The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-15
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
NOT IN THE CLASS OF oNE-BuLLET
TRAGEDIES.

ures-The Statements of Two
coin and Davis Met in the Black
Hawk War-Some Remarks About
Veteran of Three Wars-A Book
Telling How 10 Get Into West
Point and AnnapoIis-More About
the ''Last Cabinet Meeting"-Other
Matters of General Interest Touch-
ed Upon.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla,
Sept. 4.-Although this letter is dated
at my home, it has been written, large
ly, while en- route to the Grand Army
National Encampment at Cleveland.
- Passing through Jacksonville,
Fla, met Col. d. e. Maxwell, divis-
ion superintendent of the Seaboard Air
Line Railway, who was one of the Con-
federate heroes in the battle of Allan
ia. where he was wounded, and he told
me l was mistaken in CHASING the
death of Gen. William H. T. Walker,
G. S. A., among zone Bullet
Tragedies" as he was killed by grape
ana caninster from a Union battery.
AS Col. Maxwell was there with the
heroic Habersham brothers-Joseph
Clay and William Neyle-who fell in
that bloody conflict. L presume he is
correct, although this is the first time
l have ever heard this version of his
death. - / am glad to see that
the name of Jefferson Davis, then Sec
rotary of War of the United States, is
to be restored to the Washington
Aqueduct. There was never any sense
in erasing it, any more than in Bowdoin
College at Brunswick, Me-, withdraw
ing from him the degree of Doctor of
Laws.
This Date in History-Aug. 81"
ready-plate matter, says Gen. John B.
Hood, c. S. A, rose to the rank of
lieutenant general" which is only par
TALLY true. When he superseded Gen.
Joe Johnston he was made a full gen.
eral, and the same rank was given to
Lieut.. Gen. E. Kirby Smith. 1t is said
that Lieut.. Gen. w. j. Hardee was first
offered the rank of general to super
cede Gen. Johnston, but declined the
doubtful honor, which was then given
to Hood. l am saddened to
learn of the death of my old and es-
teemed friend, Mr.. E. S. Richardson of
the Plant System passenger depart
ment. / had known him in Florida
before his removal to Savannah and
formed quite an attachment for him,
as had all the boys" in railway cir
cles in Jacksonville, where l frequent
ly met him. After his removal to Sa-
vannah he wrote me frequently in re-
gard to matter in these letters, and
always in an entertaining manner, as
he was a gentleman of fine culture,
In, sefO tool Nd M
litical events. / shall greatly miss him
from my narrowing circle of friends.
All the way from Jacksonville, Fla,
to Cleveland, o., crowds were about
the depots to get latest news from Buff
falo in regard to the terrible tragedy
attempted there in the cowardly as
sassination of President Mckinley. The
people of the entire South sem to be
bowed in grief and were earnestly
praying that his life might be spared
to the nation. There was but one ex-
preston in regard to the wretch who
attempted to kill the President, and
it included all anarchists-and that
was deportation to a penal colony for
life. - There was no great ruler
of G. A. r. veterans for Cleveland
until we reached Cincinnati, where
there was a perfect jam. The big
Four" officials rushed about confused
and hardly able to give a civil answer
to an inquiry, and but for Mr.. John
w. Irvine the Central passenger agent
of the route. who accompanied the
special train to Cleveland we should
have had lots of trouble. He never
lost his head" nor let the pleasant
smile leave his face, and a pleasant
word always came in reply to an in
quiry. He will long be remembered by
the old soldiers and their families,
whom he so kindly served in an emer-
gency. 3 . My old friend James r.
Randall will be glad to know that the
great naval parade on Tuesday started
off the strains of his Maryland, My
Maryland"
In her School History of the United
States, advance edition, Mrs. Susan
Pendleton Lee, in a foot note to her
paragraph on the Black Hawk War, in
1892 says: Abraham Lincoln, then
the tall, awkward captain of an Illinois
company, was sworn in by Jefferson
Davis" the latter being a lieutenant
in the regular army. The Chicago
book, The Indian and the Northwest"
says Gen. Scott, Col. Zachary Taylor,
Lieut.. Robert Anderson "of Fort Sum-
ter fame" Lieut., Jefferson Davis and
Private Abraham Lincoln" met at Dix
on's Ferry during that war. 1 am quite
sure that Mrs. Lee is correct, and that
it was Capt. Abraham Lincoln and not
Private Lincoln. When Gov.
Gambler told the Atlanta Journal re-
porter, in discussing tax values, that
figures never lie," he fatty contradict
ed Gen. Toombs' statement, made in
my presence years ago, that figures
are the biggest liars in the world, If
you put them down wrong" ] am in
clined to agree with Gen. Toombs
view, as the same statement, in mild
err form was once made to me by Gen.
Joseph E Johnston, In discussing the |
Union losses at the terrible assault on |
Kennesaw Mountain defenses.
He was a veteran of three wars
the Indian war, the Mexican war and |
the war between the states" This is |
the final record of Veteran William |
Stephens of THE Rock" near Barns
vile, Ga, who died recently, aged 80 |
years, beloved and honored by the en- |
tire community. How seldom, in the |
thousands of death notices that appear, |
do we see the statement, "he was a |
of three wars" or even two, |
not, of course, including the recent |
Spanish American war Uncle Billie"
Stephens lived in the midst of Geor-
gia's final Indian troubles, a period of
many hardships and dangers. 1t was
to such brave and patriotic men that
the state owed much in her efforts to
secure peace and prosperity within her
extending borders. Trained as a sol
der in those perilous times, il was