The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-20

of the civil war appeared recently in a
well known magazine. Their anony-
nous magazine publication stirred up a
controversy in regard to the identity of
the author which has run throughout
the country. The letters were obvious
ly the product of one of the leaders of
the confederacy and their authorship
has been attributed to various well
known officers; but 1t is now revealed
for the first time through their publi-
cation In book form (''The Heart of a
Soldier" Seth Molye, Inc, New York;
that they We're actually written by
Gen. George II. Pickett-he who led the
heroic charge of the confederates at
Gettysburg.
In these letters which he wrote to
the young girl who later became his
Wife, General Pickett tells a story of
the war between the states of the ut
most interest Penned or penciled on
stray scraps of paper. in the pause of
battle, on the march or in the silence
OF the b1vouac, each page of the let
ters throbs with the reality of the ter
rifle confNct OF forces from which they
issued They begin at the very out
break of the war and continue to the
end or describing with wealth of de-
tail the tragic events that were enacted
during those troubled times.
Among the letters are many that
VIII i've as classic. In a
moment of victory Pickett wrote:
II never could quite enjoy being a
'conquering Hero. / can fight for a
cause | know to be just. can risk my
own life and the lives of those in my
Keeping without thought of the con-
sequences; but when we've CONQUERED
when we've downed the enemy and won
the victory, L don't want to hurrah
want to go off all by myself and be
sorry for them-want to lie down In
the grass. away off in the woods some-
where or in some lone valley on the
hillside far from all human sound and
rest my soul and put my heart to sleep
and get back something--I don't know
what-but something had that is gone
from me. something subtle and unex-
plainable. something l never knew l
had till lost II. till 1t was gone
gone-gonew
On another occasion while he awaited
an attack, he penned these. exquisite
lines:
Perhaps, my darling, shall have
met these raiders ere this reaches YOU
Who knows how many OF us may then
hear the roll call from tho othep side
and be sorryl But sorry for whom :?
For comrades who answered to their
names and are reported present or for
those whose spirit voices, Just born
have not yet gained the power to reach
the ear or the orderly and who are
reported dead, even though they, too.
answer HereT For, my darling. there
Is no death, and you must feel-must
know-now and always, that, whether
here or there. at the roll call your
Soldier answers, Here Now, adieu.
my beloved Close your brown ewes
and feel my arms around you, for am
holding you close-oh, so closer
Three days after his immortal charge
at Gettysburg, Pickett wrote:
"On the Fourth / wrote you inst a
lipe of heartbreak. The sacrifice Of
life on that bloodsoaked field on the
fatal third was too awful for the herald
ing of victory, even for our victorious
foe, who. think believe as do. that n
decided the fate of our cause. M
words can picture the anguish of that
roll call-the breathless wait between
the responses The 'Here' of those
who, by Gods mercy, had miracuouslv
escaped the awful rain of shot and shell
was SODA gasp--a knell--for the
unanswered name of his comrade called
just before. There was no tone of
thankfulness for having been spared
to answer TO their names. but rather
a toll. and an unvoiced wish that they
too, had been among the missing. But
for the blight to your young life, but
for you, only you. my darling, your
soldier would rather by far be out