>>^^A^^AAAAAAAA^»AAAA^AAAA>AAAAAA^AA»AAt4*4>*> .^i.-»-^..i^ >^t.^ PROCEEDINGS AND SPEECHES ANNOUNCBMBNT OF THE DEATH HON. R. L. Y. PEYTOI, ' 0:9" MISSOURI, In the Xoaso of ReBr*s«Biativo« of U^ Comf«d«rate St«t*«, December 19th, 1863. RICHMOND: SENTIXEL JOB OflOE, PRIST. 1864. 31 — -^— 1 ! ^ PROCEEDINGS AiND SPEECHES ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DEATH HON. R. L. Y. PEYTON OF- MISSOURI, In the Honse of Representatives of the Confederat* States, December 19th, 1863. » ♦ > RICHMOND: SENTINEL JOB OFFICE, PRINT. 1864. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Duke University Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/proceedingsspeecOOconf. ^ .-i .- o p EULOaiES. DEATH OP HON. ROBERT L. Y. PEYTON, OF MISSOURI. ADDRISS OF HOrvT, CASPAR W. BELL, «r MISSOURI. The mcssnge from the S^nato, announcing the death of the Hon, K. L. Y. Peyton, a Senator from the State of Missouri, having been readto the Hoii^-e — Mr. Bell arose and said : Mr. i^peaker — I rise to the performanee of a mournful duty. My col- league? have assigned to me the ofl&ce of proposing resolutions responsive to the message just read from the Senate, announcing to the House the deatli of one of the Senators from tlie State of Missouri. The Hon. Kob't L Y. Peyton, while aUempiing to make his way to ft portion of his constituents, on the 3d of September last, at Bladen Springs, in the Si ate of Alabama, was arrested by the hand of the great destroyer of human existence. Up to a few days of his decease, he re- tained, unimpaired, his mental faculties, and was entirely conscious of his approaching dissolution. And though far removed from his home, de- prived of the soothing endearments of kindred aflTection and the sacred minisi rations of a devoted and pious mother, he yet approached that ordeal — the severest that can test or terrify the human sensibilities — with calmness and resignation, breathing his last prayer for the success of our cause, and for the redemption of that people he so faithfully represented. The deceased was born in Loudoun county, in the State of Virginia, in the month of December, in the year 182-i, and was, consequently, in his thirty-ninth year when b*^ died. When thirteen years old, he removed, with his father, to the S' -te of Ohio, and in liis sixteenth year became a student of the Miami University, where he was graduated in his twentieth year, receiving the highest honors, as a mark of his proficiency in the vaiious branches of science taught in that institution. Upon the comple- te )n of his academic course, he became a student of law at th(^ University of Virginia, and iu one year was graduated on that ticket, with honor- able distinction. The quick and active intellect of the deceased?. exhibited by so many distinguishing mar^ s of brillianoy — bis mind flashing its way into sub- jects with the rapidity of lightning — trave promise of a career of great usefulness and distinction. Had ho been spared to the end even bf his senatorial term, I have no doubt he would have fully redeemed the 4 EULOGIES ON THE DEATH OF promise of his youth. For his career, from the; time of his entry upon the duties of manhood to his deuth, thou;ih ni-^rked with many ndverse cir- cumstances, so far from dijiiinishing thjs hope, inspired it with renewed and increasine; confidenee. Young and inoM[»erienced — just twenty-two years old — seventeen years acjo, the deceased located himself in H;irrison- ville, Cass county, in the southwestern part of the State of Missouri, as & candidate for the practice of the law An entire stranj^-er iu that com- munii}' — without means, and with a widowed mother and two sisters de- pending upon him for thvir support — he commenced his professional career as a practising law\'er. And at i bar which will compare favor- ably with any in the iVest, by his brilliant declamatory powers, his argu- mentative skill and unremitting attention to business, soon piaced himself at the head of his profession, and amassed a hand.^ome fortune. In the year l<5o8, such was the esteem and regard into which ho had grown among the ]ieople where he lived that, contrary to his own wishes, he was chosen a representative to the Senate of his State. In this body, although an entirely new licid to him, he very early acquired the character of an abhT' and eloquent debater — an active and vigilant legislator; while his equanimity of temper, and his courteous demeanor, combined, with a just perception of all the concerns of life, drew around him the esteem and conSdence of various mernbers of every partyf^and before the close of his first session, was ranked as one of the leaders of the democrat'C party of the State — a party which could justly hoast of a large number of gendemei^whose talents and attainments,^, would grace auN'- office of this Government. In the last presidential election, which occurred under the old Union, the democratic pariy was divided in its support between the Breckinridge and Duuglass