
 which they were proceeding as a reinforcement. Hence 
 they landed on Roanake Island, which, in a narrow strait 
 between Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, guards the en- 
 trance to the latter, through which Norfolk and the whole 
 of Northeastern North Carolina can be assailed. Here 
 one day after the surrender of Fort Hatteras, and within 
 two hours' sail of the eneni}^, solitary and unaided they 
 planted the Confederate flag, and worked continuously for 
 months — Avorking by day, and the moon shining on or the 
 darkness of night still enveloping them at work — building 
 entrenchments and batteries at this and adjacent points 
 for the protection of the inland coast of North Carolina. 
 
 On the 1st day of October, 1861, receiving information 
 that a Federal steamer had been seen just south of the 
 Ishmd, Col. Wright at once determined to intercept and 
 capture her ; displaying at the very commencement that 
 
36 
 
 acuteuess of foretliouglit, wisdom in contriving and de- 
 cision in acting, wliicli rendered his subsequent career so 
 brilliant. He improvised three small steamers, placed 
 guns upon them and crews from the regiment to work them, 
 took with him three companies armed with Enfield rifles — 
 the Dawson Greys, the Governor's Guards and the Athens 
 Guards — and with this force moved down the sound to 
 attack the eneni}'. In less than two hours the object of 
 the cruise was plainly seen ; and when within range a brisk 
 fire was opened, which was promptly responded to. Ad- 
 vancing rapidly, with the intention of grappling and 
 boarding the foe that exhibited so much spirit in her 
 responsive fire, wdien immediately her colors were struck, 
 and then up to the mast-head went the Confederate flag 
 amid deafening shouts of the victors. A crew of forty-nine 
 men were captured, besides army stores including one 
 thousand nevr overcoats, with which you decked yourselves 
 on your triumphant return to Portsmouth. This was the 
 first naval success in North Carolina, the first capture 
 made by our arms of an armed vessel ; and more than all, 
 it was a naval victory achieved by infantry marines. 
 
 By the capture of this steamer, Fannie, it was ascer- 
 tained that the enemy had established a camp at Chica- 
 macomico, on Hatteras Island, fort}^ miles from Fort 
 Hatteras, and near the southern extremity of Hoanoke 
 Island. The T^^entieth Indiana regiment had there gone 
 into camp, whither the Fannie, when captured, was proceed- 
 ing with commissary and quartermaster supplies ; and it 
 was e^ddent the enemj^ intended the new position as a base 
 of operations against Roanoke Island. 
 
 Col. Wright seeing a crisis at hand, and appreciating 
 the danger of being isolated and attacked at a disadvan- 
 tage, promptly determined to move forward and strike the 
 first blow. Passing with his regiment down Pamlico sound, 
 he arrived ofl' Chicamacomico and about three miles 
 therefrom, on the 6tli day of October. Nearer to the shore 
 they could not get because of the deep draft of the vessels, 
 except the Cotton Plant, upon which Col. Wright, with 
 three companies and two howitzers, commanded by Lieut. 
 Sturges, proceeded two miles nearer, and then leaping out 
 in the water advanced, wading a portion of the way up to 
 their waists, and opening fire upon the enemy who stood 
 in line of battle upon the beach twelve hundred strong, 
 according to their muster roll. They retreated hastily and 
 in great disorder in the direction of Fort Hatteras. 
 
 The most of our regiment effected a landing in the same 
 
37 
 
 way as the three preceeding companies, when there com- 
 menced a chase which has been properly styled the 
 Chicamacomico races — the enemy running pell-mell for 
 twenty miles, and pursued with a loss to them of eight 
 killed and forty-two captured. At one time Col. Wright, 
 being in advance of the command, overtook the rear guard, 
 who fired upon him, bringing down his horse ; but with 
 one hand seizing a small drummer boy that he held in 
 front as a shield, and with pitsol in the other hand, he ad- 
 vanced, capturing the Sergeant-Major and four others of 
 his regiment. The daring and skill displayed by Col. 
 Wright throughout the whole affair won the implicit confi- 
 dence of his men, which he retained during the entire w^ar. 
 
 This brilliant victory, achieved with the loss of one man, 
 established at once the character of the regiment, and at 
 the same time exploded the fallacious idea that the Wes- 
 tern were superior to the Northern men of the Federal 
 army. The truth is, there was no real difference between 
 them, nor between them and us, except our personel as a 
 body was somewhat better. We were one people, anima- 
 ted by the spirit of liberty and fighting for separate 
 independence, possessing the dash, impetuosity and mercu- 
 rial temperament peculiar to all Southerners of the Cau- 
 cassian race. They had the coolness, steadiness and 
 preservance common to all Northern climes, and inspired 
 with the cry of the old flag and the Union, were fighting 
 for our subjugation, and made drafts upon Europe, Asia 
 and Africa to accomplish the result. That was all the 
 difference. Major General Huger, the department com- 
 mander, appreciating the self-sacrificing devotion and 
 arduous labors of men hitherto little accustomed to 
 manual work, and with all the signal gallantry — approach- 
 ing moral sublimity — lately displayed at Chicamacomico 
 and in the capture of the steamer Fannie, ordered them 
 * back to Portsmouth, which they entered, welcomed by 
 
 waving handkerchiefs, by martial strains and by roaring 
 cannon. Rome, in her palmiest days, never gave her con- 
 quering legions a grander triumph than was awarded the 
 Third Georgia Regiment on that day by the sons and 
 daughters of Virginia. 
 
 After the departure of the Third Georgia Regiment, 
 Roanoke Island fell a prey to Burnside, who attacked it 
 with overwhelming land and naval forces ; and thus the 
 whole of Northeastern North Carolina, and even Ports- 
 mouth by way of Dismal Swamp Canal, was thrown open 
 to the attacks of the enemy. Hence this regiment was 
 
38 
 
 Sent to the head of the canal, and was scattered in compa- 
 nies from EHzabeth river to South Mills, to watch and 
 resist any invasion that might be made. Your commander 
 here engaged in an expedition which more than any feat 
 of arms attested his devotion to country and his willingness 
 to die if need be an ignominious death in her service. A 
 large force of the enemy occupied Elizabeth City, and it 
 was of the utmost importance to ascertain their numbers 
 and intentions. In the emergency, Col. Wright, accom- 
 panied by Maj. Lee, went forth to perform the dangerous 
 duty. Eluding the enemy's picket, they entered the city 
 disguised as citizens, where they remained for several 
 hours conversing vrith Federal soldiers, fi'om whom the 
 desired information was obtained. In the silent vigils of 
 the night they made their way out of the lines, and at once 
 prepared to anticipate the coming storm, destined in a few 
 days to culminate in a glorious victory to our arms at 
 Sawyer's Lane. 
 
 It will be borne in mind that Pasquotank river is at the 
 head of Dismal Swamp Canal, and runs into Albemarle 
 sound at Elizabeth Cit}'. The Third Georgia Regiment, 
 with a battery of Western Virginians, under the command 
 of Capt. McComas, were on the southern side of the river, 
 scattered, as I said before, at a distance of fourteen miles. 
 The enemy, shelling Elizabeth City and the banks on the 
 southern side as a feint, moved up the river in transports, 
 landing a brigade of six regiments and a battery, under 
 command of Gen. Reno, on the northern side, near Cam- 
 den Court House, on the 19th of April, 1862, with the in- 
 tention of coming up to and crossing at South Mills — thus 
 to cut us entirely off, for there is no other outlet through 
 Dismal Swamp. 
 
 But Col. Wright, no way disconcerted, with the battery 
 of artillery, supported by the Dawson Greys, the Home 
 Guards, the Brown Rifles and Burke Guards, boldly ad- 
 vanced out two miles from South Mills to meet the foe. 
 With the military perceptions of a true soldier, he selected 
 for the battle field Sawyer's lane, which runs perpendicu- 
 lar to the Camden Court House road, up which the enemy 
 were advancing, dense woods being in the rear and with 
 open fields in front. And so that the enemy might have 
 no protection in their advance, some houses were burned 
 in front, and fences, after being torn down, were thrown 
 into ditches, running parallel to our lines, and fired. 
 Sending hurriedly Major Lee for the Young Guards and 
 Athens Guards that were left to burn Pasquotank bridge, 
 
39 
 
 and for the other companies that had to march several 
 miles to reach the field, calmly he went before that small 
 band, and disguising nothing, truthfully told them of the 
 numbers of the enemy and the dangers which environed 
 them. There he stood like a god of Avar, inspiring them 
 with his own intrepid spirit and unflinching courage, as 
 his voice rang out along the line clear as the notes of a 
 bugle : Though you may fight ten times your number, 
 nothing is impossible with men like you determined to 
 conquer or die." 
 
 At mid-day the enemy made their appearance, marching 
 by the flank in files of four at a route step, when Capt. Mc- 
 Comas opened with his artillery, firing richochet shots 
 down the road. Immediately deploying into line, they 
 moved forward in columns of regiments to take the bat- 
 tery. First one regiment and then another was put for- 
 ward, until three separate and distinct charges were made, 
 and as many times were they driven back in great con- 
 fusion. Finally, the last charge w^as being made by the 
 Hawkins Zouave Regiment of New York. Dressed in crim- 
 son uniforms, they steadily moved on in splendid order, 
 with heads erect, carrying their arms at a trail and firing 
 not a gun. They come within one hundred yards of the 
 battery, which seems to be lost. 
 
