The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-17
DR.. kingsbury' 5 Letter

Lately IN meHtloulHS great southern
preachers / referred to Andrew Broaddus,
OF Virginia, and John Kerr the elder, of
North Carolina, and both Baptists The
late Rev. DR.. jeremiah Jeter, the able
and excellent editor Of the Richmond, Va,
Religious Herald, and its, founder, / be-
lieve. some thirty-five years ago, said that
the two ablest preachers he ever heard in
the United States or Great Britain, were
the two divines mentioned above Mr..
l5roaddus had great reputation for
ability both among his own people and
with people of other denominations. Rev.
john Kerr was undoubtedly a preacher
of very marked power. General Thomas
L. Clingman, an Episcopalian, told me
he once listened to a sermon from him
three hours long. He said he could have
listened longer willingly It takes great
powers OF attraction and magnetism to
hold a congregation for an hour or an
hour and a half if the discourse is really
Scrptural and not sensational Most peo-
PIE grow weary in three quarters of an
hour, and are willing to leave But they
can sit for hours and listen to political
speech, or go TO theatre and enjoy the
performance until midnight. Truly reli-
gious people ought to be able to listen
with interest to fairly entertaining and
instructive sermon for an hour or two
hours if need be. / have heard of people
IN North Carolina who would sit for five
or six hours listening to a succession of
preachers of no extraordinary gifts or
high education. The Gospel in the hands
of a master of assemblies ought to pos
sess holding, gripping, drawing power.
Considering the tremendous force North
Carolina sent to the great war-oyer 1885,
000-and the number of its dead-over
Al 0O0,. it had but few Generals of the
several ranks 1t had some men of SUI
perior qualities, but it had but one Gen
eral, Braxton Bragg. 1t had two Lieu
tenant Generals. Leonidas Polk, of LOU
isiana-appointed from that State-who
was killed at Pine Mountain, Ca, on IA
June, 1864, and T. H. Holmes, not much
of soldier. There was vast amount
of favoritism in the appointments, and
Virginia got more than its full share.
Our State had brave, competent officers.
It had five Major Generals-native born.
They were Robert Ransom, Robert f.
Hoke, James B. Gordon, stephen D. Ram
seur and Bryan Grimes. Gordon and
Ramseur persisted in battle. North Caro-
lima had 20 Brigadier Generals-George D.
Anderson (killed); L. s. Baker, Rufus
Barringer, /. OBJ. Branch (killed); T. l..
Clingman, Junius Daniel (killed; R. c.
Gathn. A. C. Goodwin (killed) Robert ID.
Johnston, w W. Kirkland, w G. Lewis,
William McRae, j. G. Martin, Johnston
Pettigrew (killed); G. j. Raines, NJ. w.
Ransom, w P. Roberts, Alfred NJ. Scales,
r. B. Vance, T. F. Toon. I give only
those who were born IN North Carolina.
General F. K Zollicoffer, Of Tennessee,
was born in North Carolina | think
Major General Cadmus NJ. Wilcox was
also born here, as was also General Ben.
Mccullough. There are some two or
three others, / think, but / do not recall
their names Of all her Generals so far
a. / am informed, only the following sur
vive now: Robert F. Hoke, Robert D.
Johnston. NJ. w. Ransom, w. P. Roberts.
/ am doubtful as to General Kirkland's
death. North Carolina had 10000 men
and is credited with 20 Brigadier Generals.
Virginia had not more than $4,000 men In
all probability. if so many, and it had
&c Brigaders or more than three times as
many. OF these 25 were made Major Gen
erals. The losses as given in the Confed-
crate Handbook is not precisely accurate
IN some particulars 1t gives North Caro-
lIna's loss as follows: Killed, 1852; died
Of wounds, 5,157; died of disease, 2o,G02-
total. So. 764. / think the War Records
published by the United States Govern
ment put the total at over 1000, and
the figures are from official documents
in the Confederate war office. Virglnias
II q
Killed. 1928; died OF wound, 2,519; died
of disease 6.947-total, 1874. The grand
total of Confederate losses given in the
Hand Book is 133,S02. Look at North
Carolina's loss, over Al 900. The losses OF
ali were probably more than IS given.
The Hand Book thinks 10000 were Kill
ed and died. This IS one-third OF the
whole 600 900 A grand monument should
be erected IN memory of all the North
Carolina soldiers, The people OF patriot
ism and devotion to North Carohn ana
its noble history. should see TO this. Do
not postpone farther 1t IS degenerate
people who build no monuments. 1t IS a
sorry race that has no pride OF state or
love of country.
rThe magnificent Confederate monument
in eapital square, Raleigh, was erected to
their memory.-Edltor]
Since the above was prepared l nave
seen in the News and Observer the report
of what General Julian S. Carr, that
true. patriotic, generous North Carolinlan,
said in his 10th of May Memorial ad-
6ress as to the number. OF soldiers Gull
ford county sent into the gigantic war,
400 in a voting population of 200
whites. many of whom were Friends or
onakers. and non combatants. 1t was
ssnlendid exhibit of devotion, energy and
b;gb natriotic ardor. / notice also that
ex7J,,dge Philips, in a Memorial address
at Tarboro, gave the figures Tor MS
fine county Edgecombe. The muster
rolls showed that some ]. 400 soldiers went
ont numbering nearly as many as there
we're white voters in the county IN isoV,
the year before the war. 1t Tell beh'na
GuiIford. but so did most OF the coun-
ties. The largest vote this State ever
gave was in 1860, (all white) when u was
112 500. If my memory is not at fault.
And vet in the four years war 1t sent not
loss than 1866 to the war. The Roster
made in war times under Governor
vance's wise foresight, contains, | think,
some 131 900 names The files of the
r fnd IN pItv for