The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-25
SOUTHERN BRIGADIERS.
CONFEDERATE VETERANS WHO
OCCUPY SEATS IN CONGRESS.

Confederate Volunteers, and Seven
Out of Eight from Alabama-The IL
lustrious Mai Gen. Joseph Wheeler,
ofCavalry Fame Eight Of the Eleven
Texans Fought the Fight of Seces-
sion-The Old Dominion Sends Eight
Ex-Confederate Soldiers Out of Ten
Representatives
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-The Confederate
Brigadier in Congress has attracted more
than his share of attention from the nation.
He is swamped in numbers by his brother,
the Federal BrigadIer. The Congressional
Directory gives the record. There are TAI
veterans of the war in the House of Repre-
sentatives. More than third of the mem
bers saw service in the field Fifty eight
were Confederate and 50 Union soldiers. All
are Cahed Brigadiers, but very few of them
were really Generals. Only six from the
South and fifteen from the North are enti-
tied TO that rank, if the Directoryls correct.
The Federal Brigadier outnumbers his Con-
federate brother by just two and hall to
one. 1t is a great leverage numerically,
but not elsewise. The Confederates seem to
gain intellectually what they lack in mum
Ders. Thrty-one Of the hity-eght
Sout, ern soldiers and torty-slx
Of the eigbty-three Northern veter-
ans enlisted as privates. One or two
climbed TO the rank of Major General,
score became Colonies and Majors and one
at least reached the exalted station of
Sergeant Major All the others, if the
directory is correct, were Captains, Lieu
tenants, and privates. The Confederate
P,i,r liAt- IN IA
attentive to his duties. He is studious
committeeman, and is usually to be found
in his seat. The Federal Brigadier is, of
course, more noisy and demonstratlve.
This is especially the case where he hap
pens to be Republican. When heated i'll
debate he seems "a forget his Democratic
comrades in the Union army and includes
them in his wild assaults upon the six
Confederate Brigadiers. He tries to
set the heart OF the country athrob by
turning the hand of time back to the
glorious achievements of the war, This
he does whenever party necessity seems
to require it, At such times he exaggerates
the inheritance of his brother, the Confed-
erate brigadier, and burdens his shoulders
with many an ugly ana unjust reflection.
He is usually forced to cross swords with
Grand Army Democrats in such assaults.
The Confederate veterans never refer to
JDelr heroic u60ClS uilleeS JdulTou DeyOnu
endurance. Then they flash into light like
hickory Goals before a rainstorm, and glow
until they are buried in the ashes of debate.
The Directory shows remarkable parallels
and contrasts The seven members from
Mississippi all fought in the Confederate
army. They are matched by the seven rep
resentatives from Kansas, all of whom
served their time in the Union army. Lou
isana, Maryland-my Maryland-and Del
aware are the only Southern States uurep-
resented by Confederate veterans. The
North presents schedule equally remarka-
able. 1t is not astonishing, perhaps, that
Nevada shows no Grand Army badge, but
when the States which gave gallant Phil
Kearney, heroic + d. Baker, and brilliant
Alfred H. Terry to the Union army send not
even private soldier to represent them
in the Fiftleth Congress, it causes COM
ment South Carolina and Massachusetts
probably did more to bring on the war
than all the other States combined; yet five
out of the seven Representatives from the
Palmetto State wereConfederate volunteers,
and only two out OF the eleven from the Bay
State were Union soldiers. One of the two
was a paymaster The Excelsior State of
the North compares unfavorable with the
Excelsior State of the South. Five out of
ten of the Georgia members are veterans of
the war, and only eight of the thirty-four
from New York were Federal volunteers
Pennsylvania pans 8 out of 81; Ohio, IA out
81; Indiana, out of ID; Illinois, the home
of Logan, only 5 out of 20; Iowa, s out of
II, and Wisconsin, the home of Falrchlld, a
putative Grand Army candidate for Presi-
dent, only out of Q.
Let us look at the Directory's record
South. Seven out OF the eight Representa-
tives from Alabama were Confederates
Mai Gen. Joseph Wheeler, of cavalry fame,
is the most ilustrious of the seven. Gen
Wheeler ought to ride any kind of a horse
to perfection He weighs less than either
Gen. William Malone or Snapper Garrison.
He wears his hair like Custer, and always
appears in a close-buttoned black frock coat.
He is an untiring worker and rarely ad-
dresses the House, but when he does
arise he commands close attention The
other Alabama Brigadiers are Gen. Oates,
of Abbeville, and Gen. Forney, of Jack
sonville Gen. Oates lost his arm in his
twenty seventh battle. He has been in
Congress six years and stands in the front
as a solid, old-time debater. Gen. Forney
served throughout the war. and was among
those paroled at Appomattox. He has
served in the House twelve years. The
other Alabama Confederates are Col. Her
bert, of Montgomery, and Lieuts. Jones, of
Demopolis, and Cobb, of Tuskegee. Cobb
was made a prisoner at Gettysburg. Her
bert is the famous chairman of the Naval
Committee.
Four out of the five members from Ar
kansas served under the Confederacy. The
most noted Of the four is the son of John
c. Breckenridge, once Vice President of the
United States. Young Breckenridge was
midshipman in the Confederate navy. This
is his third term in Congress. He is care
full and studied speaker He lacks the ply
sique of his father, but is fully his equal in
intellect if not in oratory. Lieut. John H.
Rogers, Private POndexter Dunn, and Col.
Samuel w Peel are the other Confederate
representatives from Arkansas Rogers is
a watchful and wary workman. He and
Dunn are good speakers. Peel is a quiet
gentleman, reserved in manner and dispo-
sition.
Both of the Representatives from Florida
were Confederate soldiers. The youngest,
Charles Dougherty was boyish scout in
Upper Georgia during Sherman's raid His
colleague, r. II. NJ. Davidson, was Colonel
of Florida regiment, and was disabled by
a wound in the battles of the Wilderness.
Both men speak fluently when aroused. and
Dougherty is one of the Quaintest story
tellers in the House Davidson las been
ten years a Congressman.
Only half of the Georgia delegation saw
service in the war The most prominent is
Charles f. Crisp, of Americas. He was
Lieutenant in a Virginia regiment, and he
spent year i'm Fort Delaware. Crisp is
Chairman of the Committee on Elections,
and is a man Of wonderful ability. Col.
Allen u. Gambler, another Georgia Repre-
sentative was succesSiYelV private Lien