 Weil do I remember that memorable moment as the gal - 
 lant Lieut. Col. Reid directed the company I had the honor 
 to command (the Confederate Light Guards) to their posi- 
 tion, who in fact led all the rest of the reserves to their 
 posts. Just before reaching the lines the pulseless form* 
 of the chivalric McComas met our gaze as it w^as being- 
 carried off the field, and the agonizing cry of his men 
 pierced our ears, " Boys, save our battery," as they were 
 trying to limber up the guns to prevent capture. Colonel 
 Wright, in his shirt sleeves, throwing up his cap high away 
 in the air, cried out, " Hurrah boys, give them — — ." 
 
 Gathering strength for one supreme effort, this regiment 
 heroically hurled back an entire brigade, killing and 
 w^ounding over one hundrad. Our loss was twelve w^ound- 
 ed and five killed — the latter I here record, for their 
 names deserve to be written in letters of gold : Private 
 Mallory, of the Burke Guards ; Private Low-rey, of the 
 Clark County Kifles ; and Privates May and Widener, of 
 the Confederate Light Guards ; and Private Deas, of the 
 Wilkinson Rifles. 
 
 These brave comrades fell upon a battle field where vic- 
 tory perched upon our banner, notwithstanding the most 
 
40 
 
 fearful odds and under the most galling lire. In pro- 
 portion to the numbers and personel respectively en- 
 gaged on each side, it is unsurpassed by any engage- 
 ment of the war. It is unexcelled hj any of the con- 
 flicts of man ranging back even to the morning of time. 
 
 The regiment again reorganized by the election of 
 the follov^^ing commanding officers of companies : Con- 
 federate Light Guards, Captain Walker ; Wilkinson 
 Rifles, Captain Waters ; Carswell Guards, Captain 
 Cars well ; Brown Rifles, Captain N isbet ; Athens 
 Guards, Captain Billups ; Young Guards, Captain 
 Jones ; Home Guards, Captain Andrews ; Dawson 
 Grays, Captain Grier ; Governor' s Guards, Captain 
 Hamilton ; Burke Guards, Captain Corker ; and the 
 Clarke County Rifles, Captain McCrea. Ambrose R. 
 Wright was elected Colonel ; James S. Reid, Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel, and John R. Sturges, Major. 
 
 Many changes and mutations in rank subsequently 
 occurred from disease and from death and wounds in 
 battle ; line officers being promoted to field offices, 
 and privates rising to the rank of Lieutenants, Cap- 
 tains and to the position of Adjutant of the regiment. 
 Heretofore I have given a detailed history of its oper- 
 ations while an independent command in the Depart- 
 ment of Norfolk; but now I shall be more general, for 
 upon the evacuation of that department our command- 
 eer was soon promoted to a Brigadier General, and we 
 became a part of Wright' s celebrated brigade, merging 
 our individuality into that of the grand army of the 
 sainted Lee. Your fame henceforth became .theirs, 
 and their glory yours. You gained still greater re- 
 nown by your gallantry, as well as by the increased 
 lustre reflected from the union of the whole patriot 
 band, which from that time till the end was like the 
 waters of the great ocean — but one. 
 
 Passing over the fight at Frazier' s Farm, in front of 
 Richmond — where you drove back for more than a 
 mile the IGtli Massachusetts Regiment, killing eighteen 
 and capturing a score or more, mourning yourselves 
 the loss of five, I come to a general engagement, the 
 first in which you participated, but one that severely 
 tried the souls of all. 
 
 The division to which w^e were attached (Huger's), 
 after marching and countermarching on the Williams- 
 burg and Charles City roads, and vice versa, number- 
 
41 
 
 less times for one day, and on the next going through 
 the same provoking and bootless task in the jungles of 
 White Oak swamp, thus letting McClellan slip through 
 the net work contrived by the genius of Lee for his 
 capture, on the afternoon of the third day— the mem- 
 orable 1st of July, 1862 — you reached the deep and 
 woody ravine at the foot of Malvern Hill. The winds 
 moving to and fro these giant oaks were soon destined 
 to whisper sad requiems to departed heroes, while the 
 rippling rivulet, meandering therethrough, was to 
 change color as it commingled its waters with some of 
 the best blood of Georgia. Except Holmes' division, 
 in isolated woods two miles and a half oif, Wright's 
 brigade was on the extreme right of the army, and for 
 some reason unexplained found itself subject to the 
 orders of Maj. Gen. Magruder, who immediately gave 
 the order — "Charge!" Not a single gun up to this 
 moment had been fired on either side. To this order 
 Gen. Wright protested that it meant simply destruc- 
 tion, for it was not within the power of man with his 
 little brigade to stand much less to assail to any ad- 
 vantage the infantry and artillery of McClellan on the 
 heights beyond, which he had reconnoitered. But no, 
 the order must be obeyed. Up the hill side and 
 through the intervening trees you moved to the open 
 space — a wide clover plain with no risings or undula- 
 tions as far as the eye could discern, and dotted with 
 neither tree nor shrub — running up to the crest of the 
 hill studdied over with fifty pieces of artillery, when 
 immediately a lurid flame burst forth, causing the very 
 earth to tremble beneath your feet, and knelling the 
 departure of souls for eternity. 
 
 Though the order must be obeyed, yet General 
 Wright, seeing that it was impossible to pursue it lit- 
 erally in that direction, ordered the brigade back to the 
 woods, where amid bursting shell and tailing trees he 
 filed to the right for some distance, coming out again 
 into the open plain in a hollow, unobserved, and three 
 hundred yards nearer the enemy. 
 
 The command being again given to charge, your 
 commander, Maj. Sturges, remarked to a captain: "I 
 have a presentiment that I shall not survive this charge, 
 but I am willing to die for my country." The accom- 
 plished Hamilton, conversing with me, said : ' ' This is 
 murder, but nevertheless I will stand it," at the same 
 time buttoning up his coat and putting on his gloves 
 
42 
 
 as if to prepare for interment. At the very com- 
 mencement of the charge the former fell pierced 
 thi'ough tlie brain, while the latter, fearlessly entering 
 the fiery ordeal, was consumed by it. Closing up the 
 gaps as fast as they were made you still moved on, 
 nearing the guns of the enemy, when they limbered 
 up and then suddenly there arose out of a hollow in 
 front a long line of infantry that poured in a destruc- 
 tive lire. There the conflict raged for a full half hour, 
 when finally they w^ere rolled back and you occupied 
 the ground from which they were driven. About this 
 time, far on our left, Cobb' s brigade, Toomb' s brigade 
 and brigade after brigade w^ere se^n deploying into 
 line, and the firing became general along the front of 
 McClellan's position. The sun went down and the 
 moon rose upon you in possession of the field you had 
 so gallantly won, every other brigade except Mahone's 
 having retired to some convenient position to renew 
 the fight next morning. Major- Gen eial Magruder, in 
 an official letter of the 6th of July, after alluding par- 
 ticularly to "the military skill and intrepidity" of 
 General Wright, says, this and Mahone's Brigade "oc- 
 cupied and slept upon the field of battle which was 
 won from the enemy." But more than the testimony 
 of one man or a dozen commanders, the detailed list of 
 casualties — 143 killed and wounded — made out by 
 Adjutant Walter Perr}^, speak in thunder tones of the 
 of the gallantry and sacrifices of the Third Georgia on 
 that eventful day. 
 
 In less than two months you w^ere on the historic 
 field of Manassas, fighting nearly over the same ground 
 where the lamented Bartow fell the year previous. 
 Oh, that our entire people had been animated wdth the 
 unconquerable spirit of the noble martyr who uttered 
 the parting sentiment, ' ' Never give it up. I am 
 dying. I look over this to distant fields w^liere ' the 
 brave will tremble and the pious even doubt the favor 
 of God.' Never give up this battle, and never tire in 
 succeeding conflicts till the cause is finally won," 
 
 Several brigades having been repulsed and driven 
 out of the woods at the point where Gen. Wright with 
 his brigade was ordered in, you not only held your 
 position, but actually drove the enemy through the 
 woods and over a field in the rear. Your loss in 
 killed and wounded was thirty -two. Major A. B. 
 Montgomery, your commander, alter being shot in 
 
43 
 
 the thigh, remained on the field the entire day and fol- 
 lowing night, displaying great (coolness and fortitude. 
 
 Rapidly followed Sharpshiirg the third general 
 battle — in less than three months. 
 
 Before becoming actually engaged, you moved for- 
 ward under artillery fire more than a mile, when 
 coming to a picket fence in an apple orchard, immedi- 
 ately to the left of Sharpsburg, it was torn down in 
 less time than consumes to tell it. and you were 
 brought to close quarters with the foe. Gen. Wrigh^, 
 while fearlessly leading the brigade under a shower of 
 grape on the right flank and musketry in front, was 
 shot in the breast and thigh, and forced b}^ his men in 
 a litter from the field. Yet a further charge was made, 
 causing the enemy to break and run, in which Lieut. 
 Col. Nisbet and Adjutant Perry fell at the head of the 
 regiment ; the former seriously wounded, and the lat- 
 ter mortalh', being riddled by seven balls. 
 
 From recent excessive marches through Virginia 
 and Maryland and (immediately previous to the fight) 
 during the entire night from Harper's Ferry to Shep- 
 ardstown and in the morning, without scarcely a halt, 
 this regiment was reduced to one hundred and thirty- 
 eight men, seventy-two of whom were killed and 
 wounded. It was by far the most sanguinary battle 
 of the war, in proportion to the numbers engaged, and 
 was a decided victory, as the object for which it was 
 fought was accomplished — to draw the army and its 
 trains safely from Maryland. 
 
