The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-06
A HERO WHOSE FAME WILL
TOWER THOUGH THE AGES
DR.. Kingsbury Writes With Glowing Pen of the Noble
and Chivalric Lee Whose Memory is
ImperishabIe
ImperishabIe.

AAApOA IL
A JOKE OR TWO-CoL. GREEN'S
LETTER ON GETTYSBURG-LE
AND HIS SLANDERER-VICI
LiIERATURE-OLDE G r E E X
BOOK-INCREASE OF INSANITY
AND CANCER IN ENGLAND AND
EUROPE.
l have observed in the Reidsville Week
ly for. few weeks that George Morton
was figuring in that town as busy po-
litical aspirant and a right-hand man in
connection with the liquor question in
that progressive town. The last number
of the Weekly states that George is
charmed and comforted by the Review of
that town with the assurance that 'tbe
consciousness of being right is worth more
to him than the Lieutenant-Governor-
ship This leads the Weekly to say:
(which recalls what Speaker Reed said
of a Congressman who dramatically eX-
claimed: I'D rather be right than Presi-
dent The gentleman will never be
either, was Reeds Iaconic remark" This
episode in Tsar Reeds career is stolen
goods. 1t was Harry Clay who made that
famous declaration. The Representative
short role of the great Wing statesman.
the eloquent Senator from Kentucky, al
though born in Virginia, and known in
the days of his candidacy for the Presi-
dehcy, in 1874. as THE Mill Boy of the
Slashes.' There WAS very famous say
ing in the British House of Commons
once that is borrowed some times, and
without due credit. When | come to give
the incident l find memory fails to re-
spond / have met with the incident often
in my literary reading. / forget who
was the speaker and who gave from the
gallery the retort. The Speaker IN
fervid sentence broke out with the start
ling exclamation: when 1 forget my
country may God forget me- That is
probably not exactly correct. But the
man from the gallery, followed quickly
by saying: He will see you damned
first
1 read with genuine pleasure the very
interesting report Col. Wharton j. Green.
of Fayetteville, gave OF his visit to the
battlefield of Gettysburg, Pa. in July last.
Ii has decided merit, and is full of spice,
verve, naturalism and personality with
few dashes of classicism. He was
taken prisoner in that battle was in the
command of another schoolmate and
friend of mine (Col. G. and L were at
school at Lovejoy's, Raleigh Military
Academy in the forties) and of his, the late
Brigader General Junius Daniel, who was
of 1.-The bravest of the brave" and had but
few equals of his grade in Lees grand
army as soldier. l wish to reproduce
an incident connected with General Lee
that like so many other notable things
reflect so much renown upon the exalted
character of the man who is as far above
Abe Lincoln in nobility of character as
the stars are above their reflections in
the waters of the earth General Howard
asked Col Green if he knew why General
Meade did not pursue General Lee after
the third days fight and Lees retreat?
a certain General had great influence
with Meade and had blind admiration
and confidence IL Lee, as man and soldier,
not SURPASSED by any in his great army.
When the question OF pursuit was under
discussion during the night of the third
day, and we were almost a unit in favor
of it, with eye TO interception before the
river could be reached, the commander.
of course being noncommittal until a
full expression was reached, then General
interposed: DO | understand
you to say, General Meade, that you have
reliable information that General Lee has
reported to his government, that whilst
his loss has been fearful he is still in
condition to repulse assault, come from
what quarter it may? Then, my counsel
is, let him severely alone for l know the
man, and know that he would not prevar-
cate even at this critical juncture to save
his life, or the cause of his espousal
which he values far more highly The
point was carried and we didn't try to
cut off the retreat" Lee richly merited
every word ever said in his favor by
English commanders and writers upon
war. have more than twice already In
the past given what Col Chesney wrote
of Lee, Chesney who was the most emil
nent military authority in Great Britain IN
20, and after, who wrote the famous ar
ticle in Blackwoods Edinburgh Maya
zine, in that year, he called ''The Battle
of Dorking.'' that aroused the British peo-
pie as they were never before aroused
when there was not actual war. and an
imminent prospect of invasion by France
or some other great European power. Col.
Chesney said that 1.-The three greatest
soldiers of the English race were
Marlborough, Wellington and Lee" and
he merely gave their names in the order
of seniority and not of merit as he re-
garded them. General Lord Wolseley was
up to few years ago the head of the
British army. He was distinguished in
several battles He is military writer
of merit. A few years ago read his own
opinion of General Lee. He said frankly
and squarely that Lee was greater gen
eral than wellington A man familiar with
Wellingtons military career in India,
Portugal, Spain and Belgium, and who
has followed Lee in his military career af
ter leaving West Point, can hardly fail
to give him supremacy over the great
Irish soldier. and that too without under
rating the fame and capacity of yelling
ton If you would understand fully the
Battle of Waterloo, and how it was won