tickets. Deeply indoctrinated with what was popularly de- nominated States rights doctrines, and earnestly impresed with the belief that these principles would be more sacredly guarded by 'the eleva ion of Mr. Breckinridge to the position of President, the deceased attached himself promptly to tliat party, and with a zeal and eloquence rarely, if ever, excelled canvassed the State in support of its principles. His eflorts were not wiihoat results. For while he failed to place his party in as- cendency in the State, yet such was the bold and feailess manner in which he attacked and expos«^d the dangerous doctrines and heresies of the re- publican party, and the eioquont appeals he made in behalf of the rights of the South, and t'he duly it owed to itself in defending these rights, that he awaken.d the minds of thit people to a true sense vf their dan- ger, and contributed mucii toward preparing their rain )s for that noble stand of resistance which they have C'/er since maintained with a devo- tion which no disregard of their rigiits has abated, and no persecution of their enemies can or will dotroy. Cpoa the threatening of hostilities to the State at the head of a large and gallant regiment, equipped to some extent from his private means, the deceased marched to the seat of war, and in an arduous and severe campaign, approved himself a gallant and efficient officer. Ho partici- pated ".n every battle that was fought by that heroic band^the Missouri State Guard— and received on each occasion the commendations of hie commanding officer for his heroism and skill Near the close of this c:tmpaign. he was elected a member of the Pro- visional Congress, and by the' Legislature of his State chosen one of her Senators in the Congress of the Confederate States. He did not take bis seat in the Provisional Congress until near the close of that body's labors, and, consequently, r.oak no pnblic part in its proceedings. As a Senator-- being its youngest mevn er — he but seldom addressed that b'»dy ; but his efforts there were characterized with great ability, assigning him, by com- mon consent, to a high rank as a speaker, whife Lis unremitting attend- ance on the sessions of the Senate, his deep interest manifested on all HON. ROBERT L. Y. PEYTON. questions, and particularly such as atfected more immediately his own constituency, made him a valuable and useful legislator. Such, Mr. Speaker, is a brief sketch of him whose death we are now called to mourn. He needs no greater eulogium than the simple story of his being, to mark his name upon the page of his country's his ory, as a man of lofty genius, a true patriot, a brave warrior, and a most worthy and estimable gentleman. His death will be mourned by all who knew ' him, and by none with a deeper anguish than his immediate constituency. He has been summoned away from us at a moment of deep and intense interest to the country — a moment when the fate of millions is suspended in the balance, and when our country is reeling and staggering under ihe weight of the severest afiiictions — a moment when our peaceful vales are resounding with tht^ clash of arms and the hoarse cLamor of war — when war, red and wrathful war, is scattering far and wide its intermin- able evils, and leaving to us scarce an after- piece of hope, to mitigate the pangs of its wide-spread desolation. Had he been spared to us longer, I feel warranted in saying no ono would have brought to the relief of our country, in this her time of great need, a deeper, a holier, or a more imseltish patriotism than the deceased. But, Mr. Speaker, his labors have now ended — his record has been m.^de up — hih course has been rtm, and to the repose of the grave we would leave him to rest. I now beg leave, Mr. Speaker, to otier the folloAving resolutions as a mark of respect for the memory of the deceased : jRes, lived, That this House has henrd, witli deep eensibility, the annotucemeiit of th^ dnd Jackson, by almost a unanimous vote. He took his seat in the winter of 1858-9 and althougii the youngest member of the Senate, soon won the reputation ot one of the most talented and eloquent members of that body. Just before the meet- ent 6 EULOGIES ON THE DEATH OF ing of the Legislature, as before stated, a band of thieves and murderers from Kansas Territory, invaded the State of Missouri and murdered a worthy and quiet citizen. Immediately after the assembling of that body, the deceased introduced resolutions making inquirj' of the Executive ot tbe State, in relation to the subject, and calling upon the Governor to place a regiment of men on the border of Missouri to protect the citizens fiom further outrage. Upon the passage of the resolutions, the Senator from Cass spoke, and several of the leading journals in the State, in sp'^aking of his effort, said such a speech had not been heard at the capi- tol since the days of "David Barten.". The Legislature met again in the winter of 1860-1. at which session, a Senator to the United States Congress