New-York tribune., 1911-10-21

tionally interesting book. Genuinely,
sincerely impartial and fair to both
sides in the struggle whose wounds are
healed. whose acerbities are forgotten
written in the large American spirit
that reached maturity in the days OF the
Spanish War, these pages discuss mat
ters of strategy. more often of tactics
describe Southern leaders and weigh
tfeir abilities and achievements, but are
to bc valued and read. above all else, Tor
thcir pictures OF the daily life of men IN
war Not its pomp aud circumstance
nor its tragedies, but it's little incidents
are put down here in an Informing way
with humor. sympathy and understand
ing 10y one who went through the bruht
of it all first as Morgan's right hand
man and later as commander Of his IA
u,us Raiders. The book is packed WIN
anecdotes that have illustrative point
and purpose. AS a study OF human nat
ura in the field il has value all lts
own.
Born in the Blue Grass region OF Ken
lucky. General Duke is willing to listen
10 argument and permit discussion OF
eye.y other proposition under the sun
except the one that the country or MS
birth is the garden spot OF this planet
Agriculture has robbed il OF some OF the
charm that it's groves gave it fifty years
ago. but in the days of which he writes
IL was in all the loveliness Of its incom-
parable beauty. 1t had then, he con-
fesses. but one fault It was not sufh-
GENTLY watered for the convenience OF
raiding cavalry.
These raiders furnish some of the most
delightful Of the generals "reminiscences
in the early pages of his book;
The attitude which the soldiers of Nor
gan's command and those of some OF tie
kentucky federal CayalTy regiments IeIu
toward each other during the greater part
OF the Civil War of A kind Whcn
would have been termed r, by ma martnets inTe'
ciaiiy the case with regard to the Second
Kentucky Cavalry. G. 5. a, OF which NOT
gan was the first colonel and the Is{
Kentucky Cavalry, L. s. ~, which ColoneI
Frank Wolford so long and CALAMITY com
manded The differences between inc
men Of these two very active bodies OF ilsilI
Byron's Vision of Judgment" were pure
ly political" and did not seem TO a1ece
their personal and social reIauohs my IN w
least These two regiments iouShI
frequently. for as they were engaged IN
the same sort Of work, reconnoltrlnS anu
scouting in front Of their respective armies
they often came i'm collision. Their com
hats were sharp and closely contested DuI
tie prisoners taken on either SIDE We're al
ways treated with the utmost conslGera-
ton. until a strange sort or frlcndshlp
rev IN between them. Between Morgan
and Wolford especially there was warm
and mutual regard.
When Wolford was wounded, which
happened repeatedly, Morgan and his
men we're sincerely sorry; when Morgan
was captured wolford moved heaven
and earth TO have him paroled and eX-
changed.
General Duke studied the privates in
the ranks closely, their spirits, which
underwent a change from oXuberance to
grim perseverance In the course Of the
war. their dispositions. their pastimes
and sports. Horse racing was not Off
ciaUv permitted. because the mounts
must bc kept in perfect condition, but
WAS vinkod at when no immediate SER
vice in the field was expected. Tho dis
tincuishcd foreign volunteers on the
Confederate side arc remembered; tho
author speaks Of alcohol and its use and
abuse .n war as he saw it, of guerillas
and bushwhackers, he discusses dispas-
s'onatcIy the question OF the treatment
az prisoners North and South and he
tells the story Of that strange news
psper. the "Vidette" published wherever
Mo-gan's Raiders happened 10 find L
q &
successive editors had was to procure
ink and paper.
Not the least interesting of the au-
thor's "reminiscences deal with soldiers
superstitions and presentiments. The
presentiments he dismisses at once as
hardly ever coming true which did not
prevent those having them from contin-
uing 10 place their faith in them from
battle 10 battle. The superstitions were
not concerned with apparitions and the
Ike. hut were mostly q matter Of signs
Of good luck and I'll omen. Some be
lcved IN lucky" and "unlucky" days,
others I'm the magic quality of some aru-
clo OF apparel or some object worn about
the person. Strangest Of all, perhaps,
was the prevalent belief i'll the death
look" an unmistakablc indication in
mans face that he was about to die:
myself know OF three or four instances
in fact I witnessed them-in which the
death IN battle Of certain men was pre-
dicted because they had this look and thcy
we're killed very soon afterward. I will not
admit that | became convert 10 TINS
superstition Vet I should not like
10 see tho death look" again. 1t was I'm
no sense a CHASTITY look nor one Of fright.
II was not caused by apprehension ol
danger IL was not an unpleasant OK
preston but one Of bewildermept rather.
as # the mans thoughts were ntent on
something else than that which was taking
place about him.
General Dukes men only once refused
go obey orders. in the case OF the fog
ging Of deserter who had terrorized
tho women and children left unprotected
on the farms while their husbands and
sons we're at the front. A deputation
Of ten men, one from each company,
waited upon their commander and de-
clared that they would cheerfuly shoot
the fellow, but that none Of them was
willing to carry out the sentence because
they considered that such an act would
he degrading 10 themselves
The war lyrics Of the Confederacy are
not forgotten. Defiant at first, voicins
a sanguine expectation Of victory, they
gradually grew sadder and more serious
In tone There was less Of flourish in