The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1910-06-09
GEN. NEWTON Nj. CURTIS.

"ffero of Fort entahIe
Death of Gallant Commander of Un-
Ion Forces Put Stop 70 Valuable His
foricai Work He Was Engaged In
Writing.
To the Editor of The Gold Leaf
Sir: | have received the copy OF your
paper OF Goth ult in which you republish
from The New York Evening Post my
communication upon The Lee Statue,
and thank you for the compliment.
1t may interest your readers TO be told
that owe the spirit which pervades the
letter. and the argument therein. to my
close intimacy with one who was highly
esteemed in North Carolina and whose
memory is alike reyered both North and
South. | refer to the late Gen. Newton
Martin Curtis, THE Hero of Fort Fish
er" 1t was my inestimable privilege to
be very intimately associated with Gen.
Curtis for several years past, up to the
day of his lamentable and sudden death
on January Sth, last For two years
preceding his death he was engaged in
writing a history OF the causes which led
to the civil war, and it was his intention
to carry the history to the end OF the
Spanish war, which would fittingly close
the book, the title OF which was to be
''The Welding of the Nation" His un-
timely death was truly a calamity to his
country, for his book would have sup
piled very great want; the want OF
history of the causes of the war and it's
conduct, which would be accepted by his
countrymen both North and South. 1t
was my privilege to read every page as
it progressed and to know the authors
most intimate thoughts and intentions
regarding it. 1t was completed to the
summer of 1862 only. when he was sud-
denly called home. The pages that were
written had been read by noted educa-
tors both North and South and univer-
versally approved. His treatment of the
subject was mastery and absolutely i'm
partial. 1t is my earnest hope that It
will be put into print so far as he wrote
it,
Gen Curtis frequently referred to his
friendship with the late Col. William
Lamb who was in command of Fort
Fisher at the time of its capture, and the
very great pleasure it had given him for
so many years. They were both very
severely wounded during the engagement,
supposed to be mortally so, and were
taken to the same hospital AS soon as
ing taken to the bedside OF Col Lamb
where be said, s'Col. Lamb, l am come
to congratulate you upon the heoric de-
fence which you made. | am proud of
you as an American" Col. Lamb replied,
''Thank you, General Curtis, but am
aot an American, | am a Confederate
citizen" That is all right" said Gen.
Curtis, "we will not quarrel about that,
but | insist that you are an American,
and however this strife shall end there
will be but one Nation, for God Almighty
never intended that there should be two
countries here or He would have turned
the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains
the other way and had the Mississippi
River empty into the Atlantic Ocean in
stead of the Gulf of Mexico" The friend-
ship begun at that time continued so
long as they both lived.
There is a bill now before the New
York Legislature, appropriating $4,000
for the erection OF monument to Gener-
al Curtis at Ogdensburg, n. Y, which
will undoubtedly become law. 1t would
be a very graceful and meritorious thing
should the legislatures of North Caro-
lima and Virginia join in the memorial
and have statue OF heroic size erected
to the heroic soul whose every thought
together his cOuntrymen and uniting
them in bonds of lasting peace and good
will.
FRANCIS B. RAY,
Late Lieutenant 39th Missouri Inian-
try, L. S. V.
Elkhart, Ind, June LIST, 1910.