The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-16
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
LIVE QUESTION FOR THE U. C. V.
REUNION AT DALLAS.

private SO1dier-WOrds of Conn
,ucndatIon for the ID. A. r.. and U.
u. ca story of Howe, the Sew
inn Machine Man Theodore
o'Hara of Kentucky Now "a Cadet.
The Little Controversy Over the
question as to whether Gen. II.
=. Lee Ever Belonged to Gen.
scott's OmciaI FnmiIy-Other Mat
trrs OF General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, Feb
The abolishing of military titles
for officers of the U. c. V. will be a
live question at the Dallas reunion in
tpril. If these titles are abolished the
Examination can hardly be called even
q semi military affair. Why abolish
these titles in an organization COM
posed of old soldiers while the knights
Of Pythias and the knights of Honor,
etc, purely civilian organizations, re-
tain military titles, and the country
and boy" colonies and female colo
neIs on Governors stats? Let the old
soldiers have their military titles no
matter how near they go to full gen
eIal. like Gordon. In war they fought
hravely and periodically for the Lost
Cause" and in peace, old and infirm,
poor in purse but rich in love for their
surviving comrades and in reverence
for their dead, they still rally round
the flag" and band together in loya.
affection for each other and the cause
for which they fought Let them have
their military titles and be duly hon.
cred in wearing them.
! regret that Mrs. Barclays article
on Lee, and many letters from read
ers of the Morning News cannot be
attended to in this issue. The want
. of space compels me to lay them aside
for future attention. Next
Saturday Feb. %. the Department of
Florida, G. A. r. meets in annual
encampment with U. S. Grant Post of
orlando. AS it is Washington's birth
day, the occasion promises to be one
Of unusual interest and full of patri-
otto demonstrations. A few
days ago 1 called on the venerable
widow of Maj Gen. w. S. Harvey, u.
s A., who was one of the most famous
fighters IN the old army during the
Indian and Mexican wars. She lives
man. at the San Juan Hotel in Or
lando, but has become blind during
the past two years. She is a most
interesting conversationalist, and per-
fectly familiar with her distinguished
husbands heroic deeds. Speaking of
Gen. Lee, then Capt. r. E. Lee, she
said he was not on Gen. Scott's staff,
but with Gems. Wood and Worth, and
frequently associated with Gen. Har-
ney, then a colonel, in some of the
most brilliant operations of Scott's
army. Lee and Harvey of the engi-
neer corps and cavalry were the brav-
est of the brave on many bloody
field.
bright young school boy over in
Monticello, one of Florida's loveliest,
flower bedecked cities, writes me that
he reads my letters with great pleas
ure and profit. and SO ventures to ask
my opinion about a debate to be held
in his school on this question: Re
solved, That the Private Soldier is en-
titled to more honor than the officer"
He is correct in Suggesting that / have
had experience In war in both posi-
tions. If l were in the debate I should
most certainly argue the affirmative
side with a great deal OF earnestness.
No military honors bestowed upon me,
past present or future, can ever hold
higher place in my esteem than my
simple record as a private soldier of
my country at $11 a month and no
bounty. The officer who Yields the
sword is entitled to due honor, but the
safety of the country lies in the SOL
der who carries the gum Savannah,
like hundreds of other cities, surmounts
her elegant Confederate monument
with figure of the private soldier
with his gun; and more than this, in
lf I1o .fa lr n
handsome statue-monument to heroic
Sergt. Jasper a companion to the
monuments in other squares of Gen.
Nathaniel Greene and Gen. Count Pu-
laski. The private soldier holds the
post of honor" in America.
The Daughters of the Revolution of
Alabama publish a Geological and
Historical Department in the Sunday
issue of the Montgomery Daily Adver-
tiser, edited by Mrs. ] Morgan Smith
a recent meeting of Light Horse
Harry Lee Chapter, of Auburn, an
interesting sketch was read by Mrs.
w. B. Frazer of her distinguished an
cester. Col. George Mathews, of the
Ninth Virginia Regiment, who later on
became Governor of Georgia. Too much
praise cannot be given the d. A. r.
ara the u, -. &. Tor the noble ana pa
trotic work they are so persistently
comprising. And I may here add
mat my good wife, the daughter of an
old Confederate who gave his life to
the Lost Cause" is this week sending
cut to every u. C. V. camp in Florida
and each L. ID. C. organization. a set
of copies of TrumbulPs famous histor-
zeal pictures of the Revolution (nine
III a seD. The Savannah u. c. V. and
ID. G. and ID. A. r. are included in
her distribution, through Mrs. Annie
narrow | am sending out the same sets
10 all the G. A. r. posts and w. r. c.
Organizations in Florida and Savan-
ran. This generous donation comes
nom the big-hearted publishers of the
louth's Companion, Boston, Mass,
VINO desire to keep alive the old Revo-
utionary spirit
Some months ago. writing of Gen.
henry ID. Clayton and Gen. Alpheus
baker and other eminent citizens of
hartow county Alabama, VINO went
INTO the Confederate service as pri-
Yates in the ranks. I referred to Elias
howe. the Connecticut millionaire
sewing machine inventor, who not only
enlisted in the Union army as a pri-
waite. but when the men of his regi-
ment needed money and the paymaster
ana not come round for three months.
advanced the funds out of his own
pocket and' paid them off II Is told
OF MIN that While he was counting
OUT the money chaplain happened
in whose church at home needed re-
building, and he made bold TO ask
IllNate Howe for "A donation The pa -