Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-08-14

would not speak one word of dispar-
agement of our battlefield heroes, or CO
the commander and his brave men who
followed him into the very jaws OF
death. The charge OF Pickett's division
at Gettysburg, Gordon's desperate assault
| upon the enemy's work in the last days OF
the civil war; the death grapple at Frank
lin in which i've Of our bravest generals
! gave up their lives. and many more nota-
BILE achievements, illustrates the heights
TO which human courage can attain, ana
must always reflect undying honor, not
only upon Confederates, but stand as
| monuments to the heroism of American
soldiery.
But grand and glorious as were all
these, and brave as were these men,
there was a man / think who displayed
a higher type of courage than even they.
| He was not an officer of even the hum
| blest rank, and knew nothing o. the in
SEPARATION that comes with the excitement
and huzzars Of sanguinary strife. He led
no foriorn hope, and did not go down in
the forefront of battle with the shout Of
victory upon his dying lips, and
The death-wound in his gallant breast
The last of many scars"
How. then, did this brave man die?
The answer is, he died the most ignoble
| of deaths-that of the gallows, with
rope around his neck. But he fought the
fight of faith and truth" and as long as
human valor is applauded, as long as the
! grandeur of moral heroism is appreciated,
in every age. in every cline, this man
must rank as the bravest Of the brave,
! and his martyrs death reflect honor upon
the manhood of the world.
THE STORY OF SAM DAVIS.
I cannot tell this story better than in
| the language OF Hon. Tulley Brown, in
| an address delivered at Nashville, Tenn,
| early in 1901, and published in the Nash
| VILE American, part Of which Is as fol-
lows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: The pleasing
duty has been accorded to me tonight to
| introduce to you the distinguished lady
who will entertain you with song and
dialect OF the old south. but have been
| requested by the committee, before intro
ducing her. to have some few words to
| say with reference to the object Of this
| meeting, and to the young man whose
short life and whose glorious death in a
cause long gone by is the reason for erect
ing to him a monument upon the acropo-
lis of the state.
| You doubtless have seen that the leg
| islature Of Tennessee by a resolution, has
| appropriated spot upon the capitol
! grounds for a monument to this young
man. And the questions might be asked;
| Why did the legislature pass such a res
olution? Who was Sam Davis2 Did he
lead listening senates? Was he ever gov
ernor of the state? Did he lead our le-
gions 10 battle? What did he do, that the
legislature OF this state should have given
to him a place by the side of James X.
Polk and Andrew Jackson, two presidents
Of the United States; one who slept for
many years in sight OF the capitol but
whose tomb was allowed to be placed up
on the capitol site; and Andrew Jackson,
a man national in his fame. a man glo-
rious, a man known to all the earth; and
| out of all the. Tennessee people since the
4 hssf1f 1va1r fufn huW
been allowed resting places there-one in
his grave and the other astride of his
bronze horse? Then who was Sam Davis?
That is what the committee has asked me
to tell.
ut is a simple story Of a short life and
a death so glorious that II has no rival.
(Applause). His father and mother came
to the state of -Tenness from Virginia,
that state that has furnished so much OF
good and so much Of greatness TO the
world. take II, as they came from Vir-
ginia and from his simple English name,
that he came of proud English blood. He
lived the life of other Tennessee boys,
and was at military school here by
Nashville in 1861, when the cloudburst OF
war startled the American people. Ten
nesseean-lilke. the young man, scarcely
nineteen, volunteered in the first regiment
he could reach, which was the First Ten
nessee Regiment. c. s. A.
81 have asked soldier cosnrade Of that
regiment, who was afterwards connected
with his family, about him, for / felt GER
tain that you would desire to hear of a
man so famous of a man capable OF so
heroic a deed, that any particular would
be interesting. Sam Davis was nearly six
feet high, and was as straight and slender
as a mountain pine. He had a shock OF
hair black as the ravens wing, and his
face was bronzed, his eyes black and
shining like diamonds. He was gentle and
kindly as a girl. He loved his mother.
and was gentle in his demeanor to his SOL
der comrades; while everybody who knew
him was fond of him. He entered the
army and served some time with the First
| Tennessee, and then was selected to COM
| pose a company of scouts on the danger
Gus duty of invading the enemy's line.
That service went on until in November.
1868, when he was captured by the Fed
eral soldiery near the town Of Pulaski.
Tenn. There were found upon his person
! maps of Notifications of Nashville and
other places. statistics OF the Federal
army, their numbers in infantry, their ar
tillery. cavalry, and all 1t takes to make
up an army.
General Dodge, who was the comman-
der of the Federal corps then at Pulaski,
sent for him. He made known to the
young man the grave and serious condi-
ton which he was in; that he would have
to call a courtmartial to try him for a
| spy. General Dodge Sdlu TO MINI II
| you will give me the name of your in
formant; II you will tell me where these
maps and figures came from. will set you
free General Dodge evidently supposed
that they came from around his head
quarters. either from staff officer or
somebody in the confidence of a staff Of
hcer; he was very pressing in his desire
} 20 get this information. He says HIM
self: I was struck with admiration al
} the integrity, the dignity and the splen-
did courage OF this young man, and did
my best>to save his life.
THE courtmartial was called. Two
| charges were submitted. Charge first was
that ne was inside Federal lines carrying
upon his person maps and communications
, detrimental to the government and to the
; armies of the United States. The speci-
fcations of both charges were set out.
; ITO the first charge and specification
: he pleaded not guilty. I am here in my
Confederate uniform, without conceal
: ment. 1 am not a spy (Applause). Tc
the second charge he pleaded guilty. And
when that was done he was confined In a
separate cell. and the fact was made
known to him that he had to die.
! ION November 26. 1863 on Thursday
l night, this young fellow. in his lonely eel
wrote a letter most pathetic to his moth
er and father. He said: am going tC
die on the gallows tomorrow. Do not
I g. 10 40 nj