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W ASHINGTON THE GREAT .
C EL EB R A T IO N
O F T HE
SIXTEENTH ANNIVERSIARY,
O F T H E
GREENV LLB GUARDS
W IT H T H E
ORATION OF CAPTAIN W . C . MCGOWIIN
A B B E V I L L E , S . O
GREENV ILLE , SOUTH C AROLINA ,
W A S HIN G T O N’
S D A Y. I893 .
P ress o f th e D aily N ew s , G reenv ille , S . C .
C ORRESPONDENC E .
Tli e G remm’
Z/e G uard: to C ap tain W . C . M cG owan :
G R EEN V ILLE , S . C .,February 28, 1 893,
C ap tain W . C . M cG owan, A bba /ilk , S . C .
D EA R S IR z—I take pleasure i n encl osing you an o ffic ialcopy o f the resolut ion s adopted b y the Greenv i l l e Guardsat a meet ing held on the 2 7th i n st .I beg to express the hope that you wil l favorably cons ider
the reques t contain ed in the resolut ions .
Very respe ctfullyA . R . MORGAN
,
Secretary G . G .
The R esolutions
G R EEN V ILLE , S . 0 , February 28,1893,
A t a meeting o f t he Greenvi lle Guards , held on the 27thi n st . , th e fol lowing resolut ion s were o f fered by Lieutenan tConye rs and unan imously adopted
Resolved,That the thanks o f the Greenvi l le Guards are
due and are hereby tendered Captain W . C . M cG owan ,
of Abbevi l le,S . C . . for h i s eloquen t and scholarly address
del ivered by h im befo r e th i s Company at thei r Ann iversary,
Washington ’s Day , 1893.
Resolved,That the above reso lu t ion be forwarded to
Captain M cG owan ,with the
~
request for a copy of h isaddress for publicat ion by th is Company .
Resolved,That Captain W . C . M cG owan b e elected an
Honorary member of the Greenvil le Guards .
EL L IS O N A . S M YT H ,
A . R . M O R G A N , C aptai n G . G .
Secre tary G . G .
C ap tain W . C . M cG owan to tllo G reenville G aara’s .
’
A B B EV ILLE,S . C .
, March 6 , 1 893,
Af r . A.R . M organ, S eorez
‘
ary G reenville G aara’s,
G reenville , S . C .
D EA R S IR z—Your C ommunicat i on , dated February 28th ,
only'
reach ed me this P . M . I take the earl iest opportun ityfor replying .
I am exceedingly grateful to my Greenvil le friends,th e
Guards,for the i r very k ind resolut ion s adopted on the 27th
F ebruary,and am gratified that they should th ink my
address worthy of preservat ion . I encl ose the manuscriptas you request .With my sin cere thanks to you r gallan t command for th ehonor done me , and with my best w ish es to them for a lon gand prosperous career
,graced by many such delightfu l cel e
b rations as your banque t of 1 893, I remain ,Yours very
‘
truly,
W . C . M C G O W A N .
THE GREENV ILLE GUARDS.
SIXTEENTH ANNIVERSIARY,
Fe b ruary.
2 2 nd , 1 89 8 .
F rom T he G reenville , S . C"
D aily N ews , F ebruary 23d , 1893
O U R G U A R D S IN G L O R Y .
A ppropriate and Enjoyab le C elebrationof Yesterday.
C ap ta in M c G owan’s O rat ion L ast N igh t—A F ine E f f o r t Th o r ou gh ly
A p p r e c iat ed—T h e L i f e S to ry o f th e W o r l d ’s G reatest
M an—L as t N igh t s B anq u e t—C o lone lA rms tr ong
’s
"B eau t i f u l
Tr ib u te to
H A M P T O N .
The Greenvi l l e Guards are to be congratu lated on thei rcel ebration of VVash ington
’
s birthday . I t was a thoroughlydel ightful occasion and a p erf ect
'
success from begi n n ing toend
,and wil l be memorable i n local an nal s as one of th e
m ost wel l arranged and completely executed occas ion s th ec i ty has ever
'
known .
There W as a large gathering of friends o f tire companyinFerguson ’s hal l . The lad ies were presen t i n very largenumbers and appeared to enj oy th e exerci se s h eart i ly .
The stage was handsomely and appropriately decorat ed .
At the rear were th ree large flags drap ing th e ent i re wid thof the stage . The Un i ted States flag was i n th e m iddl e , as i lk State flag hung at the righ t an d at the le ft was theC onf edrate flag with th e in script ion
T hough conquered w e adore it ,L ove the cold dead hands that bore it .
Li fe s ize port rai t s of Cap tain s Norwood , Sloan and Smythin f ul l u n i f orm stood on eas-les , facing,
the audience,and the
6
frames were t rimmed wi th evergreen s and flowers . A t thef ron t were two fu l l stacks of rifles with belts and cartridgeboxes on them . On the wal ls o f the d ressi ng rooms flank ingth e s tage were large W ’s of rifles .
As usual w i th Greenvi l le people , the audien ce was latearriv ing and i t was 8 o ’clock when the members of thecompany marched i n , i n the ir handsome u n i forms and withm il i tary precision wen t to thei r place at th e fron t row ofseats . There were on the stage Capt . E . A . Smyth
,com
manding the company and presid ing ,Lieutenants Conyers
,
Bentz and Anderson , Chaplain Merce r , Surgeon W i lke rson ,Col . James Armst rong , of Charl eston , Judge J . S . Cothran
,
Capt . W . C . M cG owan , the orator of th e occas ion , C ol . J . C .
Boyd,i n un i form , Maj . J . A . Mooney , of th e Butler Guards ,
Col . J . W . Cagle , Mayor Gil reath ,Col . J . A . Hoyt , Jul ius C .
Smi th , J . F . Richardson , R . G . M c P he rson,J ames H . M ax
well , Charles M cA lister ,H . J. Haynsworth , Frank Capers ,
L . NV . Parker , C .,Garl i ngton , o f Spartanbu rg , J . S . Cureton
,
A . W . Ande rson , C . M cA lis te r and other d ist i nguishedguest s and citizen s , most o f them in ful l d ress o r un i form .
The Rev . I . M . Merce r , chaplai n of the company , openedthe proceedings with prayer . A l i t t l e st i r wen t th roughthe audience when , i n givi ng thanks for the exist ence ofth e organ izat ion to maintain law and order , h e spoke o f"c ruel and in human murdere rs goi ng abou t ou r st reets"
and the apparen t d i fficul ty i n having j ust ice done .
