The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-29
HENDERSON, N. c., THURSDAY, AUGUST %, 1901.

the boys. and the hope of battle and
glory and of victory famed brightly
in this little band of fiedglings. Well
drilled and accustomed to marching
the cadets entered Staunton in the
afternoon of the second day, showing
little i'll effects of travel. The people
Of Staunton, with true Southern hos
pitality, made them at home. Mr..
Wise and his cousin Lewis, being in
vited to dine at the home of a friend,
waded in a creek to wash the mud off
their trousers and shoes, with pocket
comb and glass they completed their
toilet in fence corner, walked about
till their garments were dry, and
then proceeded to keep their engage
ment. In naive aud diverting man
ner he tells of the alteration the girls
OF Staunton bestowed on these young
fellows, and Of the disgust of the
regular officers at being supplanted
Some feeling of envy made the band
OF regiment OF grimy veterans strike
up, "Bock-a-Bye, Babyr" when the
cadets marched by them. The men
took up the air, rocking their guns in
their arms as if putting them to sleep.
Naturally every one was amused, save
the cadets. They were furious.
On May 18th, the veterans and
cadets left Staunton for Newmarket.
In the battle which took place,
splendid service was rendered by
these boys, and sad was the result for
them. Out of corps of 225 men, Sc
were killed or wounded. When they
had prepared for action nobody would
consent to be detailed, so anxious
were they all to fight; so their traps
were left unguarded and many Of
their things were stolen by camp-fol-
lowers. One prisoner captured by
the cadets, German, gave an anus
ing account.o of his capture. He said,
''Dem leetle tevils wit der vite flag
was too much fur me; dey smash
mine head ven l cry zurrender all der
time" BY the white flag he meant
the colors of the Institute, a hand
some flag with a white and gold
ground and picture Of Washington.
A week after the battle of Newmarket
the cadet corps passed in review be-
fore President Davis in Richmond,
heard a speech of praise from his lips
and was given a stand of colors from
the Governor of Virginia.
After this battle John Wise left the
Institute and joined his fathers
brigade at Petersburg. The account
of his life with his father there is very
fascinating. While there he meets a
great number of the Southern gen
erals, and tells of how they impressed
him.
For General A. P. Hill he has the
very highest admiration, and speaks
of the unique distinction he enjoys in
having been named by both Lee and
jackson in their dying moments.
When Stonewall was unconscious,
"a. P. Hill, prepare for action was
one of the last things he said. General
Lee, dying in Lexington many years
after, exclaimed, "a. P. Hill must
move up" So it seems that he must
have been the one to whom these
great leaders turned in = great crisis;
as if feeling if he could not save the
situation nothing could. What nobler
tribute could any soldier wish?
The writer speaks so tenderly OF
"Fighting Dick" Ewell, OF 'sZeb''
Stuart, Of ..Fitz" Lee, and with such
deep admiration of General Wade
Hampton, the prince of cavalrymen.
Hetells of the fearlessness, the fidel-
ity and love of fight that made John
B. Gordon, of Georgia, one of Lees
most popular commanders. When
you read of Gordon's face, SCARED in
some battle in the Valley, of the way
in which the soldiers cheered him
whenever he appeared, of their will.
| ingness to follow wherever he lee
Gordon never followed), you will fee
that indeed that is the same Gordon
who is well-beloved by all Confederate
| veterans.
Mr.. Wise's tribute to General Lei
is full of reverence and beauty. Ger
tain it is the Confederacy contained
no other like him. When its brie
career was ended, in him was center
ed, as in no other man, the trust, th'
love, almost the worship, OF thos'
who remained steadfast to the end
II The man who could so staml
his impress upon his nation, render
ing ali others insignificant besid
him, and yet die without an enemy
the soldier who could make love TO
his person a substitute for pay ant
clothing and food, and could, by tn
con nstraint of that love, hold togethe
a naked, starving band, and trans
form it into a fighting army; tn
heart which, after the failure of it
great endeavor, could break in silence
and die without the utterance of
word of bitterness-sucha a man, sue
soldier, such q heart. must hav
been great indeed-great beyond th
power of eulogy."
For a short while John Wise be
longed to the command of Colons
Bob Preston, an officer brave as lior
splendid fighter, but with sma
knowledge of military tactics.
On one occasion, while his regimen
was marching in column of con
panies, it was attacked in flank. Th
colonel, unable to think of th
command to wheel by companie
into line, shouted, "Twenty-eightl
, swing round in companies like gate
r and Sic 'em!" On another occasion
coming to q fence. and not KNOWN
a how to defile his men through 9
4 opening, he ordered, battalion! ol
e battalion. bust up! climb fence az
e line up on t'other s:de"
If the reader wants to enjoy vel
e hearty laugh, let him read the a
e count of q ball given in Richmond
)! the very last of the war. The co
d tunes were all effective and startlin
= to say the least; and chief amor
o them was that Of John Wise. himss
It a brother officers new scat sever
l. sizes too large for tho wearer.
l. We read in the last chapters Of t
final struggles of the army. of the s.
e result of the surrender-the death
g nations proud hopes-and of t
n first stretching forth Of the hea
l. hand of reconstruction. Things we