The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-12

AONC LOl OCdl Olu NTeOTRld, DuL Sne
misses it in saying, 1.-The myrtle creeps
in azure tint about McPherson's
grave" as the grave of that heroic SOL
der is near his old home in Clyde,
o. The Memorial erected near At
lanta simply marks the spot where he
is supposed to have been killed. An
other error is also going the rounds of
the press-that Gen. Mcpherson was
accompanied by his staff when killed.
He was at the Hurt house talking with
Gen. Sherman when the battle of At
lanta opened, and quickly mounted his
morse and galloped away through the
woods, accompanied only by his order
ly, to join his commando He was rid
ing in this manner when shot by a
sharpshooter. Harry Stillwell Edwards,
the gifted Georgia writer, also falls
into an error in his Central Railroad
booklet, lover Historic Grounds"
when he says Mcpherson received his
death wound in the moment of vic
tory The general was killed before
the battle fairly opened, and before he
and his orderly were able to Join their
command. In fact, strictly speaking,
Gen. Mcpherson was not in the battle
when killed, but riding through the
woods, unmindful of danger, to reach
the army of Tennessee, then under his
command.
l have a very interesting letter from
my young friend, William Lowrides
Walthour, a grandson of the late Mai
Gen. Henry D. Clayton, c. S. A, and
nephew of Hon. Henry D. Clayton
the distinguished congressman from the
Eufaula, Ala, district. His mother
Was Miss Sallie Clayton, a most
charming and cultured young lady,
who married Mr.. A. M. Walthour of
h ,iG
man has won his way into the higher
business circles of New York, and now
holds an important position with the
Southern Cotton Oil Company. Young
Walthour seems to be true to the
traditions of his high bred ancestry,
for he has promptly joined the South
ern Society of New York and delights
in the genial and patriotic spirit which
perVades it's meetings. l am glad to
refer to this excellent young mans
success and there are hundreds of
cases like it, because it refuteS the
often repeated ISLANDERS against the
North which emanate from a certain
class of writers. Such Southern young
men are gladly welcomed into New
York's business, professional and social
circles. Brooklyn sent his uncle, Col.
Bertram T. Clayton, U. S. ", to Con-
gress few years ago, and Gen. Roger
A. Proyor, c. S. A, is now an honored
New York judge.
A few weeks ago I mentioned an
inquiry sent me in regard to the So
called Joe Brown Pixies" and stated
that the idea did not originate with
Gen. Brown, but came to him from
President Jefferson Davis. Julius L..
Brown, Esq, of Atlanta, Ca, thinks
the Confederate Congress passed a law
authorizing in the arming of two
Confederate regiments with these
Pixies" He feels sure that
he read somewhere in the of
fetal Records of the War of
the Rebellion" issued by the gov
eminent, a communication from Pres
ident Davis suggesting the use of
pixies" In his letter to me, Mr..
Brown, who is the oldest son of Gen.
Brown, says: You will bear in mind
that at the time the Pixies were
adopted, as a means of warfare, we
had not guns sufficient to arm all of
our troops. We had to resort to all
sorts of means, and shot guns and
squirrel guns were taken. I remember
as a boy, seeing hundreds of them
brought to Milledgeville. 1t was not
question of what we got, then, but
could we get anything. OF course,
sured, yet in the Philippines the in
surgents have been fighting, and very
successfully, too, the U. S. Soldiers with
bows and arrows. And if we take up
the present arms of our soldiers and
compare them with those used during
the Confederate War, itrseems a Won
der that we got along as we'll as we
did" Instruments of warfare some
what similar to the Joe Brown Pixies
were used in ancient times and even
now may be found in uncivilized COM
munities.
l must beg to take exception to the
Morning News headlines over West
Point telegram: Cadet Discharged for
Inefficiency.' 1t is true that they were
discharged because found" or de
ficient" in some particular thing; but
that does not signify that they were
inefficient" they simply failed in
the examination, and yet they may
have done their very best to succeed.
Il is no disgrace to be found or de
ficient" in studies, at West Point. 1
can name a great many eminent men,
lawyers, clergymen, statesmen, soldiers
who were found" and failed to grad
uate, yet rose to the highest positions
in their chosen professions. There are
to-day in the United States army,
many bright and promising young of
ficers who won deserved promotion. and
yet they were fired" from West
Point as deficient" 1 am sorry. how
ever, to see the name of Cadet VIM.
c. Oates, of Alabama, in the list of
those just discharged. Gen. Oates. his
father, Ex-Governor and ex-member of