New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-26
LAMAR FONTAINE, POET.
SUBMITS PROOF TO SHOW THAT HE WROTE
ALL QUIET ALONG THE Porto
MAC TONIGHT"
From tn. Memphis Commercial-Appeal

From The Memphis Commercial Appeal
! MsS5 Lm HemDs ana Of fIn sPSs
he considers as positive proof Of his claim that he
P PoDoT It is letter written during The war
by Mississipr, youth TO his father stating that
the b; a the men aad the date Of the letter
is ahead Of the time the other claimants ,og ,he
p0em. Some time ago The Commercial- Appeal
10 be ee the fact auh fH9' of the
Immediately there was rival ooGnisaid aab and
wrought the he ba up 20 re po for h com
merciaA Appeal letter that had all Of the appear
It was scribbisd in pencil upon sheets OF brown
paper long and narrow showing Sg ne 70 Nam tnIn
from blank book The letter Is well preserved
but there is that discoloration which comes win
M conclusive proof said The ma;oTh ,o1 0f
he Potomac It is letter from John Pettus 70
his father, the Hon j. J. Pcttus. who was then 'he
The full text Of the letter follows:
I'm Camp near s hCssGn bur ya We o have hsa
good deal Of sickness In camp The meas.es broke ,
GH nave 4e ecn some %af eeSs bunk
Therett is down wtp IT, ara aas hou
II is getting quite cold, and we are thinking OF
going into winter quarters soon, If the Yankf ,
Vile ie and from Fort Evans we can have good
view Of them. ] suppose that captain r9nt aInI
TO lose him The poem written by his son, Lamar.
who LEFT US to I2n cdPa Great fsyoe in
II tells very pathetcaily OF the death OF n picket
FOR It. as it is headed All Quiet Along the Potomac
lie wrote great many COPIES, ana then go, a
f For him. He does not sell them, but gives them
away. think him poet Of the FIRST water judg
viii not think me neggen, because ] don't write
oftener but | endeavor to do so az often as can.
Paper is getting very scarce In camp, ana INK -
something We can't get Some OF ne boys Just
hearts with the black water it makes. / got this
paper out Of old book that Thad Miller has
m wi.p in ' love to You and John NJ says don't forget
him. | hope to give you good account OF myself
be something more than mere private before this
war is over trust that the cares of State are not
weighing too heavily upon you In these troublous
tine hay bas 6Sgna OF o P sEs al
WI &c. SopH"sa The ~ Mater That ,t the
my poem was. quite well known and popular in
the Army Now; the lady who claims TO have
| Der If IT was popular in October Of the same year,
! some one must have written It before che did, and
refers to was my father. and what he wrote about
| my first having written and then having had
| printed many copies OF the poem Is true as
There IS no question about the letter having
| even II any were inclined to think that IT had
been anedated for this occasion he wq9Id have no
! battle that was fought at Leesburg October q
mat Poor Ss S W4oe HI. Tsp in to make The
| made it, but died in the act The Tim Cooper that
| he refers 20 is now citizen or Memphis, and Tom
Catchings is the same r G. Catchings that repre-
| sents the "Shoestrng' Mississippi district In Con
| gress
| Now. be careful with that letter. closed the
as he s ghSe 80 hs for reRcTeT 10 copy or
| Where did you get ~" asked the reporter.
only couple Of days ago lady from Florence 2:
| give her name That VIII come out with the fac
| snile COPY Of the letter that will be published
soon with the entire history OF the poem affair
| Major Fontaine left last night for his home. to
Join in a big bear hun, tina, s projected for that
| neighborhood this week