The capital of the
State.
Arriving at 10:30, we found
Ex-Governor F. R. Lubbock (chairman) and his committee, the
Austin Grays with a band of music, and a crowd of about two thousand people waiting to receive
General Lee and welcome him to the capital of
Texas.
He was greeted with cheers, and his carriage escorted by the military and the crowd to the
Brunswick hotel.
Here a reception speech was made by
Senator W. H. Burgess (‘
Private Burgess,’ of
Hood's old Brigade), so touchingly eloquent that ‘
General Fitz.’
filled up, and could scarcely find words with which to reply; but his tears were more eloquent than words could have been.
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We were driven around this beautiful city, and shown all points of interest, escorted to the
Capitol and introduced to the
Governor and members of the Legislature (both bodies of which had invited
General Lee to the courtesies of their floors) and shown by
Ex-Governor Lubbock, the
Treasurer, through his department (the old veteran seeming to take a laudable pride in pointing out the piles of specie in his vaults, showing us his ‘balance’ of $2,500,000 in the treasury, and telling us that
Texas bonds were then selling at $140).
At night Millett's Opera-House was crowded with the manhood and beauty of
Austin, who gave
General Lee an enthusiastic reception and a most appreciative hearing.
Governor Ireland—himself a gallant Confederate soldier, who has never been ashamed that he ‘wore the gray’—had been fittingly selected to preside over the meeting, and did so with becoming dignity and grace.
He introduced
General Lee in a very appropriate and felicitous speech.
Rarely have audience and speaker been in more thorough sympathy.
General Lee captured the vast crowd with his first sentence, and held them to the close of the lecture in wrapt attention, save when they would burst out into enthusiastic applause.
Then followed a magnificent banquet, over which
Governor Ireland gracefully presided.
We regret that our space does not allow us to give a full report of the speeches made—many of which were of a high order of merit—but we can only give the regular toasts and the names of the respondents:
The first toast was ‘Our Guests.’
Responded to by
General Lee.
2. ‘The
State of Texas.’
Governor Ireland.
3. ‘Southern Historical Society.’
Rev. J. Wm. Jones.
4. ‘Army of Northern Virginia.’
Colonel J. W. Robertson.
5. ‘The Brave Boys in Blue—Our Foes in War—Our Friends in Peace.’
General G. W. Russ.
6. ‘Army of Tennessee.’
General G. D. Johnston.
7. ‘The Chief Executive of the Storm-cradled Nation that fell—who has proven true to his Principles and his People in War and in Peace, in Prosperity and
Adversity-Jefferson Davis.’
Governor F. R. Lubbock.
8. ‘The Matchless Soldier, the
Knightly Gentleman, Grand in War, Great in Peace—
Robert Edward Lee.’
Norman G. Kittrell.
9. ‘The Army of the Trans-Mississippi Department,’
Judge Chenoweth.
10. ‘The patriotic Legislature of
Texas, who has by its votes aided in the perpetuation of the record of the deathless deeds of valor wrought by the sons of the
South on many a hard-fought field.’
Hon. W. T. Armistead was assigned and
Representative Labatt responded.
11. ‘The Ladies of the
South, in Peace and in War.’
G. W. Jones.
12. ‘The Press.’
Colonel J. F. Elliott.
Our visit to
Austin was rendered all the more pleasant by the announcement that the
Texas House of Representatives had put into the general appropriation bill an item appropriating $5,000 to the Southern Historical Society.
We were assured that there would be no question about this being ratified by the Senate and becoming a law. It seems to us peculiarly fitting that this grand
State of Texas, which is the only State of the late Confederacy which has made provision for her maimed veterans by giving to each one of such who may be needy 1,280 acres of land, should
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lead off in a movement to place on a firm basis this Society, which is so essential to the vindication of the name and fame of our Confederate soldiers and people.
We regretted that we could not linger longer among our warm hearted friends at
Austin, but early the next morning we had to bid them adieu and take the cars for
