Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/359

 358 Southern Historical Society Papers.

uniting the chain from which these broken links have fallen, lament the absence of these our companions who have gone before, extend to those near and dear unto them the assurance of our sincere con- dolence, and place a brother's garland upon their new-made graves.

"Farewell brother soldiers ! In peace may ye rest, And light lie the turf on each veteran breast, Until that review when the souls of the brave Shall behold the chief Ensign fair Mercy's flag wave."

In his quiet home, ennobled by the presence of the live-oak, that monarch of the Southern forest, beautified by the queenly magnolia grandiflora, redolent of the perfumes of a semi-tropical region, fanned by the soft breezes which blow from the Gulf, and hallowed by exhi- bitions of respect, affection, and veneration most sincere, the ex-Pres- ident of the Confederacy, now well -stricken in years, has recently been confined to a couch of pain, sensible of the infirmities insepa- rable from old age, and suffering from the effects of a wound en- countered in the military service of this nation during the war with Mexico. Since the hush of that great storm which convulsed our land, and in which he was entrusted with the main conduct of the fortunes of the Confederate States, he has borne himself with a dignity and a composure, with a fidelity to the traditions of a consecrated past, with a just observance of the proprieties of the situation, and with an exalted heroism worthy of all admiration. Conspicuous for his gal- lantry and ability as an officer of the army, prominent as a secretary, senator and statesman in the political annals of these United States, illustrious for all time as the president of a nation, which, although enduring but for a few years, has bequeathed to history glorious names, notable events, and grand memories which will survive the flood of ages, and most intelligent and earnest in his vindication of the aims, rights, impulses, and conduct of the Southern people during their phenomenal revolution, his reputation abides unclouded by defeat, and his more than Spartan virtue -unimpaired by the muta- tions of fortune and the shadows of disappointment.

" Brave spirits are a balsam to themselves. There is a nobleness of mind that heals Wounds beyond salves."

To him our venerable and beloved ex-president, our duly consti- tuted leader in that mighty war which consolidated the energies, the patriotism, and the supreme devotion of this land, to him the first