The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-07-11
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
whist1ing Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

Sir William Howard Russell writes
In his "Recollections 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. OF his visit to
Charleston Sir William says:
Il found Gen. Beauregard at his
headquarters, writing at a 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 a keen, we'll
cut face, very intelligent, but not very
determined soldierly air and look
which reminded me of that of an old
French friend, Col. Cler, of the
Zouaves, who fell in the Crimea.
Among his maps and plans were bou-
quets Of roses and geraniums and other
flowers sent in by his admirers, and
vases filled with the same aanked his
dispatch boxes. He received me with
perfect courtesy. When some o. those
present asked me what l 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 Sebastapoll' Around me
were 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. l thought of the politicians,
Senators, Congressman and all the
coteries whom l had left at Washing
ton, so full of schemes of Cancellation
and compromise, without, as far as /
could see, the smallest semblance of
military force to oppose this fragrant
and buoyant rebellion.
"Beauregard talked at his ease with
out reserve. He had not much SYM
pathy, thought, with the cavalier pre-
tensions of the South Carolinians, and
cared but little for their aspirations,
but he believed religiously in the right
eousness of secession and in the wick
edness of the abolitionists. This Unit
ed States officer, educated al West
Point, distinguished by his galiantry 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
railway and the managership of a
State lottery
Taking leave of Gen Beauregard, Sir
William dined at the Mills Hotel with
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
'rod0m0ntade.' 1t was astonishing to
hear a man like Gov. Manning declare
that the South never could be con
quered' We will welcome the world
in arms with hospitable hands to
bloody grayesv 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 ridicule. 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 lecturing and
spouting.' said Beauregard- 1T will not
stand fire. I 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 will
defend yourselves against invasion bet
ter than the French couldY We GER
kainiy would make invasion by the
Yankees pretty bad business for
them
| suppose they come with an enor-
nous preponderance CT men and ma
terial. would you not be forced to SUBJ
mity
"'Never. The Yankees are cowardly
rascals; we have kicked them and
cuffed them till we are tired of it.
Besides, John Bull would step in; we
know him very well. He will make
fuss at first, but cotton is king. and
John will come off his perch at once
when he finds he can't get cotton. Tor
some time / was obstinate enough to
challenge propositions of this kim, but
soon discovered that was out
Of touch with that world"
| Visiting Fort Sumter. ''the bloodless
bombardment of which was the prelude
to one of the most sanguinary wars of
modern times" Sir William made the
acquaintance of Senator Louis T. Wig
fall, of Texas. "A very volcanic man,
OF the most daring courage tn the thick
Of shot and shell at the height of the
bombardment, whom the fort was in
flames, he put off in a skiff' with
white handkerchief on his sword point,
clambered up on the jetty, squeezed
through an embrasure and dropped
down before the astonfshed federals
with a demand for the surrender Of
the place. Would that / could pro-
pitiate his names by a tardy but most
sincere expression of regret that
caused him pain by ill-considered
| words.
| Charleston volunteers were clearing
away the rubbish and debris in the
| terre plein in a desultory fashion. why