 In the order of succession the next battle was that 
 of Chancellorsville, commencing on the 2d of May, 
 1863, and continuing for several days. 
 
 Gen. Wright, under the immediate supervision of 
 Stonewall Jackson, moved his brigade on the left of the 
 plank road leading from Fredericksburg to Chancel- 
 lorsville, with his right resting thereon — the Third 
 Georgia Regiment being deployed in front as skir- 
 mishers, pushed forward, driving the enemy a mile 
 and a half to their outer line of works. Carrying the 
 rest of the brigade two miles on the west to "the Fur- 
 nace," which was threatened, this regiment was left 
 in their advanced position in the woods, where it con- 
 tended with a whole brigade till sunset ibrought relief, 
 holding its ground even against one attack made in 
 column of regiments. 
 
 The next day Jackson's men moved in a long, steady 
 
44 
 
 stream by the left flank to gain the enemy' s right and 
 rear. The sight of the Southern Achilles, as he sat 
 on his charger, with india rubber coat, and cap drawn 
 down on his face, quickly moving those thin lips and 
 flashing a piercing eye as he gave his directions, awak- 
 ened the unbounded admiration of all, to whom the 
 very presence of Jackson was a precursor of victory. 
 On the morning of the third day, amid the booming 
 of guns on the distant left, coming slowly but grad- 
 ually nearer. General Wright moved the brigade for- 
 ward on the line of breastworks that had an ahattis 
 of fallen timbers in front, while behind was a large 
 force with heavy batteries to protect them by direct 
 and flanking fires. 
 
 This was one of the severest fights for an hour, the 
 enemy pouring in a terrific fire of grape, canister and 
 schrapnel. But the roaring of Jackson's cannon com- 
 ing still nearer and louder on the enemy' s right, you 
 charged the breastworks, driving them back to their 
 second line of trenches— rifle pits in the field around 
 the Chancellorsville House. From these you were 
 momentarily repulsed in endeavoring to enter ; but 
 just here Jackson, having opened fire on our imme- 
 diate left with a strong battery of long range guns, the 
 brigade moved forward in column of regiments— with 
 the Third Georgia in front — leaped the rifle pits and 
 drove the enemy from the field. Here our commander, 
 Maj. Jones, had an arm shot off" just at the time when 
 the Seventeenth Connecticut, with its Colonel, Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel and Adjutant, were captured by two 
 companies of this regiment. 
 
 While the army was victorious around Chancellors- 
 ville, Sedgwick's Corps, fourteen miles below, had 
 captured Marye' s Heights, and were advancing in our 
 rear. But Gen. Lee turned upon him with two of his 
 victorious divisions, and attacked him on the high 
 range of hills along the plank road above Fredericks- 
 burg. 
 
 Wright' s brigade, being formed around the base of 
 the hill leading up to Bowman's house, made a deci- 
 sive charge under the eyes of General Lee, which was 
 highly complimented by him. The loss of this regi 
 ment in all, killed and wounded, was ninety-two. 
 
 This was the most glorious victory of the war. 
 Fought upon a field of the enemy's own choosing and 
 against odds of at least three to one, it shed undying 
 
4=5 
 
 lustre upon the immortal Lee. Attacked in front and 
 rear by overwhelming numbf^rs, but rising to the 
 height of the occasion, like a tiger at bay, he first 
 springs on one and then on the other, until finally 
 there he stands, 
 
 Like some tall cliff whose awful form, 
 Swells in the vale and midway leaves the storm, 
 Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread. 
 Eternal sunshine settles on his head." 
 
 Passing through Virginia and Maryland into Penn- 
 sylvania, on the 3d of July, 1863, we come to the field 
 of Gettysburg — the Barodino of the war. Like that 
 dread field in Russia which lost to Napoleon his mag- 
 nificent empire, this caused our fortunes to wane and 
 our arms to gradually fall. 
 
 Standing on a ridge, we could see a long range of 
 hills, running parallel to our position, occupied by 
 masses of infantry and artillery, with an intervening- 
 space of what seemed to be a level plain. At 5:30 
 o'clock General Wright ordered an advance down 
 through the woods into the open fields below. Rush- 
 ing down the hill-side into a valley broken into small 
 ridges and hollows, we were greeted by a sheet of fire 
 rolling out from the opposite side, the smoke extend- 
 ing and ascending until it darkened the rays of the 
 sun. But on we moved, scarcely seeing one hundred 
 yards ahead, across the Emmetsburg road, until you 
 came to a rock fence, from behind which a fire of mus- 
 ketry riddled your serried ranks. Leaping over it, 
 seizing artillery horses, shooting down the riders and 
 cutting the traces from the caisons, you press on over 
 these guns up to the crest of the hill, where thirteen 
 other pieces of artiller}^ are captured — thus cutting en- 
 tirely in twain the army of Mead. If the same advance 
 had been made on our left a different history might 
 have been written wherein Gettsburg, instead of being 
 "the Illiad of our woes," would have been the Sala- 
 mis and Marathon of our independence. But without 
 help and having penetrated too far, assailed on the 
 right, on the left, in front and partly in our rear, we 
 were pushed back down the hill — this regiment losing 
 in killed, wounded and captured, at least one-half of 
 its number. 
 
 Papers in Virginia about the time and since have 
 lauded Picket's Division as having made the charge, 
 going farther over this very ground than any other 
 
46 
 
 body of men. And while I wo aid not, if I could, 
 detract one iota from that grand division or pluck one 
 leaf from its well earned crown, yet it is due to the 
 vindication of the truth of history to say that they did 
 not even get to the rock fence much less to the heights 
 beyond, over which Wright's brigade passed on the 
 preceding day. If there is any doubt, here is the tes- 
 timony of one who knew, and w^ho dealt out impartial 
 justice to his followers : 
 
 General Lee, in his official report says : " Wilcox 
 and Wright's brigades advanced with great gallantry, 
 breaking successive lines of infantry, and compelling 
 him (the enemy) to abandon much of his artillery. 
 Wilcox reached the foot, and Wright gained the crest of 
 the ridge itself, driving the enemy doivn the opposite side.'' 
 
 In this connection, E will state from my own personal 
 knowledge, received from the lips of Gen Lee, that he 
 knew and recognizi^d as well merited your fame as a 
 regiment. In passing through Augusta to Florida a 
 short time before his death, whither he w^as going with 
 the vain hope of recruiting a shattered constitution 
 and a broken heart, I remarked to him : ''General, all 
 Georgians feel attached to you, and so far as the regi- 
 ment is concerned which I once had the honor to com- 
 mand — the Third Georgia — their attachment simply 
 amounts to worship." ''Ah, (he replied, tlie tears 
 gathering in his eyes), I remember them well ; they 
 were a part of Wright's Brigade. Say to them that I 
 shall never cease to love them." 
 
 Here I bid farewell to our friend and lamented first 
 commander, for, being a captive myself for several 
 months, during which time he became a Major- Gen- 
 eral and was sent to the South Atlantic coast, I never 
 again saw him in the heat and smoke of battle. With 
 no wish to disturb him, I leave him in his glory, 
 among our other comrades, free from the pains and 
 trials and troubles of this transitory life. ' • Take him, 
 for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again." 
 
 His life was gentle, and the elements 
 
 kSo mixed in him, that Nature might stand up 
 
 And say to all the world : This was a man /" 
 
 Passing through Manassas Gap, where Walker fell ; 
 over the Wilderness, Cold Harbor and other battles 
 around Petersburg, where Luckie, McCrea and others 
 left us forever, down to Farmville where, on the day 
 
47 
 
 before the surrender at Appomattox, under my com- 
 mand you charged, seized and dragged from the very 
 lines of the enemy a regiment of Pennsylvanians — I 
 have reached the end of my story. But one thing 
 more is necessary to close the record up — a special 
 reference to the privates and non-commissioned officers 
 who, for four long years, fearlessly trod the path of 
 duty with a devotion and fidelity equal to that of the 
 Imperial Guards of Napoleon or the Tenth Legion of 
 Caesar. 
 
 Days of romance are tilled with incidents where 
 knights have performed "deeds of emprise," or crossed 
 lances beneath the smiles of some fair lady, who stood 
 with wreath in hand to deck the victor's brow; while 
 with no less of the romantic but more of the terrible 
 Napoleon in all liis majesty, stood at Jena, at Ulm 
 and at Austerlitz. to reward with his Imperial Eagle 
 and the Oros^' of'tlx^ Legion 0+ Honor, tli^ most daring 
 of his battalions ; but where on earth's green surface 
 can be found a brighter spectacle than that of the pri- 
 vate or non-commissioned officer who, in many in- 
 stances, without the chances of promotion or honors 
 of office, rushed onward with a sheet of fire blazing 
 in his face, keeping only in view the banner of the 
 army to which lie was attached and the liberties of his 
 country i Such fidelity not only deserves the praise 
 of man, but merits that of angels and of God. Life is 
 but a fleeting span, and I know not whether mine will 
 be brief or extended, but whether long or short, I ask 
 for no higher honor than the continued friendship 
 of such men. In the language of Ruth to Naomi : 
 "Entreat me not to leave thee, nor to return from fol- 
 lowing after thee, for whither thou goest I will go, and 
 where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be 
 my people, and thy God my God." 
 
 A few words as to the future and I have done. 
 
