The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-18
SIDNEY HERBERT's LETTER.
THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE
AUTHORSHIP OF A FAMOUS WAR
SONG.

More Steel Used in the Manufacture
of Pens Than I'm swerds-DIogra-
phies of SIsners of the Declaration
of Indepe ndence-The Value of Ac-
curacy With IIIu.tratIOns-COm-
mcnts ON the 4. s. Navy Articles OF
Ex-secrrtnry of the Navy Long.
Many other Matters of General In
tcrest
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland Fla. Jan.
T.-My many correspondents must
! have patience with the "old man.
who is far behind in using their letters
so kindly sent me. The second freeze
this month has quite collapsed me and
feel somewhat like my dead vines
plants, flowers. bananas, guavas and
| lemons-if not entirely kilt" badly
wilted. Savannah gentleman
has very kindly loaned me a Minute
Book of 1912 of the old Phoenix Rifle
men of Savannah, once commanded
! by Congressman r. Z. Lester. from
which hope to Gull some points of in
terest. My genial friend, 0.
| Pierre Ravens, the gifted photogra-
pher, late of Savannah, but now of
Jacksonville, Fla. and Newport, r.
l.. has given me the perusal of some
old illustrated articles about the ia
nous Benny Havens of West Point
notoriety, who was his grandfathers
brother. But can go him one bet
! ter on the song, Benny Ravens OH"
as 1 own a bound volume of the Army
and Navy Chronicle Of 1898, valued at
500, in which the song first appeared
| The editor says at may amuse some
of our readers, but it is not to
our taste" 4Alasl for his too refined
taste, that song is now famous the
world over, and Lieut. O'Brien and
| Benny Ravens have an enduring fame.
There is so much occurring every
week of a military character that /
cannot keep up with it, nor find space
for my belated matter. So "Ad-
miraP' King is only" a war CORE
| spondent out in Venezuela. Well, if
he is a good war correspondent, his
naval training ought to make him a
much desired and well paid CORE
spondent. Several war correspondents,
home and foreign, have won a fame
equal to that of some admirals.
Some one has kindly sent me a copy
of Col Charles c. Jones address on
Memorial Day" 1882 at Augusta, Ga
/ am proud and happy to have had the
warm personal friendship of Col
Jones up to the time of his lamented
death, and he was kind enough to send
| me copies of all his publications, and
his letters to me 1 prize very highly
1e was indeed a scholar and gentle
man of the finest type, and soldier
without fear or reproach. And. | re-
gret to add, historian and patriot
that his own state has sadly neglect
ed. Gen. Robertson has my
thanks for a copy of the Military
Code" of Georgia for 1902, a pocket
| edition for convenient reference by
company and regimental officers. =
The Atlanta Constitution puts Maj
Gen. Elwell s. Otis, U. S. A, retired
ture for that of Brig. Gen. Harrison
Gray Otis, late U. S. ", defendant in
the California libel suit.
Mr.. M. c. Kollock in the Morning
News of Jan. 8, says 1 stated in a
recent letter that 1 did not think the
question as to the true authorship of
the famous war song "All Quiet Along
| the Potomac Tonight would ever be
settled. In this he is correct: but his
claim for Lamar Fontaine does not
settle it in any manner Rev. Mr.
| Oliver puts up just as strong evidence
| in favor of his, father, While the
friends of Mrs. Beers advocate her
| claim in as positive a manner Moth
ing is settled until it is settled right, -
the poet tells us. This is not a "Yank''
and "Reb" controversy, but a question
| which has divided Confederate soldiers
and Southern editors for years. Hav-
ing had fifty years experience with
such cases, and settled more than a
| dozen myself, / know just how hard
| 1t is to settle even an ordinary case of
| disputed authorship. A reader of
the Morning News writes me to know
where he can get the above song set
to music. confess l have never seen
the music, and so referred him to Mr..
| kollock, who seems to be familiar
with it. I can tell WHO struck Billy
Patterson" but l cannot tell who
wrote CAN Quiet Along the Potomac =
The Chelsea, Mass, Record makes
this statement: THAT the pen is still
mightier than the sword is shown in
\ the fact that more steel is used in the
manufacture of pens than in all the
world" Now, be 1t known, the claim
that the pen is mightier than the
sword, as originally made, had no ref
erence whatever to material things
And 1t was made with a very strin-
gent qualification, as follows: I'm
hands of men entirely great, the per
Is mightier than the sword" There
never has been, Is not now, nor will
there ever be time when, under this
qualification, the pen was, is or will
he, mightier than the sword Weak
human nature has never permitted any
nation to boast of men entirely
great and on this account wars have
prevailed ever since the world was
sufficiently populated to allow of con-
tending armies. Arbitration will never
be so general as to usher in universal
| peace, and make 1t true in every sense
that the pen has become mightier than
the sword.
1 thank Col. william Berrien Bur.
roughs of Brunswick for his article In
the Morning News of Jan. 9, in regard
to Postmaster General Habersham and
Commodore John Montgomery Berrien
A reference to my letter in the News
will show that 1 only. wrote about ad.
mirals, otherwise should have men
toned my old and much respected
friend Commodore Josiah Tattnall
whose fame. as an officer and a mar
who honored 1.-THE grand old name OF
gentleman" was worldwide. In the
record of Commodore Berrien, also a
| distinguished officer and cultured gem