Miss Ell ie Earle , daughte r of C ol . J . H . Earle . performedbril l ian tl y on .th e large pian o stand ing i n th e hal l the Marseillaise Hymn , t he martial s t rai n s o f which thri l led th eaudience and evoked i ts applause .
Captai n Smyth said , j ust fi fteen years ago at a ce lebration sim ilar t o th i s by the company he then had the honorto command,
the Wash ington Art i ll e ry of Charleston , i t hadbeen h is p riv i l ege and pleasure to i n troduce as th e oratorof th e day
,that eminent sold ier , Statesman and juri st , Gen
e ral Samuel M cG owan . To-n igh t he had the pleasure o f
i n t roducing to a Greenv il le audience , the worthy son of aworthy father"Captai n Wil l iam C . M cG owan , of Abbev i l l e ,t he orator of the Greenvi l le Guards .
Captain M cG owan then advanced and was rece ived w ithwarm applause . His orat ion occupied nearly an hou r i n i t sdel ivery and was un iversally commended as a mode l of fitness for th e occas ion and compl iance wi th i ts purpose . Hewas frequen tly i n te rrupted b y en thusiast ic applau se . Whathe said was thoroughly well said —often eloquen t ly saidand covered th e ground of Wash ington ’s caree r and character with v iv id touches and with wonderfu l completeness .
>l<‘X‘ 96
There was prolonged applause as Captai n M cG owan concluded one of the most u se ful
,complete and compac t ora
t ion ever prepared for such an occasion , and the en thusiasmwas renewed a few minutes late r when "Dix ie dashed andsparkled from the piano u nder Miss Earle ’s fingers .
The chaplai n then pronou nced th e ben edict ion .
T HE B A N Q U ET .
A fte r th e add ress b y Captai n M cG owan at Ferguson ’shal l
,th e Greenvi l l e Guards and the i r guests assembled ih
the parlors of the Mansion House . At hal f past 9 o’clock
Guards and guests proceeded to th e din ing room to enj oyth e rich banque t p repared by Mr . Gates .
Capt . E . A . Smyth pres ided,i n t roducing the Rev . I . M .
Mercer who asked the Divin e b less ings upon the assembledcompany and friends .Thi rty -th ree members o f the Guards were presen t i nun i form and sixty rese rve members i n ful l even ing dress .
Among the inv i ted guests were Colonel A rmst rong ,of
Charleston"C o lone l B oyd and Lieu tenan t Colonel Mooney ,of th e F ifth S . C . Volun tee rs"Captain M cG owan
,Judge
Coth ran , J . C .. G arlington , R . L . Todd , J . E . Hazel l andLieutenan t E . M . Blythe , o f the Butler Guards .
T HE FO LLO W IN G IS T HE M EN ULyn nhaven Bay Oysters , Half Shell
Norfolk Selects , Stewed .
"alamazoo Celery , Queen Ol ives ,Chicken Salad , Sl iced Tomatoes
,
Champaigne ,.
Extra Dry .
Boned Turkey . Boiled Magnol ia Ham.
Aspic J el ly . Curren t J'elly .
Salmon Salad .
Fru it Cake . Plai n Cake .
Assorted CakesMont i ce l lo Claret .
Newport I ce Cream . G reenvi lle Guards Punch .
Assorte d Fru it s . Assorted Nuts .
French Co ffee . Green Tea .
Sweet M l lk.
A fte r an hou r and a hal f spen t i n t he enj oyment o f t hedelicious viands , Captai n Smyth arose and i n a short happyaddress i n troduced Col . J . A . Hoy t t o respond to th e toast .
"The day we celebrate . Glorious in the annals of ou r Commonwealth as the bi rthday of h im we call
‘
the fathe r of h i scoun try
,and as the an n ive rsary of th e Greenvi ll e Guards .
Colonel Hoyt ’s respo nse was a glowing t ribute to th ememory of Wash i ngton , taki ng the "Farewel l Address ofth e great patriot as the key no te o f his remarks
,commend
ing h is subl ime characte r as the model , comparing the lastgreat American , Grover Cleveland , with the fi rs t andgreatest of al l American s . There was a hearty resp on se tot he eloquen t and pat riot i c speech .
The next toast , "The Orator of the Day , eloquen t ands i lve r tongued We owe h im thanks for h is abl e addressth i s even ing.
This toast naturally called Captain M cG owan t o h i s fee tand he commended the G uards for the ir patriot ic e fforts tokeep al ive the old t ime custom of observing the day andmore especial ly the i r marked success i n keeping up th estandard of the company by frequen t social and O the run ions . He i n t imated that he had been heard en ough for oneeven ing and said he would resign the floor to the eloquen tson of Charleston , Colonel A rmst rong .
The th ird toastHampton . Manly man and sold ie r Statesman .
The t rue type of a South Carol i na hero .
Colonel Armst rong was greeted wi th rounds of applause
when he arose to respond .
He introduced h imsel f by a series of humorous remarkswhich at once caught th e atten tion and in te rest of al l presen t . He spoke of Hampton as th e great Carol i n ian . I nchaste and s trik ing
,
language , he fol lowed the h isto ry ofHampton th rough the war
,relat ing the pathet ic and dram
ati c scen e when Hampton ’s son was ki lled at the s ide o f th efather -th e sold ie r hastily d ismoun ti ng ,
kissing th e palebrow of h is dead boy
,then leaping i n to th e saddle and
dash ing like a god o f war in to the th ickest flame o f carnagemadly dri ving the enemy before him . Then he tracedHampton’s career through t h e s t r i fe of ’
76 . l ead ing h ispeople to v ic tory and redeem ing hi s State from th e handsof knaves and th ieves . Then h is serv ice i n th e Senate of theUn ited States and the love and respect shown him by h i sassociates was touched upon . There was a p ause . I t wasa wonderful ly dramat ic s i tuat ion as t he speaker stood withhand rai sed and pronounced th e words
"Wade Hampto n i s.
now a private c i t izen .
