The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-30
[ He MAN WITH
THE MUSKET
Deeds OF Privates in the Ranks
Which Made Many Of
hcers Great,
THE. OLD AND NEW SOUTH
Unique Figure Among Men-Tlis
Place in History-Eis De
votion to Lee.

q i
The past sixty days have been the sea-
son OF the Confederate veterans re-
unions, and there arc not many more
gatherings for the battle-scnred old war
riors. Even the Junior Reserves, even
+ the .boy soldiers are Old men now,
and 1t will not be long before there will
not be one to answer here to roll
call, Tho Southern soldier is an unique
figure among men, and he will occupy q
place to himself In history
The world has mover shown, Just his
like-never. though from out the dim
vistas Of the past, there loom the splen-
did but terrible pictures of the Casthazin-t
fans in nth-grapple with mighty Rome
on the field OF Canae; the PLAINS OF
Marathon drinking deep the blood Of
Persian and Greek; Aetins dnshing his
invincible legions against Attila and his
l,ordes of Huns AT Chalous- snr-Marre;
the French and Venetians batterinS down
the walls Of imperial Constantinople, and
seating Baldwin ]. on the throne of the
purple Caesars; Englishmen cutching at
Englishmen's throats ct Nasty and Wor-
cester; the Protestant lrlsbry holding
Il Londonderry through one hundred and
five days of starvation against the COM
hined power Of james II. of England and
4 Louis NV OF France; the Anglo Saxon
and the Latin in deadly grip around the.
walls of Namur, and Steinkirk. and
Malphlagquet and Blenheim and Onden-
arde; Napoleon sweeping down from the;
heights Of the Alps to the shores Of thel
Adriasiic. crushing with iron heel a bleed
ing continent from the Rhine to tho Dam
ube, and compelling even the eterna.
pyramids of the ancient Nile to pay trib-
ute TO the genius OF the "upstart suba.-
tern of Corsica
over and above all hesc the Southern
soldier was a type to himself 1t must
be remembered that he had behind him
no traditions Of camps and courts. c9m-
paigns and slcEes; he had no military
training to fit him for the mighty strug-
gle into which lie was about to he hurled
1t is true, his forefathers had carved a
great republic out OF a group of feeble
colonies on the shores or the Atlantic
Ocean. with back of them a vast, ur1-
trodden wilderness; 1t Is true. his fathers
had wrcsted from the nerveless hand or
the Azetc and the Mexican the spcnd u
domain of Texas.
But his was -sLrepuhAc OF constitutional
government, .""Wirli the civil law always
supreme, the military law always SUI or
dinatc and with standing army IL $
than that OF many principalty in
Europe not as large as an ordinary sized
county 1t is doubtful that in the spring
OF 1861 one cut Of fifty Southern soldiers
had ever seen battery Of artillery or
completely equipped cavalryman Yer
from the very start, the Confederate SOL
der eaped into the nlenn-us Pallys
sprang, full panoplied from the brow OF
Jori-brave, pa, ent. ohrdiunG patrntic
He left the farm or the class roor o..
the lawyers office. or the workshop or
the merchants desk. or the clerks .oun-
ter and he went to the fled to do his
duty as he bert knew how. rhc Ia har
put his arm about his shoulder ana s i'd:
GO my boy, and remember what blooI
runs In your veins" IN. Inot!ier lila ca
In his knap- sack the Eib,e with 4 tcxi
marked, and the page suRnrd down HIS
sweetheart pinned her rlbbon on lis coat
and deckea his ha. with the rlLme or
her Sunday bonnet, and perhaps In Il at
moment OF solemn par,ins She left
kiss on his lips as sweet anil one IA the
petals Of Woodland ,ower on the bosom
Of running stream,
Old man, may be nc never cam ia k
TO you. but you hears rom tha front that
10 ths last he rerla lDerH1 what flDGd
ran N his veins; maybe they brought
the Bible back from the battlefield $50
his blood WAS rcd on tho turned Down
page, may DE INC neSt KISS on his Inns
was the Icy touch Of death which stilled
the brave heart and stopped the bouna-
Ing life u the stalWart frame.
Or may be Il WAS his sar:une To g5
on TO the end What need 10 toll OF
Tie tsrribls road leading 10 tl'ni md
besat by stofns. lashed ny tic arrce
tenn est u war 81 perry with Dlo9d.
horid With iesl4euc gaunt With l.ri-
xgtfon ind fam ne. The world Jol t!ye
& eyeTE Stgp and tlrn " the road Wien
bated bgeath and shining eyes, ans, MS
ny las reserved golden page Tor is
;.s1tlles.s Long ago 4
hui q had cut fiDn his hat hta swe H.
hearts slnnle and tad tossed III nv y
on thc smoke OF battle IKE leaf in thg
stir'gl, laut he did nor uggn ii % r,4.
tneInier her by Tor ne Was az true b
his home ard le lN iiu ,gai5 Ittr,
~ Is country ShG lbs cause,
Wllat Il picturesque, joliy hearted cEiar
actef NAE tie southern soldier in ealr,u
when, after his alas too scnnty suI,ite,
he III mis- corn cob pipe, aud lay d6W,
in front Of the fire 10 enjoy Ms nfre
quent. hour of repoSe Perhaps he wa
III serious MOOD; and iieH gould bo hcar
around that biyouar tank ON the etltlse
of the wgr, tbs doctrine of secession th
principles of The Constitution, the merit
betoEe heard around lie Camp fire d
private soldiers for heFa were colleg
Jrofessora, lawyers, physicians, nlal
chaNts, serving In che ranks, equal On
otten4snperloF 70 tht officers above then
But more frequently he Vas in joy!;
trim. and then strong, clear voice