The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-05-08

THE DAYS OF WAR.
Arp INDUCES on Some NIcditations There
OH.
Atlanta Constitution.

Atlanta Constitution.
Memorial day-a day of memories
The word comes from the Latin "me-
mor"-to be mindful of something that
the mind is full of.
All over the Southern land, from Mary.
land to Texas, our people afe- commence
rating the day-a day sacred to the lost
cause and the heroes who fell fighting fol
it.
Was there ever such spectacle?
History does not record an instance Of
8 people holding memorial exercises over
their own defeat and year after year pay.
ing tribute to the dead and honor to the
loving patriots. What kind of treason is
this that comes with the flowers offspring
and where are the traitors? The scene is
enough to make the most relentless foe
stop for moment and wonder at the
lasting devotions of great people to o
cause they thought was right? Can such
a people be conquered by force? Is it not
better;for the Government to have their
love instead of their hate?
Memories come thick and fast now. II
is twenty nine years since I first saw an
army, great army prepared for fight and
desperately in earnest. It was at Win
chester, in the Old Dominion. Joe
Johnston vas there. He was in the
prime and vigor of manhood and looked
every inch soldier, IS he sat upon his
war horse or galloped away to some emf.
neuce that overlooked the enemy. All
that I had read of Napoleon and bis
marshals came back to me and seemed to
be realized. thought there were at least
hundred thousand men-around Buckle
town and Winchester, for I had not learn
ed to estimate them by sight, and every.
thing was n,agnified and multiplied. The
splendidly equipped artillery filed ne
with awe-the cavalry with admiration ;
while the sure and steady tread
of the infantry gave confidence most Of
all.
I saw old Joe and wondered how much
he knew-how much he could do.
Everything was centered in him and de.
pended on him. He was then ffty.two
years old, but looked about forty. During
the whole war I never saw man who
looked SO soldierly, so full of fight, SO
conscious of bis powers. The very cut Of
his hair and whiskers, the quick nervous
ness of bis motions, the bright intelli-
gence Of his hazel eyes, the easy, graceful
mount into his saddle, the fit of his
uniform, aud even the set of his polished
spurs excited the reverence and trust Of
every soldier in his command.
"Didn't you hear the roosters crow end
flop ther wings when old Joe went by"
said one of the boys.
Fighting was an old business to him. It
had been his life's work, his inspiration.
The sound of cannonading was music in
his ears, for he began service as lieuten
ant of artillery. He vas in the Black
Hawk war in 1882. he was aide decamp
to Gen. Scott iu the Seminole war in Flor.
ida in 1887, was wounded in the skull and
his uniform thirty bullet holes were
counted. He ran the boundary line be.
tween Texas and the United States in
1874. Was in the second Florida war in
1916; ran the boundary line between the
United States and the British provinces
in 1914 He was in all the noted battles
of Mexico in 1876 was the first man to
plant a flag on the fortress at Cerro Cor
do, and was badly wounded there. He
had charge of the survey of Texas in is
50, and was inspector general of Utah i'll
1855. This is only part Of his varied
SERVICES as q BOlQler.
No wonder he'd felt at home, when
placed in command of the southern army
No wonder that the boya had faith, and
were ready to follow where old Joe led.
We follow him from, Manassas to Seven
Pines, where he was again wounded, and
no one ever doubted his ability 10 out
general the foe. He was always cour-
teous Virginia gentleman. On two coca
sions General Toombs rcbelled against hii
military orders, and swore in bis wrath
that his boys should not obey them.
was present at one of their interviews
concerning the West Point rules that ole
Joe had ordered to be observed by the
brigade commandery. 1t began with 6
turbulent defiance from the impetuou!
Georgians and ended calm and serene
with bottle of apple brandy on the
table between them--old Joe's orders
were obeyed. Memory goes back to the
winter quarters at Centerville in 1862
when the boys lived high and the South
was iubilant and everything went merry
as a marriage bell. The commissary
department was full of supplies. Sugar
and coffee and flour and lard were issued
as rations, and whiskey was abundant il
the hospitals. We bought chickens ane
turkeys and eggs and apples from the
neighboriug farms. We had coloree
cooks and lived high, and drove dull care
and homesickness away as much as posi-
BILE. Old Joe gave parties sometimes tt
relieve the dreary winter its monotony
1 was thinking about one Of these ane
about whom I saw there and about tht
great big tub Of apple jack with the lem
ons floating on the exhilerating beverage
1 was thinking about Generals Wheat ant
Cheatham, and Tom Taylor ana Forney
and Lucius Lamar, and Benning, ant
Goulding, and Tom Cooper, and Toombs
and Waddell and Wilcox, and Cowart
and Wilson and u score of others whit
were there and now are dead-all dead
Cowart-big souled, big mouthe(
Cowart, whom old Joe summoned befor