Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-05-30
to arrange aud digest it. AS we un.

10 dTFduSo Stuu ClSeSb IL. hS VIC ul-
dorstand the proposition of tie Sen
tinel, it is simply to CO lect and pub
lish the ample stores now everywhere
scattered and daily diminishing.
Colonel Pool, we believe, proposes to
go a step farther, and prepare. and
publish digested accounts of the
battles in which North Carollnians
took part, "especial care being taken
to show what those troops did and
suffered in each of those battles, and
what glory and renown our officers
and men fairly won.''
This is no light task. When the story
of North Carolina prowess shall have
been told, the history of the Confed-
eracy will have been written. There
were but few battle fields of the late
war that were not redeemed by the
blood of North Carolinians.
The plan proposed by the Sentinel
necessarily involves the telling of the
same story for almost every county in
the State. Our regiments were not
formed, except in very rare cases, of
from one section of the State. The his
tory of a single company will, to a
great extent at least, involve the his
tory of its regiment, brigade, division
and army corps. The war record of
the several counties separately and CO.
temporaneously prepared, and by
different hand in each county will,
therefore, involve much repetition, ut
terly useless in general State history
of the war, yet absolutely necessary to
every full and Ineligible county
sketch. The plan proposed by Col.
! Pool is not liable to this objection,
if objection it be. Indeed, the two
projo cts do not cover the same ground,
nor is there any conflict or rivalry be-
tween them. The State needs that
both shall be fully carried out
County sketches will allow of minute
ness of personal detail that State his
tory would not permit.
| We do not see any conflict between
the projects.
We welcome every effort made to
perpetuate the deeds done by North
Carolina soldiers. 1t will never be an
easier matter to put in shape the re-
collections of the participants in those
glorious achievements that challenge
the admiration of the world, than it is
to-day. We fear that even now much
important evidence has been lost, that
ual, if not associated, prowess, have
been forgotten. We trust there will
no longer be any delay. We would
gladly see n State organization formed
for the purpose of systematising the
great work and also subordinate
county organizations. 1t is no easy
matter for any one man to write ;
a fair and just account even of his Owl
county. 1t will take at least hal
dozen sketches on an average for eacl
county. We trust they will be written
There need be no fear that there viii
be too many of them or that they viii
be too full, or too minute or too mucl
in detail. The very object of TIN
scheme is to secure an inexhaustibl
supply of minute details for the his
torian to draw from !; even the mos
trivial incidents, seemingly, will b.
welcome. The enterprise is a grea
one, and will, we trust, be successful,
carried out, and at once. Let TIL
work begin at once. One sketch will
suggest another. Succeeding sketche
will supplement, correct and add t.
preceding ones. Let no one fear tina
the amount of matter will prove to-
great.
Colonel Pool, in announcing his pur
; pose to the public, says: After wait
ing for several years for some on
more competent to undertake the task
I have determined to devote the re
naming years of my life to this labo
of love. [ yield to none in love for m
native State, or in admiration for til
gallant men who have shed imperisha
BILE glory upon her."
We congratulate North Carolinian
everywhere that gentleman SO com
petent to perform the task has take
upon himself this labor of love
Himself no mean actor in the deeds o
careless spectator of the events h
seeks to place upon imperishabl
record, Colonel Pool is well qualities
by his habits of life, and by menta
culture, and by literary attainments t
do full justice to the great snbjec
to which he has so patrioticall
devoted his declining years.
As we said at the outset, we are YER
, much gratifed, not only to see s
much interest manifested in our wa
record, but also to see the shape an
direction it is taking.