The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-08

JdcksoilNlie, June T.-(Spec1aLD-In
following is the part in substance of
Chaplain Allan's report delivered to the
convention of the Sons Condereate
Veterans at Chattanooga at the last
annual reunion having to do with
the plan On foot to build a monu-
ment to one of Alabama's most distn-
guished sons. Major General John H.
Forney of Jacksonville, Ala.
May 81, 1918.
Commander in Chief and Comrades of
the Convention
MY report as chaplin general and as
a member of the monument committee
of Sons Confederate Veterans involves.
as Its principal theme, the work I have
done in trying to build monument to
one of Alabama's most distinguished
| sons, Major General John H. Forney.
AS commemorating by monuments the
heroic deeds of the confederacy is one
of the chief purposes of the existence Of
| the organization, 1 take it that the time
of this convention cannot be more ap-
proprately spent than in a due con-
| sideration of this case
| I'm order that the convention may
| fully understand the situation, let me
briefly review it. Captain w. T. Rigby
was chosen by the United States gov
ernment as chairman of the Vicksburg
| national park commission. The choice
could not have fallen upon a more gen.
erous. brave and chivalrous gentleman
| and soldier. In selecting heroes whose
monuments should adorn the Vicksburg
| park. he chose Major General John H.
Forney of Alabama. He was the logical
representative of the south for that park
| for the following reasons
! In the first place he was a high grad
| uate of West Point. and one of the best
civil engineers that that institution had
pre- duced.
Though a very young man, he was
professor of mathematics at West Point
| when the Civil war broke out. Though a
soldier of the United States army, and
offered the rank of general In that army,
he, like the immortal Lee, considered
that his first allegiance was due to his
native state. Like Lee, with him, to
recognize duty, was to obey it's call, at
whatever cost. He sacrificed honors,
wealth and what men usually term sue
cess to come south and take low rank,
small and uncertain pay, with probable
defeat and failure in the southern army.
IF there were no other reasons why
Alabama and the south should venerate
and honor this great and good man, this
splendid sacrifice entities him to our love
and gratitude.
But General Forney was in addition a
man of fine native ability and genius.
The rank of major general, acting lieu
tenant general to which he rose, at
tests this.
Major w. w. Draper of the Tenth
Alabama, in an article entitled How
| F'orney Saved the day at Manassas"
says: Early in July we were sent from
our rendezvous at Richmond to Stras-
burg, Va, where we debarked and
| Dowel. In line of battle we received
orders to make forced march across
| the Blue Ridge to join Beauregard at
| Bull Run. We were green, raw troops,
| fat and full, numbering as regiment
about HOO officers and men, Colonel
Eorney, whom we though then heart
| less and cruel commander, would make
| us pull off our shoes and stocks, roll
up our breeches, and wade those cold
mountain streams. We saw the wisdom
of this later. We were then in E. Kirby
| Smiths brigade, with four other regi-
| ments. At nightfall worn and tired, we
| halted in the road AS soon as stopped
| the men dropped down with knapsacks
| under their shoulders and snoozed off.
| 1t was fall in, march 30 or 40 steps, and
the same thing over and over again.
Colonel Forney rode forward to see Gem
| eral Smith to learn the trouble and he
replied: L do not know; please ride for
ward and see.' Upon his return Colonel
Forney said: General, we have come to
l thp Shenandoah river and the is
being put over in a country ferry boat,
about a company at a time. Permit me
to march my regiment down the river
and rest until my time comes to cross.
General Smith granted the request Our
| time had just come to cross.
| lie put spurs to his horse and crossed
the river, the water coming up on his
| saddle skirts. He returned and called:
| Attention, Tenth Alabama. Every man
| of you disrobe tie your clothes on the
| back of your necks, take care of your
guns, march in by fours, and await COM
mand on the other side The rest of the
army followed the example, and by this
means regiments were put across in 80
minutes where it would have taken hours
| to put them over by the ferry boat, and
| by this means they reached the field of
Manassas just as Beauregard was dis
| patching to General Johnson to prepare
| for retreat as the issue was very
| doubtful.
The arrival of these reinforcements
turned the tide of battle in favor of the
confederacy.
But not only In what he did, but in
| the personal injury that he suffered did
General Forney deserve we'll of the south.
He was severely wounded at Darnesville,
| from which he never fully recovered,
which river ceased to give him pain, ana
which shortened his life. Thus did he lay
his career, his wealth, his talent. and
even his life as whole burnt Offer
ing upon the altar of his country's cause.
Nothing shows the estimation in
which he should be held by the south
better than the words of the very able,
generous and broad minded captain.
Rigby, chairman of the Vicksburg ma
tional park commission, in a letter to
Miss Mary Forney. he says: No general
Of the two armies, union and confederate,
that contended on this battlefield is more
deserving of a statue than your father,
and l earnestly hope that your efforts
and the efforts of your friends to that
end may be crowned with success, and
again your distinguished father, Major
General John II. Forney, commanded the
division of the confederate army under
Lieutenant General John c. Pemberton
| that can fairly be said to have borne
| the brunt of the assaults and the siege
operations of the union army. The park
work will be sadly incomplete and un-
| finished until his statue has been placed
therein, at the commanding site, Just In
rear of the center of the line of his di-
vision, that has been reserved for it
| In this connection | desire to call atten.