The farmer and mechanic., 1907-09-10

CierS tnaL were Slaln IOr LnelT SIdte
and the South-Generals W. d.
Pender and James Johnston Petit
grew In announcing the death of
General Pender to the army he en-
ployed language of higher eulogy than
Re bestowed upon any other soldier
uho fell in the great war with the eX-
ception Of General Thomas j. Jackson
Of Virginia, the immortal "StOnewalL"
When editing the war magazine
our Living and Our Dead in 1894.
'75 / copied what General Lee wrote
OF General Pender and ! afterwards
urged that a monument to the great
North Carolina soldier be erected at
Raleigh, and the eulogy of Lee be
placed upon it. After more than thir-
~ years l am more than ever inn
Dressed with the Importance of that
being done 1t is most deserving
most comm endable. and worthy as it
is Of Lee and Pender. it would show
proper gratitude. appreciation ana
uatriotism on the part of North Caro-
ina. When General Lee had heard
Of the death of General Pender, he
said to Major James II. Foote, VINO
is still living. L am glad to believe,
There was soldier who never held
his proper rank. He should have been
one of my Corps Commanders. In
MS Final Report of the Pennsylvania
Campaign and Battle of Gettysburg,
that was furnished The historical
MaRaZ1ne' by MI w lilletin 'c"liiloii,
the Englishman who wrote up
Grants campaign in Virginia with
much Of fairness and which was found
on the person of one of General Lee
staff officers at the time of the de-
struction Of his headquarters papers
on the retreat from petersburg, Cen
eral Lee refers to General PettigreW'
death, and what he said, coming from
such a noble man and great Soldier,
was indeed, brief as it is. of hlGh
fla,a Ip
and copy as follows: a small mum
ber in advance of the main body was
mistaken for our own cdValfY TeliI-
ing. no notice having been given of
the withdrawal OF the latter. and was
suffered TO approach our line. Ihey
we're Immediately destroyed or cap
r.gad with the exception of two or
..rge, but Brig Gen. PettlgrcW, an
officer OF great merit and promise
wa- mUrtaIly wounded in the en-
,ot.ater He survived his removal to
-.giaid only few days. For Lee
ra write OF a BugaGier General that
. .ss of great merit ana promise"
meant very much II VIII be recalled
MatngW =. N&u.y, said OF MN, 5ts
..vartel by his own daughter ana 50
.a.T-l.G h. Professor kemp i. Bat-
f-. LLIJ.. Of the University Of North
Caro.ua. that II by reason Of the az
cfdents Of vat Gacerai Lee should
die av ether sickness or wounds, that
,. aI raen General Pettigrew was the
lest soldier to succeed fim. re was
another soldier who never nad ms
pr.ue. rank. 1 have not The letter at
hana and fail back on memory Eut
have given no more than was spoken
ny the eminent Southron on more
than one occasion. l remem Der Wen
that in June. l841, | hdu the pleas
ure of seeing the distinguished man
Of science and heard him as he con
yersed with President James X. POLK
and Hon. John T Mason. of Virginia
as they were in ., the c,pora1 PoTcn ,4f1I a and
Raleigh spending the night. thinh
1t was called Morens, or something
like it. Since / wrote the above /
have hunted up the superb. tender I'll
butte of the greatest American ana re-
produced it. His report OF the Fein-
sylvania Campaign" was dated july
31st, 1863. He wrote of our great
North Caro,.la soldier, and 1t IS wei!
worth reading and preserving, ana Is
in every particular Thoroughly APP
plicabIe to the noble soldier euloSized
so finely:
general Pender has since died.
This lamented officer has borne a aus
tinguished part in every engagement
of this army, and was wounded on
several occasions while leading his
command with conspicuous gallantry
and ability. The confidence and ad-
miration inspired by his courage and
by the esteem and respect entertained
by all with whom he was associated,
for the noble qualities of ms
modest and unassumlnS character:
What could be more precious and au-
tractive than such language from such
a source? In 1874. L wrote TINS III
"Our Living and Our Dead Ihese
noble words should be engrayen upon
g tablet and placed in one OF the mans mans
OF our Capitol. that the men or future
Years may see what manner or men
this Commonwealth produced IN the
days of conflict and suffering. when
the manhood of our people was IuilN
taxed, and when patriotism found Its
nobIest embodiment in the soldiers
that fought and fell IN the Lost
Cause Our boys should read It.
that they may learn how much honor
and glory true merit can VIM anu
ghat a historian it can secure. /
also wrote of General Pender at the
same time giving an incident, | SAID
No State ever possessed a truer SOL
der than the late General ": =
Pender, of North Carolina. A distln-
guished Nirginian, the Nestor OF the
Petersburg bar. the late MI Wallace
whose wife was cousin OF LleuteA-
ant General Ambrose p. Hill. tod the
Rev. Dr. 7. II. Pritchard, OF RalelSh'
and myself. that he once asked Gem
eraI Hill. during the siege of Peters
burg who was the best officer of his
rank he ever knew. The reply was,
after a few moments reflecuon-
General Pender[ Such a man. such a
soldier richly merits monument
from his admiring and grateful
Countrymen. When will it be erected
l would like to know that in the at
tractive Capitol grounds in my own
native town. there We're monuments
standing in comm emOratiOn of Gener-
ais Pender and Pettigrew. L would
ue very glad also if there was a great
fnonument with statues around it. like
one I saw fifty years ago at Richmond.
Va, with statesmen around ii, of
Generals Ramseur. Junius Daniel.
Hr&nch, and some others. 1t would
speak well for North Carolina-of its
heroic leaders in the dreadful davs
'f carnage, of the type of men the
'ld North State gave to the undying
cause of the liberties and rights of
!.e People, and of the genuine graft
14e and admiration of the true North
,@tolinians who honored and cherish
JAe memories of the great and
..'oIe and good. Let there be monu-
iI9it'a erected Smooth as monume ent-
- a1-aPaateE." and telling of high State