Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-09-07
"REMINISCENCES of Henry A. WISE
Rv ]. c. Hiden. d. ID.

.,,;vod brigade, made up Of infantry i
a1,u nnahv and artillery, and was opera
ting in the region whlGn M;aa 10 nUI nU John
Virginia. Henry A: wise anu hn;aodier. J
r Flovd-two "politicaP, prlgau,oII gomsIv
oenerals-were rather pIeoa.ro oatiy ro
Folding that region against gio%%s
snnerior force under KosecrahH, the
of the ablest commanders om d;ors
northern side. The TWO prlgaui0 on 90
had both distinguished themseiveSS ~v
democratic statesmen put son soanen eniS
thew did not harmonic III .h9 1, [ hoon
Eloyd. who outranked Wise' leil oJ 10 ~
from position which WISE wisheu foI "
defend, and he ordered wise %I. W d;a- dG
: low him in the retreat. WISE ulo
obeved the order. He calleu nis arn n,.n
!; together; formed them into square, qtsa
! and sitting on his horse. MAGE onoI. a;d.
;, q stump speech, in which ne ,s sanut rot
ct have determined thai wiz noS
< obev the order to make the Cai1enu
of another retreat; but 10 nhaHo a
Il Stand here, and fight until our .,, oam
e non. our small arms, ana our 'onS a
, Ives are taken away from US, uano anu
J. The echoes of Sewen mountain iahs
X ooa,n with the exulting yels VI 0ne
es troops. ooo;ns,
M We had 1880 fighting men, againSs'
ID ID pooecranz,s S. 900 to 5000. buo Cn'
~ ~ atond ntopU was made, and held, until zen
u 9s-Tu II lee camp up with reinforce
a; onto ~. ~. when the federal genera
re promptly retreated. 20 oo int,
t at IT. Is not my purpose here TO go inU' lU
Az, lo 20 oaor;ntion n of the campaign
~ any ,nust he left to those VINO al
cir cir snmnosed m% to be experts in matters .
U RPitorv criticism. The man, henI
,no 20, a Wise. is. indeed, more interesCln
n IaO ~ 20 :" than are all of his mllitar
not ocbievements, and to the man coi
1ry ine myself in this paper .o he,
~ Ua ,yas certainly one OF the pe'
- storv-tellers / ever heard; 1ere
h SUo, Jof his anecdotes, which he tol
an o dav when we were travelling Y
sti- oether: A big camp meeting % W.
of 6bont to open in Tennessee. Oon
tod lite 'a;ttees were appointed to MAKE d
49, 49, nan~oments. and brother Birch w
Ito tba Committee to cover the altar WI
80 a Straw for the mourners to kneel uPo
He covered as much space Do
Iof thouoht would be needed; puC w
do had q powerful meeting, anu 'ne
: IN Los a great Boanerges OF man,
y '',oyed about in the audience WIFI
ia osrootest zeal and carried up mourn ~
ings to the altar uh.Ii unr 70 kneel. He h
~ ~ ~ ;dea however, of having MS
ond nunation broken up in that way so
';d an tdnnod ont into one of the alsles,
- ~ otentorian voice roared: M
VnS IL 4oT +" here. Brother Birch; M
) Tha Tte otraw, There will be scores OF Sc
,, nu ioat here this day for want OF stra.
ms, | That good brother W9uiu uion 0 wv
stitu- mass muster as an Armlnlah;
item During his congressioInianl, omo va,
! and Wise distinguished hlmseii "S So oMS
Cold the ablest supporters OF ;,ra t0T', r.,
q the Tyler's ADMINISTRATOR. In WI
CON he for a time acted with tne W.
the but they both came tho naoH soces
oee of democratic fold, ana IN Uno 80 80
!, 00 convention of 1861, they were
tbem- ardent advocates of state-rlgn.S.
san y Governor wise fought tnrouel
21onid 2~ the surrender at Appoma5eoGi
o,,;nc JG after the war settled in klcnm
! rap@ where he practiced law unuil
othinS death. Few advocates coulo III
\ Irish him before jury. he
I th - the ib From a moral point of view, ne
% nniet far above the average OF tne =
orpor. q,nr nians G of his day. Indeed, as ?
ntiarv' clans 90, he was an uncomn
nViatS, .S ciann ciann nan. mar So far as know,
l." fanity was his only wee; anu am
. Ton conversation with me, he hela
. {; +Oru O Urofane mo- swearing was not SO pi
'd1Ot5 ~ ths Chewing tobacco. doubt, now
~ Tho whether he meant to be taKe1
- nomi. onslv when he thus expresseu
nonnt. mU self. Still, as he both cheWef new :
lnUon LaUo IN @ swore avery freely, he might
nero t;on Of Of oarded as capable of giving {
llod od;tor or testimony" as to the effects o
funeral two habits. ..;,s bt
o. narty In his religious Opinions, nt
= cchpapter p quite decidedly "orthooox.n ;,n, i
are are Int uecially disliked Unltarlanisiil
al are paO bsO Few preachers in the state, or
ny, .,re ~ a If IT," could speak so eloquently
aio " AZ Wstonement. In his sympathles
,uo oonv and character he was one OF I'd un
ize COPY % Intense Virginians that l hav
gVorr, ro1 ~ Known. His very manner OF pro
e, uoV me- mo- the name of his native stat
essI1n1t IS .Sat .h otTikingly and peculiarly reveer
net him suppose shao Iohn Randolph
recGiN ;ce;On eried: "Mr. Speaker, when
nnlsslon oonntrv.' l mean Virginia.,
lte army ny. % 7 ;ght Horse Harry Lee, wh
war, Mr, MI nIgO n..Yg;rginia is my country" but
ne TO Ihe eSa tor the old mother,
uest was erence IoL IL L;,,d either of ther
ionp was scarcely oeiiiAO