There was a hush—a painful stil l ness as the words we reu tte red . The orator spoke of th e age
'
o f the hero , howbefore many years he mus t go to j oi n th e glorious andglorified spir i t s of J ackson , Stuart , Lee and th e host s o f ot herswho had fought wi th h im. Then the stars and the sunwould sh i ne on th e narrow mound which h id Hampton f romview , but on h is heart would be writ ten "th e Con federacyCarol ina , and the peop l e would say he was " T he GreatCarol in ian .
The other toasts of the even ing were read and respondedto as fol lows
"South Carol ina . Glorious in her past , yet hope f ul o f herfuture .
" H . J . Haynsworth .
"The Judic iary . Might i e r than th e bayonet,s t ronge r
than passion"i n i t s maj est ic p resence the weak grow val ian tand the oppressed become free . Judge J . S . Coth ran .
"The Ci ty of Greenvi l le . The Pearl o f the Piedmont .May she cont in ue i n he r onward march of progress andprosperity .
" Mayor W . W . Gil reath .
"The Fi fth Regimen t,S . C . V . T . Where duty cal l s ,
10
there you wi ll always find them . Col . J . A . Mooney .
T he Butler Guards . The brave custodi an of an honoredname . W e hai l them as broth ers '
in arms . E . M .
Blythe .
"The Press . The sen t in el of c iv i l izat ion . T o i t s watchfu ln ess we l ook for warn ing as danger approaches . " J .
Conway Garl ington .
"Woman . Oh,woman "Lovely woman"Nature made
thee to temper man . We had been brutes without you .
" L .
W . Parker .At a lat e h ou r , or rath er an early hour , the banquet closedwi th t h e unan imous opin i on that i t was a most del ightfu lon e .
C APTAIN M C GOW AN’
S ORATION .
G EO R G E WASH INGTON .
The most st rik i ng obj ect wh ich meets t he eye as youn ear the splendid Cap i tal o f ou r coun t ry
,i s a towering
obel isk . No base rel i efs surround i ts broad foun dation .
No carv i ng nor sculpture . N b deep cu t le tte rs of prai se orepitaph . No figure crown s i t s lofty top . A s imple massivemarble shaft , i t reaches heavenward nearly 600 feet . Onen eed not be told that th i s i s Wash i ngton ’s Monument , andgazi ng upon i ts perfect proport ions and marble puri ty , onecan but fee l th e influence of i ts s i l en t grandeu r and i tsstately dign i ty . A -nation ’s t ribu te to h er greatest son .
"When Phaon , the soph i st . consul ted the oracl e , h e wasd i rected ‘ to en qu ire of the dead ,
’
and tu rni ng to therecords of thei r w isdom , found the answer he sough tI t is wel l
,my friends , t o occasion al ly revi ew the l i fe of
some great and good man . .It i s wel l for the young of ourland to have held up to them the h igh qual i t i es andgreat ach ievements o f our forefathe rs
,so that th ey may , as
far as possible , patte rn afte r them . We should alwaysst rike h igh . We can approx imate i f we can not at tainOf perfect characters we have had but one , He who spakeas n eve r man spake before
,and worthy of all im i tat ion"but
of mere earthly men after careful study,I d el ibe rately say
,
that al l i n al l , the worth ies t , highest , and best example , ofthe many wh ich the world has given us . i s that of GeorgeWash ington .
When your k i nd summons to appear before you on th isoccasion , first reached me , I d etermi ned to speak of Washi n tou as th e typical American ,
as i t were, apply i ng h is
standards to the men and measures of to-day"but as I readmore and more of th is wonderfu l man , I determined tospeak on ly of h im . I shall never repen t my choice . I t hasat least made me famil iar with h is caree r , and taugh t meto appreciate h i s worth
,and i f by what I say to n ight , I can
1 2
i nduce any o f you to go and do l ikewi s e,I wi l l fee l amply
repaid for whatever t ime and study I may have given th esubj ect . We do not know enough of Wash in gton . Howmany of us have read h is l i fe ? We know he was cal l ed t hefathe r of h is count ry , and are fami l iar with the story of thehat chet and the cherry t ree , and o the r myth ical t rad it ion s
,
being con ten t t o go no deeper i n to the subj ect . We arei ncl i ned to th i nk of h im as a h igh ,
pure man , someth ingabove mediocri ty , who luck ily came upon the scen e du ringthe in fancy of ou r coun t ry , when great men were scarce ,and ach ievemen ts exaggerated :and we are apt to th in k thati f h e was so good . he cou ld not have been so great . Thi sshould not be . I con fess 10 being on e of those who underest imated h im , b u t , I also con fess that si n ce studying h i sl i fe and characte r , th e W hole cu rren t o f my thought i schanged"I now consider him the greatest of our many greatmen . I am th ere fore grate ful t o my Greenv il le friends
,not
on ly for the honor of being cal led to address you ,bu t also
for th e opportun ity whi ch othe rw i se I m igh t never havemade , of becom ing acquain ted with th i s i l lustrious man .
Washington ’s l i fe is so ful l of stirringincident from earli
est youth , and h is character so worthy of care ful analysi s ,that i t i s imposs ible to do j ust ice to e ithe r wi th in th e l imi t so f a popu lar address . We must , th ere fore , to use th e metaphor of Coleridge , "tel l th e story b y flashes of l igh tn i ng
,
present our he ro at d iffe re n t t imes and unde r V ari ed ci rcumstances ,
rev iew th e opin ions of great men , and seewhatimpress ion i s le ft of h i s character , as a General , as a Statesman , as a Man .
"B iography i s th e best part of h istory , and i t i s only bythe study of the characte r and motives of th e lead ingspi ri ts o f an epoch
,that we can arrive at a j ust con clus ion
concern ing the even ts wh ich marked i t"and f rom whatl im i ted study -I have been able t o give th e period whichi ncludes th e birth and in fancy of th i s great Republ ic , Washington appears i n al l sober t ruth as the God -gi ven fathe r.To use th e words of ano the r , "heaven gran ted us one greatsoul
,one lead ing m ind , t o ext ricate the best cause from that
ru in wh ich seemed to awai t i t ."
1 3
Washington was a sold ie r from hi s cradle . I n h is boyishgames he loved to play captain , and early tu rn ed h isthoughts to the study of war .
At the age of n in eteen,du ring the Fren ch and I ndian
wars , he was commiss ion ed A dju tan t-General of th e Vi rgin ia forces , and at twen ty-one
,he was made commander of
of the Northern M il i tary d ist rict o f Virgin ia by GovernorDinwidd ie .
