Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-22
FRIDAY. ...OCTOBER %, 1897.
MIXING THE RECORDS.

The judgment Of the general public,
and that OF the old soldiers most par
ticularly, will approve the resolution
passed by our Grand Camp on the
misuse of military titles by some local
camps,
The effect Of the recommendation
made by the Grand Camp is that the
title commander or lieutenant COM
mander" will be generally used where
colonel" and ''lieutenant-colonel" are
now often employed.
All male virginians OF mature years,
and. indeed. most male southerners, en-
joy the distinction of being called "colo-
neP' or Judge" and these titles are
often bestowed by ones neighbors as
sincere mark of respect. They age what
are called courtesy titles" to distin-
guish them from titles bestowed by COM
missions duly issued by a governor or
the President. This custom of ours has
caused US TO be ridicued no little by
northerners and foreigners. And while
that cuts no great figure with the Dis
patch, we have been compelled to recog-
nize the fact that the prodigal be-
stowa of military titles, without author
ity Of law. has worked injustice to many
worthy ex-Confederates.
Hundreds who at the cannons mouth
won commissions as lieutenants. captains,
and majors find themselves outranked,
as 1t were. in a community where there
are so many courtesy colonies. 1t was
said at one of the meetings on Wednes-
day that there are now more "colonels"
in Virginia than there were in the en-
tire Confederate army, and probably this
Is true.
But the worst Of this matter is not
that SO many men are called colonel by
courtesy, for that is comparatively harm
less. but that so many men are so desig-
mated in the proceedings of our Con-
federate camps-organizat formed for
the purpose Of preserving our records
and embalming the truth OF history! We
much fear that the student of history,
who in years TO come searches such re-
cords for the purpose Of ascertaining
what was the rank of this, that, or the
other Confederate will be much myst1-
fed by what he finds written in the
minutes OF some of the camps.
A hundred years hence, when the de-
scendants OF Confederates go to search
ing the records. as descendants of our
Revolutionary forefathers are now do
ing. they may be grievously mlsled as
10 the army rank Of persons in whom
49,
of tho soldiers that Virginia furnished
Ito the Confederacy are in the War De-
|partment at Washington, but we have
mo copies of them.
Those muster and pay-rolls were a
part OF the records of the War Depart
and We're captured at Danville (whither
they had been sent from Richmond), at
the surrender OF Lee. For long time
all the rolls In the United States War
Department were accessible TO the pub
lie. and North Carolina and other States
had theirs copied. but Virginia was idle
land indifferent, and did not avail her.
self OF her privilege and now we cannot
|send our clerks there to make copies No;
1--WE can only get copies by paying the
high regular rates for
copying. and this would cost some $4,000
Tor $4,000,
Nor can we hope to have the rule In
|question revoked or amended 1t is a
rule that applies TO the Massachusetts
trolls as well as 10 the Virginia rolls. |
land several OF the Northern States have /
tried IN vain. to secure exemption from
III. The reason given for the require
|snent In question Is that many OF the
rolls OF Cni9n regiments have been worn
10 . fraxzle by too much handling. and
rascally pension agents have made
fraudulent alterations upon them TO
serve their purposes
For o''r part we would have yirsinla