Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1895-11-05
4 confederate,s Noble Work.
FROM the Atlanta Constitutional

nor of the committee from the United
Veterans, appointed to
consider the generous offer made by
Mr. Charles Broadway Rouss. of /
New York, in regard to the erection
If Confederate National Memorial
Hall.
Tie colonel has history. He is
. gallant Virginian who served
through the war on the Confederate
side. He was General Magruder's
chief of staff, and later commanded
the northwestern division of Magru-
der's district of Texas, with head
quarters at San Antonio. At the age
of twenty-five he organized the scot
ton bureau" in Texas, which sup
piled the Confederates of the trans
Mississippi department with their
arms and other necessary equip
ments.
After making the last surrender of
the war, Colonel Dickinson engaged
in business in Spanish-America, and
in twenty years accumulated for
tune large enough to enable him to
retire and lead a life of ease. For
some years past he has resided in
New York city, where he is the COM
mander of the Camp of Confederate
Veterans and president of the South
ern Democrats of the metropolis.
The colonel devotes his time and q
good portion of his means to public
and charitable objects, calculated to
benefit the old Confederates and the
south generally.
Naturally he is deeply interested
in the proposed Confederate Memoir
ial Hall, or Battle Abbey, which Mr.
Rouss offers to aid to the extent of
500, 900, provided the Confederate
veterans and the people of the south
will raise another 100000.
Mr.. Rouss is Virginian. He was
private in Company B, of the
Twelfth Virginia cavalry, Turner
Ashby's original company, which
was made up of volunteers from
around Winchester.
He remained private through the
war, but his individuality was so
striking that those who saw him
never forgot him. General Rosser
told the United Confederate Veter-
ans committee in Atlanta the other
day that he frequently saw Rouss do
ing hard fighting at the front and he
said that there was always certain to
be fight when his company, the black
horse cavalry, got in front of the
enemy.
General Rosser never met Mr..
Rouss until he saw him on the streets
in New York, years after the war,
He instantly remembered the face
which he had so often seen in battle
and made himself known to the DASH
ing cavalryman who had then be-
come one of New York's merchant
princes.
ga man has strong individuality,
said Colonel Dickinson, "when he
impresses strangers so that they rec
ognize him when they unexpectedly
meet him after dozen years or SO,
and are able to remember the cir
cumstances under which they first
met him.
The name of Charles Broadway
Rouss is an honored one in every
Confederate household, and in the
homes of the poor in every quarter of
the land.
The young Virginian landed in
New York shortly after the war,
without dime and without a friend
in the city. He went to work and
built up big business and made
himself many times millionaire.
He tries hard to make money, APP
parently because he wants to put it
where it is most needed. He has
donated hundreds of thousands of
dollars to various public and charit-
able objects in Virginia and else
where, and has helped hundreds of
old Confederates and their families.
He never ignores an appeal for help.
If it seems to come from a worthy
person he always responds.
Such generosity would bankrupt
many rich men, but it seems to in
crease his prosperity.
Colonel Dickinson is enthusiastic
over the latest scheme of Mr.. Rouss.
When the Confederate Veterans agree
upon the location of the proposed
Memorial Hall and raise 500, 900,
the New York millionaire will add
his 100000 to the fund. The hall
or abbey will be stately building,
which will be to the south what West
minister Abbey is to England.
1t will contain Confederate ar
chives, records, relics, literature, por-
traits and statues, and it may be
that some of our illustrious Confed-
crates will be buried there.
Such an edifice consecrated to such
an object will be in itself a chapter
of history, and it will attract visitors
from all over the world during the
coming generation.
The United Confederate Veterans
committee, which has been in ses-
sion here to consider the matter, is
composed of Colonel j. R. Mcintosh,
of Meridian, Miss. General George
II. Stewart, of South River, Nd;
General George d. johnson, of Tus-
caIoosa, Ala. Colonel j. B. Cary, of
Richmond, Va; General j. A. Chal-
eron, of New Orleans, La; Captain
B. III. league, of Aiken, S. c.;
Major w. r. Carrot, of Nashville,
Tam ColoneI John o. Casler of