The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-09-03
Bill Hrp'S Letter
written for The Weekly constitution)

written for The weekly ConSlilutioh-'
How time nies-tempus fugit-the an
clients liSened II TO a bird that had WINGS
and so did we half a century ago. But
wings will not do for simile now. Aiiiio
has been condensed-steam and eiectrici'S
have almost annihilated both tiihe ."r
distance I was Illuminating about inns
because in last weeks paper pun
lished a request for a copy of the poem
Tell Me, Ye Winged Winds" L tnought
that perhaps l might, during the week.
be favored with ore or two copies from
some kind cultured friends-some Iady
or ladies who had long years ago pasted
the poem in a scrapbook, Ike my WHO
did this one, but some yankee thieves
came along and stole hers (may they
live always when the devil gets thehi'l
Kind friends responded promptly anu
freely and / now have forty-one copies oil
the poem asked for. and am very Er''te-
full for their kindness.
I am glad that / made the request TOT
these numerous responses are the best eV-
idence Of the culture and literary 'aSie
of our people-rnCst Of them are from tie
gentler sex, for women are the sait Oh
the earth They preserve things. ana
that reminds me to say to some OF my falr
correspondents who wish 10 know VINO
is that heroic person referred to In my
scriptural enigma She was Lots wiTe'
of course. Her body never saw corrup-
ton, and her name IS never spoken what
Il was before she looked back, we cannot
tell, but after that reckon It was SAL
for Sal means salt.
But the letters that inclosed the copies
of the poem were very comforting 10 me-
for there were kind words in everyone
/ am Just human, and ike words of praise.
of commendation-I want them while
1--we. Az Eugenia smith says IN her beau
I tiful poem. IF I Should Die Tonight;
Keep not your kisses for my cold' uead
brow,
The way Is lonely-let me feel them now"
Epltaphs and obituaries arc for the Nv
ing mourners, but we do not know tAil
our departed spirits will heed them OF
need them. Solomon says that "a EVing
dog Is better than a dead Hon
Recently received by mail a neat 1T
tie book Of 900 pages illustrated that has
provoked my earnest attention Tor II y
the history OF the acts and deeds or the
First Louisiana cavalry during the civil
war. II IS we'll written and as entertain
ing "a n romance and abounds in interest
ing facts and anecdotes. Only one who
was a part Of Il could have written II.
and that one was Lieutenant Howell car
ter. of company T. I note that our Colo
mel Morrison's Georgia regiment was
part Of the same brigade. and fought side
by side with Colonel Scotts in many
conflicts. The author does not stint ms
praise OF Colonel Morrison's command
What attracted my attention Is the COM
plete muster roll n the close Of the book,
and the deaths, designations and promo
lions of every officer and the present
whereabouts of every survivor. Now
where did Lieutenant Garter get all this
and why have not our Georgia regiments
got such a historian? Why did they not
choose ono long ago and put him to work.
Why IS there not a record somewhere OF
every soldiers name. company and reg
iment who was IN service? Colonel Byrd.
our adjutant general. told me tho other
day that he had no muster rolls IN MS
office and knew not where they could be
procured. lie did not know Of Colonel
Avary's valuable catalogue Of the Of
fcers in his history Of Georgia CSC 70 SD
The generals. the colonies and their STAN
and all the captains are there. but this
record fails to tell what became of them
CAPTAIN Twiggs's company. of Augusta,
had nine different captains during the
four years service. and tho record ought
TO tel what became of them. Are any Of
them living now besides Captain Twiggs?
Who knows? This catalogue shows that
of the ntty-one regiments that went out
IN 6l-62. only one brought back the same
colonel II took out-some OF them made
six changes The Eighth Georgia, that
rs first commanded by Colonel Barlow.
made five changes. and the last. Colonel
Towers, OF Marietta. is the only sur
vivor.
1t seems TO me that a systematic effort
should be made by the state 70 complete
the records and file them. 1 was talking
to an old weather-beaten veteran the
other day, Walter Young Craddock OF
Captain Sclman's company. in the Twelfth
Alabama. lie is on charity; was shot all
10 pieces at Seven Pines in 1852; is para
lived In one arm and one leg, but gets
about and sells pencils for a living. He
SAYS he could get pension II he could
prove his service, but he does not know
Of a single survivor Of his COMPANY
Maybe there are some who will see shis
and write to CraddOCk at Tal1adega, Ala
There is another record that needs spe-
cial attention. The Daughters of the
American Revolution earnestly desire To
re-establish the last colonial records that
were burned in Professor Scomp's house
al oxford a few years ago. These rec
ords were procured IN England about sixty
years ago by Charles Wallace Howard. I
after long and diligent research. for which
the state paid literally. They We're loan
ed TO William Bacon Stevens. and then to !
c. c. Jones. and then to Professor Scomp. |
and now they are gone forever. unless the /
state will take measures to duplicate /
them. Mrs. r. e Park. who represents I
the Daughters Of the American Revolu- !
ton, viii bring this matter before the leg !
islature, and we hope will succeed in her (
effort.
And there is still another record that |
ought TO be made-a brief biography of 1
our state governors and the notable men /
for whom many Of the counties and towns /
were named. While / was at Mt. Vernon 4
recently. I asked a score of well-informed |