The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-12
ERRORS ABOUT SOLDIERS.
THE BLUNDERs WHICH SOME
WRITER'S MAKE.

OAhA I'M n
Statement About Wheeler Tn
founded-The Wrong Done to Gen.
Lee-The Way in Which Wrong,
Statement Was COrrected-Gen.
Sherman and POIiticS-Other Mat
! tiers of General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, Nov. Il.
In my letter OH a Batch of Bunders"
I did not refer to the less important err
| rors that are of almost daily occurrence.
Many editors and correspondents take It
for granted that if man has been in the
army as an officer he must have gradu-
ated at West Point Military Academy. As
an example, the Fernandina correspondent
! OF the Times-Union and Citizen last week
reported the death of Maj. A. Lowery. a
retired army officer, a graduate of West
Point" and for twenty years a resident
Of Florida. Now, Capt and Brevet Major
Albert Lowry (rot Lowery) of Pennsyl-
vania entered the army from civil life In
1899, as second lieutenant of dragons, and
resigned as captain and assistant quarter
master in 1s49. His brevet Of majo1. was
for gallant and meritorious conduct in the
Mexican war He was, in fact, neither
retired officer" nor "a graduate of West
| Point"
Take also the case of Col. James Mon
roe HeiskeN recently noted in the Morn
ing News as having died in New York
and as icing "a graduate of West Point"
lie was never even a cadet, much less a
graduate of that institution, nor was he
az any time in the United States army.
Maj Henry L. Heiske1, of Virg MIA. sur
geon In The army from 1892 until his death,
IN 1873, is the ony officer of that maine
ever In the regular service. Mai. Fred c.
humphreys, recently deceased in Pensa
cola, was a native of Massachusetts,. but
appointed from civil life, in 1855. from
Iorlda, as military store keeper, and
served as such in Augusta and Charles
ton but resigned in May, 1861 to enter the
Confederate service. 1t is true that these
examples are of minor Importance in one
respect, and yet they state for facts that
hch is absolutely conuadicted by the
official records.
lady in Washington, Ca recently
wrote me a letter in regard to the many
false and unjust statements that have
been published touching the Last DAYS of
the Confederacy" in that city and vicin-
ity, but during my critical illness the let
ter was mis.aid, and cannot now be read
lily found for comment. 1t is hard for
| truth TO overtake a lie, where the latter
mas a weeks advantage in time for crcu-
! lation. 1t was not until 1870 that the lie
started by Harpers Weekly that Gen.
Robert e Lee remained in the United
| States army, on Gen. SCOTS staff, until he
! got hold of all the valuable information
! about operations against the South. and
| then resigned to join the Confederate
! forces. l took the matter up editorially
! and compelled the Harpers, after five
| years of SANDER, to retract the foul
charge, for which Gen. Lee thanked me in
very kind letter now in my military IL
| brary. But many of the charges referred
to in Mrs Robertson's letter remain I'M
retracted and hence are from time to time
| reiterated.
The September issue of the Confederate
! Veteran of Nashville, Tenn. contains the
pictures of two Confederate generals, now
| deceased, who formerly lived in Savannah
| The picture of Maj Gen. John S Bowen
| is given in connection with a sketch of
the recent reunion of the enty-second
| Mississippi Regiment, which at one time
was in Gen. Bowen's brigade. Although
later on detached from his brigade, the
| officers and men of the regiment kept up
warm attachment for Gen. Bowen until
his unumely death at Raymond, Miss
| in July, 1863 while a paroled Vicksburg
| prisoner of war, The older citizens of Sa-
vannah remember this officer as an archi-
tect and also as lieutenant colonel of the
state troops in 1856. He graduated from
| West Point in 1858 and served several years
| in the Mounted Ri1emen when he re-
| signed and came back to Savannah. In
! 1883 he went to ST. Louis, where he was
! also an architect, and commanded local
! military company. When the Civil War
! broke out ne went into the Confederate
! service from st. Louis and became a ma
| jOr general. The picture shows him in his
| captains uniform, handsome man, with
a fine military bearing, and strongly re-
sembiing the late Maj. Gen. E. D. Keyes.
| u. s. \.
Moi Alfred Edwards Of Decatur Tex.
! CIV eS the readers OF the Veteran nearly a
luil page sketch of the life and services
or the iamented Maj. Gen. Lafayette Nc
| Laws, of Savannah. A small photo en-
craving accompanies the sketch and shows
| the general in his Confederate uniform
and with the fun, heavy beard and busny
hair of the old wartime period. The
sketch contains many points of interest in
| the career of dozen or moe noted con-
| federate commanders. Speak ng of Gen
McLaws in his famous Maryland cam
| paign, the writer says: mo history can
do justice to the obstacles and difficulties
| he overcame and none but those who were
with him in Pleasant Valley-with Har-
| per's Ferry in his front and the Federal
army, with a force largely outnumberine
his IN the rear and steep ,precpilous noun
talns upon both fanks-can ever know his
calm and ouragecus demanor or the gu ct
manner with which he treasured his sub
ordinate officers and men, formed his
pans and made disposition TO meet these
| adverse circumstances. speak
from personal knowledge, as I was first
assistant and afterwards chief of ordnance
on the staff of Gen. McLaws"
| 1t is not generally known among well
posted people in Georgia history, that Gen.
| Lafayette of France was hbera ly re-
warded in cash for his gallant and patrl-
Olc services during the American Revo-
! luton, and that one of Georgia's most en-
| inent statesmen was the medium through
which this richly deserved reward was
transmitted to the general BY an act Of
! Congress- approved by the President on
| Dec. q, 1924, the sum of 10000 was voted
| to Gen. Lafayette lin consideration of hi
! services and sacrifices in the War Of lie
Revolution" and on Jan. s, 1925, Hon. Wi !.
| lam H. Crawford of Georgia, then score
tary of the Treasury, issued the order for
! the payment of that sum to Gen Lafav-
cite. The present Secretary of the Treas
ury, in an article in Frank Leslie's Month