The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-02
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
A REFERENCE To ONE OF LONG
FELLOWS EARLY POEMS.

The story of Famous Locomotive
Captured During the Civil War.
The Soldiers Home at johnson
City, Tenn.-SOldiers 1t Is Intended
For-Ranks of Confederate Gem
erals Rapidly Thinning Out-The
Number of Executive Depart
ments in Washington's Adminis-
tration-The Eighteenth Annual
Encampment of the Florida Grand
Army of the RepubIic-Other Mat
tiers of General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla,
March Ii have highly priced copy
of WHITES Historical Collections"
and on the presentation page
Rev. George White, the author
wrote the name of Lafayette,
although the common practice
of the present day is to write it
Lafayette. In my last letter 1
meant to refer to the January" not
honorary roll of West Point Cadets.
1 also noticed that writer's blight"
came out writer's flight" The
war members of the Savannah Cadets
have not forgotten their gallant com
rade, William A. Shaw, Familiarity
called Billy" For more than a quar-
ter of a century have been passen-
ger on his steamer up and down the
st. Johns river. Starting in a small
steamer he steadily went up to the
command of the largest and finest
steamer-the City of Jacksonville--on
the river, and it was built under his
personal supervision And now, after
thirty years of service, in which he
has made thousands of friends, Capt.
Shaw has gone to a life position as
government inspector of steamers in
this district. a position he can ably
fill, and the appointment of which
gives his Florida friends great pleas
ure, as it should those in Savannah.
The Morning News a few days ago
printed Longfellows early poem on
Capt. Phinny's Turnip." l think, how
ever, that it was not written behind
barn" in Portland, but out at Cor
ham, Me-, where Capt. Phinny lived
and died. He was a famous Indian
fighter and one of the first settlers of
ancient Gorham, in whose celebrated
Academy was educated Hon. Sargent
S. Prentiss, of Mississippi, and Rev.
DR.. George l.. Prentiss, of New York.
The Longfellow family are buried in
the old cemetery and near their graves
are those of the Phinny families. The
Phinnys and other early settlers We're
for time frequently attacked by the
Indians, and Capt. John Phinny, whose
Turnip the youthful Longfellow inn
mortalized in his first rhymes, was the
daring leader in many of the fights. I
have visited his grave and the scene
of some of his daring exploits.
l am indebted to my old friend,
Charles Z. Hartman, of Atlanta, the
general passenger agent of the West
ern and Atlantic Railroad, for a beau
tiful little illustrated booklet, THE
Story of the General" the famous To-
connective captured during the Civil
War on that railroad, by the Andrews
Raiders" many of whom were cap
tured and some of whom were hung.
They were Ohio soldiers from Gen. o.
M. Mitchel's (not Mitchelrs) command
in Tennessee. The map and illustra-
tions in this gem of the printers art
are very valuable to the old soldiers
of Sherman's and Johnston's armies,
and to the historians of the war. (Rev.)
VIM. Pittenger's name appears as
Pottenger, which might lead some one
to think that Sir VIM. Pottenger of
Savannah, was survivor of that raid.
In my humble judgment the soldiers
who made this World-famouS raid were
greater heroes and more daring in
their exploit than Lieut.. Hobson, and
his sailors at Santiago Their chance
OF escape was such as to make death
almost a certainty.
The Waycross Journal reprints from
the Chicago Journal an item about
the new National Soldiers Home at
Johnson City, Tenn, intimating that
it is to be a home for both Union and
Confederate soldiers. This is only par
TALLY true, as it is intended for volun-
teer soldiers of the Union army in the
Civil war and volunteer soldiers in the
Spanish-American war. Now, as to the
latter class, no distinction is made be-
tween ex-Union and ex-Confederate
soldiers. Only such ex-Confederates as
served in the Spanish American war
can enter this Home when it is COM
pleted. The location is in a mountain
Gus and healthy region, and the pro-
posed buildings, grounds, etc, will be
as fine as a million dollars can make
them. OF course, owing to old age
and inf1rmities, very few ex-Confeder-
ates will ever get into this Home
through service in the Spanish-Ameri-
can war, but their sons and grandsons
may yet enjoy it's benefits.
Capt. w. c.. Rivers, U. S. A.. the
accomplished adjutant of West Point
Military Academy, has written for the
March issue of Success, under the head
of THE Daily Life of the West Point
Cadet" an article of great interest to
parents and relatives of the cadets
in that institution. 1t shows a Sc
verify of discipline and a study SER
vice that fully explain why so many
worthy and intelligent cadets are
found in their studies or discharged"
for dement's. There is no school
in the world where such severe study
and discipline prevail, and from no
military school, in any land, are sent
forth such thoroughly trained and ac-
complished soldiers. Capt. Rivers, in
his admirable article, thus explains
why many cadets are finally dismiss
ed: Each cadet is supposed to make
up the time lost when he becomes ill.
back to the class next below or else
envy for deficiency.
The ranks of the old Confederate
in several Southern states only one or
two are left to respond to roll call.
The recent death of Gen. w. H.
Young, in Texas, is followed by the
sudden death of Gen. Thomas f. Toon