The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-13
THE OLD GENERALS.
"reminiscences OF q West Pointer.
WASHINGTON Corresnondenee Roaton Advarti

Washington Correspondence Boston Advert
ser.
Twenty years ago the North kept in
mind the leading generals on the rebel
side, and discussed their merits with
as much interest as was shown in the
leaders of its own armies. Many OF
them had been prominent in the regu-
lar army before the war. Some were
connected with Northern families.
what has become of these men ~ l
asked an old West Pointer and brill
liant general officer the other day. He
thought minute. "Why, the major
lty of them are dead,' was the reply.
Then he went on to take up some OF
those historic names. With many of
their owners be had served In Mexico
and in Indian wars without number.
"Y es, the greater part of these men
are dead; a much larger propo rtion
than of our Northern generals.
After the war most of them broke
down. The fact was, the rebels SUIT
fered more than we did. They had a
harder time in the field, lived poorly
and were more disposed to disease
than our men. Lee, Anderson, Bragg,
Magruder, Breckenridge, Hood, Picket,
Forrest, Price, Pemberton, Dick Tay-
lor, Pillow, Floyd, Hardee and Ewell
were among them. The majority had
been in the regular army. They went
with the South for state pride and in
part because they were frozen out. [
shall not forget Anderson. He was
captain in the dragons out in Utah.
When his resignation was accepted,
and he went away from the rest of us,
the tears were in his eyes. i am go
ing back to South Carolina to raise
hogs and hominy until the war is
over he said, Il will never fight the
old flag But in month the tide was
too strong for him. They made him
military governor of Charleston and
a CORPS con. mander in Lees army. He
died of broken heart right after the
war. Lee never waited to resign, but,
like Johnston, he was made to feel
that the northern officers distrusted
him. It was so With ohnston. In 81 he
was Quartermaster General, but old
Simon Cameron transacted all his
business with subordinate officers. Al
last Johnston went to him. Mr.. Sec
retary,' he said, you pay no attention
to me- No. was the reply, 'yoa are
Virginian, and sympathize with the
but shall resign, rather than be ig-
nored. 1t is not because | have any
desire to join the SOUTH Yet IN three
months he had drifted into Generals
commission in Dixie. Johnston is an
old man now, not less than seventy
five. Bragg died several years ago,
at his home in North Carolina. L
knew him in the Mexican war. He
80 orkilIoru ond nna
of the bravest men in the army. But
he was martinez, and his men hated
him. At Monterey some of them hid
a lighted six-inch shell under his bed.
The explosion blew Bragg one hun
dred feet and wrecked the tent, but
but he was not hurt. And yet they
had sort of pride in him. During
the whole war his old battery carried
'Bragg's artillery on its guidons.
Some of the volunteers were mad
about it, but in vain. Margruder
died ten years ago. Forrest, the muir
derer of negro prisoners at Fort Pll-
low, lived only little while after the
surrender. So it was with Ewell, Lee
bravest lieutenant, who rode strapped
to his saddle in every campaign after
the first Bull Run, where he lost a
leg. He was breveted for bravery at
| Cherubusco. There was Hardee. He
! was heutenant-colonel of Dragons
at tnirty-nine, but he went south
with the rest. After the war he
started the first orange plantation il
Florida, and died there three or four
years ago. Price is dead. SO is Dick
Taylor. Taylor was Jefferson Davis
! brother-in-law, and made lieutenant
general on that account. Pemberton
| lived out the remnant of his days at
Philadelphia. He never recovered
from his surrender to Grant az Vicks-
burg. OF the few Northern men who
| Joined the rebels he was one, but his
wife was Southern and carried him
over. Another case was Roswell
Ripley, of Ohio. He Was Il West
| Point graduate, and did well in Mex
leo. His wife was a South Caroline
woman. That was the secret OF hi:
choice. During the whole war ht
commanded Fort Sumter and de
Tended it bravely. am told that h'
and Quincy A. Gilmore were boys TO
gether in the same neighborhood IT
Ohio. If that was So they must have
thought of it when Gilmore sat dowI
| on Morris Island to shell Ripley
out of Sumter. Floyd, Buchanan
secretary Of war, never CAM
to the surface after his midnight dc
sertiOn OF Fort Donelson. illow
his comrade in that trip, lived on hi
plantation in Tennessee a lew year
after the hostilitie5 ceased. He hat
been a naJor-general in the Mexican
war, and did creditable service there
/ believe he was President Folks Law
partner, and got the appointment
, that way. The pluckiest man in tn
war was George Pickett. He was
Young second lieutenant just from tn
! academy in 1916, and was assigned Z
! department IN Washington Terri