Evening star., 1917-04-26
VETERAN REPLIES
TOSPEAKERC[A
Benton Chinn Challenges
Statement That There Were
No Conscripts in Lees Army.
QUOTES FROM WAR HISTORY

Every man whom Gen. Lee COM
manded at Gettysburg was a conscript
and l was one of them. = Every man
i with Gen. Lee at the Wilderness and
at Cold Harbor was a conscript. and
| was one of them. Stonewal1 Jackson
| accomplished the valley campaign with
| conscripts. and 1 was with him."
So Benton Chinn. Confederate vet
eran of Alexandria. Va, replied to the
assertion of Speaker Clark of the
House of Representatives in his ad-
dress Tuesday at the time National
| Security League leaders presented a
petition signed by 100000 persons
who support the principle of universal
military training, and Mr.. Clark de-
clared THE War Department is
jumping around here trying to bulldoze
every one into supporting this con-
! scription bill, and they can't do it.
Don't you think Lee had good army
at Gettysburg-and there was not a
lconscript among them"
After 1 saw that statement of Mr..
Clark l could not Sleep said Mr.. Chinn
yesterday at The Star office. and as
soon as l could get started this morn
ling 1 left my home in Virginia and
came down here Immediately 70 40 my
little bit for my country in this her
| hour of need"
"Of Co. H, 9Th Virginia Cavalry"
| At this point Mr. Chinn. raising aloft
large book. which later proved to be
The Lost Cause" by Edward A. Pol
No
! aminer during the civil war. and said
to be .the standard southern history
of the late war" remarked: 4 am
Benton Chinn late of Company III. 9Th
Virginia Cavalry, Paynes Brigade,
Fitz Lees Division of the Army OF
Northern Virginia
Opening the book to page 22o, under
the chapter headed The Conscription
Law" Mr.. Chinn pointed to one state
ment after another of the historian
which told of the work of conscription
for the Confederate armies and the
great need for the system.
"A short time before the expiration
of its official life" runs the first quota
ton .the provisional congress passed
a law, the effect of which was to almost
Fdisband our armies in the field and put
the Confederacy at the mercy of the
enemy. Never was there such silly
and visionary measure of demagogue-
| ism applied to the stern eXigencies and
severe demands of a state of war
The purpose was to persuade the
| twelve-month volunteers to re-enlist,
and to do this congress passed law
granting a furlough of sixty days to
| those who pledged themselves to re-
| enlist for the term of the war. This eX-
| traordinary measure was inspired by
| the military genius of President Davis
and was directly recommended by him.
| Cites Effect of the Measure.
| "It depleted our armies in the face
| of the enemy; it filled our military COM
manders with CONSERVATION; it carried
alarm, confusion and Generalization
everywhere. Our army near the line of
| the Potomac. under the effect Of this
ill-timed and ill-judged law, was melt
| ing like snow. The streets OF Rich
mond were almost daily filed with long
professions of furloughed soldiers, NOV
| ing from the railroad depots on their
| way home. Cen Beauregard had taken
| the alarm before he left the Army of
| the Potomac and had eXhorted the men
| to stand by their colors.
| such was the condition of affairs
when the Congress of 1862 took up the
| thread of Confederate legislation. 1t
| at once broke it and commenced a
series of measures of startling vigor.
| Its most remarkable act was the con-
| scription law of the 10Th of April. 1852,
| from which properly dates the military
| system of the Confederacy. Previous
| to this the Confederacy had had moth
| ing that deserved the title of a military
| system and had relied on mere popular
enthusiasm TO conduct the war.
| When the suggestion was first made
1 in the newspapers of Richmond of the
| harsh and unpopular measure of con-
| scription other journals, notoriously in
| the interest of the administration. de-
| nounced IT on the singular demagogical
plea that it conveyed a rejection upon
| the patriotism of the country. Even in
\ his inaugural address in February
| President Davis had avoided the unpop-
| ularity of a conscription law and had
/ passed over the difficult question with
| a general phrase that troops must be
| enlisted for long terms instead Of short
| ones. for which they had hitherto taken
the field.