At twen ty-th ree , h is vigorous de fence of Fort Necessi tyhav ing stam p ed h im as a man c f uncommo n mil itary talen ts ,he was commissioned commander-ih -ch ie f o f al l t he Vi rgin ia forces . For the next th ree years he de fended afron t i e r of more than 350 miles with 700 men"and i n 1 7 58
he led the exped i t ion which captu red Fort D uQue sne ,re
naming it Fort Pit t .These early campaigns , wi th all thei r trials and e xp eri
c h ees , went far to fo rm the characte r . and fi t th e man f orh i s futu re dest in y . The French and I nd ian war be ing over ,he resigned h i s commission
, married Mrs . Cust i s , a richwidow ,
se tt led at Moun t Vernon , and for the n ext twen tyyears l ived the l i fe of a typical Virgin i a plan ter
,wh i ch in
cluded,at that t ime , an act ive part i n th e pol iti cs of h i s
nat ive State .
On the i sth o f June , 1 77 5 , on mot ion o f John Adams , i nthe Cont in en tal Congress , he was unan imously elected"General and Commander-in-Chie f o f such forces as are
,or
shal l be,rai sed f or the main tenance and prese rvat ion o f
American Liberty .
His emin en t biographer,I rving , says of h im :
"Washington had but l it tl e p rivate l i fe . h is was em i nen tly a publ iccharacter " and from th e date of h is election as Commander-in-Chief of the army , h i s great career begi ns . Whatoth er character , after facing the search -l igh t of publ icop inionrf or more than one . hundred years , stands forth asflawless as h i s ?Hear h i s modest reply when i n formed of h i s elect ion .
" Ibeg i t may be remembered by every gent leman in theroom
,that I th i s day decl are , with the utmost s i nceri ty , I
do not th ink mysel f equal to th e command I' am honored
I4
with . To apprec iate th is honor,we must remember that
to some exten t th e same feel ing between North and South,
exi sted t hen as now . Pu ritan agains t Caval i er . M assachu
se t ts and Vi rgin ia were rival colon ies . The war had actually begun in New England "two batt l es had been fought ,and the army was then commanded by a New Englander .
Yet , Wash ington is nominated by a Massachusetts man ,
and elected unan imously i n a body where N ew'
England
sen t imen t predominated. Th is sh ows con clu sive ly whath is con temporari es though t of h im .
He now begin s h i s wonderfu l campaign of eight l ong ,
weary years,during wh ich the we igh t of h i s cares and re
sponsib ilitie s con stantly i n creased , from the S i ege of Boston ,t he final t riumph of wh ich was long deferred th rough oppos i t iou to h is plans , fo ll owed by h i s campaign in the Jerseys ,which i ncluded what Frederick th e Great has declared ,
" the most bri l l ian t ach ievements of any recorded i n th eannals o f m il i tary act ion , and so succeeding
.
each othe r,
sccesse s and reverses . Monmouth and B randywine , Germantown and Valley Forge , t h rough all , su f fe ring and privat ions wh ich m ight wel l have appal led th e bravest , t o th es iege of Yorktown , t he c rown ing victory , when he humbledthe haughty Cornwal l i s on the soi l of h i s own beloved Vi rgin ia .
Creasy,i n h i s "Fifteen Deci sive Batt l es of the World
,
selects Saratoga as the al l - importan t even t of the Ame ricanRevolut ion . With al l due respect , I beg to d i f fe r from him.
I t i s n ot su rp ri s i ng that a foreign e r , especi al ly an Engl ishman
,should th i nk Saratoga the tu rn i ng poin t i n our
.
st ruggle . I t was startl i ng to h ear of th e su rrender of Burgoyneand h is 8
,ooo veteran s"and more than all , th i s batt l e de
termined the halti ng court o f . F rance t o le nd us that aid wehad so long desi red . Hence C reasy
’
s mi stake was natural .I t was a glori ous v ictory , but
‘ i t was n ot the pivot . The t id ehad turn ed before Saratoga
,and i n my judgmen t the batt l e
of Tren ton decided the fate o f American Liberty .
During th e year preced ing Tren ton ,noth ing but d isast er
had fol lowed the con ti n en tal arms . We see . ci ty afte r c i ty
16
Napo leon , the greatest warrior the world has ever produced, has said that he planned some of h is most daringcampaign s afte r Washington ’s Delaware manoeuvres .
Washington knew full well the t remendous issue at stake .
Had Hann ibal t riumphed at Z ama the progress of t he worldwould have stopped . Had Wash ington fail ed at Tren tonor had he been k il led or taken prison er
,our R evolution to a
ce rtai nty would have col lapsed , and today , i n stead of enj oyi ng pol i t i cal f reedom and equal i ty , we m igh t s ti l l be but anEnglish colony .
I t i s not fai r to compare Wash ington with oth er mostn oted captai ns . Napoleon had h is Old Guard wh ich "d iesbut n ever surrenders .
" Cae sar had h is Tenth Legion ,
which never fai led . Frederick had his Grenad ie rs , inv incible . Washington had on ly the rawest recrui t s , badlyarmed
,poorly clad . and often without powde r . Cont inual
j ealousies and d issensions among h is o fficers . An obstinat e,
and at t imes , impoten t Congress to vex h im . With nomeans of commun i cat ion , t o h ave carri ed on th is war fromCanada to Florida , and afte r e igh t years to have ended i tw i th complete and glorious victory , i s an ach ievemen twhich we may wel l doubt i f Napoleon h imsel f cou ld haveaccompl ished .
Think of i t "England was at the zen i th o f her power,
rul i ng i n ’ I nd ia , holdingGibralt e r and th inking hersel f und isputed m ist ress in th e n ew world , Fran ce hav i ng ret i redi n despai r from the con test . The colon ies were weak andwidely separated . No money"no army"no credi t . No rai lroads"no arm s"no ammun it i on . Litt le of anyth i ng exceptdetermi nat ion
,and even that at t imes forsook al l save
Wash ington . Then does i t nor seem arrogan ce and presumpt ion i n these weak l i t t le colon ies , to have defied thewel l di scipl in ed and unconque red arm ies of the mothercoun try ?Why did we not fai l ? This i s a quest ion often asked andrare ly an swered . The man who reads h istory impartial lycan not h esitate long . The answer l ies i n a s ingle word , andthat word is—Wash ington .
