The Washington times., 1913-08-16
CHAPTER VII.
The Army of Northern Virginia.

day Philip Grafton had Sdld
sood-by to Ariadne, his wife,
and had gone away to the wars.
In all the hard campaigning Of those
two years he had done his share. he
had marched and fought, he had cd
vsnced and retreated, he had starved
an thlrsted. he had been burned ard
frozen. He had seen victory often and
defeat sometimes Opportunities Tor
brilliant service had come TO him and
he had availed himself of them. In
spite OF this and because there was no
provision for quick promotion from the
ranks for bravery and soldierly ability
in the OntedeTate army-fatal defect
Grafton had not been awarded the COW
eted shoulder straps. although upon
his arms he spOrted the chevrOns Of
sergeant.
He had become, however, one of the
finest soldiers that ever obeyed COM
mand Two years of marching and
fighting. OF drlll and discipline in camp
and on field, and under fire, had forged
that Army Of Northern Virginia into
an eXguisitely tempered, thoroughly
tested weapon of oftense and defense,
fitted to the hand of Lee and used ny
him with the ease and effectiveness of
a skilled swOrdsman welding a ToledO
blade
In that most notable of all the armies
of the world there were literally hun
dreds Of gentlemen like Grafton, of
birth, refinement and education. who
had acquired enough knowledge o. the
art Of war in their two years of serV-
ice, under such masters as Lee, Long
street, Jackson and Stuart, to entitle
them, II capacity counted to any COM
mand, who were yet in the rankS-and
some Of them remained in the ranks un-
I'll the final muster out! Better il is
said, is an army OF stays led by a lion
than an army Of lions led by a stag; but
this was an army of lions led by a lion,
and II is no disparagement to that gal
lent opponent Of equal fame with which
the Army Of Northern Virginia strug-
Gled upon hundred fields and which
finally wore il down. the Army of the
Potomac, to say that probably no finer
army was ever assembled under one
flag, animated by one purpose. amen
able to one man, than that body OF SOL
Giers which was born at Manassas and
died al AppomattOX-thr followers of
Lee.
Yet there was rarely a time in the
four years Of its history when the Army
of Northern Virginia was not hungry:
there was rarely a time when il wls
not in part at least naked. II was gen
orally Unshod ana half-clOthed the half
raiment that IL wore being taken from
the enemy. Its arms were infer or in
quality. its powder was generally bad
its uniforms things 10 be ieerrd at In
but one thing did il equal its bountifuI-
ly provided, thoroughly equipped autag-
Crist. That was its patriot sm. its un-
conquera bic courage. In but one thing
did IL surpass its brave opponent That
was the quality Of its leadership Th8t
as enough, The man % the South WAS
as true a patriot In his own cyes-and
in mine-as the man Of the North With
one his native land for which he fought
vas the state with the other, the
CElted states. That was the only d'!-
ference. II WAS to settle which was
right. practically as we'll theoretical
ly, that the war WAS prosecuted until
II" last bitter end The fact that in the
argument Of force the final dec sion WAS
against the S0utherner ought not can
not. be allowed to impUgn his pa'rio.-
ism,
Another difference between the North
ern and Southern troops was this:
There were few meTcenary soldiers in
Lees army: the ConfedeTates would
have used them gladly, il they had been
available. without doubt. but there was
none To be had. The Army Of Northern
Virginia was a homogeneous force
There We're differences between the
Virginia and Texas divisions as wide
as the leagues which separated the two
great states. but common purpose,
a common hope and a common leader
made them one and the same And
they were all Americans Of purest
strain. When il came to fighting and
dying. the blood of the cavalier was
not poured out more freely than the
blood OF the mOuntaineeT o. the plains
man.
Il does no violence to the weIl-merlted
claims 10 distinction Of other divisions
of that army to say that perhaps the
flower of them all was that nOD-e 5lG3.
the Virginia divis on commanded by
Pickett which WAS a part Of Long
streets first army corps. The fame of
Longstreet'has been somewhat obscured