The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-19
THE NEW POST IN ALASKA.
SIDNEY HERBERT WRITES UPON
MILITARY MEN AND MATTERS.

The Late Capt. Austin Davis Sue
cess rs Baby Suggests other Ba-
bies The Mansfield Monument.
sham Battles DO No Good and Are
Losing Their HOId-A Shy at Gen.
MiIes-FIOrida officer in the Philip
pines.
Pine Crest villa, Maitland, Fla, Aug
ls.-The report that Gen. Randall, u. S.
A, suggests the name of Davis for
the new military post in Alaska, has Civ
en- rise to the statement that it is in hon
or of Jeff Davis" This is only true in a
qualified sense. 1t is for Jefferson c. Davis,
and not jefferson Davis. The latter grad
uated from West Point into the army in
1923, but resigned as first lieutenant of
Dragons in 1885. AS colonel of the Vol
unteer Mississippi Rife Regiment in the
Mexican war he won so much distinction
that he was appointed, in May. 1S47, a
brigadier general in the regular army, but
declined the honor jefferson c. Davis
came into the army from Indiana in 1S4S,
as second lieutenant of artillery. He died
in 1879, a brevet major general and colo
mel of the Twenty-third Infantry. He
was never a captain in command of
troops first to be stationed in Alaska, but
must have held lower or higher rank
then.
1t seems that Capt. Austin Davis,
United States Marine Corps. who so
bravely fell at the front in the advance
on Tein Tsin, in China, first came into
public notice as a prize-winning baby at
an Atlanta baby show. But it seems Re
had a sharp rival in little Beverley w.
Wrenn, Jr., the fine, handsome son of Col.
b. W. Wrenn of the Plant System, and
/ now a leading commercial lawyer in At
lanta. The first prize, therefore, was di-
vided between the two handsome babies.
And speaking of babies, l am reminded of
a touching incident in President McKin-
ley's reception 10 the Society of the Army
of the Potomac at Fredericksburg last
May at the residence of Col. st. George
FItzhugh After the rush was over
plainly dressed woman with pretty baby
in her arms came in to pay her respects
10 the President l remarked to him,
''NIr. President, as this is the first baby to
call on you it should have a KISS from
YOU" 10 which he replied, Il never kiss
babies" And yet he did more gracious
thing. OBTAINING the woman, he turned
TO Miss Fitzhugh at my side and selecting
the prettiest rose in bouquet she was
holding for him, the President placed II
in the baby's hand.
In June last. in writing of the unveil-
ing of the Mansfield monument on the
Antietam battlefield, in May, l referred
to the nearly twenty years of valuable
service as supervising and constructing
engineer which Maj Gen. ]. K. t. Mans
field, U. S. A, gave to Savannah ana that
vicinity and suggested that in view of
the grand work he performed In con-
structing Fort Pulaski the city might
very appropriately name one of her new
squares as she widens her borders every
wear. Mansfield Square" The war is
over. and this grim old soldier sealed his
devotion to the Union cause by heroical-
" leading his men into the deadly fire
of the Confederate forces at Antietam.
OF him it could truthfully be said
mo knightlier soldier ever fell in mall
Roll all your mufIied drums! Let all your
trumpets wail!'
Writing 90 me from the United States
engineers office in San Francisco, Cal,
where he has charge OF coast defenses,
etc, Col. Samuel M Mansfield, L. S. A,
thus refers 10 my article of June "A in
the Sunday Morning News: 1T is need
most pleasing and 1t is especially graft
fying to have you speak 10 well of my
father; and abe suggestion you make TO
name one of the squares in the city ef-
ter him is a very happy one, for II would
be an enduring monument in commun-
ity where he spent so many years en-
gagged in a work of which the city has
reason 20 be proud. Not many of his ac-
ouaintances are living now, and | real
ized this fact during my sojourn there
during the Carter courmartial, since /
found few persons there who even knew
who built Fort Pulaski"
notice another mistake in the author
ship of Lees History of the United /
States" It being credited TO Mrs. stephen /
D. Lee wife of LIEUT.. Gen. s. d. Lee. |
c. s A. Not long ago It was credited |
to Lieut.. Gen. Pemherton's daughter. |
These histories 1.-TWO grades for public |
schools were written by Mrs. Susan =. /
Lee. widow OF Gen. Edwin G. Lee and |
daughter Of the late Rev DR.. w. y. |
Pendleton of Lexington, Va, a West |
Point graduate general in che Confeder- |
ate service IL seems strange that the |
true authorship OF shees histories should /
he so little known here In abe South, |
where they are used in many Of the pub
Tic schools. Mrs. Lee was her fathers |