“To those who keep alive in loyal hearts the memory of the Confederate dead I would say these men chose the noblest part. This is the best life offers any man: to strive for the highest, the greatest, the bravest that he knows. Is it not better to achieve these things, even at the cost of life itself, than to purchase length of days by mean and sordid living, by cowardice or craft, by surrender of the fine ideals of manhood in base compliance to dishonor? In the heart of every man the everlasting has made answer. If the cause failed, the men were not lost. Looking beyond the little span of human life into the white light of eternity, what better could we have wished for the Confederate soldier than to have played his part as he did? He has left heroic memories that chasten and purify the hearts of all who shall come after him. He has lifted life above the low level of the commonplace into the realm of precious and immutable things, which abide above all change, beyond the reach of years.”
Skip to content
