The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-27

worth, Kan.
Republics may be ungrateful, as some
people claim, but there are states OF
which this cannot be said. No state
has been more generous 10 her ola
Confederate soldiers than Georgia. In
my own case the states of New York
and Connecticut, both of which l repre-
sented on the field of battle, have fire.
quently recognized my services by some
valued tribute. This week there has
come to me from the adjutant general
of Connecticut beautiful bronze
medal. voted to me by the Legislature
of that state for my services at the
battles Of Blackburn's Ford and the
first Bull Run. While | prize this
medal very much, l place a higher
value upon the letter written me soon
after the battles by the lieutenant gov
ernor of the state, for it's hearty thanks
and earnest words of commentator
did much to ease the pain and suffer-
ing caused by my severe wounds. To
a truly brave and patriotic soldier, in
any cause the sword of honor, the
medal of honor" or the vote of thanks
from Congress or the state he has rep
resented, far outweigh the money
value of his services or the promotions
that increase that value.
The Morning News editorial on mar
riages of young army officers, especial
ly second lieutenants, does not seem
to have any more effect than did Gen.
Shermans protests. Here's another
young second lieutenant fresh from
West Point Q901) who is to marry d
lovely Atlanta girl. Lieut.. Ralph N.
Hayden of New York of the Seventh
Cavalry at Chickamauga Park, Ga,
and Miss Frances Johnson of Atlanta,
are to wed on Oct % in that city. Lieut..
Troup Miller of the same regiment,
who is also to wed soon, will be one
of the groomsmen. The next"
The artillery from Chicka
manga Park are marching overland
to Fort Meyer Va, opposite Washing
ton, d. c., and Maj. Eli D. Hoyle will
take station at that post, with his fam
lily, except Miss Helen, who, by mar
riage with Lieut.. Herr, has transferred
to the cavalry and will remain at the
park. Just now d lot of charming
young ladies have "jined," or are soon
to zine the cavalry" A careful in
spection of all the dismissals from the
army on account of duplicate pay
vouchers shortage in funds and fail
ure to pay debts. will show, 1 think,
that the marriage of young lieutenants
" IL
Gambling and outside high living for
which the wife was not responsible
were the main causes. Second lieu
tenants, as a rule, have made excellent
family records.
Gov. Taft's Appointment as Secretary
of War reminds me that President
Grant during his second term, March
s, 1876. appointed Hon. Alphonso Taft
Of
position. to succeed William w. Belnap,
but on May %, however, Taft was
made Attorney General and J. Don
Cameron became Secretary of War.
Secretary Taft, therefore, was in the
War Department only seventy-five
days. 1t is possible that the sons
tenure of Office may be very little long
er. 1 am glad to see that my
old friend, Capt. William Cato, for
merly of the Putnam House at Palat-
ka and of Hotel Tudor at Nahant, has
taken the Driscoll Hotel on First and
B. streets, Washington, d. @. The
captain is a fine specimen of the
sturdy, handsome Scotch race, from
which l am proud to have descended,
and as he was formerly in the British
army a military city like our national
capital will suit his tastes. He may
not make his hotel as popular a mill
tary resort as the Ebbitt House. but
his genial manners and military bear
ing will draw around him a wide cir
Gle of army and navy officers. During
the week that the Gen. Sherman statue
is unveiled there will be an immense
rush Of military men to Washington,
and the hotels will be crowded.
Col Thadeus Kosciuzko, or, as he
was also recorded on the army rolls,
Thaddeus Kosciuszko, brevet brigadier
general in our revolutionary army,
had a very sensible idea of how to i'm
prove the negro. He made a will in
1898, at Albermarle, Va, with Thomas
Jefferson as the executor, giving his
whole estate for the developing of that
idea. He proposed to purchase the
freedom of slaves and then give them
IAN education in trades or otherwise,
and instruct them for their new con-
dition in the duties of morality which
might make them good neighbors, good
fathers or mothers. husbands or
wives, in their new duties as citizens,
and teach them also to be defenders of
their liberty and that of the country"
This Polish patriot and hero, whose
long and meritorious services" won
for him from Congress, in 1888, the
brevet of brigadier general, was actu-
desire to improve the condition of the
negroes of that period. He wanted a
practical education given them, and
lessons of morality deeply impressed
upon their minds. This is the great
need of the negro race to-day. They
need to be trained as well as edu-
Gated in industrial pursuits, raised to
higher standard of morality, and
made to place a greater value upon
comfortable homes and good family
influences.
1t is gratifying to know that Gen.
and Mrs. w. w. Gordon of Savannah
are guests of distinguished honor at
this writing in Chicago. A centennial
jubilee of that great city would be in
complete without representatives of the
Kinzie families present. The names OF
John Kinzie and j. H. Kinzie are in
wrought in the very foundations OF
the Windy City" They were patriots
and heroes in the times that really
tried mems souls and their sublimest
courage. No centennial honors paid to
their names. or bestowed upon Mrs
Eleanor kinzie Gordon, and other de-
scendants, can repay the debt of graft
tude due those hardy and undaunted
pioneers, who, despite repeated Indian
hostilities and destructive drawbacks
persevered unto the end and made that
then wilderness to finally blossom as
the rose. In these days of electric
railways, automobiles and sky-scrapine
buildings. how few people in the busy
rush of everyday life stop to consider
the origin of all this modern growth
wealth and culture. Chicago, like Sa.
vannah. was at first a slow develop.
ment from a wilderness inhabited only
by savage Indians. We know little