The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-01-23


accommodating the crowding hosts be-
fore him, one of his generals exclaim-
ed TO him with bitterness: Il wish
those people Were all dead" General
Lee, with his inimitable grave manner
promptly replied: How can you say so
General. Now / wish they We're all
at home attending to their own busi-
ness. leaving US TO do the same
Ali through the four years strain and
struggle he spoke kindly of the Fed
eral soldiers, calling them only those
people,, General Grants people"
He ordered every kindness TO be shown
to prisoners compatible with their
safety. Hear him saying before the
congressional committee of the war
Il did everything in my power 10 re-
lieve the suffering Of the prisoners and
TO establish the cartel Of exchange.
My orders were always that the whole
field should be treated alike. Parties
sent out to take the Federal
wounded as we'll as the Confederates,
ana the surgeons were told 10 treat
the one as they did the other. These
o3-sers given By NE were respected on
every field
When he entered PENNSYLVANIA at
the head Of his victories army, though
advised by many i'll high positions to
a course Of retaliation for the treat
ment Of our people We're receiving, he
refused and his celebratd general Or
der, issued a few days before the bat
tie Of Gettysburg, IS the noblest ex-
preston Of the standard and manner
of civilized warfare which a Christian
soldier had ever uttered: Fellow sol
die.:; we cannot take vengeance fo.'
the wrongs Of our people have suffer-
ed. without lowering ourselves i'll The
eyes Of all whose adherence has been
excited by the atrocities Of our enemy,
an1 offending against Him to whom
vengeance belongeth and without
whose favor and support our efforts
mast all prove in vain The COM
manding general, therefore, earnestly
cXll0rtS the troops TO abstain with
most scrupulous care from unneces-
sary or wanton injury 10 private prop
CRY, and he enjoins upon all officers
TO arrest and bring to summary pun
ishment all who shall in any way Of
fend against the orders on this sub
ect."
He did not say in the language of
another soldier, war IS hell anyhow,
and the more like hell we make it, the
more quickly it will be over" No. He
said in effect, war is Il fearful instru-
ment 10 be used only as a last dred re-
sort: it is bad enough at it's best; it
becomes therefore, our duty as SOL
diers and Christians to mitigate it's
horrors as far as possible, so that we
shall save unnecessary suffering, 50
that we shall have fewer painful MEM
Ories to forget, so that, when the war
is done, true and lasting peace shall
quickly come and always abide. All,
yes, General Lee dismOunting from
his horse to put up a broken fence
with his own hand, gave not only
helpful object lesson to his own sol
diers but to all the world q winning
picture Of a great soul preserving, as
far as human power can, the order and
blessing of peace amid the turmoil and
the horrors of war.
So much for the peacemaker to the
enemy during this time of warfare
How was he at the same among his
own people. He was doing ever his
utmost, without consideration for self.
to allay bitterness and jealousy and to
promote harmony and unity Of action.
In the opening Of the war, when Vir-
ginia had made him commander of
her forces, before she had joined the
COnfederacy, already organized at
Montgomery, there seemed some dan
ger of clash Of rank which might
have resulted in consequences disas-
trous to the young republic. Vice
President Stephens went to see Cen
fay.n1 t,O o1<<.r -
and win him. He had but started his
errand, when his anxiety was entirely
removed. DO not consider me at all,
Mr. .Stphens. The question of rank is
, entirely secondary with me. The
j cause is the thing. I am ready to
serve to my ability in any rank
Again, when Jackson was developing
and displaying his marvellous genius,
when he had risen rank by rank until
! now he stood close beside General Lee
| himself, when thOughtless people had
already begun to compare the two men
and to wonder which would be in COM
mand at the end of the war, can we
! find anywhere the slightest tinge Of
| jealousy in the older man, any lack of
appreciation, any want of generosity
! in the commanding general? Not a
trace. He cOmplimented Jackson and
urged him for promotion. He gave
him every opportunity to display his
splendid Abilities To Jackson's note
informing him that he was wounded,
General Lee replied Il cannot express
my regret at the occurrence. Could I
have directed events, I should have
chosen for the good of the country to
have been disabled in your stead.
congratulate you on the victory which
is due to your skill and energy" And
the next day, at the final charge and
phant legions, shouting their praises
and loyalty to him as their victorious
chief, then and there he gave the
praise to his lieutenant and declared
that the victory was due to Jackson.
At Gettysburg, you remember, be
rose even higher in the beauty of his
lofty character, military critics, as l