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‘ [93] not let the applicant go bome? Such good intentions should not be thwarted.’ He did go, and the nuptials were consummated. I have known him to lie on the ground, and exposed to all kinds of weather, giving as a reason that he did not wish to fare more comfortably than his men. Time, that great destroyer of all mankind, has greatly depleted the squadrons he put in the field; still those that survive revere his memory, and will ever honor his name, for the ties that bind old soldiers cannot for light and trivial causes be destroyed. Men who have espoused a common cause and who have experienced hardships together, who have touched elbows and fought under the same banner, always have mutual regard and esteem one for the other. We have an illustration of this in those brave men who followed Napoleon in his victories at Jena, Marengo and Austerlitz, and in his reverses at Leipsic and Waterloo, in his marches over treacherous and rugged roads, in the midst of ice and snow storms, in his disastrous campaigns in Russia. In 1840, long years after Napoleon's army had been disbanded, and the rattle of musketry and the roar of artillery had been silenced, by the consent of the English government, a small French squadron went out from the French waters to convey the remains of the mighty conqueror to his beloved France from that lonely isle to which he had been banished by a cruel foe. On their arrival at Havre, they were received with the greatest veneration; also at Paris, where they were interred in the Church of the Invalides on the 18th of December, 1840.

The most interesting feature in the proceedings on their arrival in France was the gathering of surviving veterans, who gave expression to their deep grief by weeping like children over his dust. It was this love and admiration of his soldiery that made him one of the greatest monarchs that ever reigned in Europe.

I have already said Stuart chose arms as a profession, in which he made his mark. But I feel satisfied he would have been a grand success in any sphere of life. I am pleased to see here to-day, witnessing and participating in these ceremonies, a magnificent military organization, named in honor of our ideal cavalryman, and commanded, too, by an old soldier who followed him. His great worth and brilliant record has not been forgotten in Richmond or his native county. For there nestles an enterprising and prosperous town, not very remote from the North Carolina border, that bears his name, which has become so illustrious. And as time rolls on his fame will spread in song and story.

I believe the day will come, and I trust it is in the near future,

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