The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-07
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
SOME ACCOUNT OF BRIG. GEN. Egg
BERT VIELE.

A Mistake which the Chicago Inter-
Ocean Makes-A Claim That the
Confederate Memorial Association
of New Orleans Has Published Its
"HistOry of the Associations of the
SOuth' in a Hasty and Careless
Manner-Some of the Errors of the
Work Pointed Out-An Interesting
Reference to Maj. Gen. Joseph X.
MansheId-Other Matters of Gem
eraI Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, June
cit was not Gen. "Vealie" under
whom Maj. Butts and Capt. Phillips.
recent visitors to Savannah, served in
the Civil War, but Brig. Gen. Egbert
L. Viele, pronounced Vee-la. He was
from a distinguished New York family,
his father being a judge and his moth
er Knickerbocker. Gen. V. graduated
at West Point in 1S47, served in the
Mexican war with gallantry, but re-
signed in 1858 to become a Topographic
cal engineer, He laid out the famous
Central Park of New York and the
Prospect Park of Brooklyn He was
captain of engineers early in the Civil
War, but was soon made a brigadier
general, and commanded the forces on
the Savannah river during the siege
of Fort Pulaski. After the war ne was
park commissioner, a member of Con-
gress and an able writer and lecturer
on scientific subjects. He died last
year. but left a son bearing his hon
orable name who lives in France, and
has been decorated with the insignia
of the Legion of Honor. l refer to Gen.
V. for the purpose of disposing of the
senseless critics who object to West
Point because ii is a war institution.
This graduate made q record in civil
life eXcelled by no man in similar
position. as a landscape and sanitary
engineer and a standard author on
those and similar topics. West Point
has given the country hundreds of such
graduates in peaceful occupations.
The announcement that Mr.. F. B.
Hoffman, a clerk in the adjutant gen.
erals office at Washington, D. c., is to
publish a Historical Register of the
United States army from 1889 to 1901
is somewhat faulty in it's details. Mr..
H. has already published first edi-
ton Of this Register $780, which dates
from 1889 to 1889, and contains all the
features promised in the new and up
to-date edition. The first edition is
very valuable, and, on the whole, a
reliable reference book, and no doubt
the second edition, enlarged and
brought up to 1901 will prove still more
valuable. I have often explod-
ed the claim that education" is the
great elevator and purifier of charac-
tiers. Three lieutenants have just dis
Graced themselves and left the regular.
army but they were all college gradu-
ates, men of fine intellectual culture
Roane graduated at the State Uni
versity and the A. and NJ. College OF
louisiana; Lacour was graduated from
the Yale University law school. and
yet he is a fugitive from Justice for
stealing the company funds; Mccoach,
much less guilty, but who goes out
under cloud Is a graduate OF the
University Of Pennsylvania, and comes
OF a fine family. II II not 20 much
Intellectual training that young men
need a. a better and more lasting de-
NelOpment Of the moral character.
There was a time when an army ofii-
Ger was considered the soul Of hon
Or, but IN me present day army ocan-
oala have become frequent a lack Of