Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-21
WAR STORIES IN SCHOOL BOOKS.
Move to Eliminate Cory Details GETS
Boost.

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Move to Eliminate Cory Details Get,
Boost.
Cory history of wars and battles ir
school books are regarded as detrimental
to boys In the county schools of Cool
county, Illinois, and the authorities declare
the bloody pen pictures must be eliminated
County Superintendent OF Schools A. f
Nightingale, formerly superintendent Of the
Omaha High school, warmly endorses the
movement:
Some Of the histories give six, eight and
even ten pages to telling Of one or two OF
the great battles Of the civil war or Of .
campaign" said Superintendent Nightin.
gale. The study Of the heroic deeds O,
soldiers and sailors creates in boys a
fighting spirit and they are filled with a
desire to emulate them. With this in.
fluence eliminated in the schools there
ought to be less OF desire to be a hero
In our boys ambitions and the change in
handling the subjects will help the cause
OF universal peace"
The history text books most used in the
county schools are Gordy's, Montgomery :
and McMaster's. Following are extracts
taken from them which, 1t is held, should
be eliminated, and the advanced histories
go still more into detail. The first is from
Gordy's History Of the United States" OF
the battle Of Pittsburg Landing:
Before Buell. could reach Pittsburg
Landing however, Johnston attacked Grant
early on Sunday morning, April 8, 1t was
a terrible day. BY nightfall the con-
federates had driven Grants troops back a
mile and half toward the river But be-
fore morning BuelI's fresh troops had come
up and they assisted Grant in driving the
eonrederates from the field, In this battle
about 2O,0Oo men were killed and wounded.
Among the killed was General Albert
Sidney Johnston, whose death was a serious
loss 70 the south"
The Seven Days Battles" is described
more graphically:
Now that Mcdowell was prevented from
Joining the attack upon Richmond" the ac-
count goes, Mcclellan changed his base OF
supplies to the james river During the
week that he was transferring the army to
the new base of supplies the terrible
Seven Days Battles in which Mcclellan
lost 5000 men, were fought. At Malvern
HUI, the field Of the last of these engage
ments, Lee repeatedly charged, but was
driven back with fearful slaughter The
army Of the Potomac fought here with
magnificent heroism."
The second days conflict OF the battle OF
Gettysburg is described as follows:
In three magnificent lines, with front
a mile long, 1900 confederates charged
across the field. The sight was thrilling
but soon the murderous fire from the
northern guns began to cut them down by
hundreds. The fearful slaughter thinned
the advancing lines. Stin they pressed on
As they neared the first line OF northern
troops Lieutenant Cushing a union officer
although mortally wounded. pushed the
only remaining gun Of his battery to the
fence and shouted to his commander
Webb, will give them one more shot
"Picketts men broke through the first
line. Armstead. one of Pickett's generals
leaped over the fence, raised aloft his
sword. upon the point OF which he swunr
his hat and shouted, Give them the cold
steel boys just as he laid his hand on a