The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-23

StiuS6ie loE supremacy.
+. A. GULLEDGE.
Verbena, July II. 1913.
The Splendid Record of Alabamians
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
Fifty years is a long, long lapse of
time to trust to memory for facts relat-
ing to say, SEQ or more men in regiment
and the deserton of two sergeants, and
yet this is what Major Crow would have
us accept in his challenge of the record
made, the very day it occurred, and filed
officially in the archives in Washington
1t is true I secured my information from
"the enemy" as he writes it; 1t is also
true that from the same source comes the
most splendid uncolored tributes to the
bravery and splendid generalship of the
confederates. The Rebellion Records" q
dislike the title, but it is officiaD is TO
my mind the most valuable asset the peo-
pie of the United States have today from
the point of authenticity; reliable because
the documents printed therein are TAKEN
not only from the archives al Washing
ton, but also such as were not destroyed
when Richmond was captured by the fed
erals. These records-some of them
were written even while the very artil-
lery was speaking in the thunder tones of
war, Many of them, the night after the
of years has blurred the scroll of MEM
ory where shall we turn for historic
facts? Why, to the record, il preserved,
of the day and the hour,
l appreciate the moving spirit of Major
Grow in his desire to preserve, unsulled,
the record of that courageous regiment
the Ninth Alabama, even in the matter of
the desertion of two sergeants. Does not
Major Grow know that there were thou
sands of men reported at roll calls, either
as dead, wounded or missing? To this
day there are hundreds in this last class.
in both armies. of which there is no
knowledge as to whether they were killed,
captured or deserted.
1 am going to lay a tribute from the
same source as the charge of desertion Of
two sergeants of the Ninth Alabama-at
the feet of the survivors.of that regiment,
but first let me, not as a "vanitarian, .
say, l glory in the record of Alabamians
during the four years struggle. As a
little boy, l saw the walker Boys
drawn up in front of a private home in
Jacksonville, receive flag and bene-
diction ,and march out at sunset to their
first nights bivouae. That is my earliest
recollection of the war.
My father, Courtney J. Clark, was al
ready at the front as surgeon of the Tenth
Alabama, and had his first days bloody
work in the late war on the field of the
First Manassas. He had been surgeon of
the Palmetto Is. c. regiment in Mex
leo. He was the tenf mate of its colonel,
James Martin, at Dranesville, where this
brave Christian soldier lost his life. He
told me Colonel Martin had a strong pre-
sentiment the night before of his ap-
preaching fate.
In the Gettysburg compalgn covering
some six weeks from the time Lee left
Fredericksburg until he recrossed the Po-
tomac July IA, Wilcox brigade, composed
of the Eight, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and
Fourteenth Alabama regiments, made
record that stands the equal of even that
of the fresh troops of Pickett's three
brigades in the celebrated charge This
charge was more spectacular, but not
more daring, than that of the 2nd,
when McLaws and Anderson's divisions,
including Wilcox's brigade, assaulted
Cemetery hill. CSee General Andersons
report r. R. vol q, part 2, p. p. GA; also
w llSOX s report p p. blS, 6l9.)
AT Salem Church May the Ninth Ala
bama, together with the other troops OF
Wiloox's command, held the center
against an assault of federal columns and
artillery. About 30 PAGES back of the
church was the schoolhouse and the line
of the Tenth Alabama, having given way
at the church, an entire company of the
Ninth Alabama was captured in the
schoolhouse. General Wilcox says: '"rhe
n A Alaf ar,,a t,,p af@ tI1
regiment sprang forward as one man, and
with the rapidty of lightning restored the
continuity of our line, breaking the lines
of the enemy by its deadly fire and forced
him to give way, and following him SO
that he could not rally, retook the school,
house, freed the captured company and in
turn took their captors. The entire line
Of the enemy on the right of the road
(Bartlett's brigade) was repulsed, and our
men followed in rapid pursuit. The regi-
ment that had given way to the first
onset Of the enemy now returned to the
attack and Joined in the pursuit. Thus
ended the spirited conflict at Salem
church. The success. SO brilliant for our
men, was dearly earned by the sacrifice
of the lives of 75 of the noble sons OF
Alabama and the wounding of 372.''
This was on Sunday. The day before
General Jackson had received a mortal
wound while returning from reconoitering
at Charlottesville few miles away.
General Lee. IN his report on Chancel-
lorsville Ghis Includes Salem church,,
says, speaking of ''the brave officers and
men who were mentioned for their extra
ordinary daring and merit" and ''among
them will be found some who have passed,
by glorious death, beyond the reach
of praise, but the memory of those whose
virtues and devoted patriotism will ever
be cherished by their grateful country
men,"
K And while we are talking of the brave
living, and the noble dead Alabamians
read this from General Lee: while it is
impossible to mention all who were con-
spicous in the several engagements, 1t will
not DE considered an invidious distinc-
tion to say that General Jackson, after he
was wounded, in expressing the satisfac-
tion he derived from the conduct of his
whole command commended to my par
ticular attention the services of Brigadier
now Major GeneraD Rodes and his gall
liant division" In this division command
Sixth Twelfth and Twenty-sixth Alabama
regiments: also f3 North Carolina and
five Georgia regiments.
General Lee. speaking in words of praise
of General Anderson and his division,
says. and Brigadier General NOW Major
Wilcox is entitled to especial
praise for the judgment and bravery dis
played In impeding the advance of General
Sedgwick toward charlottesville, and for
n.