The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-20
GEN. LEE AND SECESSION.

Editor Morning News: Will the
Morning News for the sake of the
truth allow me to correct few things
see going the rounds of the papers
and magazines of the country?
Frank Clark, in an address here re-
Gently quoted Gen. Robert E. Lee, as
having said that Secession is an
archy." Now, the Confederate Veteran
publishes a letter purporting to have
been written by Southern Woman"
to the Kansas City Star in regard to
the placing of Gen. Lees portrait in
the capitol at Washington, in which
she says: when Montgomery Blair,
on behalf of the United States govern
ment, at the beginning of the national
struggle, rendered Lee the office of
COMMUNICATIVE chief of the Union
forces, and Gen. Scott, his life time
friend, reproached him with his dejec-
ton, he replied in these memorial BILE
terms: Slavery? Had l four millions,
they were free! Secession is but an
archy, but | cannot raise my hand
against my slater" Now, it was not
Montgomery Blair who was at that
time member OF Mr. Lincoln's cabi-
net, but his father. Francis Preston
Blair, ST., who held no position in the
Lincoln government, who sounded Gen.
Lee upon the subject in question. Cen
Lee, writing to his son, from Fort Ma
son, Tex, on Jan. %, 1861, said: Sc
cession is nothing but revolution
quite a different thing from anarchy,
and adds: "A Union that can only be
maintained by swords and bayonets
ana IN which strife and Civil War are
to take the place of brotherly love and
kindness, has no charm for me-" Gen.
Lee said to Gen. Scott, when twitted
by the latter with his bias for slavery.
said: II owned all the negroes in the
South, l would gladly yield them up for
the preservation of the Union"
To Mr.. r. Blair, ST.: IF owned the
100000 of slaves, 1 would cheerfully
sacrifice them to the preservation or
the Union, but to lift my hand against
my own state and people is irnpossi-
ble, and to his son he wrote: Save
in defense will draw my sword on
none"
To Gen. Scott, in declining his over
lures he wrote: Save in defense of
my native state, / never desire again
to draw my sword" To his sister he
wrote the same. Now, as to this an
archy business: To his son he wrote
in January, 1861: THE trainers of ON
constitution never exhausted so much
labor, wisdom and forbearance in it's
formation, and surrounded il with 30
many guards and securities, if il was
intended to be broken by every nnern-
Der of the Confederacy at will. II is
intended for perpetual union. SO ex-
pressed in the preamble, and for the
establishment of government, not a
compact. which can only be dissolved
by revolution or the consent of all the
people in convention assembled IL is
idle to talk of secession. Anarchy would
have been established, and not a GOV
ernmdnt, by Washington. Hamilton
Jefferson, Madison, and all the other
patriots of the revolution"
had hoped that all the apple tree
sword returning twenty mile an hour
"Sheridan's ride" historians were dead.
but here comes Frank Clarke and a
Southern Woman" with their home
made history, and Sydney Herbert"
hobs up with his inane story that
+'Stonewall" Jackson was SO called he
cause he was reared in a section where
so many stone fences were bufIti some
time ago he said that Gen. Robert s
Garnett was killed at Rich Mountain
in Northwestern Virginia, when / saw
him ride 10 his death at Carrick's ford
on Cheat river, seventy-five miles. AT
least, from the former place.
o Lord deliver us from the present
day newspaper historian and the his
torically inclined picnic ana school
closing orators! Daughters Of the Con-
federacy. arise in your might and with
your new brooms sweep them from the
face OF the earth. and revive the ola
blue back spelling book.
John w. Tench.
Gainesville, Fla, June 10.