The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-01-21

DOMINION WIN one VOICE IuIHcu w Hill
as commander of her army. Then:
'Forth from it's scabbard, pure and
bright,
Flashed the sword of Lee!
Far in front of the deadly fight,
High DER the brave in the cause of
Right,
Its stainless sheen, like beacon light
Led on to victory.
"Out of it's scabbard! Never hand
Waved sword from staiN Ss free,
Nor purer sword led braver Sand,
Nor braver bled for brighter land,
Nor brighter land had cause SC
grand,
Nor cause chief like Lee!"
The story of his military career is
practically the story of the Army OF
Northern Virginia, and it reads more
like romance than history. Through
four years of the bloodiest war known
to history at that time that army
composed of the flower of Southern
manhood, under it's matchless leader
made record of victories never sur
passed in the annals of warfare, rec
ord which we of the South and oul
children's children to the remotest
ages should claim as our proudest
heritage.
He assumed command of this army
in June, 1862, when Mcclellan was i'm,
mediately in front of Richmond. On
June 26, with an army inferior in
numbers and equipment, he attacked
the forces of Mcclellan in their in
trenchments and for seven days the
bloody conflict ragged, until Mcclellan
took refuge under the protection of his
gunboats at Harrison's Landing. This
army defeated, Lee turned upon sec
ond larger than his own, marching
upon Richmond from another direc'
ton.
By one of the most brilliant ant
daring movements in the history Of
wars, Lee, with his able Lieutenant
Jackson, routed Pope's army at Grove
ton and Second Manassas and drove
him for safety under the protection
of the Notifications at Washington
Mcclellan had been removed for hi
defeat and Pope followed in his train
Disregarding both these defeated ar
mics, Lee moved rapidly into Mary
, land. captured Harper's Ferry and it
,, large garrison on the way and tough
at Antietam on September II, 1862
the bloodiest battle of the Civil War
!, Mcclellan, who after Pope's defea
! had been reinstated in command, wa
again removed for failing to infict
crushing defeat upon Lee, and Burn
= side was made Commanders Chic
{ of the Army of the Potomac. Thi
: same army of Lee signally defeate
! ! the army of Burnside at Fredericks
u burg. Burnside was removed an
: General Hooker placed in command
u In May, 1868, Hooker marched o
y Richmond, having issued genera
: order in which he said that the Cor
= federate army must "either inglori
,, ously fly or come out from behind it
l intrenchments, where certain destruC
ton awaited it." A few days afte
!. Il this announcement was made, Hook
er's army was surprised and attacke
: by Lee and Jackson simultaneous
in front and rear at Chancellorsvill
and overwhelmed, fleeing in the great
est disorder from the field. Lee
invaded Pennsylvania, where at Get
, tysburg after three days of blood
conflict, unable to carry the Feders
position, he remained twenty-fou
hours in line of battle with his arm
in their immediate front inviting at
tack and then withdrew without in
terruption to Virginia.
1t was in 1864, in the campaig
from the Wilderness to PETERSBURG
that the star of Lee reached its re
NTH. Under his leadership the Ar
my of Northern Virginia up to thi
, time in offensive warfare had held ev
cry battlefield upon which it ha
fought with the exception of Gettys
burg and Sharpsburg or Antietam
r and upon these fields, although it fail
, ed to beat the army pitted against ii
. it stood in battle array on each occa
sion for twenty-four hours, was
! attacked and marched away unmolest
ed.
> He was now to show that in defen
sive fighting he was a greater maste
of the art of war than in his offensiv
e operations. Grant, with the larges
; army ever marshalled upon this con
, tinent under single commander, witt
q unlimited resources of men and mon
ey, with the world to draw upon fo
: all that was most useful in destruc
tive warfare, advanced upon this ar
5 my of Lee wanting in everything
valor, and so decimated that as Gran
! expressed it chad robbed the cradl
r and the grave" to fill the gaps be
tween the veterans that still survived
: There followed from May 5, 1864, il
q q the Wilderness, at Spottsylvani;
e Court House, at Cold Harbor and tn
y North Anna a series of conflicts s,
:, frightful in their havoc that the his
e tory of this campaign might we'll b.
written in blood.
:, The most recent, and in my opin
> ion the most reliable history of tn
:, United States, written by James =
|, Rhodes of Boston, conscientious stu
l. dent, capable analyst and just re
corder. says: Grants loss from Ma,
5, 4 to June II in the campaign from
=, the Rapidan to the James was 54.GH9
t a number nearly eual to Lees who'll