d fortune to spend a great deal of
time with him. I was almost constantly by his side, and it was during
the two months immediately preceding the fall of Richmond that I came
to know and fully understand the true nobility of his character. In
all those long vigils he was considerate and kind, gentle, firm, and
self-poised. I can give no better idea of the impression it made upon
me than to say it inspired me with an ardent love of the man and a
profound veneration of his character. It was so massive and noble, so
grand in its proportions, that all men must admire its heroism and
gallantry, yet so gentle and tender that a woman might adopt and claim
it as her own. If the spirit which animates the assembly before me
to-night shall become general and permeate the whole country, then may
we say the wounds of the late war are truly healed. We ask for him
only what we give to others. Among the more eminent of the departed
Federal generals who were distinguished for their gallantry, their
nobility of character, and their patriotism, may be mentioned Thomas
and McPherson. What Confederate is there who would refuse to raise his
cap as their funeral-train went by or hesitate to drop a flower upon
their graves? Why? Because they were men of courage, honor, and
nobility; because they were true to their convictions of right, and
soldiers whose hands were unstained by cruelty or pillage.

"Those of us who were so fortunate as to know him, and who have
appeared before this assemblage, composed of all shades of opinion,
claim for him your veneration, because he was pure and noble, and it
is because of this that we see the cities and towns of the South in
mourning. This has been the expression throughout the whole South,
without distinction of party, and also of a large portion of the
North. Is not this why these tributes have been paid to his memory? Is
it not because his piety was humble and sincere? Because he accorded
in victory; because he filled his position with admirable dignity;
because he taught his prostrate comrades how to suffer and be strong?
In a word, because he was one of the noblest products of this
hemisphere, a fit object to sit in the niche which he created in the
Temple of Fame.

"But he failed. The result is in the future. It may be for better or
for worse. We hope for the better. But this is not the test for his
greatness and goodness. Success often gilds the shallow man, but it is
disaster alone that reveals t