Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-06-24
SWORD AND. PEN.

The following address was delIvere
by Col. John a Cockerill. of the Pos
Dispatch. at the recent. reunion OF th
Army OF the Tennessee in St. Louis:
When the iugacIous Johann Faust
the goldsmith h OF Mentz. went to Pari
in the fifteenth century, and sold a lie,
copies OF bible which he and q brac
of poor workmen in his town had print
ed from moveable types the reprotiuC
ton was so exact that the holy church
men, who had known only tho clnms
handiwork OF the scrivencr. accused
him of witchcrait' and threw him int
prison. 1t did not seem possible L
them thata results so remarkable conl'
be brought about without the assistance
of personal Satan, and this man. VIII
had helped to light the Promethean, lir,
the unextiuguishable torch OF civil
zatlonLdied without compassion andt,
persecution in season OF plague. gTha
was In the somber dawn which ilOWel
the long night OF the age OF iron ANT
bloodshed. The fierce, Tfmour lhat
builded his pyramid OF 10000 human
skulls, and had paused before the gate
of Damascus. his glittering battle AK OF
bis shoulder, and had 1scenihis barbara u.
tribes streamlngJout to new conqnests
the bload-thirsty and cruel Spaniart
stood out upon the lace OF humanity u:
the highest type Of manhood Englano
and France we're wrestling like nlastlff:
for the mastery all Europe was a calnl
of mailed men who knew no law bu
might. and the dark finger prints o
ignorance rested where rapine and con
quest followed. The Cromwells an.l
st. Justs, who were to teach the doc.
trine OF human rights and human liberty
had not been born, but lhe day that the
humble artisans OF Mentz beheld lhe
results OF their infant master art. the
black bat of superstition folded hel
wings. and to. the tDleranceand enlight-
eminent which followed is due the fact
that am able to stand here tonight In
the midst OF a body of valiant men who
have followed the drum and trumpet to
battle, and proclaim the doctrine that
1.-THE press Is mightier than the sword -
1t requires nOcsmall. amount of courage
to do this. for. thereis a Etraditlon that
even IN this liberal age the men OF my
profession. who hang about the ski OF
armies in time of war, are held to be
but little better than spies. The cease.
less activity, the daring enterprise, the
Unsuitable curiosity and the reckless
energy OF the army correspondent may
make him nuisance TO the generals;
but there can be n6WaE. without history.
and there is no historian, like the Mer-
curry OF the omfivorous newspaper
press, who sits at the, camp fires, rides
with the cavalry, lies in The trenches
and follows the stormers. into the deadly
breaches. Whatever there lis .ot the
heroic and chiyalric in war, he grasps
and sends ringing down the grooves OF
change along with iks .grsat world.
Battle-pictures, such sas tfe great YER
net might have neVef hoped to paint,
tall from his unerfiRg pen like leaves. of
autumn, and last assfidt the scnnabpeus
records of the hour sNetifsr it is II
Pryor standing and Hsing bullets and
hurting spears, skatching the dying
struggles ot the ksasahtee army, or the
gallant Forbes, ritiug day and night
across the trackIsss meaiy fields and
of southern Africa, to carry
to the English people the first intelll-
gence of the bloody buttie of Isandull.
the record oi the press in modern war
fare is one OF Spartan bravery marvellous
endurance and unquestiOned inteIlt-
gence. 'z. .
When the British army Went down
into the Crimea in 1854, equipped tor II
holiday excursion, the laundering which
sent gallant men to perish in summer
amid SHOWS and 10 die OF chol-
era and levers in hospitals but hall sup
piled with medicines and comforts was
first exposed by the ubiquitous CORES
pondent. 1t was the sorrowful story
told by the graphic Russell week after
week IN letters to the Times that reused
the English nation to sense OF duty to
It's suffering soldiers in front of Sebas-
topol. Responsive to the laundering
clamors OF the press Game abundant
supplies and comfortable houses, the
doctors and nurses who rescued that de
emaciated aud sheltcrlcss
army, and enabled it TO convey in good
time to The exuilant Muscovile an idea
ot that indomitable Anglo-Saxon cour.
age which, as Macaulay says, sis never
50 sedate and stubborn as toward th,,
close OF doubtful and murdsrous day.
In our great war the correspondents
in the field were not only, as Pope has
it, "a mob OF gentlemen who wrote with
ease," but they were given to the per-
fOrmance OF chivalric deeds. 1t is safe
10 say that there was hardly Il piece OF
extra hazardous work in the line OF
that these adventurous
pltits were not first TO volunteer tor.
Lr. S. B. McCullagh, the present we'll
known and able editor of the Globe
Democrat OF this city, was early ideuti-
led with the Union army. He was in
he pilot-houseot the flagship st Louis at
Donaldson with Admiral Foote and tour
)ther person, when u she'll pierced 1t,
Killing two men and wounding three, the
ADMIRAL among the latter. In 1862, the
same correspondent. while acting as
volunteer aid to Nelson. ut Richmond.
Ky, was taken prisoner and parolrd
After exchange, he went to louisville
and joined Nelson's forces again, and
when Buell. aud Brsgg were marching
side by side in their memorable race
for tho Ohio river. he ;became the bearer
Df dispatches, and in the dead of night
Grove out into a country swarming with
rebel scouts and spies, and delivered 10
The disconsolate and uncel tain comluan-
der OF the tired and dusty federal army
The first glad tidings that he had had ior
weeks. Ills companion op this occasion
was Henry Willard, OF the New York
Tribune, now the president OF the
Northern Pacific railroad. Later on,
in 1868, Mr.. McCullagh was with the
tiotilla above Vicksburg. Col. Ellet he
of the ram Queen OF the
al nI tnr vol, =
blockade and ma ke a raid up Red river
Among those who were first to protlrr
themselves were three newspaper cores,
ondents--McCulIagh, Finley Anderson
OF the New York Herald. and Bodman OF
the Chicago Tribun.. The batteries at
vicksburs were safely passed hut the
daring vessel was subsequently blown
up BY shot from the enemy's batteries
at Fort Derussey. up Red lver. Am
derson was captured and carried To
Libby Prison. Bodman escaped IN a
yawl, and McCullagh fo,ted away on
bale OF raw cotton. A month later
three correspondents, Richardson, Knox
and Colburn, attempted to run the
Vicksburg blockade. They tell Into the
sneMy's hands. We're taken to Richm, md
aud subjected to q prison life which
they atterward made famous. Theo
DAVIS. the artist for Harper's Weekly,
was by tie side oil Gen. Mcpherson in
every engagement in thr V,ckSburr
campaign. and often took hand with
his carbine. He ire4ue-tly sketche,I
battles under fire. The first telegruph,c
between Piltsbure Land.
ing and the North after The battle ot
Shiloh, was established by two Herald
Chapman and Dove.
With their own force oi men they built u