The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-11
A COMPARATIVE
STUDY IN FAME


OF ls6l-5 iE more Interesting than the
comparative celebrity attained, both
during and since The war by the field
sfti!leFy officers Of the t~o urmes
Every wu- gives rise 10 two great
conflict the hrst between the con-
tendins forcos. tho second between
thc surviving veterans. True, the
former is attended wt,h greater loss
OF no and property, hut &, lacks the
venom ana ramcor winch characterized
IN" latter. II iH time now FOR partisan
cihitn: 10 rest upon evidence and leave
III" verdict to u jury " htcn grows
less p-eiudiccd each day. Here let 4
90 said. ~ ia not the writer's inten-
lion TO nnduly praise or disrrcdIt the
hc!d artillery. 'ith.r Confederate or
Federal but merely to call attention
TO ,Ee g,nerrsIty OF fame IN rnr on.
ease ana WAT may possibly he a
n'hsrcu.sS on her phr, IN the ot.Iers
intt such disparity EXISTS between tho
measure al rciiown attained by the
o'l'E"Ia II the, Two artillery corps is
quite apparent
Every Southern child has heard in
1erri: of uhBtipisd PRAISE. NAV NOR.
IN terms OF morc than sectional mr.. 81
IN words OF tender nifcntior--thc atory
oi PeaFanl the boy colonel of tine
a'Ie.HTried Haskell 81 younE Latirte:
81 GasFie 81 Mcintosh ~ Chew. Of
Jimmie Thomson, III Cutshaw Of
D'arIag. 81 rcagur. % Grimes. or
hF@athed, ef Colonel Tom carter Of
PHrlpeike, devoted friend and kir..
nsn of Lac; of pcndlero,. preacher
ana Warrior OF Long, the blind his.
tor'HH o! his Immortal lead.v! Of
Lindsay walker, ANA OF Alexsuder.
ana iN2S there son OF rhc South-
iahd who has not heard o! Pelham
the gallant" OF sven temper az to
evoke from the liTs OF Ice himself
h!s epithet moro priced than lie a.
.elt TO tho SOLDIER
In th!s list. incomplate as i. !s NO
hnd the namas OF but four omc!aIs
ehoTe Vie grade or colone.-Pendleton
Long. Walker and Alexander. TO
juniors ~ their profession. then, has
fanc accorded IIa~a Ia history Hcn
only By few OF their seniors In other
branches 81 the services InGeed pos
,er!iy docs not measure ny rank nut
" aome !ndehnable test OF Its own
Tho attributes of the man himself
rhoEn or his cherrons, establish his
iaoee In the heart or the future.
While the cherished deeds OF tile
Confederate artillery subaiterns ar.
N noWita comparable, according 10 q
sirict standard OF military accom-
tleh men as LonGstreet, the Hnls
Boauressrd. Eweli, Gordon and many
others Of like mold. yet IN the South
al least. Of the two. the personal
recollection of many Of the jLn,ors
is the moro lastingiy tender and tu
lure interest In them Will be more
general. among lnymen. II not among
military mon and scholars
or Bragg oc Hood, OF Kirby Smith.
OF Price. generals all, the ordinary
Southcrncr knows in general way
out OF young Pelham, Pcgraln. Has
koll and the others of their class h.
knows much OF small import in their
cart6rs-of triflins incidents OF al
most daily occurrence
Undoubtedly there was somethtrp
In the spiritual composition OF these
youthful soldiers. a mix,urc of dash
ana conviction, not akin to nero
praYado. but more of divine fpit,,
Whlch made them unconquera IIv
ing, they possessed that quality cloct-ic
more spiritual than physical which
gave temper TO their steel ana made
'nelr thrusta the koencv, Dead. thcr.
survives In connection with thor.
memory that elusive Influence vbich
lingering, when appealed 10, makes
brave men OF towards
ma so. as with all great men. great
teing purely relative term. tho ,ond
they have done survives the sr-reasc
OF their livee-there is no death for
thcm; thcH nave merely Crossed the
river and are resting beneath IL,
trees with their beloved tutors T.,
arms. Surely jackson must have con.
tenplated In his vision OF eternal rest
Tue companionshlp OF those ~
his pupils who had preceded him.
II Is then. 10 these more or less
Inuehhaole Qualities. VIC must look for
our explanation. for final tri,lmnh ts
no part or their fame. Ranging from
a.ar, tneir opponents eventually
crushed them with the sheer weight
Of metal; poorly equipped. the most
valiant OF the Confederate artlIlcrists
were involved in inevitable defeat In
al right, tho spoils of war belonpod
TO the viotors, hut the phys,cal snoIs
only seem 10 have been secured 10 then,
as individuals.
Fame, unseientinc US she is, nnac-
countable patroness, intanrIb,o hnna
factrcss, has applied her rule n ,ha
fourth dimension OF physical success
In her comparison of victor and yon
quished, for else she had accorded ~.
former the Hons share Of her bounty
And now the point OF Interest 10
ward which have been leading is
this: Who we've the Individual vic.
tors? Are the names of those sturdy,
pefseFeTinS, uoBEcd men, who pulled
the lanyards and swahbed the guns
for four long years. upon our tongues?
who we're they. those Indomftable
heroes whose guns lit tho rocking sky
at Malvern Hill; at Gettysburg made
the earth to reel
Has Grant styled them gallant.
though not more chary of praise than.
Lee? Are not the names of those men,
10 whom defeat was but exhilaration,
all but lost In the obscurity Of the
past? Can It be that the forms of
Cushing. Ricketts, and Griffin alone
loom up against the sky of Northern
valor? Have their deeds inspired a
Cooke. a Gordon 6ioCabo, Mccarthy,
n Stiles. Moore. a Morton or q Neese
tn sing the enhancing song OF their
hGroisms?
The answer. sadly enough, is in tho
negative. and even to the erstwhile