Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-25


past few months to observe the CON
temptuous manner in which the northern
ana southern veterans speak OF the His
pano-American war. The old fellows
and II is not very strange--profess the
utmost surprise that the world should
pay so much attention to the fighting
around Santiago. where only go men were
Killed on the American side, only about
l'25O wounded. and not single man cap
tured. why, General Lee, or General
Grant, would not have thought such a
fight sufficiently important to be worth
mentioning in report" said one of the
Schuyler Lambs, OF Philadelphia, at
Murphy's the other night. 81 can't see
TO save my life why the make so much
fuss over such little skirmish as that
Why, Mister. at the battle Of Cold Har-
Dor. in a charge on the Confederate
earthworks, we lost 1900 men In min
utes. Yes, sir, in minutes. May
you don't believe it, but it's so. A Con
federate general In an article in the Cen
fury Magazine, some years ago, said that
at that battle General Grant lost 1900
in 10 minutes. but in the next issue a
Ger. who took part in the battle, was pup
lished. stating that the southern writer
was mistaken-that at the battle Of Cold
HaTbor General Grant lost 1900 men IN
s minutes. Then talk about losing $50
men in three days lighting. Pshawr
There's another thing that makes me
tired" resumed the veteran, land that
Is 10 hear people talking a lot Of rot
about this war with Spain showing TO the
world the kind of people Americans are.
Now that is the d--dest fOolishness The
world found out thirty-five years ago that
Americans. no matter whether they were
born north or south OF Mason and
DiXon's line, were the finest fighters that
ever went up against an enemy We
showed them then that Americans had all
the bulldog of an Englshman or Ger
man. and all the dash of a Frenchman.
They saw we could go into a fight in the
finest style anybody ever saw, and could
stay there as long as anybody ever did.
Then to hear the papers, North and
South, talk about this little skirmish
showing to the world the kind of people
Americans are-well, 1T makes me awful
tired" l agreed with him.
/ remarked last week how rejolced /
was to see the business people of Rich
mOnd so interested in the proposed mass
meeting, for the purpose of discussing the
citys commercial advantages, and of de-
vising means TO bring the world to kno
them. 1 would have been much less IL
terested myself. had 1 known the meetin
was so far distant as it seems now. In
deed. the project seems almost abandon
ed. What has become of It?
There Is no doubt but that Lieutenant
Wheeler, the young son OF General Joe
Wheeler who was drowned at Montauk
Point was a fine young fellow, but 1t is
hard to believe he had in him more OF
the qualities which Americans most adj
mire than did Lieutenant Newton u.
Kirkpatrick, who died with him. Kirk
patrick was the finest type Of the Ameri-
can country-boy, who makes his own
way, and achieves success by the exer-
else of those sterling virtues which only
too often seem to us unrewarded.
Although his father Is in very
moderate circumstances, yet he man
aged to give his boy such a thorough
documentary education, chiefly in the
public schools of Rock bridge county, that
the young fellow made the course at
West Point with ease, finishing close TO
the top. Naturally Lieutenant Kirk
patrick was the apple of his fathers eye,
and the old mans pride in his boy when
he distinguished himself at Santiago.
knew no bounds. One does not like TO
think of such grief as must have been
that fathers, when the wires told him
his son was dead. Though an old vete-
ran. he did not receive letters of sym
PATTY, such as were sent TO General
Wheeler, by Confederate camps through
,f,,r Of NJ II
help regretting Such expressions, coming
from old comrades in arms, would
have made much lighter the burden of
sorrow beneath which the father IS
groaning.
Young Kirkpatrick was a freshman at
Washington and Lee University. In 1892
when he received from Congressman
Harry St. George Tucker the appoint
ment to West Point. In the competitive
examination Kirkpatrick stood second,
being beaten several points by fellow
student at the university, who was that
year a candidate for the degrees OF
bachelor of Arts, and Civil Engineer
But, when the father of the young man
who won the appointment came TO sign
tho prescribed document. resigning al
control of his son to the government of
the limited States, the old fellow broke
down and sobbed like child. When thf
Young man saw his fathers grief, he alb
soiutelv refused TO consider the accept
ance of the appointment. and Kirkpat-
rick his alternate, was appointed, an.
completed the course with honors. Th'
voune man who gave up what was, 4
him the dream of his life, rather thar
grleve his old father, took both the de
grees for which he was candidate, bus
he has never done anything else par
ticularly. Still Lieutenant kirkpatrick
did not perform on the heights OF SAN
tiago a deed displaying higher heroism.
Speaking of these Rockbridge people
and of Washington and Lee University
reminds me OF a story of the late FRO
lessor James ]. White, who was Tor
many years Professor OF Greek IN the
university. One summer he was stay
inc at the Rockbridge Alum. or White
Sulphur have torgoltSn wn'I 5,t
While there he met Mr.. William NJ. Evarts,
Who was then Secretary OF State In Presl-
dent Hayes's Cabinet. One day Pro-
lessor White. in conversation with Mr..
Evarts remarked that Rockbridse was
sattled nv the Scotch-Irish. What KIND
- neonle are these Scotch-lrish, any
xeayq" asked the Secretary, In q tone
a,h;ch rather nettled Professor White.
'.Tbev are Just this kind Of people, re-
LII the Professor, with some spirit.
s'1,hev ala not eat any fire before the war,
IA haven't eaten any dirt since A
.',,.,no mould not present better con-
oent,on of scotch-Irish character.
A,otbsr story told in Rockbridge coun-
~ and said to be true. well ILLUSTRATES