 The past we cannot recall, our destinies we cannot 
 change ; then as reasonable men let us make the most 
 we can of the situation. This is a great country as it 
 is. With a national story so brief in existence as 
 scarcely to reach the name of history, with forty mil- 
 lions of 23eople spread over an immense territory, with 
 boundless resources wooing the attention of enterprise, 
 the world of mind and matter moving on as it has 
 never moved; this country is destined at some future 
 day to eclipse the glori(^s of the Grecian and Roman 
 
48 
 
 Empires. It is our property, for we liave a fee simple 
 title as tenants in common with the people of all the 
 States. We have a full share in the common heritage 
 of Yorktown and Saratoga, of Eutaw and Bunker 
 Hill, of New Orleans and Lunday's Lane, of Buena 
 Vista and Cliurubusco. If one section proudly points 
 to their esteemed statesmen, Webster and Douglas, 
 with equal pride we can point to our Clay and Cal- 
 houn ; and if the}' will lift the veil of our late civil 
 war, and refer in terms of admiration to the greatest 
 living soldier, U. S. Grant, with a holy pride we can 
 refer to a peer, wdiose purity was like the snow Hake, 
 while his genius flashed as the sunbeam, Robert E. 
 Lee. 
 
 Grave diflerences we have arising out of the late 
 civil war, but, having an abiding confidence in the in- 
 tegrity of purpose of mankind in general, when the 
 passions subside and reason resumes her sway, I be- « 
 lieve all the differences will be finall}^ settled upon 
 principles of equity and justice. Such is the history 
 of Spain after the junction of the houses of Castile and 
 Arragon; such of England after her war of the roses ; 
 such of France after Robespierre and the carnival of 
 the Septembrisers; and such of Austria after the sub- 
 jugation of Hungary. 
 
 We can not constitute an exception to all people of 
 all ages, and remain forever the victims of continuous 
 wrong and oppression. JSTo ! my comrades, justice, 
 acting under the inspiration of Divinity, that doetli all 
 things well, will again resume her throne; and while 
 greeting her in a genuine spirit of conciliation, coupled 
 with a firm adherence to principle, I would invoke that 
 
 " Dread power ! whose empire-giving hand 
 Has oft been stretched to shield the honored land ! 
 Strong may she glow with all her ancient fire ; 
 May every son be worthy of his sire : 
 Bold may she brave grim danger's loudest roar, 
 Till fate the curtain drop on worlds to be no more." 
 
49 
 
 It was nearly 2 o'clock P. M. when this ad'mirahle 
 and interesting address was completed. At its close 
 the assembly proceeded to the six long tables spread 
 in the north-western portion of the Fair Grounds and 
 piled with an ample barbacue given in compliment to 
 the veterans by the Dawson Grays and the citizens of 
 Greene County. The regiment formed, under com- 
 mand of Col. Snead, and the tables were approached 
 thus : The survivors of the Third Georgia Regiment 
 in two ranks, the soldiers from other commands, the 
 ladies, then the (gentlemen) citizens, opening ranks and 
 taking places in reverse order at each of the tables. 
 
 The half dozen tables were promptly surrounded 
 and valiantly attacked, most excellent appetites caus- 
 ing a brave charge, before which mutton, veal, pig, 
 beef, turkeys, chickens, cakes and all manner of deli- 
 cate edibles, yielded after a brief resistance. 
 
 When the princely feast was over, Col. Snead called 
 attention to the regular toasts, which he announced in 
 order, with responses, as follows : 
 
 First Regular Toast. — Robert E. Lee— The noblest 
 Roman of them all. Responded to by Capt S. A. 
 Corker, who said : 
 
 Comrades and Gentlemen — Coming down step by step 
 through the ages, and stoping to contemplate the his- 
 tory of the governments of civilized man, it will be 
 found that all yet created present a page in which is 
 recounted a great upheaval — a wasting war — a ground 
 swell — which swept over them, leaving behind little to 
 admire save the greatness developed in the individual 
 character of some Caesar, Cromwell or Napoleon. Such 
 an upheaval, such a war, swept over the short-lived 
 Confederate States of America, and such a character, 
 with still greater lustre than they, was Robert E. Lee. 
 In contemplating the career of that government, and 
 the glory of that peerless soldier, there rises to the 
 mind's eye a grandeur of collective heroism in her 
 people, and a sublime goodness and greatness in her 
 Lee, unapproached and unapproachable, by anything 
 either in ancient or modern times. And their history, 
 their greatness and glory, are indissolubly bound 
 4 
 
50 
 
 together, and so mingled, present a spectacle which, for 
 the intensity of its brightness, in the usually dark back 
 ground of the history of countries, and the unquiet, 
 restless and ever-recurring ignoble ambition of men, 
 causes them to stand without a rival. Such a coun- 
 try ! Such a man ! If the character of the latter 
 had been the only legacy it gave to posterity, it would 
 for that alone be imperishable. He having been its 
 servant, a general of its armies, perpetuates his 
 memory, and would alone have made him immortal. 
 But he did not stop there. In the splendor of his 
 genius and the purity of his nature he spread a halo 
 of renown over the pages of her history she would not 
 have obtained without him. Great in war, he was not 
 less so in peace. His unselfish nature prevented him 
 from appropriating the numberless opportunities pre- 
 sented to enrich himself, and spurned with disdain and 
 an indifference unappreciated by ordinary minds the 
 objects which are usually the objective points of the 
 ordinary ambition of men. 
 
 When the Southern Confederacy went down in 
 blood, and all was lost in one universal ruin, his acts, 
 his demeanor, his uncomplaining self-sacrificing spirit, 
 seemed to say daily to his fallen sufiering countrymen, 
 *'I am alone to blame, let all the consequences rest on 
 my shoulders." JSToble, generous patriot ! great and 
 mighty genius ! may thy virtues ever stand a beacon- 
 light to thy countrymen ; and if thy beloved Vii^ginia, 
 and the South, should ever again, by the providence of 
 Gfod, gird on her armor and strike for home and free- 
 dom, may another Lee rise up to lead her armies, and 
 guide the councils of her cabinet. 
 
 Comrades ! in conclusion I pray you imitate his 
 virtues and example ; let it ever be said of the soldiers 
 of Lee, that they are self-denying and great of soul. 
 If any man shall attract attention by the purity of his 
 life, his energy, his activity, his greatness, let it be 
 said "he belonged to the Army of Northern Virginia ; 
 he is one of Lee's old soldiers." 
 
 Second Regular Toast. — The Third Georgia— The first 
 Georgia Regiment on Virginia soil. Responded to by 
 Capt. C. H. Andrews, who said : 
 
 Comrades — In response to the sentiment, I will say 
 the Third Georgia Regiment was called into service by 
 Gov. Brown, on the 23d of April, 1861, to rendezvous 
 
51 
 
 at Augusta, Ga., to be there equipped, and under 
 command of the senior captain, proceed to Richmond, 
 and there elect field officers. The Home Guards, from 
 Madison, reached Augusta on the 26th of April, and 
 each Rail Road train after that brought in the re- 
 mainder of the regiment. Two companies, (I think 
 the Blodgett Volunteers, and the Confederate Light 
 Guards,) being organized in Augusta, were mustered 
 into service first, and proceeded to Richmond. The 
 Burke Guards, and the Home Guards, were mustered 
 into service on the 2nd of May, and reached Norfolk 
 the night of the 4th. The companies in Richmond, 
 and those en route, were ordered to Norfolk. On the 
 8th of May, an election was held for field officers. 
 The Fourth Georgia Regiment was called into service at 
 > the same time, and elected field officers at Norfolk on 
 
 the same day we did, but companies of the 3d were 
 the first to reach Virginia, and as a command all of its 
 companies were the first there to compose a regiment. 
 The Second Georgia Battalion, of four companies^ 
 were organized, and at Norfolk before us. 
 
 As the sentiment is to the Third Georgia Regiment, 
 it may not be amiss for me to say more than these his- 
 torical facts. Much has been said of the gallant 
 services of the regiment, and of the high character of 
 its commanders. Let me illustrate by an incident 
 how highly Gen. Wright esteemed you, the rank and 
 file of his old command. In response to a serenade 
 given him at Orange Court House, in August, 1863, in 
 glowing words he recounted to us the services done, 
 and in conclusion expressed his regard for us. He 
 said: "I heard of how you cursed me for telling 
 Girardy, at Chancellorsville, when he asked me how 
 to form the brigade for the fight, and I told him to put 
 the Third Georgia in front and keep it there. I had 
 raised you up as it were, had trained you, had tried 
 you, and had never found you wanting. I looked 
 upon you as men who would stand by me under all 
 circumstances, and I would not be afraid to trust you 
 in any danger. I knew Hooker had an army of at 
 least 120,000, and Gen. Lee had 42,000 to oppose him^ 
 and as we were situated we had to conquer or die. 
 My faith in you was vindicated during those several 
 days of hard fighting. But, as you cursed me for 
 putting you where the best men were needed, I will 
 make a bargain with you to night. If you will desert 
 
52 
 
 me on the next field of battle, I'll agree never to put 
 you in the front again. Will you do it ? " "No ! 'No ! 
 No ! ' ' rang through those old woods, and was echoed 
 among the blood-stained hills of Virginia. 
 
