The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-20
THE BRAVERY OF D. III. HILL AND
LEE IMPUGNED.

In another column Will be fOunu Wnh'
purports to be extracts from private
letters written by the late Gen. Il. Il. h
Cobb, Of Georgia, during the heat OF the
civil war.
To say that the expressions OF General
Cobb touching his contemporaries are SEN
sational does not, perhaps, adequately
characterize them; to say that they will
be painful to the thousands in the South
who proudly contemplate the memories
of all those mentioned, including the
memories Of both the gallant Cobbs is,
perhaps, unnecessary; to say that the bet
ter Judgment Of all people would have
counselled the suppression of
these sentiments. is necessarily
true, both for the reason that
the effect upon the reasonable read
er is distressing, and for the reason that
were General Cobb living to-day he no
doubt would greatly deprecate the his
toric preservation OF feelings that were
probably more the opinions Of an hour
IMAM mature COnVlCtlOnS.
Publications Of the last few years have
brought to light not few such animal
versions. To have them now dangled in
the public view may do harm in many
ways, but will not, at least, change, even
shade, the estimate Of such men as ID.
III. Hill and Lee and Hoke and Davis,
and the rest of them.
Why think of it! Lee keeping out of
range Of the enemy's fire." The shock
to the Southern mind will not allow it
to do more than state such thought.
Then who can be brought to the edge
Of the thought that d. III. Hill was a
man Of fear? Possibly if the poll of the
living Confederate veterans were taken
as to which General was least conscious
Of fear, the result would give the
name Of D. H. Hill. Really it has been
said by old North Carolina veterans that
D. H. Hill did not deserve credit for
being brave, because he actually was
born without knowledge Of fear.
And this brings us to the d. II. Hill,
Toombs incident, mentioned in the story
which forms the basis Of these remarks.
Under the present circumstances, it does
seem not only in taste, but almost OBJ
igatory, to mention a conversation be-
tween the Late Jubal A. Early and the
late d. II. Hill, Of which the writer has
distinct recollection, almost to the
word.
The two old Generals were sitting Wis
avis in the eighties in front of a COM
Portable fire one winter night, in the best
of humor and the best OF friends, as all
really brave men are. The conversation
had drifted, with softly glowing mel
lifuous flow meandering aimlessly but de-
lciously in and out among the battle
scenes of the war.
And after moments lull sold Jubal,"
1--WE use this soubriquet respectfully re-
marked jocularly:
Il heard Toombs backed you out.
They say you wouldn't fight him because
you were an elder in the church."
Taen came good laugh, after which
General Hill said he had ordered Toombs
back, adding, Coward that you are"'
These exact words were used and were
the cause of the challenge to Hill. Then
the old General said that he replied to
Toombs telling him that "there will soon
be battle, in which case il you, by your
action, disprove the charge made by me,
/ will retract what / said: IT not, the
words will have to stand" Inasmuch as
this incident was referred to, this version
from the lips Of General Hill * due.
But Hill and the Cobbs and Jackson
and Lee and Hoke and Branch and Stu
art and all the others-for structures to
be made by either upon the other, II ~
il the stars were to burst out with cha
otto blaze Of Jealousy because zone differ
eth from another in glory"
Do let 10 keep our skeletons in the
closet.
May Is almost here again, the time for
only the songs Of grief snd Of love that
come up from the lips Of Southern
blooms ovprvwhoro