earse the
death chants of her fallen braves, whose heroism made the name of the
nation great. To-day there stands a monument crowned with laurels and
immortelles, erected by the State to the fallen sons of the "Dark and
Bloody Ground," who died facing each other, one wearing the blue, the
other the gray, and on its sides are inscribed: "As we are united in
life, and they in death, let one monument perpetuate their deeds, and
one people, forgetful of all aspirations, forever hold in grateful
remembrance all the glories of that terrible conflict, which made all
men free and retaining every star in the Nation's flag."

The great conflict was unavoidable; under the conditions, it was
irresistable. It was but the accomplishment, by human agencies, the
will of the Divine. Its causes were like paths running on
converging lines, that eventually must meet and cross at the angle,
notwithstanding their distances apart or length. From the foundation
of the government these two converging lines commenced. Two
conflicting civilizations came into existence with the establishment
of the American Union--the one founded on the sovereignty of the
States and the continuance of slavery was espoused by the hot-blooded
citizens of the South; the other, upon the literal construction of
the Declaration of Independence, that "all men are created free
and equal," and the supremacy of the general government over States
Rights, and this was the slogan of the cool, calculating, but
equally brave people of the North. The converging lines commenced in
antagonism and increased in bitterness as they neared the vertex. The
vertex was 1861. At this point it was too late to make concessions.
There was no room for conciliation or compromise, then the only
recourse left is what all brave people accepts--the arbitrament of the
sword.

The South sought her just rights by a withdrawal from the "Unholy
Alliance." The North sought to sustain the supremacy and integrity
of the Union by coercing the "Erring Sisters" with force of arms. The
South met force with force, and as a natural sequence, she staked her
all. The North grew more embittered as the combat of battles rolled
along the border and the tread of a million soldiers shook the two
nations to their centers. First, it was determined that the Union
should be preserved, even at the expense of the South's cherished
institution; then, as the contest grew fiercer and more unequaled,
that the institution itsel