The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-20
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
A CORRECTION RESPECTING CON-
FEDERATE CABINET HISTORY.

anu -AhothtCE Us ~ eaAN
Surrender of Lee to Grant-Nathan
Hale and Sam Davis-The Nancy
Hart Story Once More-Macon's In
vitation to the Veterans-Harper's
Weekly Put Straight-An Error
Respecting the Designer of the
Flag.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, Oct.
19.-The New York Sun states that
"the Secretary of the Navy was the
only member of the Confederate cabi-
net not changed during the war" This
statement is hardly a fair one, al
though Secretary Mallory was the only
person named for that position. There
was but one Postmaster General in the
cabinet, Hon. John H. Reagan, of Pal
estine, Tex, the present sole survivor
of all the great men associated with
him at that time. 1t is true that the
ElIet, but he declined the honor. there
fore Reagan, like Mallory. served from
first TO last of the Confederacy.
l have read with much interest the
press reports of the st. Louis Jeffer-
sonian Clubs trip to Monticello" with
a new monument for Jefferson's grave.
Coming home from the Philadelphia
centennial stopped off at Charlotts-
Vile and visited Monticello" The high
brick wall around the family burial
place had been preached and people
climbed through the gap over fence
rails. This of itself was sufficiently
disgraceful, but the relic hunters did
not stop there, but had Clipped off
every edge and corner of the granite
obelisk and its base over Jefferson's
grave. Nor did they spare the fiat
marble slabs covering the graves of
the female members of the family, as
the edges and corners of these slabs
were also Clipped. This old, Clipped
monument was given to Missouri some
years ago, and is now on the campus
of the University of Missouri. 1t is to
be hoped the new recommendation
there are now two-will be preserved
from relic hunters. The October issue
of the American Boy of Detroit, Mich,
has a very excellent photo engraving
OF the old Clipped monument given to
Missouri.
I am surprised to. see an article in
gomery (Ala.) Advertiser, copied from
the Monument Edition of the Hunts
vile Tribune, and written by Mrs. Vir-
ginia Clay Clopton, about the capture
of President Jefferson Davis, which IS
prefaced with this remarkable state
ment: I'm 1865, after the capitulation
at Appomattox and the tender of the
sword of our great chieftain. Robert j.
Lee, to Gen. U. S. Grant" etc. Now
- t. To- -, ~ 20
of United States Senator c. c. Clay,
and with him, was a companion prison
er, in one sense, with President Davis
and family and party, when carried
from Savannah to Fortress Monroe by
steamer. Her intimate association with
the distinguished soldiers and states
men of that time and later periods
ought to have enabled her to know
that Gen. Lee never made a tender of
the sword" he wore when he surren-
dered his army to Gen. Grant. But this
idea has become so fixed in the public
mind by just such statements as this,
and similar one by Mrs. Jefferson
Davis herself, that it is hard to cor
rect the error by persistent reference
to i.
/ see that Fitch's great Revolution
airy play-"Nathan Hale"-is to be pre-
scented to a Savannah audience. It is
to be hoped that every young military
man and every veteran of the Confed-
crate army, as well as the Daughters
of the Revolution and the Daughters
Of the Confederacy, will attend and
witness this ennoblig and thrilling play.
Nathan Hale and Sam Davis stand out
most conspicuously as the noblest and
grandest types Of the spy of the Revo-
luton and Of the Civil War. Both
were brave, patriotic, self sacrificing
young soldiers, and they un1inchingly
gave their lives to their country. Hale
was a Yale University student, and
had many advantages in birth and
education and rank, being a captain,
over plain Sam Davis, the country boy;
and yet. of the two the latter's death
was the more heroic and sublime in
its tests of fidelity and endurance. The
Forthcoming bicentennial of Yale Uni
versity will have no more attractive
feature than its tribute to Capt. Nath-
an Hale. And in the near future a
magnificent monument, now being de-
signed, will pay due tribute to Sam
Davis. the young Confederate spy. Gen.
Joe Wheeler did not err when he as
serted that this young soldier was the
sublimest hero of the Civil War. Even
the Union soldiers and officers who
condemned him to death and executed
him wept for him as his peerless and
unbribed spirit passed from earth.
Some year or more ago, think, 1t
was reported in the newspapers that
good old Rev. George G. Smith had as
serted that Georgia had no military
record to boast Of in history. was not
surprised. therefore, when I read his
recent denial of the STORY of Nancy
Hart" so long famous as Georgias
brave WAR Woman" To admit that
the intelligent people of a great state
like Georgia had been humbugged for
years and years by such a myth"
was a disgraceful act. who struck
Billy Patterson" is a very different
matter, and Bro. Smith is correct in
calling that a fraud. have fully in
vestigated all the BILLY Patterson"
stories. and have official records to
show that he was not struck in Geor-
gia, and that he left no will containing
a reward for the discovery of the fell
low who hit him. But. Nancy Hart
stands out as a noble heroine-a
brave, patriotic woman, in a period of
our country's early history, when the
mothers joined the fathers in defend
ing their homes and firesides She may
have been plain, loud-spoken, strong
limbed woman: but God put into that
h0uoeiv hodv tr1Ie and brave heart