The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-29
I BOOKS i AND AUTHORS;
COMMENT AND I:,' GOSSIP } $:
sNorthhrn Authors and Their
Raids on the The South u, sto- 4
ries ofthe Florida + lid g cast;
Dramatiza ton 81 The |:'7'
PITT. ?, Ms ! den ] en-
tity Revealed !, z'1':', ~
4 Death. "A

l.lc
Death.
BEFORE THE DAWN, BY 1, g. : oseph !. =
t.he,er. Doubleday. Page 9 d Clo'' =
nubl,shers, New Y ork A l,iIe Isl
Il Richmond and Virginia are me pa'n !.
..,,,,rd q this story. and the time Inc e. y
ri n,aned during the interim; from 3 use ~
6 80 N. battle OF the Wilderness y ..!e
=, ~ Petersburg, and the consenuen.
u -, n,a t,on' of Richmond. The nanes any
~ ~ 5, 800 ~ = good many Conf srate ~
4a.sS1as..President Davis and MS y ap,tiss
" W, sa,,arn ! nenerals -are used TO aua J"
III NJ studied local color OF the DUE nv
fi3e usual contrasting love mo.l 's az
AZ nlied BY Confederate ca p 81 ~ t,sfo -
beautiful Federal spy Il is ny . .
tory book. 4, Ok = n,cte to tn
II 1,1ast am field, within which he APPEARS -
Y Ia nerfectly familiar, II we are y I'VE
81 NJ t'1n Hostile Red and "a Herala =.
ia We # :, 4. is a little curious WY -
many authors motto the manor born =. ha !,
3 = way Of mailing an excursiom ~ M,
southern field for material r ~; ,oiA MI
e ,n,ist know that the most esscntlai q. iua :.
M ~, IN s,,ccess Is for the a Y ihor. 70 DC
h :. turated With the life and
N " atmoanhere OF his chosen 10 }nle' ne ne
"a cn,,th IL the most difficult field Tor &
i, 81 sra near "a work; its atmosphere is the
Il =. rdest to catch. The outsld y s appre-
4, ciafe its romantic possibillties. out t as
are deceived by the simpllcit y ~ ap !,',
\ 3 ncesSof the task that confronts mem.
srhIs yerv vast R simplicity of the south
Il & a too much for the novelist IN search
- se tiona1 writing In the strain for
y effect the charm is lost. !, :, 7, /, 7
Mr. A 4 ltshelers Before the Dawn Is i,
strained in lust that way It is tus,-
RI tive a production at the best, anu no, Cyl, =,
n IDENTIFY was meant to be- II VA se ~
! vel, proba bly,, on the other side OF tne
10 p p,t not down here. The publish
s$5S ORD wonder H why the South Is sucn q 7
~ moor hook market. It IS a poor marKe J. {
35555 IN such books as "Before the Dawn
Yhacanse We know more about It than
4 those who describe u.s. What We want, ails'
"A read. too, are hooks that were Wrltten p ~
N cause their authors feltfinspired to WT rll
rem. who put their heart In them. N 80 %,
"a tnrat1 +ha "a vvn,, has all tho sign marks
a ~ thn market writer; OF the maue.to-or
4 Iser 4, oduct You can see where the aa1 7
h thor1 got this piece Of Information ana
III that niece OF Information: how 5ie stud
IA sef IN this situation and that SITUATION
and then ran them together t3 :, /,
The passage on tho battle OF me VIZ .l.
erness which is described by Northern
critic' a. grim. bloody and impressive
a. ali of thai. but both this battle scene
u and the contr ,at!:lZ picture Of the bril-.
NJ liant a. social gaiety OF Richmond : are
XII very unreal and unconvlnclng, as the au'
thor has presented them. It IS unmis'
Y taxable that he is out OF his natural e!e.
ment, He has the point Of view Of Inc
student. not that Of the participant o.
81 81 the man born and bred to these tradl'
lions. or even long associated with them
IN tvpical passage from the book IS this
Along a, vast, curvlng line that steadil,
II bent in toward Richmond-the Southerl
ID army Inside. the Northern army outside,
10 the sound OF the cannon scarceiy ceasea
4 night or day. Lee fought with undl
unfinished skill, always n,assing his I'M
ranks at the point Of contact and hand
ling them with the old fire and Ylgor
.S nut his opponent never ceased the ter
r.ble hammer.ng that he had begun NOR,
than q year ago, Grant intended to breai
through the shell OF the Southern Con
tsderacy. and It was now crac s.sl oa an
y threatening to shatter pe1ore MS cea se
less strokes. a
lsls 7,'The defenders OF a lost cause, II caus
L ~ was fWhat does he mean by sayin
IL cause lis was?) scarcely ever kneN
what 1t was to draw q free breath. Whe
IS they were not fighting, they were maIch
< ing, often on bare feet and OF the w
they did not know which they preferred
They were always hungry; they went my
"A battles on empty stomachs came out Wlt
+he same. II they came out at all, ana the
mad no time to think of the future. me
&t had become mere battered machines. an
mated, 1t lis true. by spirit pvt
NJ 4, spirit that could take no thousht
softnsss. They had respected Grant froel
the first; now, despite their loss BY y
grim tactics, they looked N wonder an
admiration at them. and sought to mea'
Il IRE the strength OF mind that cpuia pa
heavy present price in flesh and bloe
Il "A n order to avoid greater PRICE Aer'
after" 49,, (,
~ That is a fair sample OF the story. ~
there ia a surprising error on pase % I
General Lee. sends the hero Of the move
CAPTAIN prescott. TO carry the !at
evacuation message to the Preslden
Prescott rode in from Petersburg az
followed Mr.. Davis from the mans't
y 10 church &
prescott took his way to Doctor Hoge
f1 church." writes the author, well kno'
5sr ing where the President OF lhe Not'e
eracy habitually sat" z.
or course, we all know that Mr.. Day
s35sS did not worship at the Second Ere
isF 5byterian (Dr. Hoge's) Church. but at
II Pants Episcopal Church. where q SHY
plate marks the pew In which he "hap'
ssiy ually sat;" and that It was here ne !
ceiyed General Lees fatal message.
6 a VIRGINIA g in 4 IN THE CIVIL. WA
Edited by Myrta Lockett Ayary, Pu
Listed by p. Appleton g. Co. M
Fl u York. For sale by the Bell Book 9
lss stationery Company. Richmond, Va
since The surrender at Appomattox,.
IA X a nril. 1865. the tale 0fsnearly thirty-cik
~sars has been told. Since that time
I SnassinE 81 what has come TO be popnla
" known as the Old South. With its ira
~ t 10, and associa tons has kept ms
Nuthors and many pens busy, anA YET
I'M record has not yet been Ifully ma