The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-11
OUR GREAT MEN.
Apps Comment on App1eton's
CyClopedia Of Biography.
a Dispatch That General Forrest Wrote
From Fort Pillow-What He Would
do lie was Surrounded.

! the history of great men. It Is better than
romonce. 1t is example and encouragement
| OF course the biography OF most OF these men
and women Is very brief but concerning all it
is valuable rs a book OF reference. Where and
| when was he born, and what did he DO and
when did he dio2 How often are these ques-
| tons asked in the household, and how often do
! they remain unanswered?
| The most gratifying feature of this new
| work is tho prominence given TO the
| southern people. The time seems to have ar
rived when these liberal northern publishers
say to the south: 1--WE are one people, your
record is as good as ours and shall have an
equal place" Our governors, senators, JuTists,
| authors, inventors, soldiers and preachers of
renown are in this work. Especial attention
has been given to the statesmen and generals
| who figured Prominently in the late war, and
! these Biographies have been written by south
| ern men, and seem TO have been written in
| calm, conservative, unprcjudiced spirit. JEFF
ferson Davis should have had steel cngrav-
| ing like General Lee, but VIC will let that pass
| until after he dies, and then maybe his enc
mics will be reconcilcd. Thanks to the good
| Lord tor letting him outive most Of them!
Some of these biographies are as amusing as
| they are instructive
Thomas Jordan writes the history Of General
! Forrest, and says that when Fort Pillow was
| taken Forrest wrote a hurried dispatch which
| is still preserved and reads and spells as fol-
lows:
1--WE busted the fort at ninerclok and scatcrd
| the niggers. The men is still cillanem in
| the woods. Them rs was cotch with spoons
| and brestpius and SIGH was cilld and the rest
was payIoId and tod to git"
Bnt it takos less spelling to do fighting than
| anything else. Not long ago one of General
Forests officers told me thata big, long rough
| fellow came down from tho mountains with a
| lot of men and asked to ioiTS the command.
| it was soon Dissolved that he Lad no military
sense whatever, and the general was notified
| that this now captain would make mischief
and ought to be reduced to a private.
| Forrest had him brought to his tent
and said Captain Jinks, If you and your
company was sent out on scout and was to
| come suddenly upon regiment of yankees,
| what would you do?" "I'd charge EN-, gen.
| raj, charge EN-"
| "Wel but suppose there were two or three
| regiments and they was to surround you before
| you knew it, what would you do?' I'D
charge them in the flank, gen'ral, right in TIE
flank, sir" "Well, but suppose they wouldn't
give way when you charged 'em, but Just
closed up on you?' 'I'd charge 'em ag'in,
gen raj, and keep on chargin' 'em ontil sum
thin dropped. Why, gen raj, amt this here
our country, and our woods, and our fields, and
our new groun' Is, and our tater patches; what
bsiness hay' they got here no how, and if
they don't want to be charged let
'em git" The general sent him back
to)his company and remarked 'I'll find a use
for that man, see ii don't l hope his men
In glancng over these biographies one is
surprised to find that so many of our notable
southern men of the past generation were ma
tiyes of Now England or came from north of
Mason and l)iXion's line-suoh men Us War
ncr and Berricn and Tom Butler King and
Alderman and DIR. Church, There is hardly
community in The southern states that does
not number among its best citizens some
northern people, who yeass before the war
made the sunny south their home Their at
fnflfmgnfa Ia he lp how
boon marked for half n century, and was
proven in the soverest trial that was possible
TO make--thc trial that called upon them
TO choose between the north and the south in
the late unhappy war. Their devotion to an
adopted mother lisa tribute to our social sys-
tenn, our hospitality, our business methods and
our exemption from the small preiudices that
usually 0iHict not only communities, but states
and nations. The southern people do not go
north to live, but thousands of northcrucrs
come SOUTH and they come TO stay. 1t takes
but short time for thom TO affiliate and
amalgamate and become identified with us So
cially and politically. They do not weaken
the "Solid South" but strengthen il. The
yankees who yentuIed here in the early part
of this century mtermarried with our people
and their descendants are all over the~laud
and have proved 10 be n splendid cross
Their ancestors brought with them prudence,
perseverance, set-rclianco and love If law
and order, and, in most eases, they have trans
mi!tcd these virtues to their children. They
were generally merchants or sehoolteachcFs.
me merchants prospered' ana many OF the
teaehcfs became lawyers ana edltors ana at
tan e. distinction, ana We've rewarded by our
people with the highest hohors IN the hhd
IN my own town. whore was bonn and
reared, l recall haWseh, ana Norton, ana
Smlth ana M0ithee' WHO were merchants and
lal "ha Whitman VINO were physlclans OF
r-heWh' &nu Nhester, a icoracu ANA fearless
lawyer VINO perled ms Eoed name ny detend-
ing the yankee missionaries, bUtier ana
orceaief. WHO We're charged with being spies
and lncehdlaHes. ! reinemberM MISS CGoleEpWho
Taught the nTSt school everatiended' She was
irom New Ln2l2nd, aud Was sister to Hollis
NoVleN, OF Aome, one Vl the pulost ana best
| men l ever NheW-a man who mover had a
| lawsuit nor an mpleasanWeSs Wth amy ono
| curing q long ana active NE, and Vet ao0umu-
| lated large estate he rcated a family II
| boaetiioI daughters, VINO as wives and moth
| tf0 grace Inc homes oi some OF our most nota-
! Ne a'Qsehs' lhen taGre was MISS Ryan ana
| MES AN';&ss Rn% Mlss andrews ana Mss
| Ne'lS anu A,E " hSoA ana Nh spencer az 81
| t''m l,VW lAe nottH' ana VINO taught schooi
! IN cur toWh' ne SAhAoSS were we MoAeers
| IN southern ou6Ialon' iil'am warner our
| ISa',Vd cA!Si yuSS'ee Tor tuhty years was one
/ f..afI 4 Fl r.