The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-02-06
BILL, ARP TALKS OF r. r. LEE
He Met the General on Two Oc.
casions During the Civil War
and Was Impressed With His

and Was Impressed With His
Granduer.
Atlanta Constitution.
Duty is the sublimcst word in our
language" That is what General Lee
wrote to his son soon after General
Scott offered him the supreme COM
mand IT the Northern army. Virginia
had just seeded and Lee saw on one
side that there were no honors to which
he might not aspire. On tho other
side, if he cast his destiny with that of
his State, he saw, or he thought he
saw, that miseries and trials awaited
him without number. But to seek his
duty and, having found it, 1t was over
the principle Of his actions. These
strong and beautiful words about duty
were not original with General Lee,
and in his letter he has them in quota
tion marks. Tho expression came from
Rev. John Davenport, a famous Puri-
tan preacher Of New England--tho
man who gave shelter to the three reg
gicldes who condemned Charles the
First to death and after the restoration
fled for their lives to New England
and were hidden by John Davenport
in his barn. When tins act of treason
became known among his people he
ncithcrlquailcd nor rclentcd but preach
ed sermon the next Sabbath from
that passage in Isaiah which SAYS:
Hide tho outcasts. BCtray not him
that VANDERBILT. Let my outcasts
dwell with thee and no thou covert
unto them from the spoicr." 1t was
in that sermon that he made use of this
notable expression: cit is my duty
to shield them, and duty is The subli-
mcsL word in our language"
During the war it was my privilege
to sec General Lee quite often, hut
never did meet hlm face to face and
have brief conversation with him but
twice. Even then we did not know
how great man he was. General
Johnston had been wounded at Seven
Pines, and General Lee came from
West Virginia to take his place. lie
was almost a stranger to the Army Of
Northern Virginia. He had been in
command but week or two when
General Black, of Rome, came 10 see
his boys of the Eighth Georgia and
asked me to ride with hlm 70 General
Lees headquarters and introduce him,
Tor he was very dcsirOuS Of meeting
him before he returned to Georgia.
Of course complied, for General Black
was a man Of no small consequence ut
home. lie was cid and gray and of
commanding presence and military
bearing. Introducing myself first, |
presented General Black, and after we
were seated ! sad nothing, but paid
modest nnI rnshnrtT T,l ,tt
was soon impressed with thc grandeur
CT the man before me, and, Of course,
as he expanded, very naturally shrank
up little to keep the equilibrium.
Not long after this The Seven Days
battles began and ended in McClcllan's =
defeat and our army began ln realize
how great man Lee WAS. 1t was on
the sixth day that | was sent to his
headquarters near Meadow Bridge to
receive orders, and there ! met him
again. He was standing uncovered
and unarmcd in front of his tent, and
" Stoncwail jackson was aslccp in
side upon the straw, and the servant
had set the dinner tables over him SO
as not to disturb his rest, for, as Cen
cral Lee said, " He "cc;!a It, anh uoth-
ing but artillery will awake him now.N
said that The army did not know III
llr5t how great Il man Leo was. Ncith-
or did they know fully at the last, for
nc was one OF the few great characters
that develops and grows brighter and
grandcr as the ycas roll on. For some
years after the war he received but lit
tie praise at the North and great ma
tional cyclopcdia gave more space and
praise to Old John Brown than TO Gem
eral Lee, who arrested and executed
INN. But now, III the international,
OF fifteen volumcs---a standard work.
edited and compiled by 200 of thc most
distinguished scholars and professors
OF the Northern co!lcScs-the sketches
OF General Lee and Stoncwall jackson
are all that we could ask fol.
That OF Lee closes with this para
graph: " In person he was one OF the |
noblcst types of manly beauty. Tail, |
broad d-shouldcrcd, erect, with IA dirnily |
as impressive rs that of WASHINGTON. |
yet not SO cold. or habits as pure as
Washington, but more warmly religious !
and always maintaining Il calm, con-
hdcnt and kindly manner that no dis |
astcr could disturb or chanyc.n The |
world knows him now and vcncratcs |
his memory aud the people he fought
against have given him place in their
hall of fame.
Verify, old Father Time is a good
doctor and Anno Dolnini the s0ftcniur
solvent of all malignant passions,
But THIS is enough from me concern
ing the great commander. 1t was the
subllmc Christian faith of Lee and
jackson that made their characters
complete and added luster TO thrir
military fame. They were men Of
prayer.
For a little while / would ask vopr
Kind attention to those who since
1892 have called themselves the
daughters Of the Confcdcracy. Their
mission has been and still is and we
trust long will be as declared in article
OF their constitution: "Educationa].
memorial, social and benevolent-loI
collect and preserve the material for a
truthful history of the war between ,hc
States-to honor the memory of those
who served and those who fell in our