Hear h is bold and defian t answer when asked what he
I7
would do if th e enemy drove him from Pennsylvan ia,and
this when the futu re was very gloomy"hear h i s in spi ri ngwords " I wi ll ret i re to Augusta coun ty , among the mountain s of Vi rgin ia and , i f n ecessary , beyond the A lleghanies ,but never yield . Never once , i n th e darkest of th e manydark hours during those‘ eight years of terrible st ruggle
,d id
the,heart of Wash i ngton fai l h im . There were t imes
,e . g.
,
th e begi nn ing of the year when he li t e rall y stood alon e .
Doubt and despai r had se ized upon al l,the last spark of
h ope seemed ext ingu ished , and yet th is daunt less spi ri t stoodundismaved. I t is imposs i b l e to overe st imate the e ffectsu pon our '
cause Of th is un shaken courage . Unhes i tat ingly,
I say, that but for Washi ngton ,t he Revolut ion would hav e
fai led , and the con tes t wh ich gave not on ly to America , butto the world , the great prin cip l e of pol i t ical equal i ty ,
wouldhave gone down in h i story , n ot applauded as a pat riot icrevolut ion , bu t st igmat ized as an ungrate fu l rebe l l ion .
I t i s the fashion now—a-days to underest imate VV ash ington as a m i l i tary man . I t i s said he was too cau t ious , andtoo fond of ret reat . Those who al lege th is , bet ray thei rigo rance . This very caut ion ,
under the ci rcumstan ces,
proves more than anyth ing e lse that he was a G eneral equalt o the occasion . H e knew that p itched batt le s with th eEngl ish veterans mean t certai n defeat
,and he adopted th e
only mode of warfare wh ich could have thatof worrying his foe con t i nual ly . and fight ing onlv when hehad the advatage .
Napoleon won h i s most famous batt les by forcing h i senemy to fight though unwill i n g"n ei the r Cl i n ton ,
Burgoy ne nor Cornwal l i s could eve r coax or i n veigle Washington i n to battle un less h e himsel f desi red it . Thus , thev ery argument to bel i t t l e , stamps h im as a gen iu s .
See h im at Monongahela in th e fie rcest of the figh t—two
horses shot under h im and four bullet s th rough h is coat .See h im at "ipp ’s B ay, vain ly strivi ng to check h i s cowardlyt roops by rush ing to the fron t . See him at Princeton , whensei z ing a standard h e gal loped between the l ines . Readthese heroic deeds and who dare say he lacked boldn ess ordash ?
18
As a tact ic ian and st rategis t he ranks h igh . The veryfact that the Brit ish could never make him fight speaksvolumes i n his praise , whi le Tren ton and Yorktown are perp e tual rem inders that he could manoeuvre as well as fightSir Hen ry Cl in t on though t h im st i l l be fore New Yorkwhen he was at Yorktown rece iv i ng the sword of Cornwal l is .
Brave General Wayne , who executed the assau l t on StonyPoin t , has admi tted that i t was al l the plan of Washington"and his repl y , when asked i f he would undertake th is hazardou s en te rpri se , i s characterist i c of the man . I t showsnor on ly th e undaunted spi rit of W avne , bu t also h is unbounded confiden ce i n hi s ch ie f . He repl i ed enthusiasti
cally : ‘ Gen eral , I wi l l assau lt Hel l , i f you but plan i t . Thissplendid at tack gave "Mad A nthonv h is fame . To judgeof Wash ington as a Gen eral , we must take in to consideration al l the ci rcumstances , means , condi t ion s and di fficult ieswh ich su rrounded h im , and w hen you do thi s , h is mi l i taryreputat ion is > afe .
While on th i s branch of my subj ect , and speak ing to aCarol i na aud ience
,the temptat i on is great to re fe r to Moul
tr ie an d Marion and Sumte r,our own gal lan t Gen erals"and
it i s hard to pass unnot iced Eutaw Springs , Camden , NinetySix
,Cowpens and "ings Moun tai n . Equally hard i s i t to
" hands o f f " from that Sherman of the Revolut ion , th e cruelTarlt on
,b u ' as Washington did command in person in the
South , 1 must des i s t .
A S A S TA TES M A N .
I t was wel l said by J ohn Mi lton , war has made manygreat whom peace makes smal l . But o f Washington
,we
can say as M i lton said to Cromwell , that whi le war madeh im great
,peace made h im great e r . The war being ove r
,
and all he fought for accompl ished , Wash ington sheath esh is fai th ful sword and surrenders it to Congress , s imply bu tgrandly
.th e ex-calib ur of a stai n less knigh t . For a brief
season he seeks th e quiet o f that rural home wh ich he somuch loved
,but not for long . The in fan t Republ ic i s not
ye t safe from e ven the peri ls of i t s b i rth , and h is clearhead and st rong arm are n eeded once again .
I9
T he conven ti on i s cal led to frame the cons t i tu t ion,and
Washi ngton i s unan imously elected to preside ove r i ts del iberations . He had much to do with th e format ion of thatconst i tu t ion whi ch sin ce i t s adopti on has been the adm irat ion of th e world . This Fede ral League
,for the purpose s
of a free people occupy ing an extended t erri tory,i s th e most
wonde rf ul d iscovery in the whole range of pol i t i cal sc ien ce .
I ts most importan t featu re was Washington ’s idea . I n 1 783,
i n h is le tte r to al l th e governors o f the States , he says"There are four thi ngs which I humbly conce ive are essenti al to the wel l-being , I may ven tu re to say the ex isten ce ,o f the United States as an Independen t Power . Fi rst—A h
I nd issol vab le Un ion of th eS tate s unde r on e Federal Head ,
etc .,t hus showing that the greatest unde r- ly ing and over
lapping prin ciple o f that wonde rful i n s t rumen t , novel andal l- impo rtan t , viz . Home -Rule of the States wi th a generalFederal supervision and cont rol , was advo cated b y Washington long be fore the Const i tu t ion was adopted . This alone
,
i s su ffic ient to prove h im great as a Statesman .
He spoke but seldom in publ ic , but h i s numerous lett e rsand state papers are models o f th e i r k ind .