was to be elected. While the two bodies were in joint session, for that purpose, and after a violent speech had been made by one of the Senators, denouncing those States v;hich had already seceded, the deceased, at the solicitation of friends, consented to reply, and reply he did, ifi one of the most masterly defenses of the Soiitli and her action, that it has ever been my fortune to listen to, for massive energy of thought, aptness of illustration, and strength ©f pathos, has but few equals and no superiors The Legislature continued in session until the capture of the State troops by the Federals at cnmp Jackson, and the massacre of women and children tbe same day, in the streets of St. Louis. On the adjournment of the Lpgislaiue. LI r. Peyton returned home, and soon raised aregimentj 'men. and psfrticipated in tlie battles of Carthage, Spi'ingfield, Dryw and Lexing'on, where he displayed the most unfaltering courage an bravery. He continued to command his regiment until tbe Legislature elected him one of the delegates to the provisional Congress, and also one of the Senators from the State of. Missouri, to the permanent. Congress. Be made but few speeches in either body, yet the few he made were characterized by ability. When Congress adjourned, in May last, few men of his age in this government. t»ad a more brilliant prospect before them ; but death's "wintry whirlwind soon swept the prismed vap<>r into nothing." By his death "Virginia (tii« State of his nativity) has lost another of her most gif ed and tahnted children ; Missouri (the State of his adoption) has lost one of her most pure and patriotic statesmen, and the Confede- racy one of her most devoted and able advocates. As a citizen, he was just ; as a companion, he was genia' ; as a friend, he was true, and as a soldier he was brave Thus lived and tlms died Robert L. Y. Peyton. He lived but long enough, Mr. Speaker, to see tbe people' of his own loved State, downtrodaen and oppressed, their homes desolated, their prof'erty destroyed and many of them scattered like she^ep' without a shepherd ; yet no doubt he was consoled in his last hours, with the re- flection that he, together with the noble spirits of his State, had gallant- ly defended the liberties of the South, and doubtless died entrusting his people to the guidance and protection of the Confederacy, the govern- ment of their choice. In our last interview, he spoke of the "loved ones at home," and expressed a desire to see them; but his voice will never more make these friends glad, nor will their hearts throb again with pleasure at the sound of his footfall around the door sills. The sun will continue to beam as brightly as before, but his rays will not reach his narrow home The rainbow will again display its beautiful colors, but it will not be his eye that sliall be turnea to.gaze upon its ephemeral beauty. The birds will sing as sireetly as before, but their notes will not fall upon the ear of the departed patriot. Whtm spring time con-.es, the flowers will agaiti bloom as freshly, but it will not be around his footsteps. The beautiful "Marie du Cygne," upon whose margin he basso often lingered will still rush between its green banks, but it vill not be beneath the vision of bis eye. The stirred forrest, where he has so often wandered in HON. ROBERT L. Y. PEYTON. 7 manhood's happy hour,will still breath its notes of music; but it will not be his ear that shall be turned to its mystical hymn ; but there is a spirit- land of which these rclinquishr-d beauties are only a faint type ; there the flowers never fade, and not a withered leaf mars the eternal beauties of the spring. In that bright land, I hope my lamented friend has wet those lion-hearted associates. Waitman, Brown, Rives, Eiwin, Slack and Green, and that they may there welcome him to their blessed and happy home. ADDHESS OF HON. LEWIS M. A.7ER, OF SOUTH CAROLINA. Mr, Speaker — I should be untrue to the dictates of my heart, were 1 to allow this melancholy occasion to pass, without attempting to give some voice to my feelings. My acquaintance with Senator Pbyton began only with the first session of Congress, but 1 very soon learned to esteem him highly for his many amiable and admirable qualities. •V In the year 1856, it was my good fortune to visit and spend severftl j-^nths in the great — the magnificent State of Missouri. A lively and ^teful recollection of the warm-hearted, gbuerous hospitality which I had enjoyed at the hands of the people of that State, together with the fact that 1 met here, in the person of one of her worthy representatives, (Mr. Bell,) an intihiate college friend, h-ad the effect of s on bringing about an acquaintance and placing me on very friendly terma with every member of that delegation. Last spring, while I was myself prostrated at home by sickness this House had to mourn the untimely death of one «f its members from Mis- souri. The youthful, but talented, modest, generous and- accomplished Judge Wm. M. Cooke