The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-03

pine Crest Villa, Maitland. Fla, Jan.
and so the New Year comes in with
minors of war in the air, and military
and naval activity visible in many
lands. 1t is evident that the dawn of
neace so long looked for and anxious
Iv awaited, is not near at hand. .
The death of Maj. Henry Kyd Douglas
is referred to as that of a Confederate
general. He was, it is true. a very
distinguished officer, but do not think
he reached the rank of general. =
1ucian L. Knight, in the Sunny South.
calls Gen. Howell Cobb the Command
or of Cobbs Legion" This is not corr
rect. as it was Gen. Thomas R. r.
Cobb, who fell at Fredericksburg,
Va, who was the commander of that
fearless legion. am indebted
n Hon. Robert M. Hitch for a PAM
inlet copy of his historical address on
1.-THE Georgia Secession Convention of
1861 and Its Causes 1t is q valuable
contribution to Georgia Confederate
history. I see in the role of delegates
the names of the following Confeder-
ate generals: A. II. Colquitt, w. T.
Wofford, f. S. Barlow, 4. r. r. Cobb,
Henry L. Benning. Robert Toombs. All
Of these, except Gen. Wofford, voted
COR secession. A. H. Stephens. who
became vice president, B. Fl. Hill, who
became a senator and H. P. Bell, who
became a congressman, also voted
against secession on the first ballot.
Lamar of Lincoln" is recorded against
secession, and yet Lincoln county is
not on the roll of counties, nor does
Lanar's name appear in full.
Atlanta claims to be the great mill
tary center of the country, and vet
she speaks of Maj Gen" S. B. M.
Young and Gen. Peter Haines." She
also appears to lose sight of the De-
partment of the South, 1876, with
Brevet Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Ruger,
L. S. A., in command, and headquar-
tiers in the Southern Express Cor.
pany building, opposite the Union De-
pot Gen. Ruger was also provisional
governor of Georgia from Jan. 10,
1861 to July 4, following. AL
though Maj. Gen. Henry C. Corbin. U.
S A. is commander of the Depart
appear in the official list of major gem
erals, he being still recorded as lad
jutant general" but Commanding
Department of the East" Il = A
Savannah reader sends me leaf from
The Literary Digest, in which the
widow of Gen. Nath. Greene is given
credit for inventing the cotton gin, and
asks, Did Eli Whitney or Mrs. Greene
invent the gin?" Whitney came from
Yale College and resided on the Ger.
Greene plantation. He invented the
gin, but Mrs. Greene assisted him in
perfecting and putting his invention
into practical operation.
THE Story of Florida" by Caroline
M. Brevard, appears in Southern
School and Home, a Tallahassee, Fla,
monthly, as a serial. 1 regret to See
that this writer persists in spelling
Gen, Thomas S. Jesup's name, as many
other do Jessup. The name of Lieut..
w. S. Basinger, U. S. A, killed in the
Dade massacre, is also spelt Bassinger.
But this is a comomn error all over
Florida, and can be found on official
maps. Admiral George Dewey,
U. S. ~, evidently believes in trusting
in God, but wants to keer his powder
dry at the same time. He writes the
Boston Globe as follows: God grant
our country peace and prosperity and
to US the wisdom to be always ready"
The Brooklyn congressman who is such
peace crank. who would not appoint
cadets to West Point or Annapolis,
now admits that defensive" warfare
is justifiable. That settles the whole
question, and justifies us in being
always ready" for the defensive"
Nearly every nation has the proverbial
'Pbin' m itc CHI oA6
nation is pretty sure to come along
and try to knock it off.
A Savannah Confederate calls my
attention to a sectional verse inter-
loped into The Star Spangled Ban
ner," and asks my opinion on the mat
ter l think the publication of it in
school books must have been an over
sight. I have a fac smile of the
original song in Francis Scott Keys
own writing, and no such verse
Is there. 1t has been a practice, North
and South, for years. to use such pa
trlotic songs on special occasions with
verse or two added by some local
writer. In this way Home, Sweet
Home and The Bivouac of the
Dead and Dixie and MY Country,
tbs of Thee'-all have been mutilated
Inc same is true of Maryland, My
Maryland" and all of these songs can
De found thus mutilated. 1t is a bad
practice, and has resulted in imper-
tect copies of songs hymns and poems
getting into school books, as in the
present case of THE Star Spangled
Banner" l have a very large collec-
non Of books with this song in it, but
have never seen the Objectionable
verse. 1t is fraud and should be