The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-09-25
A High Tribute to the Character Of Gen.
Leo. ~.

Leo. ,.
In long editorial article calling for
subscription Of $4,000 to Washington
College by the friends and admirers of
General Lee in England, the London.
Standard of August l7th, speaks of him
as follows "a,
'There is no living hero--there are
few,if any, among those whose name
shines with the purest lpstre in history
whose character. has commanded so high
tribute of affection and admiration
from their friends, of respect and honor
from their foes, as that Of General Lee.
No life more. perfectly heroic, no reputa.
tion more untarnished even by the mi.
nor blemishes which are not uncommon.
ly found in unison with the highest
heroism, has ever been connected with
a great, national struggle. No shade of
vanity or egotism, nothing Of the self.
Will or petulance SO often characteristic
Of conscious genius. no tinge OF affecta.
tion, no tint even Of the pride almost
inseparable from ordinary greatnes of
mind, which can endure anything but
humiliation, and regards submission as
disgrace, alloy the simple grandeur Of
the Virginian soldier's nature. A piety
without the slightest shadow Of Phari.
saism, a sense ofduty to which the sac.
ri6ce of every personal feeling and inter.
est appears matter of course, have
marked his whole course and guided his
every public act, whethe as soldier or
as a citizen. A family connection and
the nearest living representative of the
great champion of American indepen:
dence, General Lee has been the Wash.
ington of the Confederate war like
Washington, q man "@hom envy dared
not hate" but without oseut che ono dark
stain of doubt. If not Of dishonor, which
the death of Majors Andre has left on
his prototype. No more Selfish man
and stainless gentleman" ever lived; no
soldier eveF SET q more admirable exam.
pie Of the soldierly virtues of honor,
chivalric generosity, and manly simplici.
ty no great man ever retired into OBJ.
security. after witnessing alike the ruin
of his cause and the destruction Of his
private fortune, with more OF christian
patience and fortilude.
"Of his military achievements we
need not speak. 1t is enough to say
that all his victories were won against
enormous odds, and that his tour years
defence of Virginia has few parallels in
history as an example Of great results
accomplished with small means and at
fearful disadvantages What is now
more interestingto remember is the per.
sonal character Of the man, as displayed
lin the various exigences Of that trying
struggle: the, simple honesty and kindly
feeling which prompted him to console
his soldiers as they recoiled from tile
cannon-crowned heights Of Gettysburg.
with the assurance, "It is all my fault; /"
the unaffected self, depreciation which
pronounced when S.onewall jackson fell,
II would wish. for the sake ofour cause,
that Thad beendisabled rather thanyou !"
christian chivalrysS which no outrage
could provoke to,rStaliation; which, after
Virginia had been rendered desert,
withheld the army that invaded Penn.
sylvania from inHicting the most trivial
injury on person 'ot property; which,
when his own estates had been plumber.
cd, ravrshed and dconfscated. took care
to protect the houses and property Of
his enemies; the horror Of useless blood.
shed which withstood the cry for retri.
button excited by ihe murder Of South.
ern prisoners in cold blood, and support.
the resolve Of the President that unless
the actual murderers were taken no
blood should be shed but on the field Of
battle the touching unselfshness Of his
last words 70 his disbanding army, onthe
9th of April. II have done my best for
you" But it Was when all was over
when the chiefo great and victorious
army was apriyate man an6 a paroled
prisoner--that the peculiar greatness of
General Lees natnre shines out with
aneqnalled brightness.
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