The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-09-06

scrved in the ranks, then a Chaplain
80 the close Of the war. These ex-
1racts are taken from Vol. MI, Con
federate Military History. The
author is now Chaplain General Of the
United Confederate Veterans. Dur
ing the war he was iittingly desig-
aated a. the "l'ighting Parson. .
Chaplain Jones is man Of marked
ability, with both pen and tongue.
jlc is Baptist minister.
1t will be seen by persuing these in
iercsting extracts that the position OF
Chaplain in the Confederate army was
by no means bombproof.
In his testimony before "the com
Dittcc on the conduct Of the war,
EIa jor.G Hooker ting
-joe'' he was afectionately and appro-
3siatcly called by his men-uses this
remarkable and emphatic language:
"Our artillery had always been
superior to that Of the rebels, as was
also our infantry, except in discipline,
and that, for reasons not necessary
10 mention, never did equal Lee 8
army With a rank and file vastly
inferior to our own, intellectually and
physically, that army had, by discip-
lino alone, acquired character for
steadiD"Ss and efficiency unsurpassed, =,
;" my Judgment, in ancient or mod.
=, times. We have not been able to
iv.l it,"
Now, we may fully accept the latter
prt Of this statement Of General
ivoker's as to the character Of the
Confederate army, without conceding
that it was due alone to discipline.
1t was my privilege to be member Of
che army of Northern Virginia. AS
private soldier or as chaplain I fol-
Bowed its flag from Harper's Ferry in
'6l to Appomattox in '65, mingling
freely with the men in camp, on the
march, in the bivouac, on the battle
field, and in the hospital. knew
its most conspicuous leaders and made
it my especial business to know the
heroes of the rank and file. I march.
with them along the weary road, BIZ
vouacked with them in the pelting
storm, went with them into the leaden
and iron hail of battle, ministered to
them in the loathsome hospitals, la.
bored among them in those glorious
1evivals which made we'll nigh every
camp vocal with Gods praises, result
ing 10 the profsssed conversion Of
over 15, 900 men; rejoiced with them
in that long series of brilliant VIC
tories which have illustrated bright
est pages of American history, and
wept with them when Lee was 'com-
PEELED to yield to overwhelming num-
bers and resources" Since the war
have carefully studied the official re-
ports on both sides and everything
that has been published which throws
any light on the history Of that army.
I am prepared, therefore, not only to
fully indorse General Hooker's opin-
ion Of the infantry Of the army Of
Northern Virginia, but to go further
and say that our artillery, though in
lerior in guns, ammunition and equip
lnent, was always match for that to
which it was exposed; that the men
who rode with Turner Ashby, Wade
Hampton and Fitz Lee, or "followed
the feather" Of "Jeb'' Stuart, though
greatly inferior in mount and equip.
ment to the Federal cavalry, were
masters Of the situation on any fair
field; and that the army of Northern
Virginia as whole, was, in gallant
dash, steady resistance, patient en-
durance, heroic courage, and all other
qualities which 60 to make up the
best soldiers, not only unrivalcd, as
the gallant general says, by the army
Of the Potomac, but the equals of any
other army that ever marched under
any flag, or fought for any cause.
And l give equal honor to the other
armies Of the Confederaoy. The men
who defended Fort Sumter and
Charleston and Savannah and Mobile
aud Fort Fisher; who fought under
Albert Sidney johnson, Beauregard,
Bragg, Joseph f. Johnston, Hood,
Stephen D. Lee, Pemberton, Van
Dorm, Price, Dick Taylor, Kirby
smith, Forrest, Joe Wheeler, John
Morgan, and others, were the peers of
those who followed Lee =na stopsuali
Jsakson and deserve equal praise.
Ihe world never saw better soldiers
than those who composed the Confed
crate armies. But we must utterly
reppdiate the reason General Hooker