Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1877-07-14

into what was afterward the famous army OF
Northern Virginia, with which our peerless
Lee won his series of splendid victories.
II was common for the Northern press to
represent that secession leaders" betrayed ths
people of the South, and lead them unawarcs
and unIilingly into "the rebellion" aud
many of the so-calIed "historics" still insist
that the Union" men of The South were Fore
ed against their will into "the revolt" Never
were people more misrepresented The SIM
ple truth is that after Mr.. Lincoln iSstlei bis
proclamation calling for troops to coerce SOW
eregn States, there ceased TO be any Union
party in the South, and the people of every
class and every section prepared for resistance
10 the bitter end, aud forced their leaders 10
! Join the secession movement. A public sentl
ment was at one formed which not only i'm
! PEELED our best men TO enter the army, but
| branded as "skulker" the able-bodied young
man who failed to 20 so. This spirit affected
the character Of all the armies of the COnfed-
eracy, and none more than the Army of North
etn Virginia.
pUoTA or THE COLLEGES.
The colleges Of the South were deserted, and
professors and Students alike enlisted. Tho
Learned professions" were suspended, and tho
/
the workshop ceased, the pow was left in the
furrow, the ledger was left unposted, In many
/ instances the pastor enlisted with the men OF
/ his flock, and the delicate sons of luxury We'd
with the hardy sons of toll in meeting patient
| ly the hardships, privations and suiierngS Of
the camp, the march, the bivouac, or the bat
/ tle-field remember that the first time
ever saw the "ROckbridge Ariiery"-that ia
] bassa bfc1, l,,l, 81
wall Brigade" at the first battle of Manassas,
with Rev. lalterward General) Pendleton as lis
| captain-it had as private soldiers in It's ranks
no less than seven Masters of Arts Of the Uni
versity OF Virginia lthe highest evidence Of
real scholarship of any degree conferred by
any institution in this country, large num-
| Der of graduates Of other colleges, aud num-
Der OF others of the very pick Of the young
men in the State, among them a son OF Gen.
/ L. Il. Lee, and a score or more of theological
students. Two companies Of students of the
| University of Virginia were mustered into SER
vice, and fully nine-tenths of the $50 students
| who were at the University Of Virginia that
session promptly entered the Confederate SER
vce-most of them the Army Of Northern
| Virginia-as private soldiers
| When Rev. Dr. Jlnkin, Of Pennsylvania,
| who was then President of Washington Col
/ lege, Lexington, Va, called meeting Of his
| faculty to devise means of punishny students
| for raising a secession flag on the dome Of the
/ college the day after Virginia secedcd he found
the faculty in hearty sympathy with the stu
dents, and while the Doctor resigned bis po-
sition and went North, the students formed q
volunteer company and marched to the front
under Prof. White as their captain. Even
! DR.. Junkin's own sons threw themselves heart
| lily into the Confederate struggle, while bis
/ son-in-law left his quiet professors chair nc
| Lexington 10 become the world-lamons "Stone-
wall Jackson" The President of lampden
Sidney College, Va. REV. DR.. Atkinson en-
tered the service at the head OF a company Of
/ his students Major r. j. Jackson marched
the corps Of cadets of the Virginia Military
| Institute ftom the parade ground at Lexing-
| ton at precisely ~ o'clock on the day he re-
ceived orders from the Governor Of the Com
monwealth, and all these young men entered
active service. Indeed every college in Nir-
/ ginia and throughout the South, suspended It's
! regular exercises, and the midnight lamp" Of
! the student was exchanged fOt the "camp fires
Of the boys in gray"
There might have been eoen In tho ranks Of
one of the companies young man who met
every duty ds a private soldier with cnlhusi-
asm, but who carried in bis haversack copies
of the Greek classics, which be read on the
march or around the camp fires, who has, since
the war. borne off at German university tic
highest honor ever won there by an American,
who now fills the chair Of Greek in one Of the
most important universities Of the South. and
who has already won place 10 thegery front
Of American scholars | remember another
| "A Master Of Arts Of the University Of Vr-
ginial whom | found lying on an oil-cloth
during an interval Of the battle Of Cold llar-
Dor, 10 1864, oblivous Of everything around
him, aud deeply absorbed in the study Of
Arabic, in which as in other Oriental Ian
guages, he has perfected himself since the war
at the University Of Berlin, and by bis own
studies in connection with the proiessorship be
! fills, until he has now no superior, and scarcely
an equal in that department in this country.
/ In quarters it was very common 70 orga-
nize schools in which accomplished teachers
would guide enthusiastic students into the
mysteries Of Latin, Greek, Modern Languages
and the higher mathematics.
srEcMEs BEGiNrST.
count Il my proud privilege to have enteE-
ed the service as "high private 10 the rear
rank" Of the famous old Thirteenth Virginia
Infantry, and do not hesitate 70 affirm that
(wbilc that regiment was not superior to others
Of our army in moraie,) il would be impossi
BILE 10 pick out Of any community in the land
a nobler body Of men than they were. Our
colonel was A. p. Hill, who by gallautry and
skill, and solid merit, rose 10 the rank Of leu
tenant general; achieved a reputation ior the
highest qualities Of the soldier, and on that
last sad day at Petersburg, with a sick fur
Tough 10 his pocket, yielded up bis noble liic
in an attempt to restore bis broken lines. Our
lieutenant colonel was Jas A. Walker. who
won his wreath and stars by cool courage and
notable skill who was the last commander Of
the old "Stonewall Brigade" !" who led Eary's
old division TO APPROXIMATION c. H., and who
bas since occupied prominent position and
exerted potent influence in the affairs Of the
Commonwealth Our Maipr was j. T. i. Ter
rill, one Of the very best drill-mlsters in the
service, whose galaniry was conspicuous on
every occasion, and whose well-merited ap-
pointment as brigadier-general the Confederate
Senate confirmed at the very hour at which
be fell at Bethesda Church, in June. 1864,
while leading the old Fourth Virginia Brigade
in a heroic charge. Our company officers
were. many Of them, fitted for the highest COM
mand and among the rank and Gle were those
competent in every respect 70 command bn-
gade, or even a division. One single shot ot