Confederate Dead At Cassville.
Saturday’s Exercises—Oration by John W. Akin, Esq.

Yes, Cassville, “dear old Cassville” is the pet name given the old county town of Bartow.  The mere sight of Sherman’s chimneys gives, still, a sort of requiem, sad and low, in every breeze of other days.  And it was fitting that the Legislature of Georgia, did the disloyal (?) thing of appropriating $300 for a monument to the Confederate dead at Cassville.  “Poor old Cassville” has loving, faithful hearts who guard with sweet affection, the graves of her Confederate dead.

But little of the town remains to mark the place.  So the assembly Saturday was from all sections of the surrounding country.  Every grave is marked with head and foot stones, and a neat mound, kept in order.  A large brick monument with marble plates empanneled on each side, contains inscriptions in India ink.  They are as follows:

“DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY
OF
OUR SOUTHERN HEROES,
By the Ladies memorial Association
Of Cassville, A. D. 1878.”
“Is it death to fall for freedom’s cause?”  “Rest in peace our own Southern braves.”  “You loved peace more than life.”  “It was better to have fought and lost than not to have fought at all.”

Some five hundred dollars have been expended and the association is still about $50 in debt.  Forty dollars have been contributed by a few of our prominent citizens.  An appeal was made Saturday, and the ladies tarried at the gate to receive contributions, but after expenses of band wagons, etc., there were but $2 net to pay the $50 due.  Who now has it at heart to contribute toward the payment of this $48.00?  Forward the sum to Mrs. Eliza W. Chunn, president of the association.

The services Saturday were appropriate and most interesting.  The prayer was led by Rev. Mr. Quillian, and the address was made by Jno. W. Akin, Esq., of Cartersville.  Mr. W. A. Chunn introduced the orator, paying an excellent tribute to the father, the late Col. Warren Akin, Sr., who was well known in Georgia and the South.  It was our purpose to print the address, but Mr. Akin had only made brief notes. It comprised a review of the causes which led to our Confederate cause, and abounded with highly creditable research.  It was much after the order of Gov. Colquitt’s great speech delivered at Rome a few days later, on the occasion of laying the corner stone of the Confederate Monument there.  The graves were suitably decorated, an abundance of flowers having been supplied.

Thousands of Confederates will remember Cassville with pathetic interest.  It was there that our noble leader Gen. J. E. Johnston lost his best opportunity.  Just as he had predicted the Federal army had divided on the two roads coming South from Adairsville.  Hardee’s corps was near Kingston.  Polk was to confront the enemy near Cassville, and Hood was to march North around to the right of Polk, and open on the enemies left flank.  Finding a detachment, however, on the Canton road, Gen. Hood failed to conform to his instructions, and confronted that part of the enemies lines without giving Johnston notice.  In that way the opportunity was lost.  In his “narrative” Gen. Johnston remembers the position “as the best he saw occupied during the war.”  “The ridge immediately South of Cassville with a broad open elevated valley in front of it, completely commanded by the fire of troops occupying its crest.”  The eastern end of this ridge he mentioned as perhaps a mile east of Cassville.  In this connection Gen. Johnston pays excellent tribute to “that intelligent engineer officer Lieut. Buchanan.”