I t is well for us that du ring the fi rs t e ight years of ournat io nal exi stence , when both Republ ic and C ons t itu t ionwere un t ri ed
,and the world snee red at what they consid
ered a reckless specu lat ion , that Wash ington was at thehelm . B u t for h i s wise counsel , and h is un ceasing e ffortsto reconci l e al l d i f f e rences du ring th is season of awfu l prob ation ,
England m ight have seen what she so much desi red,
an early and d isastrous collapse of th is republ ican exp eri
ment . I t has been said t hat the pen is migh t ie r than th esword . certai n i t is that Wash ington 's p en was as qu ick ash is sword to respond to h is coun try ’s cal l , and perfo rmedi ts part equal ly as well . His wri t i ngs were always clear
,
concise , and to the poin t . Grover Cleveland , the greatestPresiden t s in ce W asington , has given .us many terse epigrams wh ich have become prove rbi al , but Wash ingtonrivals h im in th is . "Che ri sh pub l i c cred it ." "Observe goodfaith and j u st ice to al l nat ions . cul t ivate peace and harmonywith all . " I n proport ion as the structu re of a government
20
gives force to publ ic opin ion i t i s essen t ial that publi copi nou should be en l ightened . And lastly ,
"The Un ion,
the Un ion in any even t . These are ax ioms of pol it i caleconomy as true tod ay as when h e u tte red them .
When Arnold retu rn ed di sappoi n ted from th e attack o fQuebec , what W as the gene rous greet ing of Wash ington ?"No man can command success , bu t you
l
have done more,
you have deserved i t .
A S A M A N .
I f Wash ington was great as a General"i f h e was greate ri n t he counci l s o f peace"he was greatest as a man .
His characte r was exalted , and I feel most my feeblen esswhen I attempt to del in eate i t . "Mark the perfect man andbehold the uprigh t , for the end of that man i s peace .
’
He was an earnest , unostentat ious Ch ri st ian . Listen toh is words of fai th , bet rayi ng at the same t ime the innatemodesty of th e manWhen I con template th e in terpos it ion o f Providence , as
i t was v is ibly man i fe st , i n guid ing us through the Revoluti oni n preparing us f o r th e recept ion of the general government, and in conc i l iat ing the good wi ll of the people ofAmerica toward one another after i ts adopti on , I fee l mysel foppressed and almost ove rwhelmed , by a sen se of Divi n emunificence . I feel that n oth ing i s due to my p ersonalagency i n al l those wonderful and compli cated even ts , except what can be att ributed to an hon est zeal for the goodof my count ry .
Again :"No people can be bound to acknowledge and
adore an i nvin cible hand wh i ch conducts the aff ai rs of menmore th an the peopleof the Un i ted States . Every step bywhich we have advanced to th e characte r of an indep endent nat ion
,seems to have been dist i ngui shed by some token
of Provident ial agency .
Agai n"Of al l th e d isposi t ions and habi ts which lead to
pol it i cal prosperi ty , Rel igion and Moral i ty are indisp ensible supports . I n vai n would that man claim th e tribut eof patrio ti sm who should labor to subvert these great pi l larsof human happi ness , these fi rmest props of the dut ies o fmen and ci tizen s .
B I
Such words come st raigh t from the h eart o f a good man ,and speak to us tod ay , i f any th ing , more st rongly than onehundred years ago .
Dan iel Webste r said , at the complet ion of the monumen tat Bunker H il l : "America has furni shed to the world thecharacter of Wash ington , and i f our American i nst i tut ion shad done noth ing else , that alon e would have en t i tl ed themto the respect of mankind .
All of Washington ’s greatn ess was bu i l t upon h is s te rl in gcharacte r . I n every sense
.
he was an honest man,he
t hought honestly , he spoke honestly ,and he acted hon es tly .
I would say h is card inal characte ri st i cs were , h igh pri nc iple s
,unspotted in tegrity , down -right honesty , and under al l
c i rcumstances , sound j udgmen t and " sav ing commonsense .
His patriot ism was so pure that power had no allureni entsor temptati on s for h im . His armv wan ted to make h im ak i ng,
and he repl i ed with such scorn ful i nd ignation as towither the scheme at i ts ve rv i n ception . His j ealous o fficers reported h im anonymously to Congress , and he beggedthat t he charges be l aid befo re that body . saying :
.
Whyshould I be‘ exempt from censu re , th e un fail ing lot of anelevated stat ion ? Merit s and talents which I canno t pret end to rival , have eve r been subj ect to i t . My heart tel l sme that i t has be en my un remi t ted aim to do the best whichC i rcumstan ces would permi t . Yet I may have been veryoften mi s taken in my j udgment of the means , and may i nmany i nstan ces deserve the imputation of e rro r . Who hasever shown higher characte r than thi s
Wash i ngton ’s character would be more appreciated hadi t been more i rregular . T he publ ic admire the i nd iv idualmore than the nat ional characte r
,and h is was pre -emin en tly
national . I mean b y th i s that he l i ved for h is coun try ,and
not for h imsel f , always prefe rring the nat i onal good to personal fame . Had he been s imply a great General , or a greatStatesman
,or a great Orator , the pub l i c would know more
o f h im"but h is m ind was so perfectly balan ced ,h i s charac
ter,on every side
,so evenly developed
,that l ike the
I
tem
22
ples of o ld,the i r very perfect ion in proport ion and symme
t ry,dece ives the eye as t o the i r magn itude .
Webster,i n speak i ng of the Commonwealt h of M assachu
se t ts,wh ich h e
,loved so wel l
,when praise and panegyric
seemed to fai l h im,i n s imple e loquence , exclaimed :
"Theresh e stands " so my friends , I feel in speaking of the charac ter of Wash ington . Such a sacred inheritance is not tobe loaded with adj ect ive and superlat ive . There i t stands 'A pricel ess he i rloom t o eve ry pat rioti c American ,
whosepleasu re i t should be to study its eve ry detai l
,and whose
duty i t should be to imi tate i f h e can .
I am no idolat rous h e ro worsh ipper , and pe rfect ion is no tof earth . Washingto n was mortal , and even h e had h is moments of weakness . But I do say that he man i fested as l i tt l e of the old Adam as ever fal l s to the lot ofmam-especial lywhen we remember the flatte rers who must have surroundedh im
,and that great temptat i ons proverbial ly bese t thepath
way of th e great .At Monmouth , so j ustly exasperated was he at the how
ardly conduct of Lee , t hat wi th flashing eye and burn i ngcheek he b raded h im to h i s face and before h is command
,
A damned pol troon . I am glad to say that th i s Lee wasnot the forefathe r o f our own noble Lee .