 Third Regular Toast. — Col. Claiborne Snead — Its last 
 commander. Responded to by Capt. D. N. Sanders, 
 who said : 
 
 Though I have never developed any talent for 
 speech-making, I would be at no loss for words in 
 responding to the toast just read, were it not for the 
 presence of my gallant friend, who is distinguished for 
 his modesty as for his courage. In his presence, I 
 know not what I can say that shall be at all equal to 
 his merits, without bringing the blush to cheeks which 
 the enemy' s guns could never make to change color. 
 Beleiving that his first allegiance was due to Georgia, 
 he awaited not the second call to olfer life and fortune 
 in her defense. Volunteering in the first Georgia 
 regiment which j marched to repel the invader from 
 Virginia soil, he rose on his merits from the rank of a 
 Sub-Lieutenant, to the command of his regiment. He 
 was not more distinguished for gallantry on the field, 
 than for courtesy in the camp. Sheathing his sword, 
 only at the command of our immortal chieftain, he led 
 back to Georgia his noble regiment, with its ranks 
 unbroken by desertion and a record inferior to that of 
 no battalion that wore the gray. 
 
 During the dark days of reconstruction he struggled 
 manfully to preserve the State from the horde of 
 thieves and adventurers bent upon her bankruptcy, 
 both in wealth and honor. In every position of life he 
 has proved himself, a worthy son of his noble mother 
 State, xlnd, to-day, as a soldier, as a citizen, as a 
 statesman, Georgia points to him with pride as a rep- 
 resentative son. 
 
 Fourth Regular Toast. — Stonewall Jackson — The Lion 
 of the Valley. Eesponded^ito b}^ Capt. J. W. Mathews, 
 who said : 
 
 I might well add the Bonaparte of our army, the 
 christian hero, the pride of the South. 
 
 The name of Stonewall Jackson will never die, but 
 will ever live, wreathed in a halo of glory, and deeply 
 imbedded in the hearts of his countrymen. 
 
 As an enemy, to be dreaded, as a friend, trusted ; 
 
53 
 
 in the valley to-day, on the mountain top to-morrow ; 
 wherever Stonewall Jackson led, victory followed. 
 
 His name will ever live to add new lustre to our 
 cause, a lustre that will brighten as ages roll on. 
 
 Our children' s children, in years to come, will sing 
 peons of praise to the noble character, gallant chiv- 
 alry and unsurpassed heroism of Stonewall Jackson, 
 the Lion of the Valley. 
 
 Fifth Regular Toast. — Jefferson Davis — The gnarled 
 oak may break, but never bends. Responded to by 
 Maj. John F. Jones, who said : 
 
 Comrades and Friends — It affords me pleasure to re- 
 spond to the toast assigned me. For nis greatness I 
 loved him, and he alone understood the magnitude 
 and glory of our cause ; magnanimous in the hour of 
 victory, great in the night ot our defeat. 
 
 Like the monarch of the forest, our leader bared his 
 breast to the storms of war, and last of that noble band, 
 he suffered the pains of the bastile, that the principles 
 of our cause, and the deeds of the battle-scarred vet- 
 erans who so nobly illustrated the South on a thousand 
 fields of combat, might be embalmed in the memory 
 of rising generations. 
 
 He, the head of our government, and he only, repre- 
 sented to the last theTldea of our people, * ' never to 
 abandon our cause," but fight to the last extremity ; 
 but fate decreed it to be against us, our cause lost, our 
 hopes crushed, our confederation overthrown. But of 
 the Hon. Jeff. Davis, I can but say — 
 
 " Like some tall cliff that rears its awful form, 
 Swells to the gale and midway meets the storm ; 
 Though around its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
 Eternal sunshine settles on his head." 
 
 Sixth Regular Toast. — Our Heroic Dead — Response by 
 Sidney Herbert, editor of the Troy Messenger, Troy, 
 Ala., and a Major and A. D. C. in the Federal army 
 during the late war, who spoke as follows : 
 
 Mr. President and Felloiv- Soldiers — I should be false to 
 the high sentiments of esteem which I have ever enter- 
 tained for those great captains of your late armies — Lee, 
 Jackson and Sidney Johnson — were I to fail to respond 
 to your very kind invitation to pay a tribute to the 
 heroic dead of the ''Lost Cause." I believe in the fit- 
 ness of things, and if I did not think I was the right 
 
54 
 
 man in the right place, on this occasion, I should most 
 positively decline to fill the responsible position you 
 nave seen fit to assign me in your order of exercises. 
 But there are three reasons why I feel no reluctance in 
 accepting the duty imposed upon me at this time, 
 where sorrow and regret mingle with joy and gladness, 
 softening the emotions of our hearts and giving to the 
 words that fall from our lips a mournful tenderness ; 
 joy, that so many are spared to be here to-day to clasp 
 again each others' hands, and sorrow, that a host of no- 
 ble comrades are beyond the reach of any earthly voice 
 to summons them to a reunion of the veterans of the 
 late war. In soldier-graves, widely separated, their 
 battle-scarred bodies await the general resurrection 
 of the dead, that grandest and most sublime of all 
 ^ reunions, when their scattered bones, from ocean shore 
 and from mountain side, from lowly valley and from 
 towering hill, shall be gathered up and rehabilitated 
 in human flesh, and shall stand unmaimed, unscarred, 
 and with strength renewed, in the presence of the 
 great Captain of our Salvation. 
 
 " So noble in their lives, in death 
 
 More noble still, they do not need 
 A song, or panegyric wreath. 
 Or any praiseful meed. 
 
 God's peace be theirs, where'er they sleep, 
 Throughout our wide and fair domain, 
 
 And may a grateful people keep 
 Their memories from stain." 
 
 My first reason for responding to your invitation, 
 lies in the fact, that during the four years of war, I 
 stood face to face, on the battle field, with thousands 
 of the heroic Southern dead whose memory you are 
 to-day called upon to honor and to perpetuate. I am 
 able, therefore, to speak in more decided terms,^ and 
 without restraint, of their unequaled fidelity, unflinch- 
 ing fortitude and fearless courage, throughout the 
 long and unequal contest. Never did soldiers stand 
 firmer and closer in line of battle, or meet death more 
 unshrinkingly, than did the gallant lieroes who rallied 
 beneath the fiag for whose supremacy they went forth 
 to battle, and in whose defence they so cheerfully and 
 unhesitatingly sacrificed their lives in the face of a 
 powerful and well supplied enemy. Well may I 
 adopt the language of my old friend, Gen. Chamber- 
 lain, in his Address to our Society of the Army of the 
 Potomac, where he says : "That Army of Northern 
 
55 
 
 Virginia — who can help looking back upon them now 
 with feelings half fraternal? Ragged and reckless, 
 jet careful to keep their bayonets bright, and lines of 
 battle well dressed ; reduced to dire extremity at 
 times, yet always ready for a fight ; rough and rude, 
 yet knowing well how to make a field illustrious. 
 Who can forget them — the brave, bronzed faces that 
 looked at us for four years across the flaming pit 
 — men with whom, in a hundred fierce grapples, we 
 fought, with remorseless desperation and all the ter- 
 rible enginery of death, till on the one side and on the 
 other a quarter of a million fell ; and yet we never 
 hated them, except that they struck at the old flag. 
 Main force against main force — there was good reason 
 why — when valor like that was exhausted — the sun 
 should go down on thousands dead, but not one 
 VANQUISHED." TMs, Mr. President, is the sentiment 
 of every true soldier then in that grand old Army 
 of the Potomac, created, disciplined and made ready 
 for other hands to control in its final victories, by 
 that splendid soldier and Christian statesman, Major 
 General George B. McClellan. Fellow-soldiers, this 
 is a the tribute ot praise that we who wore the Blue, 
 and who fully tested your fidelity, your courage and 
 your perseverance, pay to your dead comrades, who 
 at your side and in your ranks, proudly and faithfully, 
 even to their death, wore the Gray. And be assurred, 
 that whatever may be said here on earth, 
 
 " None will ask in yonder Heaven, 
 Where smiles eternal day, 
 Why this one wore the Northern Blue, 
 Or that, the Southern Gray." 
 
 My second reason for responding being a good one, 
 I shall also state it. The Ladies' Memorial Associa- 
 tion of Pike County, Alabama, my present home, saw 
 fit to select me as the liistorian of their society, and 
 for months past I. have devoted all my spare moments 
 to the duties of that office. No county in the South 
 contributed truer, braver soldiers, or more of them 
 according to population, to the Confederate cause, than 
 did this grand old county, whose long list of killed in 
 battle, and died in service, is the best testimony that 
 can be given to the patriotism of her sons in the hour 
 of their country's peril. As I have gathered up the 
 memorials of these fallen braves, the son in early man- 
 hood, the husband in the prime of life, and the aged 
 
56 
 
 father, not to speak of tlie brave beardless boys whose 
 youthful ardor sent them so early to the field, my heart 
 has felt deeply grieved that we who wore the Blue, and 
 who fought against these noble fellows with such fatal 
 results, had not then known more of the true character 
 of our enemies. How unselfishly they loved the 
 cause they so ardently espoused ! How patiently they 
 bore the hardships of long and weary marches I How 
 fearlessly and with what hopefulness they always met 
 the foe ! They had loved ones at home to think of and 
 to long to see again in the flesh ! they had aspirations 
 and expectations for the future, that they desired to 
 have gratified ! they prayed for peace to come, that 
 they might return to their homes and to their dear ones ; 
 but above all these — bright, clear and unshaken — was 
 their devotion to the flag under which they had gone 
 forth to battle for Southern Independence. This it was, 
 not love of fame, nor a desire for military glory, that 
 led them to meet death unshrinkingly at the cannon' s 
 mouth and at the bayonet' s point. All honor to such 
 noble heroes ! Hardly a score of the already recorded 
 eight hundred of her dead lie buried beneath her own 
 soil ; but in the hearts of the true and patriotic women 
 of Pike County, their names and their heroic deeds are 
 enshrined, and the glorious record of them will be 
 handed down to future generations. Their bodies lie 
 scattered over every battle field upon which the con- 
 tending armies met in deadly conflict ; and although 
 it is true that 
 
 " No marble o'er their low-laid heads 
 
 Points to the sunny sky 
 To tell the ages yet to be 
 
 How they dared to do and die ; 
 Still in our hearts their story lives, 
 
 And we'll guard the sacred trust, 
 When marble shafts and graven words 
 
 Have crumbled into dust." 
 
