The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-11
Life Of Gen, CIingnan.
Confined From Third Page
No more beneath its folds shall meet,
The armies of immortal Lee
The rolling of their drums last beat
Is echoing i'm ptcrnitV."


he armies of immortal Lee
The rolling of their drums last beat
Is echoing in eternity"
Young men whom l see before me.
dressed in the uniform Of the blue, sons
OF those who once marched proudly in
me uniform of the gray. | bid you
emulate the glorious deeds of your inn
mortal ancestors; and now under the
nag of Il reunited country, wherever
that flag goes you follow; and whether
1t be on land or sea. whether to free OPP
pressed Cuba. or to evade tyrannical
Spain, let it he with you as it was with
your fathers. where the fighting IS the
hercest and the killing the deadliest, let
North Carolina troops be found IN the
front.
! will close this imperfect sketch Of
General Clingman's military career by
narrating this incident 1t was at the
close Of the war, all hope was abandoned.
Joseph IL. Johnston was holding Shcr-
man in check with his handful Of men,
few but undauntcd. General Clingman
visited the army, concentrated after the
battle OF Bentonsvillc at Smithville be-
low Raleigh.
III dl llItTNleW Will lilC oOutAiCl IL
Commander he addressed him rs fol-
lows: "Sir: much has been said about
dying in the last ditch. You have left
with you here 1900 of as brave men
as the sun ever shone upon; let us take
our stand here and fight the two armies
Of Grant and Sherman to the end, and
thus show to the world how far we can
surpass the Thermopylae of the Greeks
The Confederate commander remained
silent for sometime, and then replied:
General Clingman, if they were all like
you, / would do it: but there are many
young men here who have a future, and
/ ought not to sacrifice their lives"
Those of us who knew Thomas Laneir
Cingman are assured that he meant
every word of the suggestion he made
20 General Johnston
1t was always regret to General
Clingman that he did not fall in battle.
On General Johnstons final retreat
through Raleigh, just prior to the sur
render ut Durham, General Clingman.
though ON crutches, asked to be allowed
to command the rear guard, intending
thus to lose his life and not witness the
downfall of the Confederacy.
Except for brief period of ninety days,
when he was a member of the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1875. General
Clingman disappears forever from the
public stage in North Carolina.
His Senator term of six years, from
AIarch 4th, 1861, was not expired at the
end of the war. and he went to Washing
ton to claim his seat. This was denied
him. and though several times Il candi-
date for the United States Senatorship,
he was never successful.
He now turns his attention to develop
ing the mineral resources of the western
part Of the State, and spends much OF
his time and money in scientific inyestl-
cation. and especially the subject OF
electric lighting; rs early as the fan of
1866. he said he expected to see the city
Of New York lighted by electricity
He was an enthusiast in his belief of
the curative properties of tobacco and
bndeavored to introduce the same to gen
eral use as a palliative and reducer of IN
hamation, but was not successful.
In 1877 he published book of 62d
pages containing extracts from his
speeches and writings. The book is a
mine of extraordinary richness iii histo-
rical. political, scientific, biographical
and economic information. The address
before the North Carolina State Agri-
cultural Society October DIST, 1858, the
one delivered before the Literary Socie-
ties of Davidson College June 25th, 1873,
and the address on Religious and POliti-
cal Orators delivered at the University
of the South. August ), 1879. and his
speech delivered at the Charlotte Cen
tennial. May Goth, 1875, are especially
noteworthy. The book should be in
every library in the State.
In person General Clingman was about
< feet 10 inches high, weighed about l6u
pounds, eyes gray and hair chestnut
brown. Not graceful in his walk, but
erect and dignihed. In his early days in
Congress he was inclined to be consplcu-
Gus i'm his dress AS suggestive OF his
patriotism he wore Il vest decorated with
United States flags and the inside lining
on his dress coat was of the whitest and
finest satin.
Clingman's emminence was due to
great intellectually, indominable will
and boundlcss ambition. He was with
out personal magnetism or adaptability
He scorned to do mean act. His man
ner was his burden-but his manner was
overcome by the stern purpose that I'M
derlay it.
His vanity has been described as stu
pendous. | would rather say, his egot-
ism was colossal. 1T disarmed criticism
even inspired respect. He was asked
by n friend, if candidates for the Govern
orship canyasscd with each other before
the war as now. He replied: 'In 1910
Morehead was candidate for election ia
second term. Romulus NJ. Saunders
who by the by was the ablest stump
sneaker the State ever produced, had
fourteen appointments west Of the
Ridge. Morehead could not meet him
beyond the mountains, so he requested
me TO reply to Saunders. | did so at
two appointments, when Saunders left
the district. and reported that l was the
only man he had ever met whom he
conn not handle on the stump"
Asked by friend, then in Congress,
where he could find the best discussion
Of the tariff: "In my book, SIR" was
the answer. 1T is the greatest book
since the new testament" Irreverence
was far from his thoughts He was a
Christian in his soul. but his self-conf-
dence was sublime.
In 1851 he was a candidate for the
United States Senate. There was sew