Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-06-29
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
whistiing Bullets, Bright Bayouets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battisa,
Camp Fire, Festive Busa, Rte, Ksc.

IN his "Recollectlons Of the Civil War"
In the North American Review, record
ing his observations during a trip to
Charleston and other places in the
South, including the capital of the Con
federacy in its early days, namely,
Montgomery, Ala. or his visit to
Charleston Sir William says:
II found Gen. Beauregard at his
headquarters, writing at table, sur
rounded by officers in the new Southern
Confederacy uniforms a squarely built,
1.-THE, active men of middle height.
broad chested, solid, with keen, we'll
cut face. very intelligent, but not very
determined; a soldierly air and a look
which reminded me of that of an old
French friend, Col. Cler, of the
Zouaves, who fell in the Crlmea.
Among his maps and plans We're bou-
Quets Of roses and geraniums and other
flowers sent In by his admirers, and
vases filled with the same tianked his
dispatch boxes, He received me with
perfect courtesy. When some of those
present asked me what thought of
the bombardment OF Sumter, and l re-
piled that L had not seen it. Beaure-
gard waved his hand and said Mr..
Russell, you know has seen the bonn
bardment of Sebastapolr Around me
We're all the paraphernalia of an officer
commanding troops In the field, aides
de camp, staff officers, orderlies. Maps
and charts hung on the wall, copies of
general orders; and sentries were on
duty. II thought of the politicians,
Senator's, Congressman and all the
lotteries whom l had left at Washing,
ton, so full Of schemes of Cancellation
and compromise without, as far as
could see, the smallest semhlance OF
military force to oppose this tlagrant
and buoyant rebellion.
"Beauregard talked at his ease with.
out reserve. He had not much sym.
patty, thought. with the cavalier pre-
tensions of the South Carolinlans. and
cared but little for their aspirations,
but he believed relIgiously in the right.
eousness of secession and in the wick,
edness of the abolitl0nists This Unit
ed States officer, educated at West
Point, distinguished by his gallantry In
the war with Mexico, had left his civil
employment as an engineer to batter
down the fortress over which the flag
of the United States was floating. He
had become at once one of the foremost
figures In the Confederate States. What
he might have been had he won the bat
tie OF Shiloh or stopped and over
whelmed Sherman on his march TO the
sea, who can say? But what he actual
ly subsidized into was the presidency OF
a railway and the managership OF q
State lottery"
Taking leave Of Gen. Beauregard, Sir
William dined at the Mills Hotel with
a number of prominent Southern gen
tlemen to whom he had been intro
duced Men of intelligence he states.
well Informed, polished, the equals OF
the same class in any European so
ciety, they gave way to ridiculous
'rodomontade' IT was astonishing to
hear man like Gov Manning declare
that the South never could be con
quered we will welcome the world
In arms with hosptable hands to
bloody graves" One of the party de-
clared that his visit to Europe had
been spoiled by his anger at seeing
white men acting as servants Even
well-educated men who read much. as
Beauregard did, could not understand
the sympathy in England for those who
were against the domestic institution
OF slavery. The uprising in the North
was treated with rldicule Beauregard
admitted he was surprised. and old
men like Huger and Pettigrew shook
their heads at It. It's washy sort Of
enthusiasm got up by ecturlng and
spouting, said Beaurcgard. IT will not
stand fire" l thought OF his words
afterwards when he was commanding
at Bull Run and fighting at Shiloh.
Il was i'll advised enough by my ar
gumentatlve spirit to ask, DO you think
the French are braveY Certainly
what of thatY DO you think you viii
defend yourselves against invasion bet
ter than the French couldY We Ger
tainly would make invasion By the
Yankees pretty bad business for
them
Suppose they come with an enor-
nous preponderance Of men and ma
teriai, would you not be forced to sub
mitT
Never The Yankees are cowardlv
rascals; we have kicked them and
cuffed them till we are tired Of il.
Besides. John Bull would step in we
know him very wei. He viii make
fuss at first, but cotton Is king, and
John Will come of his perch AT once
when he finds he can't get cotton. For
SC ne time / was obstinate enough 70
challenge propositions OF this kind, but
soon discovered that ! was out
Of touch with that world
Visiting Fort sumter 'the bloodless
&c .r.Its.k- ,-.o..