Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/167

 H/titft to .Historic Old Portsmouth Artillery. 159

These veteran artillerymen strikingly illustrate the truth, that honor lies not in wealth or emoluments, but only in the memory and consciousness of high, noble and unselfish deeds.

I do not mean to draw any distinction between Grimes' soldiers and the men of Craney Island under brave Emmerson, for that glorious victory saved our twin towns from destruction, and no braver soldiers stood up on any field of blood. It was said that the valiant Emmerson fired the shot which sunk the Centipede, result- ing in the retreat of the British.

Resolutions were offered in the General Assembly of Virginia tendering the heroes of Craney Island a vote of thanks, and direct- ing the Governor to present swords to Major James Faulkner, Captain Arthur Emmerson, Lieutenant Parke G. Howie and Lieu- tenant Thomas Godwin, and gold medals to Sergeants William P. Young and Samuel Livingston and Corporal William Moffett, three non-commissioned officers of the Portsmouth Light Artillery Com- pany, for their zeal and gallantry in this action. So the faces of this monument bear the names of soldiers of two wars, as valiant as ever trod battlefields of any nation equal honor for the heroes of the years 1813 and 1861-65.

Fellow citizens, well do you praise them by graving their names with an iron pen on this everlasting rock, a tribute to virtue and valor forever.

The ancients said that virtue is the most manly ornament; that truth, the mother of virtue robed in garments as white as snow, made the road to honor by a passage through the temple of virtue. Then place all these artillerymen who stood up in the fiery strife of two wars upon the highest plane of honor. The patriotism of peace springeth from their inspiration.

Kindness subdued the hate of sectional strife; then with a flash of glory, all our instruments of war pointed outwardly to make our republic a leading world power among the nations.

This monument to the virtues of our artillerymen under two flags is also a vestal lamp for peace between all the Commonwealths of the American Union. It is a peace monument which Portsmouth dedicates today.

Vesta, the sister of Jupiter, was the household goddess. So great was her devotion to virginity that when her brother gave her liberty of asking what she would, she requested that she might