The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-15
SOME MILITARY MISTAKES.
THEY COME TO THE SURFACE
FROM MANY SOURCES.

and Death on the BattIedieId-Gen.
Wheeler and the Vice Presidency.
The Custom of HOnorInG Dead
Heroes Continued-S0ne Lieuten-
ants General Overlooked - Facts
About Some Well known West
Point Cavalry Oncers-Other Mat
ters of Interest.
Pine Crest villa, Maitland Fla, April
H-Having several times during the past
month been in the shadow of death"
while suffering from a very severe at
tack of pneumonia and gripi my mind has
dwelt somewhat upon the great difference
between death in ones own home. from
disease, and death on the field of bat
lie. In the silence of the sick room, with
weeping loved ones around the dying he'd,
it requires great faith and spiritual
strength to pass firmly through the trial
of parting with family and friends The
heroic nature of a man is often strained
to the highest pitch under such circum-
stances. But on the battlefield, in the ex
element of the charge, or even in
steady conflict, the whole heart and mind
of the soldier are benz on doing his duty
regardless of consequences. Family,
home, friends-all that is beloved-give
way to love of country and a sense of
duty. And so death is met with only
high resolve to do and die where duty
calls But when a soldier is mortally
wounded and carried to the quiet ward of
the hopsital, as the shadow of death"
approaches, <here is a longing to see once
more the loved ones at home and to have
their tender hands smooth the pillow of
nd or the saint
ly Archbishop Leighton who desired to
die alone in the quiet of his room at an
inn; and his prayer was granted. Our
petition should not be, From sudden
death, good Lord deliver us" but rather,
From death unprepared, good Lord de-
liver US" To one ready for its coming.
as we should all be, sudden death, in war
or in peace. at home or abroad, alone or
with friends, can have no terrors.
| have several times corrected the false
report that Gen. Nathaniel Greene was
buried on Cumberland Island one report
coming from prominent young Georgia
his torian. And this reminds me that
president of a noted society in Virginia.
when the subject of a monument TO the
mother of Gen. Robert E. Lee was being
discussed. stated that her husband Light
Horse" Harry Lee, was buried on st. ST.
mons Island, off the Georgia coast, and
yet il was q matter of history that this
Dungenness, on Cumberland Island.
The naming of Fort Screven and Bat
terry Habersham and Battery Brumby, in
Savannah harbor, is but a continuation
OF an early custom of the war department
to do honor to its dead heroes. Georgia
and Florida were at one time lined with
forts named after the heroes of the Indian
wars 1t seems strange TO me that county
and state officials here in Florida persist
in perpetuating Fort Basnger as Basin
ger, and Fort Jesup as Jessup. No two
names in our military history are more
certainly correct than Jesup and Basin
ger.
The Confederate Veteran has a sketch
of Lieut.. w. O. Williams, who was an
aide on Gen. Winfield SCOTS staff in 1861,
of which staff it is stated that Col. Robert
F.. Lee was chief Now this is a grave
error, as Gen. Lee before his death assur-
ed me that he never belonged to the mil
itary family of Gen. Scott, or served near
his person, except when in Mexico" The
impression, however, prevailed, and
great injustice to Gen. Lee, that he was
serving as a staff officer under Gen.
Scott at the time he resigned and entered
the service of his native state
It is often stated, as a joke, that the
less man knows about a subject by act
ual experience the more readily he can
discuss it or write 1t up. notable in
stance of this kind is found in Stephen
Cranes famous story THE Red Badge"
Everything about the book indicated that
it's author was a veteran soldier who had
witnessed the scenes depicted with his
own eyes. And yet Crane, a young news
paper reporter, had never seen a battle in
his life, but got his ideas from contests on
baseball grounds. 1t Is also true that
many of the best military novels, etc, are
from the pens of females WHO wrote under
masculine names.
a NJ writer. in naming the old
lieutenants general, who are to be at the
Confederate Reunion in May, at Louis
Vile Ky, includes the date Gen. Jubal
Early. Having been dead several years
his appearance in the flesh at the reunion
would be great surprise to his old COM
rades The same writer refers to the
five full generals of the Confederate
Army" If he means Cooper, Lee, John
ston, Beauregard and Bragg, he over
looks the fact that for time. Lieut..
Gen. ]. b. Hood and Lieut.. Gen. r..
Kirby Smith were "full generals" 1t is
also understood that this rank was ten
dered to Lieut.. Gen. William ]. Hardee,
who declined it. and then it was given
to Cen Hood. 1t is also a matter of rec
ord that Gen. E. Kirby Smith, near the
close of the war, made an earnest appeal
to the war department at Richmond for
the promotion of Maj. Cen j. Bankhead
Magruder to be a lieutenant general, but
for some reason the promotion was never
made AS to the Reunion, / fear that
Lieut. Gen. Wade Hampton will not be
physically able to attend, and Lieut.. Gen.
A. p. Stewart is not a reunion man. II
is also doubtful If Lieut.. Gen. James
Longstreet win be able to attend. Gems.
John 3. Gordon, stephen d. Lee, S. B.
Buckner and perhaps old Joe" Wheeler.
can be expected there.
A Washington correspondent tells a
lively story about three dashing West
Point cavalry ofiicers-Gen. George A.
Custer. of the Union Army and Gen. Fitz
Lee and Gen. p. NJ. b, Young of the
Confederate Army. But the story loses its
interest, so far as truth is concerned. by
stating that Gen Young said he and Gus
ter and Lee had served in the regular
army before the Civil War. Now Fitz Lee
was the only one of the three who ever
saw a days service in the old army. He
was graduated from West Point Military
Academy, In July, 1856, and was instruc-
tor at the cavalry school in Carlisle, Pa,
until January, 1885, when he became sec
ond lieutenant in the Second United States
Cavalry, and served on the Western 'front.'
Ter. Custer and Young were cadets at
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