Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-06

had been ordered from Texas to West Point
to serve there as Instructor Of cavalry and
! was acting as suSh at the breaking out
ana asked them what they were going to
do They replied that they were not GER
tain as yet, but at last I saw a report in
the the, New es York Herald stating that they had
potn resigned from the service. On that
same day I received telegram from my
fsther containing these words: DO as you
please He did not telegraph me to resign,
reply to this message. but at once went
ana got seven days leave Of absence to 60
10 ashlngton. intending to there offer my
F V As passed through New
known before. He, asked me where was
going and told him, was going to Wash
inston 70 resign my services to the Union
1 Wn:h,, He replied, We'll I am going to
Wen travel together. You can act as the
chle1 II we are stopped by the southern
ers, ana will do my part If there Is any
t tiou with the northerners as to our get
tliis through the lines I agreed to this
ana we travelled together At Havre de
arace we found the railway torn up and
hao 10 take steamer and go via Annap-
OILS, taking the railway from there to
Washington. AS we attempted to take the
steamer we We're told that we could not go
On poaro without pass. and that no one
couid De carried without an order from
Cen Ben Butler. Butler had charge Of the
eo"h ana ne was allowing only Unionists to
20 through AS heard this I said: Well,
MAJOR hearrey, that's your business
hearney said all right and, leaving me in
charge OF the baggage, he went up town
ana soon returned with passes for Major
hearney and friend. My name was not
mentioned. With these passes we easily got
me war department and reported and was
LOU that there were orders there for me.
ihese directed me to go to my regiment;
IT, ~. sald IN reply that my regiment was in
q Inf \ &l-<t
'nal II mao Just arrived at Carlisle, Pa.
The Story of Saddle.
Now. but for one reason would have
resigned at once" continued General Lee
mad. however, an army saddle in Phil
adelphia, which was very anxious to get
was something of horseman, and l
wished to use this saddle during my serv-
zee IN the south. When l received the or
GERS IL seemed to me that l might go to
Carhsle and march back to Washington
with my regiment. l would be able to
pass through Philadelphia ana could bring
my saddle with me, and then resign thus
SAVING the saddle. 1t was foolish idea
out carried 1t out. / said nothing to any
one about my intended resignation.
merely saluted, took my orders and left
1or Carlisle. / got the saddle at Philadel-
phia ard carried it with me to my regi-
ment; l found that a numDer of the off,
GERS mad already resigned. General Stone
man was in Philadelphia and he made me
one OF his adjutants. He told me we would
leave at once for Washington, and shortly
a1ter TINS we marched to The capital and
encamped Just outside the city on the edge
CT the 'th street road. The first thing l
Gid was to ask leave to go into the city
inns was granted. and l was ordered to
get forage and food for the soldiers. Be
fore leaving l gave directions to an orderly
TO take my trunk to the National Hotel
and tell the clerk to have 1t kept there un-
III called for then took my horse, with
On
city. l first delivered the orders for the
forage and food and then went to the ho-
tel Here took the saddle from my horse
ana sent 1t upstairs directing the orderly
10 take the horse back to he camp I
followed the saddle had my trunk sent I'D
70 my room and at once changed my
clothes, putting 'on citizens dress and
packing my uniform. and saddle in nv
lruilk l then went down and paid my bill
ana bargained with a.cabman 10 take me
ten miles into Virginia. He charged me
ten dollars. l remember. My trunk was
put on the back OF the cab, and we drove
out over the Long bridge to Rerks station,
whence 1 went Oh to Richmond. Soon
after this Long bridge and all of the other
avenues out of the capital We're guarded.
l got away just in time and soon after
sent IN my resignation. l then enter
ed the southern army and remained in IT
until the war closed
The Cavalry ofathe4 North and South.
GU were at the head of the cavalry
OF the southern army! General Lee. How
did your troops compare with ours?"
Il think our cavalry at the beginning of
the war was better than that of the
north" replied General Lee. Each man
had, you know, his own horse and in
most cases a horse which he lad been &C
cuStomed to riding. He brought his horse
from his home to the field, the government
paying him for its use and keep. The re-
suit was that we had better horses than
the north. Then the rank and file of the
cavalry were made up of men Of good edu-
cation and standing, and in most cases of
men of some means"
Did you yourself think at the start, gen.
eral, that the south could succeedH'
Yes, believed and nearly all the soutb
erners believed that we were almost sure
of eventually succeeding This was the
case at the battle of Gettysburg. After
that we changed our minds and gradually
came to see that the northern forces were
so superior that they could beat US in the
end"
Suppose the war were to be fought over
again, would the result be the same?''
No one can tell" replied Cen ZEE HAD
we the same forces now that we had then
and added to this the benefit of our ex-
perience, the result might be different Rn.
STILL what the south could have done might
have been counterbalanced by other ac
tons on the part of the north and no
one can tell what the result would have
Deen. The war is, however over for good
between the north and the south The sec
tons united, and not divided. :"
Suppose, general, the south had suc
ceeded?"
In that case there would have been
another great republic south of Mason ana
D!NCE's line. The country would prohahIv
have developed rapidly Charleston Sa
vannah, New Orleans and Mobile would
have been great cities, to a large extent
monopolzng the trade of the south and
having in all probability a great trade
with Europe"
The Solid South and the Negro.
How about the solid south. earer.,o
Many republicans believe 1t will be broken
during the coming campaign"
II think 1t very doubtful" rerlted Dan.
eral Lee. Our people are too much afraid
o. the re-enactment in some form of
measure like the force bill to vote the
republican ticket
How about the negro question? What
is gonig to become Of the negro, ANYHOW,
II believe that the whites are always
going to CONT oil the states They cannot
do otherwise Our people will never smb
nit to the rule Of the negroes AS thew are
at present there Is no danger, but to give
them the power and opportunities for mis-
government and corruption suvn az cyist
ed in the days Of so-called reconstruction
would be, to say the least, a condition
/ ~