The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-24
Passed the: Searching Examina.
ton With Exceptionally
High Honors.
The "Talk" of an Ex-Confederate at q
Grand Army OF the Repub ic
C mp Fire.

ACADEMY Is uLLluS u one OF
Americas most renowned of many re-
nowned families; besides, young Lee, who
is only 10 years old, passed an examina-
ton so highly creditable that he is per-
mitted to enter West Point without being
subjected to another, as is almost univer-
sally the case.
George Mason Lee is a son of William
Henry Fitzhugh Lee, and is, therefore, the
granddaughter of General Robert E. Lee.
He will be the fourth of the Lee family to
Ego through West Point, ard no doubt
he will come away with as many honors
as did his predecessors. 1t is said that
George Mason inherits the natural mill
tary qualities of the Lees. He has served
two and half years in the Virginia Mill
tary Institute, where he stood at the head
of his class when he left, and also held the
rank of color sergeant.
But talking about youn- Lees good for
tune sends my mind back to the long
days, yes TO the long years of the civil war,
in which participated on the side of the
gray because, as the theosophists say, it
was karmic law that sent me to that
side. | cannot realize that thirty-five
years have come and gone since I rode
away with Pap" Price to have ga little be-
fore breakfast fun" breakfast was not
announced until after four wears had
sunk into the everlasting past, but when
ii was announced there was gIadness
everywhere. 1t matters OF now whether
the war had to be or not, but one of the
greatest and most enduring results of the
strife is the feeling of admiration for the
mightiness of the proves of the blue and
the gray which they entertained, the one
for the other, and which makes the nations
OF the world admit that the American SOL
der has not now and never had a superior
on the earth.
This reminds me OF "talk" an ex-Con-
federate gave at a G. A. R. campfire, to
which he had been most cordially and
lovingly invited. After telling the regula-
ton number of ''jokes" he said: 1.-THE
war is over. 1t has been over nearly
third OF century, and / am sorry to say
that there are few in the North who wore
the blue and few in the South who wore
the gray who do not appear to know that
hosulltles ceased long years ago. But that
Is because they do not know how the
struggle was ended. 1 will tell you how 1
understood its closing to be. 1t was upon
the held OF Appomattox. The gray had
been driven from hill to plain and from
plain to bill, but upon every hill ard upon
every plain there was scattered that which
told that proud and determined American
manhood ad passed that way-the blue
and the gray.
"Appomattox was reached, and there
were no more hills, no more plains. but a
deep precipice stretched its roaring brink
q W fn rirxb
The gray stopped. The end had come.
But OF the ending?' asked the gray, one
OF another. Endless lines of the blue
moved steadily on in the mighty power of
sublime purpose. There stood long lines
OF gray upon the brink of yawning gap
In the earth, so to speak. In the glory of
proud self-respect and in the blaze of un-
daunteu courage they stood there Then.
out OF the gloom of the abyss beyond. to
which all eyes were drawn-the blue
and the gray-there arose two SOL
diers armed and equipped for deadly
struggle. Higher and still higher thew
arose until they reached higher than
mountain top, where they paused. The
gray Invested himself of his implements
OF war, as did the blue. The blue and
the gray and the gray and the
blue wrapped the stars and bars
around their guns; then, standing in the
clasp Of brotherly affection, raised their
death-deallng muskets, wrapped in the
bars and stars. and dropped them down
deep into the ocean of eternal forgetful-
ness, while out of the hearts of the long
lines OF the blue and the gray and the
gray and the blue there came all unfurled
the Stars and Stripes and drew all men
unto them But voice. 1t came down
from the land of wheat and corn-the land
of plenty-and up from where the orange
distils its perfume, and, like the voice of
one sentfr on high it said: Blue and
gray, gray and blue, love one another 1t
was the voice of Abraham Lincoln"
Of course there was not much to the
talk, but somehow it turned q stream of
1raternal feeling which made the cam pfire
ourn as 1t never burned before. There
were two or three ex-Confederates present
and such handshaking: such embracing
and so much of brother acmiring brother
l never before witnessed. II was "con-
rade" all the time, and stranger could
not have told which wore the blue and
which the gray.
After the "bartitack and SOW bellv'' had
been ISSUED" the comrades fell to TELLING
war stories, but as the blues had toId
theirs so often to one another they pressed
the grays into doing the "Reminiscences act.
and IN splendid good taste they confined
their tales OF war and fun to their own
side.
lone of the most amusing incidents.
said gray, happened in Virginia. 1t is
more or less a reflection upon a certain
Mississippi regiment, but no matter. 1t
was during one of those resting spells
which soldiers take when on a long
march by lounging about on the roadside.
TIE Mississippi regiment referred to
was taking 1t very comfortably. and,
as almost all soldiers do, poked Jun
at struggling soldiers of other commands
that happened to pass. A lean, long and
lank North Caroiinan came along and at
once the Mississippi boys began: Hello,
tarheel! Better stick little more tar
on, hadn't your Got tar in your canteen p
! say, are you from Buncombe County?'
Bet you are and have got bottle of tar
in your haversackr Tar up, old man, or
You may run away with YOURSELF The
North Carolinan held his peace until be
reached the head of the regiment where
the officers OF the regiment and brigade
were visiting, when he turned and faced
his tormentors and with a foghorn voice
said: Yes I'm a tarheeI, and / want to
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