Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-03
THE MANY OBSCURE HEROES.
nRAvE MEN OF THE BORDER WHO
DATTLED IN THE CIVIL WAR.


nHtlNc state lor tlo pflnclphl part oi ms
characteristic speech ON 1.-THE Obscure
Heroes Of tho Border" delivered in the
house recently. Tho speech was mado
with the nyowed purpose OF killing tho
bill for the creation OF a retired list In tho
revenue marine service, but 1t was much
moro entertaining than the usual dull talk
against time. Mr. Clark was born and
reared near Lawtencehurg IN Anderson
county. This fact makes clearer some ref
eronoes to his youthful experiences as re-
lated In his address, flo said in part;
My theme today Is the heroes OF the
border states during tho war, Of both tho
blue md the gray. said on Saturday,
and they laughed and jeercd at me for the
assertion, that was just about your too
young to squeeze into tho war. They
thought that was funny. They do not
know how n man feels who was born and
has lived all his life in that thin border.
land-Kentucky West Virginia, Missouri,
Kansas and Tennessee Mr.. Chairman, 10
tho history OF those five states could be
written, 1t wuuld discount all Of Sir Wal
ter Scott's novels. There my people md
my wifa's people lived and died. There
my children were born. There two Of
them lie buried. 1 love tho people Of that
hordorlund - tho best, the noblcst, the
brayest people under hedyon--and hate
the men who ieor OF them. nm going to
toll you how u border man feels. He is
not bully, he Is not quarrolsomc, but he
understands how 10 tuke his own pnrt. Il
happened to me, Mr.. Speaker, TINT ] WINS
born and reared In Kentucky, that lived
two .eurs in West Virginia, and most poo
pie IA that state believe wns born and
raised there, am much Obliged to them
for tho Kind things they hive said about
me. ! lived ii weeks in Kansas, md l
spent the remainder OF my life In Mis-
sonrl. When the war began, / was II
years old. / was boy. l wanted to 70
into tho army. They laughed the other
day when L said tried to got into both
armies Tint is tho truth. It matter
OF history, aud / nm going to repeat 1t to.
day. a boy OF my tender years had no
politics l tried to join Frank Wolford's
cavalry. They would not have me.
tried to Join Morgan's, and they would not
hnyo me.
Down there where was living one
company went into Frank Wolfords cav.
airy, and another won't into John Nor
gan's cavalry. Woliord was tho very best
specimen Of tho human rnco thut over
stood ON this floor. lie sat in this congress
twice lie was u rough Kentucky noun
tain lawyer, and when you hive said that
you have passed tho highest encomium
that can be passed on q lawyer. He would
not wear n colunol's uniform. Ho wore
that OF q private They said that they
never could set enough OF that regiment
together 70 have a drcss parade, except on
the eve OF battle, and thun they gathered
in from the four quarters of the compass
When tho war closed there were not
enough men loft Of that gallant band to
have roll call on the field Of battle The
truth 10 that tho First Kentucky Federal
cavalry died in tho field OF battle Silas
Adams, obscure hero, Its last colonel, was
tho youngest man In the regiment. Some
way hn escaped to live, though he was
badly shot and had to DO taken to hos.
pital
From tho very same neighborhood
company went into Morgan's caynlry.
They were made up Of tho flower Of tho
Kentucky chivalry ! am glad to know
thnt the colonel OF tho First Kentucky
Federal cavalry sits over On that side; that
tho colonel of Morgan's uracl, regiment,
Governor McCroary, sits over hore, and
that Colonel William &. p. Brcukinridge,
who went in as private and fought lis
way to acolonel's commission In tho finest
band Of soldiers that Cyor rodo to battle,
also sits here, ! am proud to be Ken.
tuesian among such kcntucklans.
Il remember when l was n boy tho 10.
frain went through Kentucky:
"John Morgan's heel Is on thy shore.
Kentucky, Oh, Eontuclsyi
His hand Ia On thy stable door,
kentucky, oh, Kentucky
You never sec your good gray mare any
more
He'll ridn her tin hor back sgore
And drop her at some Strangers door,
Kentucky, oh, kentucky
"'rhat song has been running through
my head md singing in my heart over
since.
II want to tell you hoy Morgan traded
horses They say that You can tell whcro
Morgan marched through Ohio and Indi
ana yet by tho good breed OF horses that
arc through therc, Ho took tho good Ken.
lucky horses and rode them, you know,
until they got stove up, and then he drop.
ped them. Hero Is the way he swnpped
horses; He would como across man In
Kentucky, and he would say, You have
good horse and want IT.. II tho man
would say, i am Union man, he would
say, We'll, will conflsoato it. II the
man said, I am a rebel, he would say,
You ought to contribute tho horse to tho
cause OF good government. Anyhow he
took the horse.
Obscure heroosl Mr.. Chairman, 1
want to say now In the face OF tho Amer.
lean people that II tho men who served ON
the Federal side who came from tho Dor.
dec states during the war had served on
the Confederate side the result OF tho war
would have been different. Take the ~
GOO Federal soldiers from Kentucky Tho.
odore Roosevelt says they were the finest
mon In tho army. l believe him on that
although I do not bolicyo a
word ho snys about civil service reform.
Take the 10, 900 or 20, 600 men from West
Virginia. Take tho gallant men from
Maryland Take the 95, 600 from cast Ten.
nessce. Take tho 90, 900 that Missouri sent
and put Frank Blair ut tho head OF them,
and the southern Confederacy would have
achieved It's Independence. These people
saved tho Union. They could have cstab-
lishod the Confederaty, Think Of Frank
Blair leading that host OF heroes In the
rebel armyl The charge Of the Old Gnard
ut Waterloo, the ihurgo OF tho Light brig
ado at Balakla,a, the charge Of Mad
Charles at Poltava, all pale into utter In
significance compared with what Blair
could have dnnoat tho head OF those Mary |
laDdcrl, West Virginians, 1ennesseeans,
hentuckians and Alissourlnns, With them
az MS back no could have marched to the |
frozen OCEAN.
And got evory timo that man says |
word about mans being Union man or I