Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 22.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

General Jubal A. Early. Memorial address by Hon. John W. Daniel, before the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia, at the annual meeting held at Richmond, Va., December 13, 1894.

The building was crowded with a splendid and most intelligent audience, the occasion being the annual meeting of the association. The day was also the anniversary of the old Howitzers, and the association of these veterans and the Howitzer Battery attended the meeting in a body and occupied seats in the pit.

The Blues, the First Regiment, Pickett and Lee camps, and last, but not least, the ladies were well represented—delegations from the memorial associations occupying the boxes—and the Howitzer Band was in attendance.

Judge George L. Christian, President of the Association, presided, and among others on the stage were General Fitz. Lee, Major Jed Hotchkiss, Dr. Hunter McGuire, Dr. J. William Jones, Rev. Dr. Smith (aide to General Jackson), Captain W. Gordon McCabe, Colonel Archer Anderson, Captain John Cussons, Hon. J. Taylor Ellyson, Mr. Joseph Bryan, Colonel E. P. Reeve, Major James D. Patton, Colonel Alex. W. Archer, Mr. Greer Baughman, Captain Sheppard, Major Charles S. Stringfellow, Mr. Ro. S. Bosher, Major Robert Stiles, General W. B. Taliaferro, Colonel W. H. Palmer, Colonel J. B. Cary, Captain Phil. Haxall, Major John P. Branch, Major W. E. Simons, Rev. Dr. Cooper, Mr. E. B. Addison, Colonel Maury, Colonel Cutshaw, Mr. Robert B. Munford, Mr. James T. Gray, [282] Captain Thomas Ellett, Colonel Charles S. Venable, General W. H. Payne, and Mr. James B. Pace.

Zzzopened with prayer.

Oh! Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; God of Israel, God of the centuries, God of our fathers, God of Robert Lee and of Stonewall Jackson; our God, our help in years gone by, our hope for years to come—we bring Thee the adoration of grateful hearts as we gather in our annual reunion.

We thank Thee that in the dark days of war, when real men were needed, Thou didst bless our Southland with leaders so able, so heroic, so patriotic, so true, and with men of the rank and file worthy to follow these to an immortality of fame.

We thank Thee, O! God, that, whilst so many fell in battle or died of disease, and so many have been falling out of our ranks in days of peace, that Thou hast graciously preserved our lives, and that Thou dost graciously permit us to gather here to-night to honor those who struggled so bravely for the great principles of constitutional freedom.

We humbly invoke Thy blessing upon those who remain. Preserve their lives, we beseech Thee; comfort the afflicted, and raise up friends who shall supply the needy.

Bless our land and country with fruitful seasons, plenteous harvests, and returning business prosperity.

Bless the President of the United States, and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and all in authority under them, and grant that peace and plenty may smile upon every section of our common country, and that justice, righteousness and fraternity may prevail in all of our borders.

Bless Thy servant, our old comrade, who shall speak to us this evening on a heroic chapter of our history, and God grant that we may learn, as the lesson of the hour, to follow our great captains— Lee and Jackson—‘even as they, also, followed Christ.’

All of which we ask, and offer in the name and for the sake of our Lord, Jesus Christ—‘the Captain of our Salvation.’ Amen!

Judge Christian's remarks.

Ladies and Gentlemen and Comrades of the Army of Northern Virginia:

On this day, thirty-two years ago, the Army of Northern Virginia met the Army of the Potomac on the bloody field of Fredericksburg, and the result was that the Army of the Potomac was driven pell-mell from that field and across the Rappahannock. And, with two exceptions, whenever these two armies met each other the same result followed, although the odds, both in numbers and equipment, were always greatly on the side of the Army of the Potomac. The two exceptions to which I refer were, of course, Sharpsburg and Gettysburg, and whilst on these two bloody fields the battles were drawn and the lion held at bay, yet the Army of the Potomac knew it was the lion still, and did not dare to attack. The record of the Army of Northern Virginia, from Manassas to Appomattox, is one of the brightest and most glorious that ever did or ever can adorn the pages of history; and, therefore, the man ‘whose soul is so dead’ that he is not proud to have been a part of that army, battling not for what he thought was right, but what was right, is too contemptible, in my opinion, to be by any human power raised to the level of the brute. We, who are assembled here to-day, who were in that army, are proud of that fact, and those who have assembled with us to do honor to this occasion, who could not be in it, would be ashamed of us if we were not.

Zzzreflect the South's sentiment.

On the third day of November, 1870, a few weeks after the death of our great chieftain,