Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-05-24


untroubled. Lincoln telegeaphed and
telegraphed to his generals to attack
Lee. but they did not dare to do So
Lee carried away 1900 wounded SOL
diers, and every wagon and cannon he
had, and in northern Virginia took post
for another campaign. That does not
look like decisive battle" at Gettys-
burg, for there was none there. Con-
gress has appropriated 100000 for
celebrating at Gettysburg, and millions;
and millions Of dollars OF public money
have been lavished there in roads, and
tablets and monuments. For forty miles
around the country is mapped and
walled and ornamented, and an eastern
railroad company makes big money
carrying people there to be taught that
"the rebellion crumbled at the decisive
battle of Gettysburg"
The time has gone by for lying about
the war: for misrepresenting, exagger-
ating, boasting. The new generation
should be Taught nothing but truth
about it, as nearly as truth can be es.
tablished.
Look at the newspapers every sea-
son western newspapers Included.
They are filed with cheap engravings
anniversaries, and in every instance,
it Is glorification Of eastern battles.
and eastern achievements. All the
great struggles of the west are utterly
ignored. The rising generation are in
danger of beliving that no operations
of any consequence occurred in the
west but that the entire business was
attended to by the paladins and heroes
AHne-c h c
Western children are led to believe
that their sires and other relatives
only looked on while the real fighting
wa- transacted by the army OF the
Potolnac-an army that never got 2oo
miles from it's first camp ground, ana
was nearly always glad to get BACK
there when it did leave. GoldWln
Smith, ar English thinker and brilliant
writer ascribes the downfall OF the
confederacy TO the valor of the yeo-
many Of the northwestern states,
and the soldiers of the south expressed
the same opinion. Lee surrendered less
than $4,000 half starved soldiers at
Appomattox, for he had been hshtlng
Il 900 men. When he surrendered.
Joe Johnston had in North Carolina
q force of from $4,000 to 10000 men
confronting an equal force under Sher-
man. In Shermans army were regi-
ments which had fought their way
from the Ohio river to the Gun OF
Mexico and from the Mississippi river
TO the Atlantic, and they afterwards
marched northward 20 Washington
City. They were the men who won
the decisive" battles, and not the
heroes of Gettysburg"
]. \. Norton patriotic instructor OF
the G.. A. r. for the department OF
Oklahoma, in genera! order declares
that the story of Appomattox can not
be too often told, and winds up mis-
.ong diatri be with a careful injunction
to have this published in your home
paper" Instead of telling western
children about Gettysburg and APP
nomattox tell them truthful stories
about momentous events that occurred
in our own great west, and let eastern
bla therskites attend to their own bum
coube. If the patriotic instructor Will
read ND and inform himself, he VIII
find much TO talk about in the stories
of Belmont, Wilson's Creek. Fort
Henry, Fort Donaldson, Shiloh, luka'
Island No. 10, Corinth. Pea Ridge.
Prairie Grove, Arkansas Post, siege or
vicksburg, siege of Port Hudson. naval
battle Of Memr$ls nava battle OF
New orleans. storming OF Lookout
mountain, s,ormiHg of Missionary
Ridge, theebattles at Perryviile, stone
River and Chickamauga, the Atlanta
campaign, the battles of Franklin ana
Nashville, the march to the sea, the
fighting on Red river in Louisiana, the
capture of Mobile, etc. The whole west
abounds with historic names and his
torc fields. and enough rot" has been
taught to western children about
,, Gettysburg and Appomattox. II you
must harp about the civil war select
western campaigns and western battle
fields, and tell only the truth about
| them Let the "barkerE" OF the far
east sound their megaphones as they
please. Don't adopt or initiate their
stereotyped program. Recognize the
talor, beroism, and martial success
that sprang up in the west and that
really subdued the south and ended
the civil war. Gettysburg and APP
pomattox were merely incidents in a
vast and prolonged struggle There
vas a bloody battle in Oklahoma over
civil war issues. fought by two Indian
tribes. Tell the young people about
that. Meantime Instructor Norton
should Learn to spell Appomattox prop
erly.
outlined this belief in preacilmcnts on
Nar, politics and personal relations.