The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-18

of which are now on my1brary shelves
. 1t is gratifying to the rising gen.
Grafton that the Sons and Daughters OF
the Revolution, and the Colonial DANES
have so inspired the people that there
is a great demand for pictures and
sketches of men and scenes of the old
Colonial and Revolutionary days. The
american Boy of Detroit. Mich, for
January devotes two whole pages 10
pictures and sketches of American
Landmarks" being views of private
residences and public buildings famous
IN those stirring times.
In my last letter 1 spoke of the great
value of accuracy that two humble
mechanics were given a place in Eng
lands famous Westminster Abbey
solely on account of the accuracy OF
their work" And yet Mark Twain, ="
in his latest attack upon so-called
Christian Science" says sit is better
to be refined than accurate in some
cases. His own case is that of the
Christian Science Journal" which he
calls literary "slush bucket" Now,
the Bible says Mark the perfect
man" Evidently he is not Mark
Twain" for only an imperfect man
could use the vulgar term "slush
bucket" in regard to a so-called reh-
gious journal and then claim that ii
is better to be refined than accurate"
/ much prefer the stand taken by Rev.
DIR. McCorkle of Savannah that "ac-
curacy of translation, or statement,
or narrative, is of vital Importance. No
degree of refined" statesmen can be
made a proper substitute for ''accur-
rate" statement, not even the high de-
gree of refinement exhibited by Mark
Twain" in the use of the elegant (O
and refined. statement that the
Christian Science Journal is a lit
erary "slush bucket" But Mark" is
famous for his refined" speeches and
writings, as well as his utter disregard
for accurate" speech or narrative, he
being "a law unto himself in such
matters.
The Star-Herald notes the fact that
there is now one regiment in the United
States army, the Eleventh Cavalry,
without an officer in it who participated
in the Civil War, either as officer or
enlisted man." 1t notes this fact to
show how the veterans of the Civil War
have passed over the river" but it
has chosen a very unreliable example.
First, because the regiment was only
organized in Feb. 1901, and nearly all
the officers are young men. One of
these is Capt. Stephen H. Elliott, whose
lamented father. Bishop X. w. B. Ell
lott, was a gallant Confederate SOL
der. Second, because Col. Francis
Moore and Lieut.. Col. A. G. Hennisee
of that regiment entered the volunteer
service in 1861 and served all through
the Civil War. Capt. Elliott graduated
from West Point in 1886 and was an
"honor graduate" of the Infantry and
Cavalry School in 1898, after being adj
jutant of his regiment. 1t is true, how
ever, that there are very few officers
now in the United States army who
were in the regular service in 1861. All
grades, from general to second lieu
tenant, have yielded to the grim de-
stroyer' whose pathway leads but to
the grave, alike for prince and peas
ly that the Star-Herald in
tended to refer to the Twelfth
Cavalry, organized on the same day,
and having all young o1scers, not one
of whom saw service until after the
Civil War, the most of them being vol
unteers in. the Spanish-Amerfcan war.
Secretary Long of the Navy De-
partment, in the Outlook magazine, is
writing up the United States navy, and
in describing the old-time midshipmen
familiarly called mindless" he mis-
leads the reader by referring to Mr.
Park Benjamins history of the Naval
Academy, and then adding, that Ben
jamin thus describes the examina-
ton of Midshipman Joseph Tatnall."
Now, the statement seems to connect
this Joseph TatnalP' with the acade-
my, and yet no such officer was ever
In the academy or the United States
navy. There was a Midshipman Jo-
siah Tattnall of Savannah, in January,
1872 a lieutenant in 1918, commander
in 1888 and captain in 1850, who re-
signed in February, 1861. AS the Naval
Academy was not established until
1916, it is evident that our Tattnall
was never there as midshipman, he
then being a commander in the navy.
Mr.. Benjamin was an acting midship-
man at the academy in 1853 and an en-
sign in 1863 but he resigned in 1869.
Still, he should have known that the
examination of our Commodore TAFT
nall had no connection whatever with
the academy at Annapolis.
An article on the same line, by the
late Rear Admiral Thomas S. Phelps,
U. S. NJ, entitled, "Reminiscences of
the Old Navy" in The United States
Service, monthly magazine of New
York for January is much more relia-
BILE and interesting, because the au-
thor was in it," and writes from per-
sonal experience and observation.
rHStpS was appointed a mlQSh1pman in
1910 and assigned to duty on the Preble.
His first interview with Commodore
William M. Crane, U. S. N, satisfied
him that a newly appointed MILDLY"
was simply a football to be kicked
about by any superior % officer on the
ship. Commander Breese was in charge
of the Preble and his first Jump" on
Phelps was when the latter wrote his
name Breeze" instead of Breese. Pro-
family was then common in the navy,
and soon the habit fixed itself upon
Phelps The sketch of Tattnall by
Benjamin. has it "Tatnall," which is
cause for another breeze. In the ex-
animation of Midshipman Tattnall the
Commodore gives him a supposable
case of ship, both anchors gone, also
rudder and sails, and the ship making
for the breakers, and then asks, What
would you do?" Tattnall replied :
We'll, I'd let the internal tub go to
the devil, where she ought to go!'' And
the Commodore responded, Right.
sir" and declared him duly qualified
for promotion, so the story goes.
Sidney Herbert
nhlnIhlFNng