Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-03-14
GEN. PAYNE ON EARLY.
A Splendid Defence of the Late Confederate
Commander.

Commander.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 2.-Spe
cial to the Rich IineS.-"My acquaint
ance with General Early began at
Manassas, in 1861, when he was Colonel
of the Twenty fourth Virginia Infan
try, and l was captain of the Black
Horse Cavalry. Our intercourse con
tinued through the war, growing ever
closer until the last year, when served
under his immediate orders. Since his
return from exile no year has elapsed
that he has not been an honOred guest
in my house.
II admin ed him as soldier, and loved
him as a man. He was an interesting
and striking person from the begin
ming. No more strongly marked. All
gular. and impressive character, not
excepting Stonewall Jackson. appear
ed amongst us during our agony and
bloody sweat. AS a soldier l believe
military judgment will rank him only
below Lee and Jackson. That most
veracious and misunderstanding pub
LEGATION known as The War Records
which is marring SO many regulations,
is constantly adding something to his.
He appears upon no battle field, not
even lost one, without credit to him
self, and the campaign which he con-
Quoted alone, when considered under
the fierce light which now beats upon
it, is one of the finest of the war. l
know that soldiers of mere prattle,
| without practice, and weakened and
| faithless comrades whose treason he
has made odious, will criticise him, but
those who loved and admired him know
that the records have cleared up the
cloud which once hung over defeat and
placed his fame beyond the reach of
| jealousy.
| General Early was man who i'm
pressed everybody that was thrown
with him. l question whether any
name, except Lees and Jackson's, was
so we'll known and SO often repeated in
the Army of Northern Virginia. You
must have observed that soldiers, and
men generally, have an odd method of
evincing their love and admiration by
the nicknames which they affix to and
the stories they tell upon the objects OF
their regard. The word old seems to
be term of affection. Genearal Early
was known to the Confederate army
and is known now not by the d1stin-
guished title which he won, but as Old
lube There were more stories told Of
him than of any other soldier, perhaps
except Jackson. His comrades, nota
bly, the private soldier, took more lib
critics with him than with any Other
commander. If a good story was cir
culating anywhere it was certain to be
located upon old Jube.' If there was
smart thing wandering fatherless
through the army it was at once af
filiated upon old Jube,' especially if il
was little pungent.
Nothing, however, can better illus
| - H. 1,,,y y, .ol,
pervaded the army than the fact thai
his name became to us what Caesars
was to the Romans. Brave as Jubal
Early was ou test for courage. be
lieve that all earthquake could have
rolled unheeded beneath his feet (by
the way. one did and it would not
have shaken that iron nerve and daunt
less heart. He was the most aggressive
and obstinate fighter that knew. The
war records will show that no man il
the Confederate army saw more fight
ing; no man was more eager to go in,
to quote phrase from General Grant
and no man stayed longer or was hard
er to get rid of. l have hope that the
man whom he most loves and who love'
him with filial like devotion, l mear
his aid camp, Major NOW Senator
John w. Daniel, will see that justic,
is done to his military career.
General Early was the most truth
? full man l ever knew. He was prosa
ically truthful. He not only neve
! equivocated or exaggerated himself
o but he never permitted anybody else
! to do so. He never allowed any of u
= to do any Dragging. He was Away
: under oath himself, and he required
y the same of everybody else. This ant
q his intolerant love for the Confederac,
made the old hero some enemies. An,
infidelity to the cause which he 1ove(
n better than his life; any weak gush o
= ignobler and less heroic natures, awak
= ened his fiercest wrath, and few mel
- have lived in our time who had great
3 3 er power for expressing their feeling
= than he. General Early was an abb
man, and would have been a distin
a guished one in any walk or pursuit.
His patriotism was of the mobiles
6 and most unseltish type. believe tina
: the Confederate cause was sort o
. religion to him, and l suspect that il
half pagan way the old man though
!, by this to say anything about Genera
q Early's real religion. He was a reticen
q man, and did net wear his thoughts O
: his heart upon his sleeve. No doub
!. he had thought that grave matter GU
:, for himself and found solution of tn,
: great mystery. In this, as in SOM
other matters, his horror of cant ant
. hypocrisy was carried SO far as to LEAF
others to sometimes misunderstood
+ him. | have reprOached him with pre-
/, ferring to appear worse instead of bet
: ter than he was from hatred of al
: | can't