El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-18
Book Review Written Especially For the HERALD

her humor that continually flashes
through the pages. We at last come
to the Gettysburg chapters.
ALI of the Gettysburg chapters are
strong and one can only quote enough
to suggest something of the fire, the
courage. the enthusiasm with which
they are written. There is q strong
scene when Longstreet communicates
the orders for Pickett to charge. The
most trifing incidents become mo-
mentous as one realizes the tense
feeling of the officers and men who
were on the point of starting towards
that deadly and yet deathless march of
theirs. Longstreet and Pickett were
long time friends--it will be remember
ed they had been brother officers In
Mexico-and cold Peter" as Pickett
calls him could not say the word to
send his friend to almost certain death.
"'General Longstreet. shall go for
ward?' Pickett asked.
"Longstreet looked at him with an
expression that seldom comes to any
|
of the long friendship may have flooded
his soul. Possibly there came to his
thought the time away back in history
when he had fallen on the stormy slope
of Chspultepeo and the boy lieutenant
had taken his place and borne the bat
tie flag in triumph to the dsme-crowned
height. He held out his hand and
bowed his head in assent. Not . word
did he speak.
ward, sir. said Pickett, and galloped
off,
"He had only gone few yards when
he came back and took q letter from
his pocket. On It he wrote in pencil,
''If old Peters nod means death, good
bye, and God bless you, little one. "
He gave the letter to Longstreet and
rode back. That letter reached its
destination in safety and, with it's faint
penciled words, Is now one of my most
treasured possessions.
The letter was sent to Mrs. Pickett
with one from General Longstreet dat
ed July third, Gettysburg. Pennsyl-
vania:
my dear Lady: General Pickett
has just intrusted to me the safe con-
veyance of the inclosed letter. If it
should turn out to be his farewell, the
penciled note on the outside will show
you that could not speak the words
which would send SO gallant a soldier
IN to the jaws of q useless death. AS 1
watched him, gallant and fearless as
any knight of old, riding to a certain
doom, I said . prayer for his safety
and made q vow to the Holy Father
Is, should be your Inheritance. We
shall meet. 1 am, dear lady, with
great respect,
''Yours to command,
tJAMES LONGSTREET.'
But to return to Gettysburg. When
Longstreet nodded the command he
could not speak, Major General Pickett
gave orders to his brigade comman.
aers and rode along down the line, hit
men springing to their feet with q
shout of delight as he told them what
was expected of them.
| CAT q quarter past three on that
bright afternoon the order Forward!
rang along the lines. The supreme
could reach, up and down to each side
the gaze of thousands of men of botf
armies was riveted on q long line o.
soldiers moving with all the
precision of grand review. The five
thousand Virginians had begun theil
march to death. {. Pickett led
mounted on his spirited charger, gal
liant and graceful as a knight of chiv-
airy riding to q tournament. Hi
long, dark, auburn-tinted hair floatet
backward in the wind like soft vel
as he went down the slope of death
=. Pickett's Virginians were les
than five thousand, but every one wa
soldier in the fullest sense of tn
word. As they pressed onward Il
majestic order over the plain, like
moving wall of granite, the bsttl
flag of the south waved over them
, its stars shining as if in promise o
victory. The battle smoke
drifted away,over the hills and int
the clouds where it srched itself abov
the fields as if it would even yet sprea
q protecting mantle around those de
voted men. The long federal ARA
with its double line of supports wa
revealed to view. AS the advaucin
column came into sight Meade's gun
opened upon 1t. but 1t neither pause
nor faltered. Round shot, boundin
along, tore through its ranks an
ricochetted around it. Shells explode
} darling flashes before-behind-ov
head. Back from the flaming ere.
? fell only remnant of the division who
. had performed such deeds of valor 9
made the whole world wonder. Tn
/ flags which foated for q moment owe