The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-16

mission in the Federal Army to return to Virginia to offer his services to his native State. The author calls atten- ton to the fact which. so far as " know, has not heretofore been publisa ted in any authoritative form, namely, that
 before leaving the service of ta gen. eraJ government. General Lee V 'as of- fered the position of Commaa der in .
 Chief of all of the Federal forct s. This
 great honor he declined, and having
 placed his resignation Tn the m tnds of
 the proper au rhorfties, he went back to
 his native State as a private citizen.
 supposing that his military car ger was
 ended. but ready, nevertheless. to obey the call of duty from his natl ve State in whatever foipn 1t might be P resented.
 The hero of Shis book IS p rivate In the service of the Confederats Govern ment. He was grraduatec from Harvard College in Massachusetts, shoiFtly after the beginning of hostilities. He was with PTckett's IDivislon in hi nfemor- able charge at Gettysburg. and upon the retreat of his comrades was left dangerously wo unded within the Fed erai lines. It happened that an officer of the Federal Army, into WI iose hands he fell was one of his claa sniates at college. When the Hosp itaf Corps, which this officer hurriediy summoned to his assistance. saw that he was a mere private, sth sy remarke upon the fact, and inquired why sue h attention should be shown a Confedf crate Of his rank when there, were so many of the Federal wounded, who needt sd attention. In an outburst of admiral ion for the raIiantry of our troops or that occa- sion, the Federal officer rfeplied. sir, this man was classmate Of mine at college and of such was composea Picketts Division, who has just lae- complished f.his repnarkabts charge, If the ranks of the Confederacy arc com wish that all of our southern peo-
 D,e could nsst rsad stss sss so0k ssh IS ] read anywhere. to General Lee and the Confederate soldier. from the highest officer to the huniblest private m the ranks.
 Fellow cittizenR I was too young to be a Confederate soldien I was born
 In 1857 and was just ,lears old when
 the war began My My oia fafher snr,,,hS had ,o only list in the ssohfederate service. the youngest of whom enlisted at the ssye
 of 16. Of the yhree. two fell mortssliy of them, Major Samuel l.. Knox. fell at Franklin, renn.. at the time leading | with his regiment the. charge on the enemys works. The other Capt. Alex ander B Know. fell at Corfnth. Miss, and while I waAs Soo young for selwico. and my father fsoo old for service, I to the noble heritage left us by shei gallant conduct nT the troops of the Southern Confedevstcy.
 The swords of these two brothepN hang just above the mantie in my Ii- brary, and in mute appeal daily invite me to emulate the ssfTne tieh standard of patriotism whaeh inspired them to give up their lives in the service 0f their country. As Dr. Lyman Abbott well said--we cannot forget the past. We ought not
 to want to forget the past, with all of
 it's memories. ana it's gsssat schieve-
 ments In valor. in patrio eism, in love
 and sacrifice for country which upon
 both sides of that great struggle as-
 tonished and challenged the admiration
 of the civilized world. and showed the
 stuff of which an .ArnericaJi citizen was
 made. Says Lord Macaulsy a people
 which has no pride in the n oble achieve
 ments of it's ancestry will rsever achieve lanything worthy to be remlsmbered with
 pride by its descendants.
 Mir Beecher. yol- will rerrrember, went
 over to England about the ibegiaRing of
 the war and delivered a series Of ed-
 dresses seeking to excite. public inter
 est in behalf of the Fed era1 cause.
 After the war he made another address
 in London. and during the course 0f his
 remarks he was intercepted by an Eng
 Iishman who put to him this question:
 MT Beecher didn't you say. when you
 were over here about the time of the
 beginning of the war between the
 States that the Federals would defeat
 the rebels in three monthsT' Yes"
 he replied, T said that.'' Then, why