Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 35.djvu/199

Rh On the occasion of the thirty-first annual reunion of Hood's Texas Brigade at Galveston, Judge Don E. Henderson, of Bryan, a former member of Company E, 5th Texas, Hood's Brigade, made the response to the address of welcome of Major Hume. He spoke as follows:

,–The survivors of Hood's Texas Brigade at the behests of the citizens of Galveston have met in annual reunion to do honor to their dead comrades and to the memory of the Lost Cause. A year ago your city was selected for this reunion. Your condition at that time was far different from the present. Then you numbered a population of more than 40,000 souls. This was the beautiful "Oleander City"; the commercial emporium of Texas; industry stimulated trade and enterprises; faith in the future girdled your loins, and hope smiled and waved her golden wand. Since that time your Island City has been devastated by the most disastrous storm in the annals of time. Your homes have been swept away, and nearly one-fourth of your population has been destroyed. It does not need to say that on receipt of the sad intelligence of your condition, we hesitated to accept your courtesy not that we believed it would not be graciously extended, but the fear was less we should become a burden and trespass on your hospitality. But I beg to state that this hesitation was only momentary, for we reflected that this had been the home of many of our dead comrades, who had gone forth with us to battle; that here lived, before and after the war, the gallant Sellers, of whom General Hood said, "He was the bravest of the brave," and who, though only a lieutenant-colonel and a