Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-12-12

come over to grasp your hand. The
people of Rome honor you as Inc
greatest of wits, and, next to Mr..
I obb, they regard you the greatest
man In the country. Let me whisper
into your ear, that am
la the same business here that you are
living on my wits. | have already
fixed Cobb for my board bill at the
Kirkwood, and Bob Toombs has
agreed to pay my carriage hire. Come
over and let me Introduce you to Cobb
aud we will make him pay for wine
and cigars" Look here. young
man" drolled out the Beau" what
DO you lake me for? Do you see any
green htre," pointing to his dexter
OF Oit. =" Why Cobb is an old stager,
and is plsyiDg you for a sucker. NO
longer than last night l heard him
telling huge JOKE on young man
whose father had sent him on here TO
be FURNISHED up at bis fathers ex-
pense, the young man supposlng That
Cobb was to foot all the bills Yeu ale
welcome to all such fellows as Cobb.
and what you wall make out Of him
would not feed fly for Il week. but
YOU can not introduce me to them any
too soon if there be any more green-
1
yourself.n Underwood saw the j Ike,
and was as placid as a lamb during
! the residue OF his stay in Washing
ton. Before I close, L must rsla,e d
| few "reminiscences connected with
| Cobb's career as General or Militia
in the rebel army. Ia 1864, when
Sherman was crashing things to the
sea,n Cobb commanded about 600
| Georgians, whom he had raised ''by
robbing the cradle and the grave"
But he was only parade General
The whiz of Sherman's bullets were
too much fOrhis nerves, and he always
kept at safe distance when skirm-
ishiDg is going on. Lit. Gen. w. J.
Hardee told the writer several anec>
dotes on Cobb's discretion, to put 1t
mildly, about the close of the war, all
of which went to show that war was
not Cobb's trade, nor fighting his de-
light, but that his proper sphere was
on the hastings, where he could
sway the masses by his eloquence.
Had the war lasted longer, Cobb
might have retrieved his reputation
and won laurels as soldier. It is re-
lated by Macauley, the great historian,
that in his first battle Frederick the
Great became demoralized and his
English grey bore him in haste from
the field to an old mill three mites
away, where he was found hiding by a
courier, who rode up and brought the
news that the grand old field Marshal
Schwerin. had rallied the troops aud
won great victory, despite Fred.
erick's decentralization, but in the sub
sequent engagements of Roosback and
Leuthen he displayed great courage
and exhibited strategic ability OF the
highest order. And 80 loo, Cobb might
have evinced military genius. had
more opportunities been offered him.
But the great drawback in his
case was the fact that sherman a. q
troops marched so fast that the
Georgia militia did not have time to
stop and make fight. When Sher-
man reached his plantations, he or
dered them destroyed as a punishment
for his base treasOn-hRving attempted
to destroy q Government in which he
had served in several exalted positions.
In the last agonies OF the Confederacy
Cobb commanded at Columbus, and II
was there Chas. A. Lamar, a member
of Cobb's staff, was killed by Wilson's
cavalry, as he was retreating across a
bridge in tbs evacuation Of that city
Lamar had made himself notorious
by Important slaves on the yacht
"Wanderer," in 1850, and it was a
little significant that peace was no,
allowed to be restored in Georgia unt
he had given up his life. But why
dwell long upon the antecedents OF
men like Cobb. They have had their
day. -...t.
Had they studied the best interests
OF the country. and exertsd themselves
In behalf of good government, genera
tious would rise up and call them
blessed. But their merits are to have
led a people most seriously astray
They run ship ashore, and yet theil
successors are asking to be put In com
mand of another. The same ole
drunken and mutinous crew, with 8
new set of commanders, are AGAR
hankering to obtain control Of tn,
grand old craft. But the people know
them, and as long as memory lasts
the walls OF the widows and Orphan
and criEples of the late war will re
sound through the land, and admonist
Americans that party which Tough
for four long years to destroy Gov
eminent is not fit to be entrusted with
the destinies of the great Republic.