Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-01-01
EDITORS BOOK TABLE
THE WAR HISTORY or NORFOLK
couNTYTN VIRGINIA.
eseahonsass story weyea Into no-
msace~The Writings ofJshers
sen--f.itcrary Notes. &c.


History OF ne Soldiers and Sailors Of Nor
JoLk County, Nor5ok ciig. and Pcrisaoalh.
WAC Serred IN ne Confederate Sidfes Army
on Mary. By Jofsx w. II. PoErKB, cotIi-
rads OF Stonewall Camp, Confederate
Veterans, OF Portsmouth. Va Porte.
mouth. Va: w. A. FrsEE. printer and
bcokbinder. 1872. Pages. 3e6. ci.D.
The DIspaTcH made q statement several
days $50 quoting from another source,
true that but one county in Virginia bad
had ITS history written. Since then has
come into our hands the above work. not.
indeed, complete history Of Norfolk
county from the beginning, put history
Of the Confederate soldiers and sailors OF
the county. including the cities OF Norfolk
and Portsmouth. for the four years OF the
war (isci 1e5). This is, perhaps, the only
book Of precisely its character and scope
written Ia Virginia for yireinians. and II
other COMMITTEES follow this precedent in
collecting their records the history OF VIZ
ginis and Vireinians in tho war would soon
IA. forthcoming. For instance, there was
re reunion OF the Howitzors in Richmond
few days AGO end an imUassioned Grafton
was delivered. Why should not the
history Of that organization, their deeds
md records, be perpetuated? Aeood deal
of the necessary material, we believe, Is
already in print in pamphlet form.
In the present work accuracy and fulness
OF detail are primarily aimed at, and, we
may presume. is in the main attained. The
author has been very painstaNng. AID
where lie has failed TO give data u was be
cause he could not obtain them. The work
of gathering together these facts was post
poned so long after the close Of the scenes
herein recorded, and so many OF those who
took part in them have died since they
laid down their arms. that the wonder ~.
not that much has been omitted. but that
so much has been collected and preserved
The author has given IL careful study, and
no accessible source Of information has
been neglected. He hopes, therefore, his
readers will approve what he has sue
ceeded in rescuing from oblivion, and not
criticise him for not having done better"
page 49,
The work IL. therefore. intended as a
book, not 70 entertain, but to be Of perma-
ncnt value as record, full OF facts ana
details, statistics aud company lists, data
most valuable for the historian. for the flu
tuTe student, and tor coming generations
among the citizens OF Norfolk county, VINO
will have recourse 10 1t for dates and names
md matter which might otherwise have
been wholly lost
IL is only the FIRST and last chapters that
are strictly narrative" The First Year OF
the War in Portsmouth" and THE Battle
in Hampton Roads" The rest Of the book
is mainly taken up with the organization
and muster-rolls of the several companies
which were organized in Norfolk county.
The author has "ascertained and pub
lished the names of ,0lS men from Nortolk
county, of whom $50 were killed or died
during the war; Liz who enlisted Ia Nor
folk city companies, OF whom l76 were
killed or died, and ,2i2 from Portsmouth,
of whom 1899 were killed or died. making a
total of 1879 men. of whom 6j5 gave up
their lives for the cause IN which they en-
listed, and hundreds Of others were dis
abled from wounds (prefaee)-this con-
shutting q remarkably high percentage OF
the white male population OF these cities
aud the county in 1861. Also, there was
hardly battle fought within the four years
in the South Atlantic States in which some
or other of these men did not engage.
While so little of the contents OF the
book IL devoted 10 narration, yet charac-
terisiic anecdotes of men and events are
scattered all through ITS pages. Such are ::
The attempt to blow M the dry dock Up.
14); the rifiing OF the Dahlgren guns %.
2b): secretary Mallory on expenditures
80. war that would be over IN six months
lp. 27) the scarcity of iron and metal lp.
80; the ladies' sewing circles and care Tor
the sick Up. 29l; the evacuation OF Nor
felix and Portsmoutb-its distressing
scenes aud dire results as policy o. Sl-'9)
,ndlgniiies imposed upon the Rev. John
Ninrbeld (p. 3D: difficulties between
Colonel Roger A. Pryor and some of his
troops O.. Il, y. 81. and y. so; Captain
CtocKeit rtpdrioe and bravery o.. eSl;
Captain Kearns's oratory (p. 80; Picketts
charge tat Gettysburg Opp. lO9-1l3); battle
of the Crater up. -'S9, ETC., etc.
The two closing chapters are devoted TO
the iron-clad Virginia" (Merrimac), IN
which the circumstances and details of its
construction are narrated, and the author
enters q strong plea for Naval Constructor
JOINS l.. PoRTEE's rights 20 the original de.
signs and execution )erSiS the ella, ans of
Lieutenant JOHN NJ. BRooKE. The Merit
mae was not selected az the result OF any
plan. but simply because she had an en-
Cine in her winch could be utilized where
il was. and the Coniederates lacked the
facilities for building new engine for
new boat. The burned portion OF her was
cut away and the weight of her armor,
armament, &c, submerged the remainder,
30 that only her shield was out OF water.
it IL not probable thet Constructor PORTER
would have built new vessel with her
ends extending out under water beyond
her shield. He converted the Merrimac
into an iron-clad after that style through
necessity, and not from choice. They were
tho weak points Of the ship. The crew had
no place for recreation and were kept IN
the casemate; the ends were liable tospring
a leak, and being hidden from sight con-
fused the pilot In steering, besides retard-
ing the vessel" Page 36h).
The sketch of this famous war-shlp ~
concluded with this judgment: How
muoh more glorious would have been her
end. and how much higher her name would
have stood IN history. had her commander,
g lar fire. ~
Fortress Monroe and destroyed or dis
persed McClellan's feet of war-ships and
transports which were lying outside the
fort aud in York river" page 1863.
Pooahontas; A Story Of Virqinid. BY JonN
Il. MusICK, author of Columbia, Es-
teyan. st. Augustine. etc. Illustrated.
New York; Funk h Wagnalls Company.
1929, Pages S66. $3.50. Volume ~. OF the
Columbian Historical Novels.
The Funk 4 Wagnalls Company are
bringing out o series of Columbian Histori-
cal Novels. and this is the fourth volume
all by the same author, who writes his pre-
face from kirksyille, Mo. This preface
contains the gist OF the story as here told.
ANY impartial student OF the lite and
times of Captain SMITH viii accord him a
place among the great men OF the world;
He planned well, executed
promptly, but because of the interference
Of narrow minded meddlers failed. He
went through life handicapped, and Justice
was never done him until long after he
was beyond praise or condemnation.
SMIrA was unsuccessful in love as well a.
in business. He passionately
loved PoCAHosTAs. That she loved him
no one can doubt. That she was deceived
by RoLrR and believed SmrH dead there
can DO no question. Cheated of
her love and deceived by tho man who had
married her, the poor Girl did not long
survive the knowledge that SMITH lived.
but died OF broken heart at Gravesend;"
Which all comes in very appropriately
for the discussion now raging as to
whether the doughty Captain JoHN Is
worthy monument at the hands of Vir-
gilman patriots. For the diverse side OF
the portrait the reader ~ referred 70 Az
EXAMPLE Bsows's "Genesis of the United
States" OF his receat article in the Octo-
Der 4Qdatsc Monthly.
SO hero wo have the PooAHoSrAs-SNITR
legend idealized. exaggerated. colored-all
well enough, possibly, for children and the
Young in order TO lend an interest to early
A. =.