The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-27
SIDNEY HERBERTS LETTER
Many Matters of Historical Interest to Confeder-
ateS and Others.

Pine Crest Villa. Maitland, Fla. Sept.
2e.-North Carolina should have been
North Georgia, in my last letter. Maui
rice Thompson served in a mounted
North Georgia company in the Civil
War. The Chicago Tribune's goat"
should have been COAX, plain Eng
lish; Joke. Southern news
papers and critics having come out
against My Country. It's of Thee" as
a national anthem. the Northern news
papers and critics are now attacking
The Star Spangled Banner" But in
my very humble judgment, both songs,
music and words. are able to hold
their own" and outlive all their critics
l hope it is not true that the
Naval Academy Officers are trying to
stir the youngsters to a manly resist
ence" to the hazers. The duty of the
said officers is to protect the young
sters" from being hazed, and if they
are unable to do it, resign and give
place to officers who can.
The Woman's Companion for October
will contain d history of the L. D. c.
and sketch of the Winnie Davis Me-
mortal at Athens, Ga. The Companion
and the American Boy of Detroit, Mich,
both elegant publications, are giving
space to many illustrated articles of
interest to the U. D. c. and the U. c.
v. There is nothing sectional in either
ma gazlne.
The September issue of the Confeder-
ate Veteran gives a brief account of the
flag of tine First Mississippi Regiment
L. S. A. in the Mexican War. There
was no such regiment in that war, but
there was the Mississippi Rif1emen,'
commanded by Col. Jefferson Davis,
one OF the greatest heroes Of that war,
but il was not in the u. ). A. IL
was in the volunteer service. Col. jeff
Davis proved such a brave and efnclent
commander that he was appointed a
brigadier general in the I. 5. A (the
first commission of the kind ever OF
fered a West Point graduate), but he
declined the honor. me Con-
federate Veteran also states that
"Thomas S. Bocock (of Virginia) was
the only speaker the Confederate Con-
gress ever had" This would be true
If it we're not a fact that Hon. Howell
Cobb of Georgia was the first speaker
of the Confederate House OF Repre-
sentatives, while the Hon. Alexander
H. Stephens of Georgia presided over
the Senate. BOcock succeeded Gen.
Cobb.
Rev. Geo. G. Smith. d. D.. the Ma
con, Ga. historian. in a, recent article
on Georgia History" refers to the
Popes and "Leary Pope Walker, once
Secretary of War" of the Confederates
as having sprung from settlers in the
Savannah river valley. in Ebert and
adjoining counties" "Leary' must be
missprint for Leroy" as Gen. Leroy
Pope Walker, c. S. A, of Huntsville.
Ala, was a son of the distinguished
John Williams Walker, Virginian
who was reared in Ebert county, but
practiced law at Petersburg, after
graduating at Princeton. He mar
ried a daughter of Mr.. Leroy Pope and
moved to Huntsville. Ala, in 1910.
His first son was named for his wife's
father. Leroy Pope Walker. l
failed to notice at the proper time
the elegant pamphlet official pro-
gramme of the sixth annual competi-
ton, the Interstate Military Rifle
Association of Savannah at the famous
Avondale range. Like all publications
from the Morning News office 1t Is
a gem of typographical execution. Too
mSch credit cannot be given SaVan-
nah and her military for the generous
public spirit shown in these annual
competitions, now open to the Mill
tary of sister states.
The Montgomery May Advertiser says:
FEATHER Daselon. of New York. was
a classmate of Gen. Grant" 1t also
speaks of his being chosen as the head
of the Paulist Fathers for the en-
suing nine years, and that he surpass-
ed Gen. Grant in all his classes. L
suppose the editor means Rev DIR.
George Deshon, a native of Connecticut
who surpassed Grant in the class of
1S43 by being No. 2 to Grants No. 81.
He became a typographical engineer.
and an ordnance officer, but resigned
from the army in 1851, and in 1855 was
consecrated a Roman Catholic priest
He is a man of rare quiet, great learn
ing and wide influence. having for
years been at the head of the Paulist
Fathers, in New York. Father Deshon
and Maj. Gen. Saml G.. French, c. S.
A, of Pensacola, Fla, and Capt. VIM
*. Van Bokkelen, of Brooklyn, cash
Tered In 1851 as assistant quarter
master for small ($225) shortage in
public funds. are the sole survivors Of
Grants class, thirty-nin of which
graduated in 1S43
sketch of Gen. Beauregard states
that he was at one time superintendent
OF west Point Military Academy This
statement needs expansion" in order
10 make 1t partially correct. Secretary
or War Floyd did appoint Gen. b. to
that position on Jan. 49, 1861, but the
new Secretary of War Holt Immediate
ly countermanded the order and the
nNe days intervening did not allow
Gen. Beauregard to sufficiently
assume the duties of the office, hence
ms name does not appear in the Off
cial list of superintendent of the aca-
DENY. never see the name
of Gen. Barton s. Alexander, Of the
corps of engineers, without smiling.
He was the engineer officer on Gen.
Tyler's staff at the battle of Black
burns Ford. Va. July is, 1861. l had
been assisting Capt. r. B. Ayres of
Sherman's battery against the famous
Washington Artillery of New Orleans.
but they made at too hot for us and
we had TO climb the hill. Just as |
reached a little log mill house. near
which Alexander was standing, a Whit
worth rife cannon ball struck the
milk house. and one log hit me in a
tender spot, and inflicted life wound
while another hit Bart" as we called
him, and sent him rolling down the
hill. He was too fat to be hurt but
rolled like a barrel.
l seem to have made a mistake in nv
notice of Gen. John B. Clark. of Mis-
souri,, in last Sundays letter. 1t was
Brig. Gen. John B. Clark. Sr. who
was Confederate Senator. and not
Brig. Gen. John b. Clark, Jr. I pre-