The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-24
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
CARELEssNEsS IN THE MATTER OF
HISTORICAL NAMES.

Comments I'm Connection With the
Monument to Gen. Hooker to he
Unveiled in Boston in June-The
Name of the Tree Which Georgia
Is to Give to the ID. A. II. Chapter
in Pawtucket, r.. 1.-Two Names
Tint Are Frequently Allied in
Army Neutrality-suspicious. Have "A
Fair Chance for Highest Political
Facts in the Political Record of
Gen. Robt. TOOmbs-Other Matters
of General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa. Maitland, Fla, May
2S.-Some readers of these letters may
think 1t a small matter to correct so
many seemingly trifiing errors in
names. But they are not trifling err
rors, in any sense, If they are errors.
For example, Kirby Smith is not def
mite, because there were several Off
GERS of that name, two of which were
E. Kirby Smith, one Ephriam and the
other Edmund. So of the Andersons,
there were two named R. H. Anderson,
one being Richard and the other Rob-
ert. Also two ]. B. Gordons, one James
and the other John. Nor are Stone
wall Jackson and "Tige" Anderson and
Light Horse Harry" Lee proper names
to use Independently of the real names
of Thomas J. Jackson, George T. An
derson and Henry Lee. AS far back as
1887 the Army and Navy Chronicle pro-
tested against the error of a single
Inf aaA>
an officers name. The editor we'll said:
If it is important to be correct i'll great
matters, it is not less so in principle to
be correct in minor ones. 1t may APP
pear trivial to notice such small af-
fairs, but we have seen these errors
of photography SO often committed that
we have resolved to attempt to set the
public right" To all this l give a
hearty "amen:" and shall keep up the
good work.
Since writing the foregoing l see a
notice in the Troy (Ala.) Daily Mes
senger, edited by my talented but care
less namesake. Sidney Herbert Blan,
signed by E. M. Shackelford, president,
that Gen. D. Johnson" is to lecture
before the students of the Normal Col
lege on Memories of the Old South"
Now, although Gen. d. Johnson" is
called by President Shackelford "a
scholar Of distinction, state senator
of influence and lecturer OF power"
he does not know his name; or, if he
does, he carelessly announces it. 1 sup
pose he refers to Brig. Gen. George D.
Johnson, C. S. A, of Tuscaloosa, Ala,
but there is also a. Brig Gen. Robert
d. johnson, G. 8. A. of Birmingham,
which makes the Gen. D. Johnson"
more misleading. When presidents of
colleges like Woodrow Wilson and
Shackelford show such carelessness in
their writings, we can expect nothing
better from their students. Nor can
the careless editor who allowed such
errors to go into his paper-no matter
how eminent the writer-be wholly ex-
empt from just censure. MunSey and
Watterson have started a crusade
against careless newspaper work of this
kind, and it is to be hoped they may be
able to work out a desired reform. In
a later issue of the Troy Messenger
Mrs. ]. p. Wood reports the organiZa-
ton of the Albert Sidney Johnson
Chapter, Children of the Confederacy''
another gallant Gen. Johnston chang
ed to Johnson. But later still a read
er of these letters asks me to give a
sketch of Gen. Joseph E. Johnson"
AS / never knew of such a general
can't comply with the request but may
give a sketch of my old friend Gen.
same errors can be found in popular
histories.
Fighting Joe" Hooker was a native
of Massachusetts, although his later
years, before the Civil War, were spent
in California. Boston is to unveil in
June a monument to his memory, and
Hooker's old brigade is up in arms"
over the inscription to be placed on it.
President Eliot of Harvard says the
brigade's proposed inscription, as we'll
as that of Secretary of State DIN Ga
native of Georgia and son of the emf
nent Rev. DR.. Stephen NJ. Olin of
blessed memory is not grammatical
If "Old Joe" were allowed a voice in
the matter there would be some lively,
"blue-streaked" cussing in the atmos-
phere of Boston. Just here l can
appropriately refer to very handsome
and valuable little booklet issued by
the Glover Leaf Route" and sent out,
on application, by General Traffic Man
ager c. d. Whitney, at Toledo O., of
the Toledo, st. Louis and Western
Railway. II is not in any sense a
business lad" for the company, but a
timely word of advice to its employees
and to all grumbling employees, etc,
who find needless fault with their SUI
periors. The booklet is entitled Get
Out or Get in Line" and contains, as
a text, President Lincoln's famous let
ter to Gen. Joe Hooker. in which ne
gives him command of the Army of the
Potomac, but lectures" him on his
harsh and unjust criticisms" of Lin
coin, Gen. Burnside and other COM
manders. The booklet was written for
the Cosmopolitan Magazine by Ebert
Hubbard, an author of note. and is full
of hard horse sense" for military and
civil subordinates.
Georgia is 10 furnish tree to the ID,
A. II. Chapter in Pawtucket, r. l.,
which the noble women are improving.
and in which a tree is TO be planted
from each OF the original thirteen
states. That is very proper. but ] Sc
riOusly object to the maine OF Gov. Ter
rell being given TO the tree II I'M
derstand Georgia history, Edward Tel
fair was the FIRST Governor OF the
stste-not colony Of Georgia. n this
be true. the Savannah Chapter Of the
-. A. n. should insist that the Georgia
tree bear HE hOnOred name
The imaginary distinction between
name" and 'tifle" 0f the Protestant