The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-01-19
SOME REnARkS ABOUT FATE.
The Balaklava Hero and the Veteran
of the Civil War.
New York Sunl

New York SUM-
To the Editor of the Sun:-Sir: Th.
brief obituary notice subioined APP
peared the other day in the New York
Times:
BALAKLAVA HERO DEAD AT
SPRINGFIELD.
..Springfield, Mass, Dec. 2O.--John
Howell, aged "A. died to-day. He
was born in England and was one Of
the Six Hundred in the famous charge
at Balaklava. He was also a veteran
Of the civil war;
This illustrates wildly a mental at
titude altogether too prevalent among
us Americans. Here was an old war
rior who had laid down his arms for
ever and gone to join the countless
millions of good soldiers who have
passed over to the majority. 1t is
right and fitting that his death should
be honorably. recorded and handed
down to memory in the complimentary
terms quoted above, and l hope that
tender hands may keep his grave
green for ages to come. But.
What is there in this career that
appeals most powerfully to our in
terest and sympathy? Is it the fact
that Howell was ':Balaklava hero. -
one of the six Hundred" that made
| the famous charger" or is it because
he was ''veteran of the civil WARP
! Evidently the former. The emphasis,
| the capitals and the headline all
show that in the mind of the writer
| the Crimean chapter in this mans
life was the glorious chapter. while
his civil war experiences were but an
episode.
And so we find it everywhere. All
our examples and illustrations in
military matters are drawn from for.
eign warfare, and the heroes of ou1
own great contest, the men who
made the glorious history of 1861
1865, are passing into oblivion as
'veterans of the civil war"
| really believe that the reason why
this is true is our ignorance of oul
own history. I can find you twenty
men who are quite familiar with
| Austerlitz, Jena, Waterloo, mixer
| mann, Lucknow and Sedan to one
who can give you any information
about Spottsylvania, Antietam OIL
Stones river.
| Was the Balaklava matter unparal
leled in history? Was there anything
in our great civil war that could com
pare with it? Any instances of devo
ton; any percentage of loss nearl,
equal? Well, yes-there were ma
noeuvres and charges; there were in
stances of self-sacriiice and loss
scores of them that far exceed thu
glorious record made by the Ligh
Brigade on that October morning il
1851, or indeed any record made b,
any military organization other thar
during this century!
How would this read as an obituar,
notice in one of our American Jour
mails?
FRANKLIN HERO DEAD AT NASH
WILLIE.
Nashville, Tenn, Dec. 20.-JOhl
Howell died here yesterday. aged Z
years. He was born in Williamson
county, was one of Cheatham's divis
l
in the famous charge against Soho
fields breastworks at Franklin. Il
his youth he was a member of tn
British army and was present at tn
light cavalry affair at Balaklava.
fear that the average reader woul'
be tempted to eXclaim with Virgil
''Sio parvis companere magma" bu
the average reader would be wron,
if he did. There was greater loss
greater sacrifice, and more blood
fighting on the part of ''Old Frank 5
(Cheatham's) men on that beautiful
Wednesday evening in November
1864, than took place on any field il
the Crimean war. While 81 per cent
of Lord Cardigan's 673 men wer
killed and wounded, more than hal
of Cleburne's and Browns two divis
ions were left dead or wounded il
the fields and gardens of that littl
Tennessee town. And how many O
us know anything about it?
President Mckinley we'll said a
Atlanta the other day that it wa
time for the nation to care for tn
graves of the Confederate soldiers
By all means let us care for them an,
keep their memory fresh. The glor
won by these men and their leader
on many hard fought field belong
to the American nation and shout
be perpetuated by monuments Q
granite and marble on each and al
of these fields, but especially shout
we insist that the deeds of all on
soldiers should be carefully and truth
fully enshrined in the pages of his
tory, and proudly celebrated by ora
tor and poet.
Mr.. John Fiske, in writing of tn
battle of Guilford Court House i
1871, says: ''The British fghtin
was magnificent, worthy to be com
pared with that of Thomas and hi
men at Chickamauga" Thank yor
Mr.. Fiske, you did not need go to tn
! ''heights of Mont St. Jean" for an e,
ample of stubborn, logged tenacity
. but found quite as good a one in til
pages of our own history.
:, Yes! Thomas and Chickamaug;
Jackson and the old railroad grade 8
Groveton, D. H. Hill in the sunke
lane at Sharpsburg, Porter at Gaine
!. Mill for stubborn tenacity, the SCI
ond Corps under Couch at Frederick:
burg, Pitckett's Division at Getty:
T, burg, Cheatham at Franklin for dal
l ing valor against the impossible
Instances could be multiplied and e,
, amples given of every possible mil
tary virtue-courage patience, obet
, fence, endurance almost beyond til
power of man, all were illustrated b
the American soldier in the gres
civil war to degree that has neve
been excelled and seldom equaled i
the history of the world.
G. G.. B.
Black Hall, Conn.,, Dec "a.
, The fact that God reads tt
=. secrets of your heart and life make
hypocrisy as foolish as it is sinful.