The National tribune., 1902-02-27

That Southron Bard ShoulC Wake Tue
string,
The triumph of our foes to tellr'
When / write of Duke and Morgan,
names inseparable, Ossian's retrospective
lines recure to my mind:
There comes a voice that awakes my
soul. 1t is the voice of years that are
gone. They roll before me with their
deeds"
Even now, in fancy, 1 hear the cava-
ler's song:
"Here's the health to Duke and Morgan,
Drink it down;
Here's the health to Duke and Morgan,
Drink it down;
Here's the health to Duke and Morgan,
Down, boys, down; drink 1t down.
BRIG. GEN. BASIL W. DUKE
When Capt. John II. Morgan success
fully eluded the Federal officials and led
the Lexington Rifles the star company
of the kentucky State Guard, to the en-
campment within Conf rate lines, Bas-
il w. Duke his brothcr-in-law, an edu-
Gated and brilliant young man, was ms
'riaht bower" In all successive promo
tions, from Captain to Brigadler General,
the two went together, Duke always sec
ond in command. The true story of Duke
celerity of their movements and Napo-
leonic characteristics were such that no
stenographer or repOrtOrial Journalist
could keep the pace and truthfully re-
cord the current events" and shifting
scenes" Oft-times, when, far within the
enemy's lines, greeting the sons of the
morning with a strange new nag, they
struck foemen worthy of their steel, and,
to their sorrow, lost more men before
breakfast than if they had been rough
riding through whole Cuban campaign.
Gen. Duke was no less engaging, per
sonaIly, than Gen. Morgan. He was of
ordinary height. symmetrically built, alert,
magnetic and handsome, his eyes notably
dark and flashing and his temperament
genial.
The original squadron misnomer-of
"AIorgan men" was composed of three
companies. The peculiar operations OF
that squadron made famous the names
of Duke and Morgan. The squadron,
added to daily, soon became regiment,
Duke becoming the Colonel when Morgan
became a BrigadierG General. The regi-
ment, the I'd Cav, was known as the
"Old Regulars"
After the tragic death of Morgan at
GreenviIle, Tenn, Sept. 4, 1864, Duke,
who had been exchanged and just returned
from prison, succeeded to the command
of the "Regulars," receiving his commits
sion as BrigadierGeneral Sept. 10, IL
days after his beloved chieftain's death.
Duke was no new leader. Morgan's men
knew him well. To follow the plume of
Duke was similar to following the orr
famine of Morgan. They had seen him
severely wounded at Shiloh. and had fol
lowed him on many of his independent
and hazardous enterprises.
Duke was a military genius-a born
soldier. In matters of drill, organization
h., pl,nh hlx-M Mpror NM
superior, the latter, however, always re-
tanning a certain indefnable supremacy
in general operations.
That the reader may more fully appre-
ciate Gen. Dukes military genius, / shall
by way of preface to my story give, in
his own language, his ideas regarding
TACTICS AND ARMAMENT,
applied, of course, to the days of "long
ago." when he and Morgan waged pc
culiar warfare:
"Strange as it may seem TO the mex
perienced, dress has n great deal to do
with the spirit of soldiers. The morale
of troops depends in Il measure upon
pride, and personal appearance has some
thing to do with pride. How awful, for
instance, must it be to a sensitive young
fellow, accustomed at home to wear good
clothes and appear confidently before the
ladies, when he is marching through a
town and the girls come ont to wave
their handkerchiefs, to feel that the rear
of his trousers has given way in great
disorder The cavalryman, in such cases.
finds protection in his saddle. but the
infantryman is defenseless Many a time
have l seen the soldier on foot who would
have faced a battery double-shotted with
grape and canister with comparative in
difference, grOan and turn pale in this
fearful ordeal. 1t was a touching sight
TO see them seek to dispose of their KNAPP
sacks in such a manner that they should
serve as Notifications.
'The ideas which the experience of our
first years service had suggested regard
ing the peculiar tactics best adapted to
the service and the kind of fighting we
had to do were now put into practical
shape.
SPECIFIC DRILL,
different in almost every respect from
every other employed for cavalry, was
adopted. It was based upon drill taught
in the old army for Indian fighting, called
'Maury's Skirmish Tactics for Cavalry
/ believe; but as that drill contemplated
the employment of but a very few men,
and ours had to provide for the evolu-
tions of regiments, and eventually bri-
gades. the latter was much more compre-
hensive. The formation of the company.
the method Of counting off in sets, and of
dismounting and deploying to the front,
fanks or rear, for battle, was the same
as in Maury's tactics; but a great many
movements necessary to the change of
front, as the kind Of ground or other cir
cumstances required it TO be made in va
rious ways, to the formations from col
umn into line and from line into column,
the methods Of taking ground TO the front
or rear in establishing or changing line,
the various methods Of providing, as cir
cumstances might require, for the en-
plOyment of all, or only part of regi-
ment or brigade, or for the employment
Of supports and reserves, all these evOlu-
tiOns had to be added.
IF the reader will only imagine n regi-
ment drawn up in single rank, the flank
companies skirmishing, sometimes on
horseback, and then on foot, and so de
ployed as to cover the whole front of the
regiment, the rest Of the men dismOunted
one ont OF each set Of four and the Cor
porals remaining TO hold horses and de-
ployed as circumstances required, and the
command indicated, to the froat of, on
either flank, or TO the rear of the line of
horses-the files two yards apart-and
then imagine this line moved forward at
case, at a half-run, he will have an idea
of our style Of fighting.
Exactly the same evolutions were
applicable to horseback or foot fighting.
but the latter method was much oftener
practiced-we were, in fact, not cavalry,
but mounted riliemen. A small body of
mounted men was usually kept in reserve
to act on the flanks, cover a retreat or