Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 236 of 1,110
vii, 9-1011 p. incl. ill., ports. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
At the cemetery, where a large concourse
of citizens helped very materially to swell
the throng already there of the G. A. R. men,
ex-Confederates and the woman's relief corps,
the exercises were conducted in a hollow
square around the G. A. R. cemetery lot,
which is fourty-four feet square, raised about
one foot above the surrounding ground,
planted in Bermuda grass and surrounded by
a row of brickwork five or six inches high.
The exercises which were had around this
plat consisted first of the ritual programme of
the Grand Army of the Republic, beginning
the reading of general orders from national
and department headquarters by the acting
Adjutant for the day, Comrade E. G. Rust.
An opening address by Commander J. M.
Steere was followed by vocal music, " Rest,
Spirit, Rest," by Messrs. Cole, Harris, Bolles
and Cornett, a quartette of Dallas gentlemen,
who kindly volunteered their voices for the
occasion. Prayer was offered by Comrade
Isaac B. Gibson, chaplain for the occasion.
A volunteer bass solo by Mr. Cole followed
this, and then the firing of the usual military
burial salute by the Dallas light artillery,
with music by the martial band.
The decoration of the soldiers' graves by
the members of the woman's relief corps,
assisted by the children, was a solemn and
impressive ceremony, beautiful in design and
execution. The graves numbered but five
on the plat, and not only these, but every
other old soldiers' grave in the cemetery was
decorated, which had previously been designated
by a miniature flag of the United States.During all the exercises, two color-bearers
occupied the center of the plat, with the stars
and stripes and the flag of the George H.
Thomas Post. The entire programme was
carried out with precision and in good feeling,
and the ex-Confederates present were
pleased with what they saw and heard.
The line of march, going, was arranged to
be on the street-car line leading to the cemetery,
so that if an old soldier was compelled
to fall out on the march the street car could
carry him along.
The arrangement of the hollow square
around the cemetery lot during the exercises
gave all an opportunity to see the exercises
and hear every word spoken. The quartette
club, the burial salute and the military band
added much to the occasion. Many ladies of
Dallas were present and expressed themselves
as pleased with the exercises.
After the singing of " America " by the
entire audience present, the exercises closed
to meet at the city park at 5 P. M. to hear
the public speaking.
Colonel W. L. Crawford, the orator of the
day, made a ringing speech, in the course of
which he said:
" Who could have told twenty-five years
ago that on the plains of Texas would have
assembled to-day men proud of their national
pages, who followed the standards of Grant
and Logan and those that fought beneath the
banners of Lee and Jackson? And yet itis so.
We look into one another's faces to-day. We
are no longer Federals and Confederates.
We are the mightiest race of people into
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Lewis Publishing Company. Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas., book, 1892; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20932/m1/236/?rotate=90: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.