Times-promoter., 1898-11-19
THE EF0RGOTTEN DEAD
There Is No Reliable Roster OF Con-
federate Soldiers.
Bill Arp Calls on the Surviving yct-
Grams to Take ActiOn-Dr. Catch
ing's Book of Confederate
Memories.

generation. Within that time there is
almost an entire change in the popula-
tion of 4 town or city or community.
Death plays the surest hand. Remov-
ais come next, and of the rest the chill
dren have grown to be men and women,
and they are as good as new, for we
old people know them not, neither do
they know us. Often do young people
say to me: "Why, | am grandchild |
of your old friend" Yes a friend who |
has perhaps been dead for a score of |
years, and had almost forgotten that
he ever lived. l lived in Rome 27 years,
but now l am stranger in that city.
l was ruminating about this because
happened to ask Maj. Foute yesterday
how many of his comrades he remem-
bered. He shook his empty sleeve and
pondered "Thirty-five years ago. he
said, II could call the roll of a hundred
men in my company, but now do not
believe l could name over 20 without
strain of mind and memory. Most of
them are dead, and you know that when
man, common man, dies he seems to
drop out of thought or recollection.
Only great men or notable men or
heroes are remembered long"
How, then. is a catalogue or list or
roster of our confederate soldiers to be
obtained. The legislature passed law
providing that the ordinaries of each
county should make list for his coun-
ty and get information from any source
possible, and suppose they are doing
this. but of course it will be imperfect
and incomplete. Col. Avery exhausted
all sources at his command in 1880 and
tabulated only the officers. OF this list
he says; ut is admittedly incomplete
and painfully imperfect"
A generation changes in 30 years, but
our regiments and companies changed
so radically in four years that they can
hardly be identified even by their sur
viving comrades. find in Col. Avery's
table lat company A, First Georgia
regulars that went into service COM
manded by Capt. II. D. d. Twiggs, had
12 captains. Almost every company
had two or more captains. The Four
teenth regiment had four colonies, five
lieutenant coIonels, four majors and 20
captains. The Twenty-second regiment
had "a captains; the Twenty sixth and
27 captains; the Eighth cavalry had 81,
and the Ninth had 36. Of course the
privates suffered more frequent
changes than the officers and the men
are few who went in at the beginning
of the war and came out at It's close.
But even those few cannot remember
all the changes-the killed in battle
the dead from other causes, the dis
charged, the transfers to other com
panies and the recruits that continual
" came to fill up the ranks. Then there
were some few deserters and thousands
of prisoners taken, many Of whom dice
in prison and were forgotten by thell
comrades Georgia sent to the field 81
regiments and 25 battalions of infantry
11regiments and so battalions of caval
ry and 2S battalions of artillery. Of al
those who served as volunteers during
the first two years it is estimated tina
not over 20 per cent. are living. Oniy
five regiments brought back the same
colonies they took out.
No; the lists are lost and will never b
made complete, but much can yet b
done to approximate them, and
should be done quickly and put in boo
or pamphlet form and distributed
was ruminating about this becaus
that great-hearted woman, Mrs. Eliz
abetb Gabbett, of Atlanta, the widow
a confederate who fell in battle, ma
volunteered to execute the resolutio
of the United Daughters of the Confet
eracy to present badges or crosses c
honor to the veterans or their widow
or families, and this good woman
now perplexed to find them. Well sh
may be. Hardly week passes that
do not receive letters from Georgia so
diers or their widows written from tt
western states and wanting to kno
about our pension laws. Even the
kindred here in Georgia do not kno
where they are, for they keep movln
and leave no sign behind. But Mr
lIaDDeJJ must HOb DC hioSoh'"S~N'
there are few thousand within NJ
reach, and her wor.: will be gratetul
them.
Then let us be up and doing before
is too late. Let the veterans consid
II and take action that will result
systematic methods. The time w
come. in fact it has already come, VINE
the child will feel proud that its fath
or grandfather or uncle, was con1e
crate soldier. AS the years roll on u
halo grows brighter. 1t is like the re
olution of 1776 We have preserved
our family Boston newspaper OF IN
wear. 1t is in mourning. and across Il
ion are little cuts of coffins-sevente'
black coffins, with the names und
them of those who fell at Lexingto
NV great grandfather's name is the'
and / am proud of it. and we vetera
believe that the cause for which '
fought was just as holy as that IL
is our faith.
And now am pleased to see that II
friend DR.. Catching, of Atlanta II
been inspired to write book OF co
federate memories-not his own mel
cries, but those of other peopie--Ve
grams and their wives or wldoWs.