Towards the close of h is career as Presiden t,he was
greatly harrassed by d issensions between the parti es,
anonymous let te rs and newspaper attacks , in which he wasspoken of as the step-father of h is coun t ry , embi tte red h imtemporari ly , and he declared in a cabin et meeting in 1 793," that he had never repen ted but once the hav i ng sl ippedthe momen t of resign ing h is o ffice , and that was everymomen t s i nce . This d issat is fact ion was confined , however ,to a few pol it i cians , who were as pest i fe rou s then as now ,
and had he consen ted to ru n again h is e lect ion would havebeen unan imous in 1 796 , as i t had been in 1 789 and in 1 792 .
To sum up: I n the war of the Revolut ion— the leader ofou r army"i n frami ng the Const i tu t ion—the Presiden t of ourCouncils"i n organ iz ing the Government - the Ch ie f Magist rate of the Republ i c . Who . before or si n ce , has compassedthe hal f ?
24
wri tes to Washi ngton " I have always admired you r greatvi rtues and qual i t i es, your dist ingu ish ed patrioti sm ,
you runshaken cou rage and s impl ici ty of manners— qualificat io ns by wh ich you surpass even the most n oted of antiquity.
Blun t o ld Benj amin Frankl in , di s t ingu ished al ik e for h i ss inceri ty and hard common sen se , l eaves the fol low ingrecord i n h is last wil l and testamen t : "My fine crab-t reewalk ings t i ck
,wi th a gold head curiously wrough t in the
form of th e cap of l iberty , I give to my friend and thefrien d of mankind , George Wash ington I f i t were a s ceptrehe has merit ed i t , and would adorn i t .Thomas Je f fe rson , t he an aly t i cal l ogi cian , who , as weknow
,was not ve rv f riendly to Washington
,has left th i s
j udgmen t of h im " His in tegri ty was most pure"h is justicethe most i nflex ible I have ever known :no mot i ves of i n terestor consanguinitv , of frien dsh ip or hat red , being able tobias h is dec is ion . He was indeed , i n every sen se of th ewords
,a wise
,a good and a great man .
When Patri ck H enrv re tu rned home from the fi rst Continental Congress , he was asked who was the greatest mani n that body , he repl ied " I f you speak of eloquence , Mr .
Rutledge,of Sou th Caro l i n a , i s th e greatest orator"b u t i f
you speak of sol id i n format ion and sound j udgmen t , Colone l Wash ington , i s b y far the greatest man on that floor .
When we remember that Pat ri ck Henry spoke th is be foreWash ington had advanced to any nat ional n otoriety
,we
can but j udge of h is sin ce ri ty and tru th fuln ess .
Even T homas Conway , prime move r of the t rai torouscabal at
‘
V alley Forge , when he bel ieved h imsel f on h isdeath bed
,and " j ust able , as he said , to hold the pen for a
few minutes , used them i n writ ing to Wash ington of h i s" si n cere grie f fo r having don e , w rit ten or said . an yth ingd isagreeable . And he added . as i f to avow h is thoroughrepentance and conversion : "You are i n my eyes the greatand good man . May you long enj oy the love , venerat ionand esteem of those Sta tes , whose l ibe rt i es you have assertedb y your vi rtues . This , com i ng from the man suppose tobe h is greatest en emy , i s i ndeed the cu lminat ing t ribute .
2 5
Byron,the greatest of poets , and th e relent less enemy and
exposure of sham and hyp oc rsiy~ h imsel f a martyr to h is
l ove o f l ibe rty on the shores of i ll fated Greece—gave usthese undying l ines
W here may the wearied eye rep ose
W hen gaz ing on the great ,W here ne ither gu ilty glory glows ,
N or desp icab le state ?
Yes , O N E—the first , the last , the best ,
T he C inc innatus o f the W est ,
W hom envy dared no t hateB equeath the name o f ashingtonT o make men b lush there was bu t one .
Joh n Marshal l , whose name is ' as i n separably l i nked to
the Const i tut ion in con st ruing ,as Wash ington ’s in the
making of i t , with that j ud ic ial preci s ion and clear-cu t t e rsen ess which ch aracte rizes h is ev e ry utte rance , has summedup the services of Wash ington in these words " I t was thepecu liar l ot of th is d is t ingu ish ed man"at eve ry epoch whenthe desti n ies of h is count ry seemed dependen t on the m easure adopted
,to be called by the un i ted voice of h i s fe llow
ci t i zen s to those high stat ions on which the success o fthose measures princip al ly depended .
Light Horse Harry Lee has epi tom ized i n to a single immortal sen ten ce
,th e l i fe and character of Washington
"Fi rst i n war first in peace and first in th e hearts of h i scount rymen . Well said "And h istory bears test imony toi ts t rut h .
Other test imon ial s could be added , but" su rely th is i s
e no ugh . What was i t then,my friends
,that called forth
such spon taneou s praise from such great men of all nat ions ?Was i t magnetism ? No . I f the re was a defect , and defecti t be cal led in Washington ’s composit ion , he was incl in edto be cold and impassive .
Was i t p reten sion And d id he get credit for what hehad n ot ? No . That burn ing l igh t whi ch beats upont hron es , . has for over one hundred years , tested i ts genu ineness .
Was it ’chan ce or acc id en t ? Never .
"No man , saysCarlyle
,
"becomes a sain t i n h i s .sleep . And there i s no
26
greate r fal lacy than that wh ich often a tt ributes success ingreat th i ngs to luck .
ep utations are n ow and th en wafted to a man ,l ike
th i stl e-down , fo r no better vis ibl e reason than that h ehappens to be out i n the sam e wind with them . But i nth e long run the logic of cause and e ffect wi l l v indicate itsel f"and though we do some t imes , for a season ,
haveimposte rs and C harlatans , sham he ro es and mock sain ts , th eb l essed fact remain s , that th e wi nds of t ime and contest doat last blow away al l the cha ff from the great grai n floor o fhumanity . Hemisp here does no t cry aloud to Hem isphereabout a hypocri te"no r do Nat io ns ri se up and praise theu nworthy .
No,fe l low coun t rymen : no , Washingto n ’s fame is sa fe .
