Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-03-09
GEN. George ID. JOhnStOne and the
SOutheL = Historical Society.


gen. George ID. tombstone and the
SOutheI = Historical Society.
The ab0Tr named distinguished
Confederate officer has honored our
city by visit during this week and
has succeeded in commencing him.
self most favOrably to the considera-
ton of our citizens Gen. tombstone
in the late war commanded brigade
from Alabama in the Southern
army, and, during the disability of
Gen. Quarles from a serious wound,
was invested with the joint COM
mand of his own brigade and that
of Gen. Q. On the retreat of Hoods
army after its disastrous defeats at
Franklin and Nashville, Gen. John
stone was appointed to the COM
mand of the rear guard, which is
we'll understood to be the post of
honor in a retreat. His reSOlute,
gallant and skillful conduct in this
capacity beyond a doubt saved the
Southern army from great disaster
amounting, so far as man can fore
see events, to humiliation or sur
render. The enemy was close on
the rear, the Tennessee river in
front, all means of crossing which
had been destroyed and new ones
had to be imprOvised, time for
which could only be obtained by
arresting the march of the Federal
army. Gen. tombstone with his
little command undertook to GO
this, and, bya series of attacks made
with astonishing vigor and gallantry
or the Northern hosts, compelled
that army to halt and look to its
own defence, and thus gained time
for the orderly crossing of that pc
culiarly difficult stream, Tennessee
river. This is the man in a military
point Of view; when we add to this
that Gen. tombstone is a gentleman
of high culture with a great COM
mand of language and an enthusi-
astic devotion to the cause he advO-
Gates, our readers will be ready to
believe in the magical effect of his
eloquent address at Melodeon Hall
on Tuesday night. The purpose of
the address was to enlist the feelings
of the GAINESVILLE people in favor of
the Southern Historical Society. On
this head it would not be needful
for us to say word if dU GAINESVILLE
had heard the Generals address
the little we have to say is addressed
to those who did not hear it.
The object of this association is to
preserve documentary materials for
the use of future historians of the
late war between the North and
South. Recognizing the fact that
at the time when the society was
founded (Which was Immediately
after the war;, a dispassionate his
tory of that great cOnvulsion was
impossible, yet the founders of it
saw that the collection of materials
for that purpose could not be de-
layed without irreparable loss. If
that was true in 1868 it is much
more so now that the generation
which is alone able to furnish these
materials is rapidly passing away.
The North has told her story of the
war; it is not in human nature to
suppose that she would do justice to
her great antagonists in the matter,
even if she had the materials, which
she has not. The passage in which
the dead soldiers of the Confederacy
were represented as calling on their
surviving comrades to see this act
of Justice done them was the finest
i'm Gen. JohnStOne's speech, all of
which was admirable. 1t reminded
lis of Hamlet's dying speech, appeal
ing to his friend to live for the pur-
pose of Vindicating his good name:
O, good Horatio. what wounded name,
Things standing thus unknown, shall live
behind mel
Ifthou didSt ever hold me i'm thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in
pain
To tell my story.
We are glad to learn that the
General has procured many sub
scribers to this good work in our
sister city of Nashville, and that the
list is already assuming handsome
dimensions in GAINESVILLE.