Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-20
SEWERS HIS ALLEGIANCE
TO HIS NATIVE STATE
Henry Bedinger Baylor Offers to
Serve France as Civil
Engineer.
WAS IN CONFEDERATE ARMY
Former Virginian, Now Resident Of
Georgia, Writes Long Letter to
Governor Stunrt-Calls Georuiu
the "Effigy State Of Union"

henry Bedinger Baylor of Atlanta
Ca native of Virginia. Confedcr,t n
cavairylnan under Gen. j. e. b. Stuart
ana graduate of Virginia Military In
ati'u'e, mas written II letter to Gov
ernor Stuart i'll which he tenders Tho
severance of his allegiance to my mo-
tive State until the time Gf Heaven
spares me) l may return to my ~, :
tive SOIL ' ''"
VT, baylor, who was born at
0n'r'eStown' Jefferson County ,now
west NirSinia), informs the C;overnor
that he has rendered his service. - :
cifil engineer in the French army I'm
PRESIDENT Poincarc OF France and
mat ne has received n letter from, Tho
frcnch executive in which he is adj
T,s"o 10 place himself subject to call.
ne says he appeared before Dr !, !.
May Il representative of the French
government in Atlanta. and was 49,
ceptcd Tor service in due form Tho
,i-colors OF France were pinned on
me Iapei OF his coat, and he was
baptized as II "Frenchman."
ne ietter is In many respects one
oi me most remarkable communicu-
IONS ever received at the Governors
once. The writer recitcs that ~,
iouSht against the United States from
1868 to 1865 and had never rcpentcd
OF MS acts in that connection. lie ala
not consider the War Between the
"e".eS loily IN any respect, and in view
Oh the fact that he never surrendered
when the Confedcracy went out of cx
lstchce. he does not feel that he owes
arrogance to the United states gov
crnment. lie did not take the oath of
aiicSlance after the surrender of Cen
i,opert l.. Lee, but as Il States rights
man Mr.. Baylor writes that n. falt
that he owed it to the chief executive
OF MS native Commonwealth TO inform
MN OF his Intentions to fight in behalf
of an alien nation.
TENDERS HIS SERVICES
TO FRENCH PRESIDENT
On october 10, 1914. he says, he
wrote to President Poincarc and Of
lcred his services to France for tho
loilowtng reasons: % To repay
france Tor the services of I.afayotte
70 his country. CD his admiration OF
Napoleon, and 80 his love of France
as nation. He received Il reply from
me riehch president a few weeks ago.
although the lattcrs letter was dated
November IL. Last Wednesday he Wis
ltcd the representative of Franco in
Atlanta and, having arranged the pre
liminary formalities, he now "awaits
orders" from Paris.
MT. Baylor states that he is to re-
celVe no compensation from Franco
except food and clothing If no T..
Killed rs the result of Il German
torpedo sinking the ship on which he
proposes to cross the ocean. ten Cor
mans are to die in retaliation. and .Ir
my old Virginia blood is poured out
on the soil Of France. my BODY is to
be sent back to America and deposited
among my relatives in Virginia" He
Will go into the French service he
adds, rs civil engineer of forty years
experience.
The Virginian presents his comp,i-
ments TO the Governor and recalls his
pleasure at having had the opportunity
during the Confederate reunion il,
Richmond last month of meeting tn.
nephew of his cavalry commander
during the War Between tho States
touching on the Frank case, as n re-
suit of which Governor Slaton OF
Georgia. was burned in cnigy, he cx
presses the hope that neither you nor
any of your successors CAS- none Of
your predecessors have beenO NAV he
burned in enigy, as often happens in
G"orgia--"the eiiGy state of the
Union"
Nj. Baylor says he was born at
Charlestown on January I. 1851, ana
at the age of twelve enlisted in Com
pany b. Twelfth Virginia Cavalry, of
Stuart's Division. serving the two re-
naming years of the war He grad
uated in civil engineering at Virginia
Military Institute In 1871.