Charleston Gazette
PAGENTRY AND POMP HONOR GEN. JACKSON’S MEMORY
HOST THRONGED CITY GAY WITH RED AND WHITE
Jackson Monument Was Unveiled With Elaborate Ceremonies – Weather Ideal
TOUCHING TRIBUTES PAID TO “STONEWALL”
U.S. Troops, V.M.I. Cadets, Confederate Veterans and Others
Joined Mile Long Parade
September 28, 1910
Charleston put on her most festive attire yesterday in honor of the unveiling of the memorial statue of General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, and at an early hour the streets were thronged with the friends of the Southland, gayly adorned with red and white. From the windows of the buildings along the principal streets fluttered bright colors, and through the streets at intervals flashed automobiles draped in the red and white with a sprinkling of red and white parasols, and floating the flag under which the Confederate army fought.
Even the weather proved benign, and no more pleasant or auspicious time for the impressive ceremonies could have been chosen. It is estimated that fully 5,000 persons were present during the unveiling ceremonies, a number of whom had come from distant points to witness the presentation by Charleston Chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy to the state of West Virginia of a memorial of one of her most valiant sons.
That the natives of the state which gave birth to General Jackson should seek to perpetuate his memory, and to hand down to posterity a record of his valor, seems eminently fitting and the eulogies pronounced yesterday by his former comrades and others bound to his memory by the bonds of a common cause, were indications of the love and esteem in which he is held by his countrymen.
The ceremonies of the day began with a parade through the central part of the city, the line of march forming in the vicinity of the state house, and moving out Washington to Morris, down Morris to Kanawha, down Kanawha to Capitol, and thence to the state house, where the statue, its covering fluttering in the air, and its base adorned with a mass of scarlet and white flowers, stood ready for the ceremonies to be performed in its honor.
The parade was led by Grand Marshal V. T. Churchman and his aides Col. J. W. Vickers, Capt. John Baker White, Robert S. Spillman, C. Paul Nelson, Edward B. Kenna, C. Beverley Broun, Angus McDonald and Dr. Richard T. Davis. Following the marshals came the Stonewall Brigade Band in full uniform, and the band was followed by the company of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, of Lexington, Va. The cadets wore the full dress uniform, and their soldierly bearing and the precision with which they marched to the strains of martial music manifested the perfection of their military training. Carriages containing speakers, prominent visitors, and the national, state and local officers of the United Daughters of the Confederacy followed. These in turn were followed by school children wearing red and white and carrying Confederate flags and by the Charleston drum corps.
The second division of the parade was headed by the Second Regiment band, in whose wake marched three companies of the National Guard. Then came more carriages bearing veterans and members of the Daughters of the Confederacy, both of this and other cities. The carriages were resplendent in red and white buntings, and the artistic manner in which some of them were decorated was the subject of much favorable comment. Following the three companies of the state militia, ladies, veterans, and others rode horseback, the city fire department closing the pageant which moved through the streets to the strains of music made appropriate by past association with the Southern cause.
The procession entered the lawn of the state house as the clock was striking the hour of 11, the speakers, Daughters and their guests taking up their station on a platform facing the monument, while the national and Virginia troops and the Stonewall Band formed a circle around the statue. The ceremonies began with music by the Stonewall Band, “Dixie” and other Southern melodies eliciting the applause of the multitude assembled there. The firing of a salute by the cadets announced the opening of formalities, the call to order being given by Brigadier General S. S. Green, who presided over the ceremonies, and introduced the successive speakers.
Right Rev. George W. Peterkin, chaplain, Army of Northern Virginia, Department U.C.V., pronounced an invocation, but, unfortunately, the buzz of voices was so great that very little of what he said could be heard.
At intervals through the program, Mrs. J. Griff Edwards, commander-in-chief of the United Confederate choirs sang appropriate selections which were accompanied by waving of the flag of the Confederacy by the Daughters present.
