The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-30
"soRREL-ToP" GEORGIAN FIGHTS.

Capt. John Mil ledge Explains His
Toast at the Virginia Banquet.
To the Editor of The atlanta Journal:
In the very complimentary notice that
you made Of the speech made by me at the
close of the banquet on Gen. Lees birthday,
great mistake was made in stating that
had, in the preliminary remarks made by
me Introductory to the toast which l Of
fered to Gen. Fitz Lee of Virginia, stated
that 81 had had fight with Gen. Fitz Lee.
On reading the notice l was uncertain
whether 1 ought to correct it, and did not
do so at the time, because l think these mis-
takes that are sometimes made In the pa per
had best be unnotced, inasmuch as they
generally, if not OF much Importance pass
soon out of public notice, but my attention
has been called to this instance in such a
way as to make it seem proper to me that
| should correct what was an unintentional
mistake on the part of your reporter, and /
will state in brief what did say:
stated that l desired to offer toast to
one who, long years ago, before the war,
had been my friend under peculiar circum-
stances. That when l was a boy Is years
old, paie-faced, delicate, red-headed boy,
my father. conceiving that the only way to
give me the physical strength necessary for
any usefulness IN life was to put me at q
military school, and ] was sent to such a
school near the city of Baltimore. That
soon after reaching there l became imme.
diately a subject of torture by big, double
jointed boy from the western shore of
Maryland, who amused himself and the
other boys by applying to me such compli-
mentarY epithets as "red- headed wood
pecker, and sorreltop from Georgia"
Almost heartbroken with inconsistencies,
~
color Of my head at that time, this became
very serious matter to me, and l chal-
lenged the boy from the western shore of
Maryland. Bill Knight by name, to ring
fight on the college green. After looking
about for some boy 70 act as my second, l
secured the services of VIrginian some
years older than myself, who was recog-
nized leader IN all athletic sports,
who kindly consented to befriand me. At
the appointed hour a ring was formed and
the fight commenced. and after some MN
utes. in which both of us had a fall or two,
the fight was broken up by the appearance
of two professors, very much to my salts
faction, as by breaking up the fight they
probably saved me good beating, where
upon was Immediately conducted to the
pump by my second, who, washing the
blood from nv bruised face, remarked,
"Sorreltop, you'll do"
Years passed on.
My friend went to West Point, and /
returned to Georgia and entered the Georgia
Military Institute He graduated at West
Point, and distinguished himself just after
his graduation and just before the confed-
crate war, in the west by fighting the
Indians as lieutenant of cavalry. Years
| afterward, while passing through Gull
pepper court house, in command
of my battery, on my way to
| the second Manassas, | understood that my
second in the schoolboy fight was lying
wounded, q general of the cavalry. Allow
| ing my battery to proceed under a lieuten-
ant, | made my way to his room. He was
| lying upon a couch. and as l entered l said
General do you recognize mep' He said:
"Stop a minute! Georgia. Red-headed
Milledge," and greeted me cordially.
| He rose to be one of the greatest cavalry
generals on either side in the war. aud has
filed with marked ability AMI patriotism
the executive chair of his state since the
war. As knightly a gentleman as ever
couched the lance in the days of chivalry,
and as brave a cavalryman as rode to the
death at the battle of Belaklava, his name
Is Fitz Lee of Virginia. And the company,
| rising, drank to his health.
Perhaps this is a long way to explain a
little mistake, but do not care to be put
down as having had fight with Gen.
Fltz Lee Respectfully,
JOHN MILLEDGE.