The Somerset reporter., 1895-10-17


the Papers Career Wa Closed.
The story # Thu Rebel IN lis wander
inss over the south Is one Of interest.
survivors # the Army Of Tennessee es
pecially remember the little sheet that
found rs WY to the camps daily and
inspired the boys 20 renewed energy aud
hope for the cause they deemed the
right Like the loved and inspiring
Dixie The Rebel fired the southern
heart by lis very name
The Rebel first saw the light Aug /.
isG2, in Chattanooga It was a four
column folio, published by Franc NJ.
Paul Thousands Of copies were sent Ia
Bragg s army II Tullahoma, Tenn and
often the supply was inadequate 10 the
demand. owing to the fact that the pub
lisher's press, a drum cylinder, could
not print them fast enough Often tho
press was kept going all day 10 supply
the demand from the army suffers
SO popular did The Rebel become in
few weeks that the publisher in Octo-
Der, 1862 engaged the young but versa.
tile and rising journalist, Henry Wat.
terson, 10 edit the paper Mr. Paul
brought to the assistance Of Mr.. Waiter
son MI Albert Roberts, vigorous writ
or and trained journalist Of Nashville
He was a humorous writer. using the
nom dc plume If John Happy
Wattersan and Roberts kept The Rebel
AT white heat, and the paper grew in
importance and size, being made five
column raper shortly after the publica
ton began Well does the writer re
member the eagerness Of the army for
the only highly priced paper The boys
IN camp could not rest until its arrival
every morning On the train from Chat
tauuoRa
When General Bragg began ms retro
grade movement IN the spring Of 1868
t. Chattanooga. The Rebel WAS supplied
Ia the army with much difficulty. When
the army arrived there, tho paper was
in -till greater demand. In the summer
Of that year however, it became evi-
dent that the Federals were coming to
Chattanooga for the purpose of captur-
ing that important point And then it
was The Rebel began its meanderings
over the south.
The paper was removed to Marietta,
Ga. Messrs. Watterson and Roberts
staying in Chattanooga for u few days
after the plant bad been shipped. The
Smelling of Chattanooga in that month
soon convinced the editors that they,
too, must 60 If they would avoid cap
ture by the Federal army and they left
10 Join the paper Editor In Chief Wat
terson had been sharply cTiticislng Gen
eral Bragg while the paper WAS in Chat
tanooga. One evening he visited gen
tlemans house in that town, and it
happened that General Bragg was also
IA visitor. The two gentlemen had never
met, and while waiting for the host TO
appear, after being ushered into tho
parlor by "A servant, Wattersou and
Bragg began casual conversation which
soon turned upon the war Although no
knew he was in the presence Of an Off
Ger Of high rank, Watterson little sus-
pected it WAS the commander in chief
Of the army. He INDUCED in some crit
ieisIns of General Bragg AS he had been
DONG in The Rebel The general listen
ed for awhile IN almost speechless won.
der. but controlled himself till his fiery
critic bad abused HIM for some minutes,
when he arose. and addressing Mr. Wat
tersan asked
Do you know who | am, sir
The editor replied that be had not
that honor
My name is Bragg sir, . said tho
now fully aroused commander
OF course WattersOn was somewhat
taken aback. but in his most courtly
and chivalrous manner assured General
Bragg that he had not meant to be Of
fensiye, but that his criticisms were
made in good faith and from motives Of
sincere desire TO promote the welfare Of
the Confederacy But apologies were
not asked or given.
General Bragg, however, never forgot
nor forgave his critic. After the battle
of Chickamauga while the paper was
at Marietta, Watterson continued his at
tacks on General Bragg. who informed
the publisher of The Rebel that unless
the irate editor were discharged the pa
per could not come into his lines Mr.
Watterson then realized that he must
seek other friends, for he was not the
man to retract word nor to be dictated
to. As editor in chief he would write
his sentiments despite any one, so he
made arrangements to become one Of
the staff Of Lieutenant General Leonidas
Polk After serving short time in that
capacity Watterson resigned and became
editor Of one of the papers published in
Atlanta,
After an uneventful existence in Crit
fin for awhile the approach of the Fed
eral army to Atlanta in July of that
year warned the publisher that he must
move on if he would keep The Rebel
afioat and save his scalp, so it was taken
to Selma, Ala, that fall.
Here it was that the eventful paper
came to an untimely end with the Con
federacy it had so long and faithfully
upheld. 1t was in the latter part Of
April, 1865, that Selma was taken by
General Wilson The Federals knew of
the existence of The Rebel, and one Of
the first things they did to appease their
wrath was to fire its Office, which was
i'll building beside the river and built
partly over it. The Yankees printed a
small sheet, in which they announced
their victory over the "rebs'' and prob
ably the general orders from head
the armies of the southern Confederacy.