The Northern Pacific farmer., 1884-02-14
THE REBEL GENERALS.
The Greae Msjorisy or the Leaders OF

The Gro0E mojOrltY OF the Leaders OF
the Southern Armies Dead-Pres-
ent Occupations OF the Remainder
+ "Reminiscences Of West Pointer.
7 FROM the Boston Advertiser.
Washington, Dec. 8.-Twenty years
ago the north kept in mind the leading
generals of the rebel side, and discussed
their merits with as much interest as
was shown with the leaders of its own
armies. Many Of them had been prom
inent in the regular army before the
war. Some were connected with north
ern families. "What has become Of
these men?" I asked of an old West
Pointer and brilliant general officer
the other day. He thought a
minute. "Why, the majority
of them are Dead" was the reply.
Then he went on to take up somo of
Of those historic names. With many of
thei: owners he had served in Mexico
and in India wars without number.
dead, q much larger proportion than of
our northern Generals. After the
war most of them broke down. The
fact was the rebels suffered more than
We did. They had harder time in the
field, lived poorly, and were disposed
to disease than our men. Lee, Anderson,
Bragg, Magruder, Breckenridge, Hood,
Forest, Price. Pemberton, 'Dick' Taylor,
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 for
get:Anderson. He was a captain in the
dragons out in Utah. When his resig-
nation was accepted and he went away
from the rest of US, the tears were III
hls eyes. II am going back to South
the war IS over," he said, II will never
fight the old flag" But in a month the
tide was too strong for him. They made
him Military Governor of Charleston
aud Corps commander in Lees army.
He died of a 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. 1t was so with Johnston. In 1861
he was Quartermaster General, bat old
Simon Cameron transacted all his bus
mess with subordinate officers. At last
Johnston went to him. "Mr. Secretary"
he said, "you pay no attention to me-"
No." was the reply; "you are Vir-
glnian, and synpathlzo with
ston, 'but | shall resign, rather than be
ignored. 1t is not because | have any
desire to join the SOUTH Yet in three
months he had drifted into general
commission in Dixie. Johnston is an
old man now, not less than IS. Bragg
died several years ago, at his home in
North Carolina. I knew him in the
Mexican war. He was captain of Artil-
lery then, and one Of the bravest men
in the army. But he was martinez,
and his men hated him. At Monterey
some of them hid lighted six-ounce
she'll under his bed. The explosion
blew Bragg 10O feet and wrecked the
tent, but he was not hurt. And yet they
had a sort of pride. During the whole
war his old battery carried Bragg's Artil-
lery, on its guidons. Some of the volun-
teers were mad about it, but in vain.
Magruder died ten years ago.
prisoners at Fort Pillow, lived only
little while after the surrender. So it
was with Ewell, Lees bravest lieuten-
ant, who rode strapped to his saddle in
every compajgn after the first Bull Run,
where he lost leg. He was breveted
for bravery at Cherubusco. There was
Hardee. lie was Lieutenant Colonel of
Dragoous at &c., but he went south with
the rest. After the war he started the
first orange plantation in 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 ac-
count. Pemberton lived out the remains
of his days at Philadelphia. He never re-
covered from his surrender to Grant at
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 West
Point graduate, and did we'll in Mexico.
His wife was South Carolina woman,
That was the secret Of his choice. Dur
ing the war he commanded Fort Sumter
and defended it bravely. I am told that
he and Quincy A. Gilmore were boys
together in the same neighborhood in
Ohio. If that was so, they must have
thought of it when Gilmore sat down on
Morris Island to she ell Ripley out Of
/ Sumter. Floyd, Buchanan's' secretary,
of war never came to the sur face after
son. Pillow, his comrade in that trip,
lived on his plantation in Tennessee
few years after hostilities ceased. He
had been maior-general in the Mexi.
can war, and did creditab!e service
there. I believe he was President
Polk's law partner, and got the appoint
ment that way. The pluckiest man in
the war was George Pickett.
He was young Second Lieutenant just
from the adademy in 1916, and was as
signed to department in Washington
Territory of which old Gen. Harvey was
in command. We we're quarreling then
over the boundary. Harney put Pickett
on San Juan Island, which connects Pu-
get Sound. He eld it against an Eng
lish squadron, and it has never been
| Gettysburg under: Longstreet. His as
sault of the third day was the greatest
| charge of the fight. His men fought
with mine about our guns. We drove
them back. but Pickett came nesrer WIN
ming that fight than it is pleasant to
think of. Yes, he is dead.
| "Of those who are alive, Re2uregard
and Jubal Early age managers OF the;
Louisiana lottery. They get $4,000
| each, and 80 great = The feeling still en-.
listing in the South over their generals,
that one of the lottesy lalana9en= told
me the other day that their names we're
worth more to tho company than their,
salaries. Both ..ef them we're West
Pointers and artillery officers, but Beau
regard never was a soldier. He is q
dapper Creole gentleman, and the
| Louisianians swear by him. Early
fought well. Iongstreet comes to Wash
ington occasionally. lie is United
States Marshal in Georgia, but his mag
nifcent physique is showing the effects
| his wounds. In Mexico he and Grant
were Lieutenants in the same regi-
ments. After the war Grant induced
him to join the Republican party. He
| has been under ban in the South ever
since, but never without the consolation
of good Office. only remember one
other prominent rebel who is Re-
publican. McLaws was reconstructed
and is postmaster at Savannah. Lee
used to say of McLaws' division that it
was always ready for a fight. A good
many of them have drifted into politics
on the other side Joseph Wheeler,
weight 107 pounds, and the best cavalry
officer, next to Stuart, in rebeldom, is
member of Congress from Alabama; M.
G. Butler and Wade Hampton represent
South Carolina in the Senate. Butler
lost his right leg at Brandy Station in
1868, where Wade Hampton's son was
killed Hampton was one of the
richest men in the State. He raised,
armed and equipped, at bis own
expense, the Hampton Legion and
regiment of cavalry and artillery; Ma
L l. 4. ~-L