The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-26
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
MANY SURVIVORS OF THE CONFED-
ERATE CRUISER ALABAMA.

Made-An Error of an Orlando Pa
per-A Timely Article in Which
the Subject of "Natfve Troops" Is
Discussed A Reference to Fort
jackson at savannah-A MisIead-
ing Item About the Lees of Vir-
ginia-Other Matters of General
Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, May
25.-There seems to have been a good
many survivors OF the Confederate
cruiser Alabama Since my last letter, in
which referred to Armstrong, Calf. An
derson and Marmelstein, the death of
Capt. James Evans of Charleston. S. c..
has been. reported. He was Masters
Mate on the Alabama in the Kearsarge
fight. Col. Charles A. woodruff,
L. S A, of the commisssry department.
at Manila, was a private, corporal, SER
geant and second lieutenant of Vermont
volunteers in the Civil War, and was four
times wounded a Cold Harbor. His gall
lantry won him a cadetship at West
Point, where he made a good record, and
after graduating into the Seventh United
States Infantry, he won fame as an In
dian fighter, being three times wounded
in the battle of Big Hole Pass. His fine
military record in the field is unstained
by the Manila frauds.
One of the officials of Orange county
suggests to me that Jesup and Basinger
are not the only army names not spelled
correctly on the Orange and Osceola
county maps. He thinks Mellonville
ShOuld MeIIenviiIa in which he is mis-
taken. Capt. Charles Mellon of the Sec
ond United States Artillery was killed in
the Indian battle between Sanford and
what was once Mellonville, on Feb. g.
1887. and the spot was named Fort Mel
Ion ~ his honor. In a recent let
ter l referred to the Fact that Lieut..
Gen. Winfield Scott, by brevet. once wrote
me that there was "a vulgar prejudice
against brevet rank" Much of this feel
ing was engendered by Scott himself,
owing to the fact that he and Gaines
were made brigadier generals on the
same day, March 9. 1874 but Gaines
name appeared ahead of Scott's in the
army register, yet Scott was made a
brevet major general on July 25 and
Gaines, on Aug. Is, of the same year. Out
of this complication came numberless
conflicts of feeling and action on their
part
Maj. George H. Palmer, U. S. A. ire
tired although native of New York state.
recently died out in Wisconsin, from
which state he entered the volunteer ser
vice in the Civil War and thence into the
regular army. He won distinction in the
Indian battles of the West and at San
tiago. His father was a Mexican war vet
eran and also in the Civil War. Mai.
Palmer left two sons and two sons-in-
10 al Of in This iG a
remarkable family record. and one not
easily duplicated. The Casey, the Capron
the Summer and the Taylor families have
somewhat similar records. The
Massachusetts Society, of the Sons of the
American Revolution had arranged to put
up Tablet at Quebec in honor of Gen.
Montgomery, but the Historical Society
of Quebec have issued a very sharp and
offensive protest against the movement,
and suggest that we keep the memorials
to our heroes on our own soil and not
put them among the people against whom
| they made war. AS Montgomery is buried
| in New York city the Canadians think it
| would be in better taste to decorate his
tomb there and not seek to honor him on
their soil.
The Grand Army Journal of Gouveneur,
n. Y, is mistaken in it's report that
throughout the entire South, with the
single exception of New Orleans, the 26th
of April was observed a s Decoration Day
by Confederate Veterans" Many other
places beside New Orleans have this year
decorated Confederate graves and held
memorial services on other than the reg
ular Decoration Day" Put Up
Thy Sword" is the title of "a study of
war" by James H. MacLaren. The
cranky character of the author is seen
in this paragraph from his preface: No
one can be a true Christian and an ad-
vocate of war; no true Christian can en-
gage in military service war has no
Place in the Christian system. Christian
ity and war cannot dwell together under
the same roof; one or the other must be
dropped" 1 do not know who MacLaren
is, but l venture the assertion that Gen.
Robert E. Lee, or Gen. "Stonewan'' Jack
son, or Gen. T. r. r. Cobb or Gen. o.
o. Howard, or Gen. ]. K. F. Mansfield, or
Gen. Chinese" Gordon, or Gen. Havelock
or Capt. Vickors-any one of these noted
Christian heroes has a better record for
true piety than Pharisee MacLaren.
The Orlando Sentinel-Reporter very
carelessly refers to Maj Gen. f. NJ. Law
of Brooksville as the commander of the
Florida Division of the United Confeder-
ate Veterans. Every editor in this state
ought to know that Gen. Law is president
of the Florida Military Institute at Bar
tow, and has been for several years. His
ability as an educator and soldier have
been fully tested and the cadets from
his present institute rank very high in
examinations for the United States Ma
val or Military Academy. Gen. Law
won his spurs" by his mastery strug-
gle at Gettysburg, and since the war he
has resumed the noble profession that
Gen. r. E. Lee honored during the last
years of his life. and in which S. d. Lee,
A. p. Stewart. W. H. Payne w. F. Per-
~, d. II. Hill and other distinguished
Confederate generals have done good SER
vice.
In view OF the fact the United States
may soon have lot OF native troops
In Porto Rico. Cuba the Sandwich ISL
ands and the Philippines an article. pro-
fusely illustrated. in Munsey's Magazine
for May. on king Edwards Native
Forces" by Horace Wyndham. is both
timely and instructive. 1t describes the
character and services of "the black.
brown and yellow soldiers who are re-
cruited from the S5O.0O0,0OO native people
of the British empire. and who add no
little to its armed strength" The writer
notes that the negroes, or real black
soldiers" have been in the British army
for over a century. But, he says what
a,,ar tbeIr color creed race or ianguage