The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-02-02
FROM BOTH SIDES
Tho Centenaries Of Civil War
i Figures by
Charles n. Harvey in St. Louis
], Globe Democrat.
Tho hundredth anniversary of the

on Jan. 10, reminds us that the centen-
aries of the greatest figures of the
Civil war Of both sides will now be
sreouent for a few years. Lees is not
the first Of these birth cycles. A few
occurred earlier, but most OF the great
er ones are still to appear. Taking
them in chronological order. these are
vet to come: JOSEPH L. Johnstone s.
Davis, Lincoln's, Shcrman's, Grants,
Sheridan's. Lees old associates in the
United States army and in the con-
federate service, Albert Sidney john
stone, was born in 1903, and his cen-
tenary came four years ago, but IL at
tracted very little attention .Jolnstonc
was higher officer than Lee i'll the
United States army and he was moto
prominent i'll the Confederate forces
at the time of his death i'll 1852, than
Lee was at that time. In 1855, when he
returned to the army, Lee was lleuten-
ant colonel, and George II. Thomas. q
prominent union officer Of the latter
day. was major. But Johnstone. though
a. more daring, aggressive and resource
full soldier than Lee, was forgotten in
the whirl of events which interviewed
between his death near Fittsburs
Landing and ApponlattoS, Lee was In
The public eye longer and later than
tombstone. and commanded larger ar
rnies His field too, in the greater parr
of the war was Virginia, and as q
defender Of the Confederate capital he
necessarily commanded the country's
and. the worlds attention to a, greater
degree than did any other officer on
the Southern side. Although Johnstone's
death was as widely lanented as
$tonewsll Jackson's was a. year later
the hundredth anniversary of his birth
passed almost unnoticed,
The .centenaries of many nf this
great ,Southerners who figured in the
Civil war in q, military or other Ca
nacity are still to come, but IT is
likely that none of them, not even
that Of jefferson Davis, will attract
The attention which Lees has COM
rnanded. Henry A. Wise, the gov
ernor, who. hanged John Brown, had
his Tooth birthday anniversary a few
weeks ago, in the early part of De-
cember, 1906. but it passed without
any public notice anywhere. In the
wild days Immediately following john
Browns Harper's Ferry raid, in 1859,
Governor Wise's name filled . larger
place i'll the newspapers Of the North
and South than did that nf any
other Southern man. In the war
which Brown FASTENED, Wise took ~
moderately prominent part, and after
Appomattox he accepted the situation
promptly and was AS loyal as any
body in either section from that Inns
TO the end of his days, in 1876. Even
his own state. however, seems to have
forgotten him in the lapse Of time.
In 1908 the jeff Davis centennial will
come, and, while June s. the annver-
sary of his birth, is .. holiday in
several Southern states. his centen-
NAL is not likely to be observed with
as much heartiness anywhere as
Lees has aroused. Though a. man ct
education, great ability and q very
high order of civic a1 we'll as phys
ieal courage, he lacked the personal
popularity of Lee, but, of course, his
position as political chief Of the Con.
federacy. made him the head and
front Of, that revolt and gave him Il
prominence greater than that of any
other leader of The lost cause. Joe
Jo11nstone's centennial whici, will ar.
rive OH Feb. 6, 1907, is receiving no
mention in the press.
Many OF those who recall William
j.. .Yancey as the morning star of
secession will be, surprised to learn
that his birth centenary will not
come for several years after Lees,
Johnstone's and Dayis', although he
figured. as. a separaiist earlier than
Davis, and. of course. ,nany years
earlier than anybody lii or out OF Wiz
Einia ever supposed that Lee would
be placed iii antagonisln to his gov
eminent. As a. soldier. Lee had TIC
politics, and took ITO part in the dis
union talk which began to be heard
with considerable freedom in the
South, from the time of the admission
of California as part Of the compromise
of 1850, onward to South Carolina.
secession two or three weeks after
SMncoln's election in. 1860. The same
was true: Of the two Johnstones and of
the other military chiefs OF the Corr
federacy. Yancey's centenary will not
be here until 1914. Toombs' will ar.
rive in 1910 and Alexander IT Ste,-one.