The presentation speech was made by General Green, who spoke for almost an hour, tracing the movement inaugurated by the Charleston Chapter Daughters of the Confederacy from its beginning through the manifold difficulties and discouragements to its splendid and successful issue. General Green’s eulogy of the Southern hero was extreme, as he gave him the first place in greatness, bravery, and Christian zeal among the sons of the Mountain State.
At an appropriate time in the presentation address the cord which secured the covering of the statue was loosened by the president of Charleston Chapter U. D. C., and a tremendous shout went up as the colossal bronze figure of the departed hero stood forth, its lines of physical strength, and the suggestion of a powerful repose in its attitude indicating how true to life had the sculptor’s image been.
The speech of acceptance was made by Hon. John A. Preston, a son of the Confederacy, and the one person instrumental in passing through the state senate the bill allowing the erection of the statue on the capitol lawn. Mr. Preston’s speech was rich in sentiment, and in the expression of love for the cause for which General Jackson fought and died. By the time of Mr. Preston’s speech the packed and jammed crowds had scattered to a considerable extent, and the hum of voices had almost subsided, so that the speaker could be heard very distinctly, and his address proved one of extreme interest. Mr. Preston is a forceful and eloquent speaker, and had the power of holding the interest and attention of his audience throughout his address.
An outburst of applause greeted the appearance of the famous sculptor, Sir Moses Ezekiel, of Rome, Italy, whose creative genius gave to the state so true a likeness of General Jackson. The eminent speaker began by saying that he laid no claim to the powers of oratory, but while his words were few, they contained the highest form of homage, and looking upon the massive figure of bronze whose lines of grace and power spoke so eloquently of the sculptor’s conception of the character of his subject, one felt how poor were words compared with so lasting a declaration of human greatness.
Sir Moses Ezekiel and General Stonewall Jackson were personal friends in the long ago and the eminent sculptor was at one time a cadet in the Virginia Military Institute. With the simple love of its native state and the cause for which it fought in the past, yet destitute of bitterness over her lost cause, and with those large sympathies which indicate a broad and generous mind, he spoke briefly, but notwithstanding its brevity his speech will long be remembered by those who heard it.
The last address of the day was made by General Bennett H. Young, commander department A. N. V., U. C. V. General Young spoke at length on the valor of the Confederate army and the significance which the monument had for those who fought in the Civil War. He paid the highest tribute to the women of the South, and particularly commended the ladies of the Charleston Chapter U. D. C., in the work which they had performed in commemoration of the great deeds of their leader. Among other things equally significant, General Young said,
“The awfulness of the sacrifice which was laid upon the South in its struggle for liberty is the most magnificent tribute that was ever exacted from any nation. Six hundred and fifty thousand men died to settle the issue of the Civil War. The Crimean War cost 450,000 lives, the Japanese-Russian war 400,000 lives, but what a difference in the lives that were offered when compared to those which the South gave up in their battling for national independence. The greatest monument to Confederate valor were the losses which were inflicted on the federal armies. While one-third of all the men of the South went down in battle, over 430,000 of the enemies died before the Confederates were conquered.”
The unveiling ceremonies were ended by a benediction pronounced by Rev. George Peterkin, after which the crowds dispersed, a great number of the veterans and Daughters going to the Odd Fellows’ hall, where dinner was served to about 700.
The afternoon was devoted to sociability, the ladies of the Confederacy giving a reception at the Edgewood Country Club in the afternoon and evening, ending with a dance, given in honor of the visiting troops from Virginia.
Among the camps represented yesterday were: Stonewall Jackson Camp No. 878, with Miss Nancy Woodward as sponsor, and Misses Margaret Coyle, Ashton Bradford and Miss Wilson as maids of honor.
Stratton Camp No. 1633, of Logan Court House; sponsor Miss Vicie Nighbert.
Stonewall Jackson Camp No. 879, Sponsor Mrs. Marguerite Downing, with Misses Eugene Talbott, Bosworth, Bell Holt as maids of honor. This camp came from Beverly.
There were also the Jeff Stewart Camp, and Mike Foster, each with their appointed sponsor and maids present.