Buil t upon the everlast in g rock o f me ritg ne ithe r anxiousc ri t ic ism , searching analysi s , no r the lapse of t ime prevailagai nst i t "but more and more do es i t b righten with succeeding ages , and more and more . as we study and im itate
,
do it s glorious precepts sh i n e fo rth in letters o f l iv i ng l ight .
A ll the ends he aimed atW ere his C ountry
’
s , h is G od’
s and T ruth’s .
The Encyc lo pmdia Bri tann ica , one of the latest authorit i es upon any subj ect , sums up the character of Washington in these words , which I be l ieve is the j udgmen t of manki nd : "O f al l men that eve r l ived , he was th e greatest ofgood men and the best o f great men .
Robert C . Win th rop . the cul tu red and scholarly orator,
to whom I owe many of my quo tat i on s from the wri t ingsof Wash i ngton , and the opin ion s o f great men ,
closed h ismagn ificen t orat ion on the complet ion of the Washi ngtonMonument
,i n these words : "The mo st elaborate an d dur
able monumen ts may pe ri sh . but n e i th er th e forces ofnature nor any fiendish crime of man can ever mar ormuti late a great e xample of pub l i c o r private vi rtue . Ourmatchless Obel i sk stands proudly be fore us to-day
,and we
hai l it with the exu ltati on s o f a un i ted and glori ous nation .
I t may or may not b e proo f agai n s t the cav i l s of cri ti cs , butnoth ing of human construc t ion is proof again st the casual
27
t ies of t ime . The storms of W inte r must blow and beatupon i t . The act ion o f .the elements must soi l and discolorit . The Iightn ings o f heaven may sear and blacken it . Anearthquake may shake it s foundat ion s . Some mighty tor
nado or resi st less cyclone may rend i ts massive blocksasunder and hurl huge fragmen ts to the ground . But th echaracter whi ch i t commemorates and i llustrate s is secure .
I t w il l remain unchanged and unchangeable , in' al l i t s consummate puri ty and splendo r , and will , more and more ,command the homage o f succeed ing ages in all region s ofthe earth .
God be praised that characte r i s ou rs foreve r .
One word more , mv‘
f riends . I congratu late the Greenvi l le Guards upon the se l ect ion o f th i s day for the ir ann iv e rsary. One hund red and six ty -o ne years ago tod ay,
George Washington , in a plai n Vi rgin ia farm house , unannounced and unheralded , came into th is world . No betterday could you have chosen for your celebrat i ons than h isb i rth -day. Nothin g be tte r fo r your charact er , noth ingbette r to st i r your pat riot i sm and pride , than at each recu rring year . to have the l i fe and characte r of th is matchlessAmerican held up to you r view and admi rat ion .
So . when othe r speakers more eloquent than I , appearbefore you year afte r year , l e t them always speak to you ofWash ington . They could no t ask abetter theme , nor couldyou find o ne more profi table . I t n eve r ends . i t n ever ti res .but i s l ike our most valued flowers . which b loom peren n ial ly to gladden and to bless .
Let us not fal l behind the outside world in knowledge andappreciat ion of ou r H ighest and Best . Wash ington ’s character stands u nparall eled on earth . Dwell upon it .
o Let usemulate and im itate as far as possible , h i s example and vi rtues
,and be well assured that h is fame wi l l t ransmit h is
name to th e remotest end o f t ime , as WA SH ING TO N.the
G R EA T .
ROLL G REENV ILLE G UARDS , G REENV ILLE, S. C .
Smyth,E . A . ,
Captain .
Conyers,W . B , Fi rst Lieu tenan t .
Anderson , W . W . , Second Lieu tenant .Ben t z
,R . L . R .
,Thi rd L ieutenan t .
Merce r,R e v . I . M Lieutenan t and Chaplain .
W i l kerson , Dr . J . R .
, Lieutenan t and Surgeon .
Dargan,H . A .
, Quarte rmaster Sergean tSpeigh ts
,W . L . , Firs t Sergean t .
Pope,T . H . , Second Sergean t .
Cureton , R . H ., Th ird Sergean t
M organ ,A . R . , Fourth Sergeant .
Ambler , R . L . , Color Sergean t .Stroud , S . L .
, Fi rst Corporal .Touchstone , W . E .
, Second Corporal .Beasley , C . C . , Third Corpo ral .Thackston
,H . Y . , Fourth Corporal .
Allen,W . L .
Bost ick, J . W
Bull, J . A .
Bruns, J . F .
Butle r , C . P .
Carter,R .
Co l l in s , H . P .
Crookshanks , F . WCureton ,
A . L .
Davenport , L . M .
Davis,T . W .
, J r .
Deal, J . S .
Fahn estock,T . V . L .
Ferguson , C . C .
Gaston , C . E .
PRIVATES :
Green,L . L .
Hallman,W . L .
Hammet t,G . P .
Leach,M . B .
Marchbanks,G . E .
M cD av id,
‘
I.
M c C ullough , J . A .
Mitch ell, J . F
Nichols,F . E .
Rigby , C . S . , J r .Rogers , J . C .
Russell , J . M .
Smith,C . A .
Stee l , J . A .
Watson,W . N .
Will imau , W . H .
’
29
R ESER V E
Adge r, J . E . , J r .
Anderson , A . W .
Bal lenge r,R . M .
Bates,E . F .
Beat tie , W . E .
Birn ie, J .
Bl’ake,L . D .
Boll i n,E . M .
Burgiss,W . W
Cagle , J . W .
Capers , F . F .
Cothran,T . P .
Cureton , J . S .
Earle , J I .
Earnhardt , W . C .
Fi nlay , M . H .
Fitzgerald , J . C .
Gates,A . A .
Goldsmith , W m., J r .
Gower , A . G .
Haynsworth , H . J.
Hockaday , J . B .
H oyt , J A .
Lanneau , C . H .
Lucas,E . R .
Macbeth , Alex .
Marshall , J . B .
HONORARY MEMBERS
Ex-Captai n J . W . Norwood .
Ex-Captain J . M . Patrick .
W . C . M cG owan.
James Arms trong .
MEMBERS
Maxwell,Jas . H .
Maxwell , J . H .,M . D .
M cA liste r, C .
M cB ee ,L . M .
M cB ee,A .
, J r .M c P herson , R . G . , J r .Mille r , G . R .
Orr , J . L .
Orr, J .
Owen , E . B .
Parker , L . W .
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