The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-03

Shared in Pickett's Charge Up Gem
etery flights at Gettysburg.

etery flights at Gettysburg.
Chattanooga, Sept. Tennessee is mod
estly proud Of itself for several things
but for nothing more than for It's fight
ing men. Given a cause that appeals to
its heart, and the fighting strength rises
almost as one man. In the time of the
Mexican war the state was asked for 1900
volunteers, and promptly offered So,000. 1t
was the same way In the civil war-more
than one county sent more men to fight
than il had to vote. Proportionaieiy to
population. It gave a larger contingent to
both armies than any other state.
one Tennessee regiment-the FiTst-has
been making history this hundred years
and more Ii was organized and com
manded by John SEWER when the state
was merely Tennessee county" of North
Carolina. Sewer led it over the noun
tains when revolutionary fortunes were at
the lowest ebb to fail upon Tarleton at
Kings Mountain, ard turn waverlng
fight into a brilliant victory. Twenty
years later Andrew Jackson was It's colo
mel through the bloody Indian wars that
broke the power of Choctaws, Greeks and
Cherokees. A little later Gen. Andrew
Jackson posted his old regiment In the
very fore front at the battle of New Or
leans, where side by side with the hunt
ers of Kentucky, It's unerring rifles moved
| down the red coats like grass.
Afterward the First Tennessee slept up
on its laurels until there were grum-
bllngs of war in the Southwest. Many OF
its original members had gone to Texas,
but they had left kinsman a plenty 70
fill the ranks afresh. The renewed First
| Tennessee went to the help Of "Old Rough
and Ready" a s. Gen. Zachary Taylor was
affectionately called, and soon showed that
| it meant to live up 10 its reputation. At
Monterey, a walled and fortified town,
| which Taylor was forced to carry by as
| sault IL was the First Tennessee which
set the first American flag triumphantly
in the breach-and what is very much
more to the military purpose-kept 1t there
| until il was carried further forward.
All through Mexico IL went, winning gol-
| den opinions from even the starch and
| stately regular army men. When II came
| home. after the old fashion, it kept up a
| sort of skeleton organization. A skeleton
the civil war found it, but skeleton that
quickly took on life and strength A state
| OF war supervened late in ADril in May
| Tennessee seeded; in June, the First Ten
nessee. oddly brigaded with the Seventh
and Fourteenth Regiments, lett for Vir-
ginia, where the Tennessee brigade was
assigned to Lees corps, then operating In
West Virginia.
front of Richmond and the Tennessee bril-
gade became part of Jacksons foot cav
airy" 1t stayed with him till his death,
bearing Itself soldieriy through all his
fighting, and more than once winning spe-
ciaf mention for desperate and distinguish
ed daring. AT Gettysburg it made part of
Picketrs charging column, losing more
than half its numbers in killed, wounded
and prisoners.
THE cankers Of a calm world and a long
peace" even could not destroy the fighting
spirit I'm the famous old First Regiment.
| When the Spanish war came on, sons and
grandsons, and great-grandsons of First
Regiment men, went joyously into iis
| ranks They almost prayed 10 be sent to
Cuba. The powers that be thought FL TO
send them to the Philippines instead. But
1t was Octobere, 1893, before they embark
ed and they grumbled nightly that the
| fighting was all over.
Since events have proved their mistake,
| the regiment has lived up to its traditions.
| The regmentaI historian has an auto
graph letter from Admiral Dewey. saying;
~ am too happy to have an opportunity
of expressing my admiration Of this Ten
| nesse regiment; its splendid work in the
| Philippines in actual warfare, and Of its
/ late colonel"
Gen. Otis adds:
"Nothing can be said Of It 0he First
| Tennessee ReglmenD Whlch IS not com
mandatory of II as military organization.
Next to its admirable fighting qualities.
what has impressed me most forcbly is
| the universal good feeling and close com
| radeship which exists among its Members
| and the regard which the enlisted men
| nave for their officers, who look carefully
after their wants AS an admirable fight
! ing machine It has shown its excellence
/ both here and at Iloilo."
| col w G Smith commanding when the
regiment went into action, died Of heart