The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-20

er guard" Prof. Suggs was wise in
his choice to become an educator Of
his race rather than cadet at the
Military Academy.
The monument to be erected on the
spot where Gen. William Henry Tai
bot Walker, C. S. A, was killed in
the Battle of Atlanta, while being
somewhat like the similar memorial
on the spot where Gen. ]. B. McPher-
son, u. S. A., was killed few hours
earlier, is a much more elaborate and
costly affair. Gems. Ruger and Nc
Keever, Coils. Chandler and Mcclure,
Mai. Maginnis and myself were the
prime movers in the Mcpherson Me-
morial," which was a plain. simple
marker of the spot where he fell. I'm
like Gen. Walker, he did not meet his
death leading his troops in the face
of the enemy. He and some of his
staff were at the Howard house, the
headquarters of Gen. Sherman, when
the battle opened. Hastily mounting
his horse, followed by an orderly. he
dashed down through the woods TO
join his command, but before he
reached it g. sharpshooter bullet end
ed his noble career. Both Walker
and Mcpherson were West Pointers
and old army comrades, and each went
to his death suddenly and heroically
not far apart in time and distance.
From Honolulu, H. l., comes to me
through DR.. r. p. Myers, a copy of
the Commercial Advertiser of that city
containing a full report of Grants
Birthday" exercises by the Ohioans.
Capt. U. S. Grant White, U. s.. navy,
TO whom l referred in recent letters,
gave a very interesting account of Gen.
Grants early home life, his father be-
ing the generals "chum' and naming
his son for him because of their COM
radeship during the Mexican War
Grant was born at Point Pleasant, in
Cermonr county, Ohio, but when two
years old the family moved to George
town, in the adjoining county of
Brown. Capt. White says this little
town of 1900 inhabitants sent seven
cadets to West Point who became
generals in the Civil War. They were
Grant, Ammen, Kautz, Wood, Woods,
and two Aliens, not related. Now, as
to Grant and Georgetown, / have a
fac-simile of the register of Roe's Ho-
tel at West Point for May 20, 1889, and
five days following. ~. S. Grant
registers May 20 from George, Ohio, "
for dinner and is assigned to room 80,
just vacated by Mr.. ID. Lynch Law
renee and lady of New York. The
i the end of George is turned up like the
letter d. He did not, therefore, put the
town" on, but simply George"
Over at the Military Academy he found
that Ulysses Hiram Grant was IN. g.
and that he must enter as Ulysses
I Simpson Grant, or stay out. He went
in with change of name, if not a
change of heart.
In a previous letter stated that this
Capt. Ulysses Simpson Grant White
graduated from West Point into the
army without the Simpson" in his
name, but when he transferred to the
Navy the recording angel of the de-
partment added the Simpson" and
since then he has gone the whole
hog" on Grants name. Names are
queer things to keep track of in many
cases. Now, in Grants case a prom
inent magazine writer says his original
name was Hiram Ulysses Grant, but
the school boys called him Hug" and
so he transposed his initials. This may
or may not be true, but Gen. Toombs
| once told me that young Ben Hill stole
This fathers name because he was
| named Cicero Hill, and the boys
called him "Kickers." Last week ]
| referred to plain Gen. Micah Jenkins
but since then I have seen two semi
official rosters of Confederate generals
in one it is Micah aud in the other
Micah M. Jenkins. Which is correct
Gallant Gen. Mordecai Gist of South
Carolina who struck y the final blow
to the British after heroic Col. Lau,
rens fell, had two sons, one he named
Independent" and the other States
1 suppose Gen. States Rights Gist OF
the c. S. A. must have been the latter
or his son.
Col. Estill, in his interesting sketch
| of Coffee county says Douglas, the
county seat, was not named after the
famous douglas, tender and true, .
| but the noted American politician,
| Stephen A. Douglas. This reminds me
that Thomas H. Benton, who was as
vain of his commanding figure as was
Gen. Scott, or is Gen. Miles, once said
Douglas could never be President pe-
cause his coat tails came too near the
ground President Lincoln, the sue
cessful candidate, it is true had coat
tails that hung higher above the
ground than those of any President
before or after his time But Henry
/ Ward Beecher once remarked that a
mans legs need be only long enough
to reach the floor, which the legs of
Douglas did, while those of Lincoln,
when he sat down, not only reached
the floor, but doubled back nearly to
his chin. Senator Benton's remark
about the coat-tails of Douglas was
inappropriate, he being more VEN
cradle tatesman-known as "Old Bull
lion"-while Douglas was the rising
young statesman-called THE Little
Giant" whose brilliant career was
early closed in death. The coat tails
of Grant, Cleveland and Mckinley, not
to mention other less famous Presi-
dents hung a h0nf the ground
as did those of Douglas. therefore
the Benton coat-tail standard is not a
safe one to adopt. Sidney Herbert.
The origin Of the supply of
petroleum in the earth has been
moot point among chemists
and biologists for many years.
The theory most favorable re-
ceived has been that of Berthe
lot, which was developed by Mende-
leeff, ascribing them to the action of