The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-02-16
A GREAT SOLDIER
Gen. Robert E. Lee, Commander.
in.Chief OF the
CONFEDNRATE ARMY

lore the new YORK Southern
Society. A Grand Trlbate
to n Grand Man.
Whaa OF this charge Of treason an,
whaA kind of traitor was LeeP A dis
6in8uiahed soldier and citizen OF LASS
asausebts, Charles Francis Adams
reared In the New Bngland school @
politics, himself throughout the wa
In the army THAI confronted Lee, BOZ
OF that Charles Francis Adams who q
United States minister TO Englant
curing the OWL wa probably did a
much as any Other man to deieaa th,
cause OF bhe Oonfederaoy, grandson O
John Quincy Adams and great-grana
son Of that elder Adams who suaosed
ed Washington Oh presidenU Of tn,
United States, q man who &c differed
from Lee In his interpretation Of tn,
duty an American ciblzen owes as be
tween his States and bhe osntral gov
ernmenb thab he declared he would q
against Massachusetts, for the Union
has written This for histoay.
III Robert E. Lee was q traitor. &c
also and indispu9 ably was George
Washington. Washington furnishes a
precedent at every point. A Virgin,
Ian, like Lse, he was also q British
eAbj Soi; he had fought under the Brit.
tsh flag, az Lee had fought under that
OF the United States; when, In TITO,
Virginia seeded from the British en-.
ptre he went with his State, Just as
Lee went IS years later subsequently,
Washington commanded armies in the
Held designated by those opposed tC
them as the rebels Of 10" much as
Lee later commanded and at last sur.
rendered much larger armies, also de.
signated rebels" by those they con.
fronted. Except in their outoome the
cases wero therefore, precisely alike;
and logic is logic. 1t cons1 auently
appears to follow that II Lee was o
traitor Washington was also"
He furthur says:
In him there are eXemplined those
lofty elements of personal character
which, typifying Virginia at her high.
est, made Washington possible. IA
sentially a soldier, Robert e. Lee was
o many sided man. / might speak OF
him as q s~tratcgist, tub Of this aspecb
OF the man enough has perhaps bsen
said. l might dilate ON his restraint
IN victory; his patient endurance in
b face OF adverse fortune, the serene
dignity with which he In the end tri.
umphed over defeat. Bub, passing oyer
all these we'll worn themes, I shall
confine myself to that one attribute
of his which, recognized In a SOLDIER
by an opponent, / cannot but regard
aa, MA suresG and luf6iest title to 81,
o>.fing tame. 1 refer to his humanity
III arms and his acrupuluua regard for
inc mcsb advanced rules Of modern
warfare"
Denying the contention that war
must be- made he'll, holding up to exc
crabl0n the authors CT the bloodiest
In history, this generous foe and
great American said:
~ rejoice that no suoh hatred at
taches TO the name OF Lee. Reckless
OF life to attain tho legitimate en6s
or war, he sought to mitigate it's hor.
rors. Oppose to him at Gettysburg,
l here, 40 years later, do him justice.
NO o cfeditable order ever issued
aroma commanding general than that
formulated and signed at Chambers
burg by Robert &c. Lee, as toward the
CLOSE of June, 1868, he advanced on a
war OF invasion. No greater Disgrace
ne then declared, ON befall the army,
n tnrtu ugh 1T our whole people, than
the perpetration Of barbarous outIages
upon the innocent aud defer c2lcss.
such proceedings not only digraoe Ine
perpetrators and all connected With
them, but are subvsrsive OF the dis
cipiine and efficiency Of the army, and
destructive Of the ends Of our move.
ment. Ii must be remembered that
we make war only on armed men,
La scope and spirit Lees order was
observed, and l doubt II a hostile force
ever advanced into an enemy's ooun
TRY or fell back from 1T in retreat
Leaving leas cause OF hate and bitter
ness tina . did the army Of northern
Virginia In that memorable oAm paign
which eliminated at Gettysburg"
In dwelling on this theme, In con.
tfasG TO Lees humanity, may not
the avenging pen or history" quote
from "Ohio In the War" by tho Hon.
Whitelaw Reed, at this time amtass.
ador OF the United States at the Court
Of st. James's. who In speaking OF
the burning Of Columbia wrote:
1T was the most mOnstrous barbar.
iGy OF this barbarou9 march. Before
his movement began Gan. Sherman
begged permission to turn his army
loose in South Carolina and devastate
10. He used this permission to the
full. He protested that he did not
wage war upon women and Children.
But, undcr the operations OF his
orders, the last mOrsel Of food was
takcn from hundreds Of destitu Q fam
lilies that his soldiers might feast In
needless and riotous abundance. Be-
fore his eyes rose, day after day, the
mournful clouds Of smoke on every
side that told OF old people and their
grandchildren driven, In mid winter,
from the only roots there wore to
shelter them, by the flames which the
wantonnes3 Of his soldiers had kindle3,
Yet II q single soldier was punished
for o single outrage or thefb during
that entire movement we have fouud
no mention OF 1t ia all tho volumin.
Gus records Of tho march,
May not this avenging pen Of his.
tory which Sumner invoked record
chat order Of Gen. Halleck, chief Of
staff and military a6visar to President
Lincoln, which said To Cen. Sherman,
Should you capture Charleston / hope
that by some accident n nlace uav