 My third reason for responding to your call may 
 seem, to many here present, to be the most appropriate. 
 I have in my hand a beautiful original poem, written 
 for the Ladies Memorial Association of Pike County, 
 Alabama, by Prof, Fletcher J. Cowart, of Brundidge, 
 in memory of " Our Heroic Southern Dead,'' which I pro- 
 pose to read to you, and which cannot fail, by its tender 
 pathos and its majestic measure, to impress every 
 heart present here to-day, with its patriotic sentiments. 
 It asks, in thrilling rhyme, an all important question ; 
 
57 
 
 Can we forget our heroic dead ? This question is fol- 
 lowed by a tender appeal for the proper and full re- 
 cognition of their deathless fame, while the last verse 
 most appropriately declares that these fallen heroes 
 shall not he forgotten. But I will let the gifted poet 
 speak to you in his own words : 
 
 Harp of the Southland, though thy strings are broken, 
 And silence decks thee with her cypress wreath, 
 
 Yet give to me one low, funereal token, 
 
 A wail for the brave hearts now stilled in death. 
 
 How can we see the pall of silence settle 
 O'er names whose lustre should be ever bright — 
 
 The heroes stricken in the storm of battle, 
 
 Struggling for home, for kindred, and the Right! 
 
 let their deeds, in deathless song and story, 
 Be cherished always with a mournful pride ; 
 
 Let unborn millions swell the strain of Glory — 
 How hard they struggled and how nobly died. 
 
 In far Virginia many a one is lying, 
 
 Old Georgia's hills are white with bleaching bones, 
 
 And cold the ocean's restless waves are sighing 
 Above the bier of loved and noble ones. 
 
 Shall the sad breezes of the pitying heaven 
 
 Around their low graves be the only dirge ? 
 And to the sea's dead shall no rites be given 
 Except the thunder of the ocean surge? 
 
 Shall we, for whom they suflFered, bled, and perished. 
 Oblivion's mantle o'er their memory throw? 
 
 Nor hold their deeds as treasures proudly cherished ? 
 Nor pay the debt of honor that we owe ? 
 
 No ! it shall be our ever sacred duty 
 
 Upon their names with honors due to wait ^ 
 
 To yearly deck their graves with floral beauty. 
 While tongue and pen rehearse their tragic fate. 
 
 In conclusion, Mr. President, I desire to express my 
 intense gratification at the prospect of a general ob- 
 servance of "Decoration Day," in the future, with- 
 out regard to the color of the uniform worn, or the 
 flag under which the heroic dead fell upon the field of 
 battle. Already, the noble work has commenced, and 
 North and South, in many marked instances, a dis- 
 position has been shown to make no distinction in 
 soldiers' graves. Southern hands, with sincere ten- 
 derness, have strewn the fairest flow^ers upon the 
 graves of Federal soldiers, while at the North, with 
 equal sincerity and tenderness, that people have laid 
 their most fragnant floral offerings upon the graves of 
 
58 
 
 Confederate soldiers buried beneath their soil. With 
 such a glorious prospect before us, how truly may we, of 
 both armies and both sections, reverently and thankfully, 
 take up the poet's glad and peaceful song : 
 
 "No more shall the war-cry sever, 
 Or the winding rivers be red ; 
 They banish our anger forever 
 When they laurel the graves of our dead ! 
 
 Under the sod and the dew, 
 
 Waiting the judgement day ; 
 
 Love and tears for the Blue, 
 
 Tears and love for the Gray. 
 
 Seventh Regular Toast. — Our Battle Flag — Carried in 
 triumph through every important engagement of the his- 
 toric Army of Northern Virginia, it was never touched 
 by the hand of an enemy. Responded to by Capt. A. A. 
 Winn, who said : 
 
 Mr. Chairman and Felloiu- Countrymen — I am not sur- 
 prised at the enthusiasm with which you have received 
 the toast so handsomely given by the last gallant com- 
 mander of the regiment to the hallowed battle flag of the 
 old Third Georgia. 
 
 To Southern eyes, the sight of that consecrated emblem 
 is indeed enough " to stir a fever in the blood of age and 
 make the infant's sinews strong as steel." It waves, to-day, 
 in this bright atmosphere of peace as proudly and as stain- 
 less as when it was first given to the winds of Virginia 
 amidst the storm of battle ; and I thank God that many of 
 those who then followed it as it streamed, defiant, in the 
 face of the foe, are permitted, to-day, again to rally be- 
 neath its glorious folds, and albeit around the festive 
 board, to reform the veteran ranks shattered and broken 
 by war's rude and repeated shocks. 
 
 We meet not as conspirators, at midnight, in dimly 
 lighted halls, to talk and plot with bated breath ; but 
 boldly, in the broad light of day, beneath the shades of 
 our native groves, and under " the burning sky, 'neath 
 which our infant feet have trod;" and we speak intones 
 whose echoes are not confined by walls and flung back by 
 bolted doors. We stand beneath this flag, not merely to 
 "fight our battles o'er again," but to renew and rekindle 
 the warm associations of the past, and to unite more firmly 
 and more closely, if possible, Southern men in their devo- 
 tion to Southern chivalry and to Southern interests. 
 
 Pardon me for reminding you that the war determined 
 no principle and settled no issue. It was not a war for 
 
59 
 
 rinciple. Its result, after a four years' bloody struggle, 
 emonstrated only one fact, namely, that 600,000 so-called 
 "rebels," however intrepid, brave and self-sacrificing, could 
 not whip in the open field 2,000,000 of white men, well 
 armed and equipped, and drilled in the science of modern 
 warfare. This was all. The flag we followed during these 
 four years represented then, as it typifies now, the princi- 
 ples of free government for which our sires of '76 fought, 
 and which Jefferson in so masterly a manner embodied in 
 the old Constitution. This flag, then, was unfurled to rescue 
 those principles, and it remains, to-day, as the glorified 
 evidence of the fearless devotion of the sons of those sires 
 to the true and imperishable principles of American lib- 
 erty. We were not rebels in the war, but the enemy were 
 usurpers, and their course since the war demonstrates the 
 truth of this assertion. I say this plainly, and I mean 
 what I say ; and this faded and tattered fiag was not the 
 standard of a rebelion, but was and is, to-day, the only 
 emblem of free institutions on this Continent. 
 
 In this light we may well gaze upon it with pride and 
 joy ; we may well gladly gather in the light of its un- 
 dimmed radiance ; we may well cherish it while life re- 
 mains to us, and dying bequeath it to our children and 
 our children's children, for them to honor it, to revere it, to 
 defend it, if it so befalls in all the years of the future. 
 
 Crowding memories cluster around its sacred cross. It 
 has participated in the victories and shared the glories of 
 our people ; and in the hour of final defeat, it drooped 
 upon its staff' unconquered, but unresisting, while many 
 an eye that never quailed with fear where death shots 
 were " falling thick and fast as lighting from a summer 
 cloud," became too dim to watch it more, and lost the 
 last sight of it in the mists of trickling tears. It has indeed 
 been borne in triumph from Malvern Hill to Appomattox, 
 and has never been desecrated by the hand of an enemy. 
 How well, how faithfully and how valiantly the men of the 
 Third Georgia guarded it, this splendid record shows. At 
 Hatcher's Eun, it was held aloft by the gallant Barnwell, 
 from whose grasp it fell only when part of his arm was 
 shot away ; at the explosion of the mine at Petersburg, 
 with springing step and bold advance, it lead the charge 
 which hurled back the invaders and piled them in one red 
 burial blent in that dreadful crater, sustained by the hands 
 of the intrepid Dennis Eyan, foremost among the bravest, 
 until in the very moment of victory the heroic ensign 
 was struck by a fatal shot, and died with his flag in 
 his grasp and the shout of triumph upon his lips ; no less 
 
60 
 
 fearlessly was it carried by others, and hundreds of gal- 
 lant men of the Third Georgia, who to-day we may 
 imagine as gathered above us here as a cloud of witnesses 
 to these scenes, sealed their devotion to it upon countless 
 battle fields and bathed its folds in their life's best blood. 
 
 As to these heroic comrades it was the emblem of honor, 
 the the ensign of a lofty patriotism and the flashing guide 
 to valor's wreaths and glory's laurel's ; to us, comrades, let 
 its cross still be the cross of our faith, and its stars be ever 
 the stars of our hope. 
 
 Each of these fitting 'respones was greeted with hearty 
 applause. At this moment a suggestion was made to 
 repair to the platform, and in accordance with it the vet- 
 erans and their friends resumed the seats they had hitherto 
 occupied in front of and on the stand. In response to 
 calls, a number of brief speeches were delivered. Among 
 these were the happy and felicitious remarks of Maj. Jos. 
 B. Cummings, of Augusta, and the pleasant addresses of 
 Gen. Thomas, Col. William Gibson, of the Forty-eighth 
 Georgia, who served in the same brigade with the Thirds 
 and of Col. David E. Butler. 
 
