The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-28
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
INTERESTING GOSSIP ABOUT MANY
MATTERS.

A Good story Told at the Table of
Alexander H. Stephens-NichO1as
Fish and the 4OO-Mr. wattersOn's
Criticism the Subject of CONNIE mt.
The Account of the Unveiling of
the Statue of Gen. S1Ocum-RO-
nance About a Negro Who Enlist
ed as "a Soldier in the Revolution
airy war-Other Matters of Special
Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, Sept.
27.-The Gen" Robert Johnson c.
S. A, who died at Geneva, N. Y,
few weeks ago. was Col. Robert John
ston of the Third Virginia Cavalry in
Gen. Fitz Lees brigade. He gradu-
ated from West Point in 1850, and was
in the First Dragons as first lieuten-
ant in 1861, when he resigned to enter
the Confederate service, in which his
highest rank was colonel of cavalry.
There was a Gen. Robert D. Johnston
of Birmingham, Ala, and the two
should not be COMPOUNDED.
The item in the Morning News
about Mrs. Sibby A. Padgett as Bet
sy Ross" of the Confederacy, because
she made the flag on Mr.. Jackson's
hotel in Alexandria, Va, is way of"
There was no Betsy Ross" in the
Confederate flag business. The first
| flag was made in Montgomery, Ala,
and raised by a daughter of Col. Rob
ert Tyler and granddaughter of Presi-
| dent Tyler. The first flag in Georgia,
| the next day, was, made the same night
| in Macon, by Mrs. Col. Thomas Harde-
man and other ladies and Immediately
| unfurled by the Floyd Rifles, her hus-
| bands company. The next day a flag
| was made on the cars from Montgom-
cry for Capt. Lees company of Attain
| ia. These were the first Confederate
| Ilags unfurled.
| My critical friend. Col. Tom Apple
| yard, of the Lake City, Fla, Index,
| thinks Tom Sawyer must be $50
| years old, as he says he recollects very
we'll when Sir Peter Parker. with a
| great British fleet. came into the bay
| of Fort Moultrie at Charleston. S. C.
! Then Tom gets into trap by stating
that that Sir Peter was born about
1916 and died in the year 1871" or five
years before he was born. 1t is evident
| ly a clear case of "Tom-Ton."
| The idea of Atlanta inviting the Ma
| tional Encampment to that city next
year is simply preposterous. In the
! first place, both the state and the city,
| must act in the matter of an invita-
ton and an appropriation. This is one
| of the times when. as Gen. Toombs
used to say, "the old flag and an app
| preparation go together."-It cost San
| Francisco over $135, 900 to entertain the
encampment some years ago. and now
| she wants ii again next year. Atlanta
| stands just about as much of a chance
to get it as she does to have the Ma
/ tional Capital removed to that city. 1t
is simply cheap piece of Atlanta adj
| vertisng.
| I never see the term 'low country
people" applied TO residents of South
| Georgia without a feeling of just in
/ dignation. They are not low" country
| men or women. for many are as "high"
bred as the best people of any state.
| The proper term to use is people from
| the "low country" or down the coun-
| try" | refer TO this matter just now by
way or an Introduction TO a story told
by the late Gen. Duncan l.. Clinch, not
| Clynch, as an Atlanta paper recently
| modernlzed the name. He dined with
| Alexander n. stephens one day and
| told Tits story az the dinner table, and
! Mr. stephens called II "a good one. p
/ Two Georgiane -one "up-conntry man
/ and low couniryman" meeting az
| 81 Aary's during the last 81 the war.
were the central naures The "up-coun-
tfgman' had neYer seen ude-water,