The times., 1899-03-22
"oLD TEXAS
How senator. Pettu~s of Alabama
Earned That Soubriquet.

Earned That SOubrfquct.
Senator Pettus of Alabama" writes the !
correspondent OF the Houston !
Post, lis really one OF the most remark |
able men in the United States Senate
Since the demise of the Vermont octoge- |
marian, Justin s. morrill,. he is the oldest
man in the Senate being In his seventy
eighth year. Other Senators may have oc-
casion TO be away from the chamber for
days ard days. but he is there promptly
when the chaplain opens his invocation and
stays until the retiring. hour. Senator
Pettus, or General Pettus,' as the vener
able. but yet very vigorous cid Roman is
respectfully and fondIy called by those who
know of his grand fighting qualities dur
ing the Civil War. Is a most notable man,
in that /, with partial sympathy can say
no man OF the older lot OF those who are
exponents of Southern faith, honesty, ana
courage is more truly honored and loved
than he-.Old Texas.
"All sorts OF stories have been told OF
how General Pettus came TO be called Old
Texas. But there's no survivor OF Waui's
legion of Texans worthy OF any Alamo or
Thermopylae who threw themselves into
the breach on a fateful day in the sorely
beleaguered city of yicksburg who can for
get the Alabamlan's glorious heToism on
that occasion. The Federals had taken
salient and their gathering hosts. terrible
with banners and bayonets, were ready TO
swarm into the works and complete the
conquest of destruction OF the starving
Confederates.
General Pettus' Alabama brigade had
been nearly annihlated in a fight outside
the works in the early morning. He re-
ceived a message from Gen. Stephen ID.
Lee in command OF that part of the de-
fences, who did not know how the Con-
federates had suffered. that the salient
must be retaken. General Pettus turned
to the remnants Of his exhausted and
broken brigade, nearly every one OF the
officers of which had been killed or
wounded and many whole companies wiped
out. and the few survivors OF others so
exhausted they could scarcely lift gun
to their shoulders.
He turned away sadly. He had been in
the thick Of the fight. but his exceptional
vitality had sustained him. He saw tue
desperation Of the situation. He went
about among the dispirited. gaunt wear
ers of the gray within the beleaguered
works looking for troops who would be
willing to go with him to execute the or
ders OF his chief He had almost de-
SPARED when he encountered Wauls le-
gion of Texans. He spoke first to cap
tain named Bradley, who had lived at the
present Senator's town-Selma-aud re-
moved to Texas before the war, where he
had joined the Legion"
"'Will you all help me take back that
salient?' he asked of Captain Bradley.
1.-The latter did not recognize his former
Alabama townsman. who was covered with
dust and bore no distinguishing rank
mark.
''The adopted Texan hesitated, but soon
turned to his men and stated the PROPOSE
ton. The question was asked: Who is
he. and will he go with us?'
"'Yes; l will go with you and show the
way
"a brief conversation ensued in which
General Pettus disclosed his plan Of at
tack. Then Bradley, turning to his men.
said:
"T believe this man is a leader and
knows what he is talking about VIII you
go with us?'
ITO a man they answered they would
take the chances anyhow.
Then having arranged that a certain
number would make a firing feint on the
rear Of the captured redoubt, picked men
were chosen from each company. and they
proceeded by a circuitous ditched route
on their perilous mission. AT signal of
dropped handkerchief from the hand of
Pettus, just as the men following him
were about to mount the works and break
through the great wide door bristling with
guns, the outside lines ceased firing and
over into the astonished ranks of the Fed
erals burst the throng Of determined Tex
ans. knowledge of the facts of the incl
dent had come to me and | asked General
Pettus some questions.
You must have captured all Of them
mo; we didn't capture any,
"a Did they get away
No; they didn't have time to get away.
They were all killed or wounded.
"Only recently a member OF Waufs
legion wrote to Senator Pettus for some
trifiing favor calling him old Texas and
saying: You may not remember me. but
you will surely remember the incident
1.-The rest of the incident was that after
the brief and bloody conflict was done.
brawny, oak-chested Texan. in buckskin
leggings demanded hoarsely. of Captain
Bradley: Who is this man brought US
into this hell's hole?'
4 don't know. said Bradley. but as
assured you, he knew how to do it, didn't
he?'
Yes: and 1 move right here that if he
amt Texan. we vote him one
And then the old fellow himself put the
vote and it was carried amid such wild
yells that the Yankees on the outside walls
precipitately retired, thinking overwhelm-
ing numbers of the desperate rebels were
about to make a sally and that they had
joe Johnston's army at hand coming from
the east TO make their Generalization COM
plete
THAT is the true story OF how the name
of old Texas belongs as one of warlike
memory's laurel chaplets of glory TO Ed
mund W. Pettus, now Senator from Ala
bama. He receives many letters from old
Texans, who fondly write him.
There are others who followed the
stars and bars to fiery death abysses who
write the venerable Alabamian about
other occasions just as creditable to him
as his Vicksburg.
zone wrote him not long ago. in crude
unIettered. feeble hand. of Confederate
veteran living away up in the mountains
of Tennessee in which he called General
Pettus old Rocky Face That was war
sobriquet he gained at Dalton. when his
tired thinned lines repeatedly repealed as
saults of Sherman's determined men, one
of desperate old rebel yelling -at-bay that
enabled grand old Joe Johnston 10 make
his famous withdrawal into the heart of
Georgia.
"'OId Rocky Face wrote his war-worn
and battIe-torn old follower from the
mountain solitudes: DO you cut your
plug as fine as you used to do down in
Georgia when fight was comm on?'
Nearing the End.
(From the Philadelphia North American)