Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-04-22
FROM VERONA.
VERONA. Feb. "a. 1902.

"~"NNN "At'thS SOu ttlOCT. IL
may turn out to be song or it
may turn out a sermon" Your
letter signed Smart Set so struck
on the chords of my heart that |
dropped YOU a line short time
ago, and was much pleased by the
very high compliment paid me by
One of the Smart Set in saying |
was a very nice gentleman, which
Is after all the highest praise | can
ever hope for, as it is about the
only ambition | have in life to be
known of all a. a gentleman. with
all that implies. As Queen Eliza
beth wrote James of Scotland. Il
have had of this world hard treat
ment though much pleasure with
it. D." And the greatest of all my
pleasures having been associated
with the Valley of Virginia and
especially with the Wildwood
neighborhood, living as | do far
away in this far distant land. and
away from my old home and loved
ones, makes me feel rs if the old
State and people belong to me, and
am a much gratified by any sue
cess which comes to the Young
men who are away, and those at
home rs If | knew them a. well as
those of my youth and early years.
One of the Smart Set kindly said
in her letter that the young people
of the neighborhood would be clad
to see me. 1t would be unspcak-
able pleasure TO know them AZ
knew all the old people. hut April
and October are a long way apart
and October looks with much more
pleasure on April than spring
does on the fall. but all that Is
another story, and | am only s;nr
your Spa"e and the patience OF
your readers. | live here on this
high bluff, overlooking the mighty
river and after much wandering
in many lands, and at night when
the days work Is done, listening to
the ceaSeleSS flow of the turbil
river, | find Il am dreaming. and
bright visions of the past come
DER the still deep waters in rippletS
bright and fast. And nightly ere
my spirit kneels in prayer | think
over the war. the glowing camp
fires, the long hot marches, the
lonely picketduty. Bands playing
Dixie. Bonny Blue Flag. The
Mocking-bird, Laurena and all the
rest of them, they seem TO me to
have more music in them than any
songs ever written. But as my
friends say | am on my hobby now
and can ride forever, when touch
the war, as YOU say ancient history.
do not intend To weary YOU with
battle scenes and with accounts of
our great men and generals, for
are they not all written in the
books of history" | should like
if my pen has the power to make
YOU few pictures of some of the
noble men with whom ! served for
part of the war in the Company c,
Second Regiment, StOnewan Bri-
gade. Rudyard Kipling says "the
officers are we'll written about, I"
but it is only my Mess-mates and
comrades and dear friends whom
shall speak of. There was our
first Captain, William y. Nelson.
the noblest gentlman | have ever
seen. | fancy i can see him now
in full dress uniform as he took us
on dress parade, as handsome as
an Apollo Belvedere, keen of wit,
sound of judgement, stern in the
performance of duty, expecting all
men 10 do theirs in the cause he
loved so well. and every inch a sol
der. There was Will Randolph.
true and tried, who fell as Colonel
of the Regiment on the 18th day of
May, 1864: who stood like King
Saul head and shoulders above any
man, scholar, gymnast, statesman,
and the brayest man / thought in
the army. | recall how he looked
as he walked on top of the works
at Gettysburg carrying an oil cloth
full of ammunition to the Company.
And Robert Randolph, also Captain
of Company G, killed at Cedar
Creek, perfect type of Chistian
lsoldier, and gentleman. And
see Tom Randolph as he looked at
the extreme right of the Company
as we marched in at Manassas on
that bright July morning when
our Captain and Ia men were killed
and wounded out of 81 muskets.
/ often thought in looking at
Tom Randolph that ''he is com
plete IN features and mind with all
good grace to grace a gentleman, y
and John Jolliffe. faithful to the
end. and badly wounded at Chan
cellorsville, Carly Whiting who
was wounded twice before he was
II and died a martyrs death at 10,
and his joyous laugh was loss ia
the Cavalry Camp. There were
six Cruises out of 7 killed and
wounded; their mother should have
been as proud of them as if they
had been the Gracchi, and Lieut..
David Keeler, like Hercules,
killed without the city wall.
mind well Adam Thompson, the
best squirrel shot in the Company
and Bill Thompson, as good sol
der as ever polished belt buckle
or bayonet. Then there was
Warren Copenhaver, though dying
coon "a flor h. fret Gcxkt l., 81 d. -