Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 37.djvu/376

 368 intelligence to take advantage in a fight of every obstacle, as a stump, tree, fence, or rise in the ground, to shield himself from the enemy's fire and enable him to deliver his own fire with (deliberation and accuracy. Starnes' men did not much fear to charge a line of Yankee infantry who fired by volley by word of command. It looked to be probable that every one of our men would be killed or wounded, but these terrible volleys were often without any effect, as the Confederate lines were open, and all the men who could were behind some obstacle, and when they could deliver their fire it was effective.

Because there has been some confusion between the Memorial Day observed by the women of the South since the war between the States and the day adopted for the decoration of the graves of Northern soldiers who fell in the same war, the following account, written for the New York Herald by Mrs. John A. Logan, is given here. Mrs. Logan writes: "In the spring of 1868 General Logan and I were invited to visit the battle-grounds of the South with a party of friends. The South had been desolated by the war. The graves of her soldiers, however, seemed objects of the greatest care and attention. One grave yard that struck me as being specially pathetic was in Richmond. Just before our visit there had been a memorable observance, and upon each grave there had been placed a small Confederate flag and wreaths of beautiful flowers. When I returned to Washington, I spoke of it to the general and said I wished there could be concerted action of this kind all over the North for the decoration of our own soldiers' graves. At that time General Logan was commander-in-chief of the Grand Army. The next day he sent for Adjutant-General Chipman, and they conferred as to the best means of beginning a general observance. On May 5 of 1868, the historic order was issued."