The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-06

long but carefully prepared historical
and biographical sketch under the title
of General w. F. Perry and Some
thing of his Career in War and Peace"
Gen. Oates not only covers the life of
this Georgia boy, from his birth in
Jackson County 1928. to his death in
Bowling Green, KY, in 1891. but he
also gives succinct review of the
battles and military operations with
which Gen. Perry had any near or re-
mote connection. His accounts of the
battles in the Wilderness and at
Gettysburg, as we'll as minor engage
ments, clearly shows that Gen. Perry
was soldier of more than ordinary
ability, and that Gen. Oates is an ac-
complished military writer about
scenes in which he was an active and
gallant participant.
The cover of the Confederate Veter-
an for January is bordered with pic
lures of Confederate generals, Presi-
dent Davis, Vice President Stephens
and Admiral Semmes. In this border
appears a pictures of Hon. John H.
Reagan as Gen. John H. Reagan, P.
NJ" and yet he was never a Gen"
at one end of his name and a 'P. M"
at the other; but a "P. M. Gen." or
Postmaster General, at either end.
However, his fidelity to President Davis
when the crisis came, as we'll as his
bravery in standing by the remnants of
the Confederacy and being captured
with its chief magistrate, made him
worthy of the military title of general.
OF the sixteen pictures on this cover,
only five-A. P. Stewart. Reagan, Cor
don, Hampton and Wheeler-are of liv-
ing persons. Davis, Stephens, r. E.
Lee, j. E. and A. S. Johnston, Cooper,
T. j. jackson, Bragg, Beauregard,
Breckenridge and SemmeS are dead.
Reagan is reported quite i'll at his home
in Texas, and may soon pass away"
Then there will not be living a single
member of the cabinets of Lincoln and
Davis, nor one of the chief actors in
the great upheaval of 1861 that threat
ened to destroy the nation.
1t is a singular fact, and one not
at all creditable to a people supposed
to possess a grateful patriotism, that
so many graves of heroic or eminent
men have been ''lost to sight" though
to memory dear" Col. Ben Hawkins,
to whom Col Estill referred in his
notes about Hawkinsville, seems to be-
long to this class. Notwithstanding
all the noble service he rendered Geor-
gia and the nation, in war and in
peace, old Gen Thomas S. Woodford,
d veteran Ol Tic lllQlti1 walls say
"Col. Hawkins died in 1916 and sleeps
on the east bank of Flint river, and
none are left who know the spot where
he rests but myself and perchance
some old Indian countrymen." 1t is
possible that Gen. Woodward may be
mistaken, as l find numerous errors,
mostly trifiing, however, in his rem
iniscences." He states, for example,
that Muscogee Hawkins, an adopted
daughter of the colonel, married Capt.
Kit Kizer of the United States Army"
l presume he meant Lieut.. David XII
ger of the Twenty-second United
States Infantry. Another daughter
he says, married Lieut.. Loshsha of
the army" No doubt this should be
Third Lieut.. Lewis Lawshe of the For
ty-second United States Infantry.
Lieut.. Kizer died a few years later and
his widow married Bagwell Tillor.
I notice the newspapers speak of the
retirement of Brig. Gen. Francis L.
Gunther, U. S. A, at Fort Monroe.
The name, however, is Guenther and it
is borne by one of the most accom-
plished artillery officers in the service
He was in command of the military
at the unveiling of the Logan statue
in Washington some months ago, and
did me the honor of selecting me as
one of his aides. Twice before 1 had
been thus honored by my old COM
rades of the Army of the Potomac:
first by Gen. Horace Porter, at Nc
Kinley's first Inauguration, and then
by Gen. Francis V. Greene, at the
second Inauguration; but the severe
weather at Washington, in March, is
too much for an old battle-scarred SOL
dier. and / could not go. If Congress
is wise enough to favor a change of
the date for the presidential Inaugural
ton from March to April 80, as is now
proposed, l might possibly Witness if
not participate in an inauguration.
March 4 in one sense, is much more
appropriate day, as so many Presi-
dents March forth" from the White
House at that time, and 1T is, gen
orally "a cold day" for them.
A fine sketch and picture of the la
mented and gifted Edward Courtenay
Bullock, of Eufaula, Ala, but born
in Charleston, S. c., appears in the
Confederate Veteran for February. He
with Gen. Clayton, Gen. Baker, Sena-
tor Pugh and other eminent men, went
into the war as private soldiers in the
Eufaula Rifles. The statement that
Private Bullock was appointed Inspec-
tor General of Alabama troops ION the
staff of Gen. Jerry Clements" is mis-
leading, as there was no such officer.
1t was "Jere Clemens" of Huntsville,
Ala, atfamous character in his day.
He was a private in the Indian wars,
and in 1912 went to Texas with a COM
pany and became lieutenant colonel
in the Texas army. In 1847 he was APP
pointed major of the Thirteenth
United States Infantry, became lieu
tenant colonel of the Ninth Infantry
some three months later, and was dis
banded in 1S4S. He had a brief term
in the United States Senate, ending
in 1853. He was in the secession con-
vention, opposing but finally signing
the ordinance, and did not go into the
Confederate army, serving on the gov
ernor's staff at home.
I see that Will T. Hale has been
writing about Great Southerners."
and he says Samuel Cooper was ma
tive of New Jersey" which is not cor
rect, as he was born in New York