Veterans, speech would fail me if I
tried to picture your patient toil and
patriotic endurance in the cause of
right. The boys of the South in many
instances carved their names on the
highest pinnacle of fame. I once knew
a band of boys ranging from 14 to 17
years of age, which went into battle.
They were held in reserve until Gen.
Breckinridge's right wing gave away
under a galling fire from infantry and
a heavy battery of artilery, and the
day seemed to be lost; the whole line
began to waver in front of the larger
force pressing it, when, the boys came
on the field with martial tread, the ad
vance was in perfect line, until a vol
ley from a battery cut a gap of forty
nine from the centre. At the command
they closed to the center with perfect
alignment; cotinuing the march with
fixed bayonets they charged the bat
tery and took it. The flag bearer on
that occasion kept his place forty feet
in front until every strand of his flag
was shot away. The wavering veterans
took courage, rallied and swept the
enemy from the field. These were
sons of soldiers and gloriously exem
plified the devotion of the Southern
man to his cause. Nothing but patri
otism of the highest type could thus
make heroes of boys.