 Sergt. C. B. Barrow, of the Home Guards, was vocifer- 
 ously called out, and delivered the following brilliant and 
 eloquent oif hand speech, that touched and thrilled every 
 heart within the sound of his impassioned voice : 
 
 IMPEOPMTU EEMAKKS 
 
 Of Sergeant C. B. Barrow, hi Sergeant of Company D. 
 
 Felloiv Soldiers, Ladies and Gentlemen — On an occasion 
 where so many great orators are present more competent 
 to do honor to this long to be remembered Eeunion of the 
 fragments of one of Georgia's most gallant regiments, I 
 had hoped to be permitted to enjoy the pleasure of a 
 retired listener. But I have been summoned to the front 
 by voices familiar to me in the hour of danger and battle, 
 and though destitute of the armor offensive and defensive 
 with which to do successful battle, while that flag hangs 
 conspicuous in my presence, I cannot turn my back upon 
 her. 
 
 But what can I say that has not already been better said, 
 of things fitting to be said on this occasion? What field 
 can I explore from which select contributions have not 
 
61 
 
 already been brought in richest profusion ? Our gallant 
 dead have been honored with choicest flowers from the 
 fertile field of memory, and requiems of praise have been 
 sung for them, by tongues on this side and tongues on that 
 side of the fiery line which but recently divided in fratri- 
 cidal fray, the gallant and brave of the two sections of the 
 country of Washington. 
 
 All honor to our immortal dead ! Their fame at least, is 
 secure. They have passed beyond the ordeal of earthly 
 reproach, and now repose, high up, in the uninvaded realms 
 of patriotic glory, where thievish detraction dare not in- 
 trude, and the proffered hand of corruption never drags 
 down. 
 
 To the gallant officers who directed our movements, 
 marked out the lines to be formed or held, and pointed to 
 the bulwarks to be stormed, a just share of this day's en- 
 comiums has already been appropriated. Monuments of 
 stone and brass will greet the eyes of future antiquarians, 
 monuments in language will descend to the latest legatees 
 of our mother tongue, and mementoes of affection will 
 spring up from the decaying roots of the tree of history, 
 wherever liberty «hall be enjoyed or hoped for, to perpet- 
 uate the names of our hero leaders, whose deeds have 
 been so conspicuously and ably presented to us to-day. 
 
 While, then, I yield to none in my admiration of the 
 skillful and brave officers whose manly voices sustained 
 our courage iu the hour of danger, mingled with our shouts 
 in the moments of victory, and at last comforted our des- 
 pairing souls with outspoken sentiments of conscious rec- 
 titude, when defeat came down like a night of horrors 
 upon our weary and decimated ranks, I will not detract 
 from the much which has already been so ably said. 
 
 My esteemed friend who has just proceeded me eschewed 
 the name of rebel by which our opponents sought to de- 
 grade us. As an humble representative of the rank and 
 file of the Confederate army, I beseech you, sir, let us not 
 eschew our name. It is the last, and only remaining vestige 
 of right and dignity which their magnanimity has accorded 
 to us. Let us cherish it rather as a reminiscence of the kind 
 from which we sprung. Washington was a rebel ; Jefferson 
 was a rebel ; Patrick Henry was a rebel. I will not reject 
 justice though hurled as a javelin upon me by the hand 
 of an enemy ; I shrink not from the odium of that term. 
 It was honorable once in this country when men loved 
 liberty and scorned robbery ; it will be honorable again 
 when the wave of fanaticism which has swept in ruin over 
 us, shall have spent its fury, and the agents who put it in 
 
62 
 
 motion shall begin to realize the terror of its recoil. Sensi- 
 ble men at the other end of this republic are already 
 warning the suffering masses that every action must in the 
 nature of things have its reaction. 
 
 I was a rebel, I am a rebel to-day, I expect to live 
 one, and by the grace of the Eternal, I expect to die 
 one. Not a rebel against constitutional law or govern- 
 ment, not a rebel against the right of my neighbors, be 
 they near or distant, high or low, white or black, Northern 
 or Southern ; but I am a rebel against persistent wrong, 
 rapine and robbery, and with all the powers with which I 
 am endowed, I am resolved to be a rebel. 
 
 Old flag ! could I reopen the eyes that once gazed in 
 patriotic admiration upon your folds, could I restring 
 into action the muscles that once moved in unison in 
 your defence, could I again hear the manly tread of * 
 those long lines of heroes who fell that you might still 
 wave over liberty's domain, could I again view the impend- 
 ing ruin of my section of this once glorious Republic as 
 I did in 1861 in prospect, and as J now see it in retrospect, 
 with my most serious -apprehensions more than realized — 
 noble emblem of my country's former pride and hope! I 
 would again be read}^ to march and strike in your defence. 
 Emblem of our hopeful ambition in former days ! I re- 
 member well the day when j^our beautiful folds first flut- 
 tered to the breeze and opened in full beauty to the light 
 of heaven. A present from the fair ladies of Portsmouth, 
 thou wast then beautiful as they, unsullied by a single 
 stain, unscarred by a single rent, pure and fair and lovely 
 thing ! But oh, how changed to-day — rent by a thousand 
 tatters, pierced by innumerable missiles of death, hurled 
 upon your defenders, your former brightness soiled by the 
 dust and rains of a thousand toilsome marches, and 
 dimmed and darkened by the sulphurous smoke and dis- 
 mal conglomerations of the terrible battle clouds through 
 which you have passed. Ideal of the soldier's pride ! I 
 love thee still. How strikingly you remind me of my 
 country's history. When you were first presented to us 
 by those fair hands, our country was beautiful, prosperous, 
 hopeful, progressive, opulent, independent and happy. — 
 Now it is blasted, stagnated, retrograding, empoverished, 
 dependent and miserable. How striking the resemblance ; 
 as you were then, so was our country ; as you are now, so 
 is she — a blasted, despoiled and ruined thing : but, still like 
 you, beloved and cherished — despoiled of beauty, yet 
 beautiful in ruins. 
 
68 
 
 But I dwell too long upon this tlieme. I have been be- 
 guiled by the impulse of sentiment from the only topic 
 with which it seemed proper to tax your patience and 
 attention farther. As a humble representative of the com- 
 mon soldier, coming from the ranks, it is but natural that 
 I should ask a place in the hearts and memory of our 
 people for Private Smith. He had no stars on his collar, 
 no stripes on his coat ; but he had strength in his arm, and 
 courage in his bosom, and a heart to do battle for his 
 country at the cost of his blood. He was found upon the 
 skirmish field when the gathering clouds of battle reverber- 
 ated the first muttering thunder of the coming conflict. 
 When cloud met cloud and thunder met thunder, conspicu- 
 ous in the blaze of his own lightning, he gorged his piece 
 with another fiery charge. When columns rolled upon col- 
 umns, like opposing waves upon some defiant rock, his radi- 
 ant form was apparent in the sheet lightning which blazed 
 along the line. Forced by numbers to retire, he lingered 
 with the rear guard to dispute with the vandal foe each 
 inch of ground. 
 
 I have selected Private Smith as my exemplar on this 
 occasion because he is descended from a long line of illus- 
 trious ancestors. His name is derived from the old Saxon 
 word " Smiden," to smite, who is the proud ancestor of all 
 the smiters in the Confederate army. Though our cause 
 was lost the country owes a debt of gratitude to the whole 
 army of smiters, whether they smote with musket or can- 
 non, with sword, pike or javelin. High or low, living or 
 dead, rich or poor, let the name of my Smith have a place 
 in your memories. Redeem your promises to him when 
 he left his home without hope of reward or fame, to peril 
 his life for yours and his. Hunt up his widow and orphans 
 if they are among you, and educate them in the stern vir- 
 tues of their fathers. We shall need them again. Though 
 hostilities have ceased, the war of liberty against despo- 
 tism is eternal. 
 
 Carnal weapons have been laid down for a season, but 
 if you still covet the boon of freedom bequeathed by our 
 fathers, you must resume the fight on the battle fields of 
 intellect. Our lost fortunes are to be reclaimed, our burnt 
 cities must be rebuilt, our desolated country must be re- 
 paired and made again to blossom as the rose. 
 
 I am reminded from the rear that I must return thanks 
 to the citizens of Union Point, for their hospitality on this 
 occasion, and to the ladies for their presence, aid and 
 smiles. 
 
64 
 
 To the citizens I must say, your bountiful hospitality as 
 a community commands our admiration and gratitude. 
 You have contributed more to our comfort than we could 
 have asked or had any reason to expect. In returning 
 thanks to all, I am requested to return special acknowl- 
 edgment of gratitude to your noble representative and 
 exponent of Union Point hospitality. Col. James B. Hart. 
 I have always coveted a friend of heart, I despise to deal 
 with a man of no heart, but feel happ}^ in congratulating 
 the people of Union Point in having found a citizen of all 
 Hart, to head them in their enterprises of liberality. 
 
 To the ladies, I must express a thousand thanks for your 
 presence, and unsparing contribution to the happiness of 
 this occasion. From the days of Adam to the present it 
 has never been well for man to be alone. Many of the 
 bachelors had a great aversion to be taken prisoners dur- 
 ing the war, but any of them who may be captured on this 
 occasion will get good wives, and good housekeepers, and 
 best of all for some of you, something good to eat. 
 
 Finally, allow me to say, as this is my old stamping 
 ground, that the young ladies who have honored us with 
 their presence on this occason, are to a near sighted man 
 fully as good looking as their mothers whom he used to 
 court twenty years ago. 
 