then passed from this scene of his earthly labors to his eternal rest. His seat on this floor is empty, bat he will ever occupy a place in our affections. And now, sir, wa are again caUed to mourn the death of another noble Missourian. Alas, sir! heavy and bitter have been the misfor- tunes of that great State. She has. indeed, been deluged .with blood and tears. Her true men have been banished from her borders. The red hand of war has felled many of them on the bat.le-field, while the inscru- table decrees of Providence have remev'-d two of them forever from the councils of the Confederacy. Sed v vit post fu era viitus. Mr Peyton was eminently social in his disposition, conscientious in all his dealings, firm in the maintenance of his own opinions, but con- ceded the same right of free and independent thought and action to others which he claimed and exercised for himself If the whole char- acter of a gentleman may be summed up and and expresped in the single word CONSIDERATION, wbich I am disposed to regard a jjst definition, Mr. Peyton was a perfect gentleman, for he ever manifested a thought- ful and kind consideration for the feelings of others. If we had not been expressly told of his devotion to his mother and sister, we should still have felt assured, from our knowledge of him, that he was a man of just the feelings and disposition that would be sensitively alive to the unspeakable spell which attaches itself to the hallowed name of Mother. Such a man ia never without friends. Relying on the justice of our cause and the patriotism and courage of the southern people, Mr. Peyton never entertained doubt or despond- ency in regard to the^ complete triumph of the South and the ultimate 8 EULOGIES ON THE DEATH OF redemption of his beloved State from the cruel hand of the oppreasor. He has not been spared to enjoy, in peace and prosperity, the fruits of his labors and sacrilices in the cause of his country, but while we pause, now, to drop a tear on his new-niado grave, let us resolve to emulate his patriotic example, and, with manly heart and hope, press forward in the performance of the noble and glorious work set before us — the salvation of our country. •♦-♦- ADDRESS OF HOW. T. L. BURNETT, OF KENTUCKY. Mr. Speaker — It is right that the voice of Kentucky should unite with that of Missouri in commemorating the name and virtues of her deceased son, KoBEKT L. Y. Peyton. ' In the beginning of this great struggle for independence, he planted himself firmly upon the constitutional rights of his State. In the last presidential contest he was an elector for the State at large, and by his energy and eloquence did much to awaken the peo- ple to a sense of the danger wliich then threatened them. Upon the invasion of his State, he was among the first to rush to her rescue. Be- tween a despicable absolutism on tlie one hand, and free government on the other, he was not the man to hesitate, and although young, he was not unknown. Nature had r lessed him with abilities of the first order, and both as a lawyer and orator, he held a high position He raised a regiment, and with it fought on every, battle field in the State of Mis- souri. He was elected a Senator in Congress when the people of his State needed the services of her best, her purest, her most gifted men. How he discharged the duties of legislation it is not for me to speak, as his name is honorably written upon the pages of his country's history; and his sound judgment illustrated in the re(3ords of this Congress But, sir, he is gone; cut off in the morning of his usefulness. JMot only the people of his own down-trodden State, but the whole Confederacy have cause to mourn his loss. And whilst the people of Misseuri have ren- dered her name. forever glosious — not only in contributing the indomi- table Price and his band of immortal heroes, who, unaided and alone, maintained a single-handed contest with our most cruel and bar- bararous foe — but have sacrificed in their country's cause many noble, brave, and" true men, she has yielded none more patriotic and praise- worthy than her deceased Senator. And whether he be remembered in the camp, in the Senate, or in social intercourse, all will bear evidence to his unsurpassed gallantry on the field, his ability as a legislator, his uni- form modesty, and great worth as a true and valued friend. May we remember his virtues and emulate his example. Let us reflect upon the shortness of human life, and the vanity of all earthly aspirations. " Like leaves on trees, the race of man i« found, Now green in youth — now wiiherini? on the ground, The fol'owinit spring another race supplies, They fall sucoe.seive and successive rise. Thus, genersitions in their course decay, So flourish these when those have passed away." A great man has fallen ; his fame is the nation's inheritance. Of such is the highest type of national character made up. They are the nation's jewels. May they be forever remembered, appreciated, revered. :-v?{)?a'