 By request the Secretary read aloud the subjoined letters 
 of regret from Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, Brig. Gen. G. 
 M. Sorrel, who commanded the brigade of which the 
 Third formed a part the last year of the war, Mr. Jno. D, 
 Carter, of Savannah, who was a member of the Tenth 
 Battalion, and after being wounded served with Gen. 
 Sorrel's staff and surrendered with the brigade at Appo- 
 mattox, and from Mr. Kollin A. Stanley, of Company F of 
 the Eegiment, together with that of J)i\ Kilby, elsewhere 
 inserted : 
 
 Liberty Hall, Ckawfordsville, Ga., 
 31st July, 1874. 
 
 Capt. D. N. Sandees, Union Point, Ga, — 
 
 3Iy Dear Sir. — Your telegram of last night was duly 
 received, but I deeply regret to say that I cannot be with 
 you to-day ; the condition of my health forbids the un- 
 dertaking. 
 
 * 
 
65 
 
 Hoping that you all may have a pleasant time in your 
 reunion, and with best wishes for all the " Old Third " 
 assembled, singly and collectively, and with an earnest 
 desire for the welfare and prosperity of all the people of 
 our good old beloved Commonwealth of Georgia, as well 
 as for the peace, harmony and prosperity of the people of 
 all the States of the Union, I remain, 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Alexander H. Stephens. 
 
 .Savannah, July 29, 1874. 
 
 Col. Claiborne Snead, 
 
 Union Point, Ga. 
 
 My Dear Colonel: — I must say to you, and through you 
 to the survivors of the Third Georgia Regiment, how much 
 I regret my inability to be present at their reunion at 
 Union Point. It would be a great happiness to meet the 
 survivors of that famous and historic regiment, whose 
 services on almost every field in Virginia have contributed 
 to our Confederate renown. 
 
 My own connection with the brigade, of which it formed 
 so conspicuous a part, was unfortunately brief, but long 
 enough to endear it to me by its splendid soldierly quali- 
 ties, and by the trusting confidence exhibited to a brigade 
 commander, young and comparatively a stranger. I think 
 of those trying days with gratitude to the men and pride 
 in their achievements, and I wish I could avail myself of 
 the opportunity to say this to them personally. 
 
 The reunion of the survivors is a happy thought, and 
 it is gratifying to know that it has been so successfully 
 carried out to its fulfillment.. I believe the occasion will 
 be productive of great and lasting good in keeping alive 
 the manly feelings of fellowship in devotion and danger, 
 and, above all, in honoring with a breathing, living love 
 and pride the dead of the old regiment ; the glorious dead, 
 whose names, from the heroic Wright to the humblest 
 soldier, should live, indelibly stamped on our hearts. 
 
 I trust that this initiative of your former command may 
 soon be followed by the other regiments and battalions : 
 
66 
 
 the Twenty-second, the Forty-eighth, the Sixty-fourth, 
 the Second Battalion, the Tenth Battalion — Georgians and 
 comrades all, that Wright led at Chickahominy, Manassas, 
 Sharpsbiirg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsyille and Gettys- 
 burg. 
 
 To yourself. Colonel, yours should be no common pride. 
 The surviving colonel of the Third Georgia Regiment, 
 yours it is to revive its memories and guard its fame. 
 
 Permit me to say, with the survivors whom you are to 
 meet, that this trust is safely placed. 
 
 Again, and deeply regretting my absense on this most 
 interesting occasion, I am, Colonel, with great respect. 
 
 Yours truly and faithfully, 
 
 G. M. Sorrel. 
 
 Sayakxah, July 29, 1874. 
 To THE Veterans -of the Third Georgia, 
 
 Union Point, Ga. 
 
 Friends and Convtrymen. — I cannot express how deep is 
 my regret that at the last moment I tind I am unable to 
 accept the generous invitation to be with you on the 
 glorious occasion of your first reunion and reforming of 
 the ranks after that memorable parting nine years ago at 
 Appomattox, which I witnessed with my own eyes. 
 
 It affords me pleasure, however, to offer my friend, Capt. 
 A. A. Winn, as a substitute — a better one, by the way, than 
 many that were put in service during the war. I think the 
 examining board of surgeons will find him sufficiently 
 healthy, and even large enough to do the double duty 
 imposed. 
 
 I send you this toast : 
 
 THE FALLEN HEROES OF SORREL'S BRIGADE: 
 On Fame's eternal camping ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 And Glor}- guards, with solemn round, 
 The bivouac of Our Dead."' 
 
 With heartfelt greetings for all the veteran boys of the 
 ever gallant Old Third, believe me proud to subscribe myself 
 
 Your Fellow " Keb.," 
 
 Jno. D. Carter. 
 
67 
 
 Dublin, Ga., July 29th, 1874, 
 
 To THE Third Georgia Kegiment, 
 
 Union Point, Ga. 
 
 Dear Comrades — It being impossible to be with you in 
 jour reunion on the 30th, I cannot let the opportunity 
 pass of mingling my love and affection for the "old Third' 
 on that occasion with yours. 
 
 I have embalmed its toils, its hardships, its self-hood, 
 its manhood, its valor, and its unfailing glory in my heart ; 
 and with sacred duty, around my fire side, / tell it aU, and 
 teach my little ones to tell it around their s, that its history 
 may live longer than the bras-'^ and the neiu marble of our 
 conquerors. 
 
 When I think of our battle-scarred, the " armless 
 sleeves," — of our limping ones, — of our dead, truly my 
 heart is wrung afresh with deepest sorrow — but then rushes 
 up the valor, and with it its sheen of glory, rising heaven- 
 ward, and then I feel theirs is "Fame's eternal camping 
 ground." 
 
 Though many of us cannot be in this Eeunion — may 
 stray away from each other and forget and be forgotten — 
 let us always remember the widows and the orphans of 
 our fallen braves, and ever extend to them our warmest 
 S3'mpathies and kindly aid. 
 
 Remember me in your greetings to-day, and whether we 
 have another reunion on earth, as we fight in the battle 
 of life " spread out before us, let us all remember the Great 
 Reunion " beyond the sunset's radiant glow," aod be ready 
 for the croicn of the " finally faithful y 
 I am, dear comrades, with much esteem. 
 
 Yours forever, 
 
 RoLLiN A. Stanley, 
 Co. F, 3d Georgia Regiment. 
 
 Subsequent to the reading of these letters, the following 
 resolution of thanks to the citizens of Union Point and 
 Greene County, for their unbounded hospitality, was offered 
 by Capt. John S. Reid, and was unanimously adopted : 
 
68 
 
 Resolved, That the citizens of Union Point, and vicinitj, 
 have our sincere thanks for their generous hospitality ; and 
 that we will ever hold them in grateful remembrance for 
 the many kindnesses which they have extended to us at 
 this our first reunion. 
 
 On motion, the veterans adjourned their meeting, sub- 
 ject to the call of the president. 
 
 The inspiring music of Gardner's Band called the vet- 
 erans and their friends to the dance, which, with pleasant 
 conversation, in a measure dispelled the sadness of the 
 leave-taking that was at hand. The afternoon thus 
 delightfully ended, and a moonlight hop detained the 
 pleasant party until the night was far on the wane. Not 
 a few of the veterans remained over until next mornings 
 some again occupying their soldier-quarters in the floral 
 hall of the Fair Grounds. 
 
 When even the last one of these who lingered to the very 
 last hour of the happy occasion had turned away from 
 the scene of those two days' rare joy and pleasure, his 
 heart re-echoed the parting sigh which had come from 
 every heart as the farewells were said, that the long to be 
 cherished ileunion had reached its 
 
 FINIS. 
 
To the Veterans of the Third Georgia Regiment. 
 
 Comrades: 
 
 Under instructions from Col, Claiborne Snead, 
 (President of the Veterans of Ihe Third Georgia 
 and commanding the (Regiment ^ I have the honor 
 to request each Company to select a delegate of 
 one to meet Col. Snead and other delegates from 
 the command, at tlie ^rown House, in Macon, 
 Ga., on Thursday, the i8th of March, instant er, at 
 the hour of lo A. M. of the day — the purpose of 
 this meeting of delegates to be to consider the 
 subject of our next (Reunion, 
 
 It is hoped every Company -will be represented. 
 
 Very (Respectfully, 
 
 A. A. WIMM, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Savannah, Ga., March ist. i8j^. 
 
GR00VEr7s TUBES & CO., 
 
 COTTON FACTORS 
 
 AND 
 
 I 
 
 General Commission Merchants, 
 
 94 BAY STREET, - SAVANNAH, GA. 
 
 Our Fire-Proof Warehouse is one of the largest and finest in the 
 State. 
 
 Consignments are solicited for Sale, Shipment to Liverpool or 
 Storage, on which liberal advances will be made if desired. Terms 
 reasonable. 
 
 JB^OOIIVO A IV 1> TIES T^XJFtlVTSHE D. 
 
 WM. E. ALEXANDER, WM. A. RUSSELL, 
 
 JOS. E. ALEXANDER, CHAS. R. MAXWELL. 
 
 ALEXANDER & RUSSELL, 
 
 Wholesale Grocers 
 
 AND 
 
 Liq[ii-or Dealers, 
 
 COR. ABERGORNI BRYAN STS., 
 SA.VA.:N^N A.H, GA. 
 
 G. M. SORREL. A. C. SORREL. 
 
 SORREL BROTHERS, 
 
 SAVANNAH, CA.^ 
 
 SORREL ^ CO., 
 
 GRIFFIN, GA., 
 
 (jeneral Commission Merchants. 
 
 i AGENTS FOR ZELL'S PHOSPHATE, 
 t