The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-05-16

The saying that at times even the great Jove'
mods is verified in the case of the erudite editor
ial writer of the Minot News, who gravely in
forms US that the phrase "Hold the Fort"
name, had it's origin -.
"More than half a century ago when
General Burnside was besiged at Knoxville
in Tennessee during the Civil War and the
beleaguered defenders were on the point Of
being forced to surrender or perish, the +
wag signal which inspired the hearts of ii
the hard pressed defenders and become the
theme of one of the greatest religious melo- >
dies of the century. The message was from
General Sherman who was driving his ar
my without rest or sleep, to the relief of
the besieged army The message; rushed
far in advance of the troops read:
Hold the Fort for I am Coming"
Major A. w. Edwards, of revered memory,
had a vastly different version Of the affair,
and if it be permitted for those who have
crossed over and are resting under the trees
on the other side" to know what is transpir-
ing on this mundane sphere, the dear old major
must have literally turned over in his grave at
so gross a preversion of an historical event in
which Fate cast him for the stellar part. It
was he, as Gen Corse's chief of signal corps,
who when the command to which he belonged
was ringed about with fire and steel in the mar
row Allatoona Pass, caught the message which
was being photographed from the top of Kene-
saw mountain: "Hold the fort, I'm coming
Sherman" sent back the following reply:
"Will hold the present position until h. freezes
over-Corse." And thus it will be observed that
the song-writers as well as our Minot contem-
porary appear to have been guilty of garbleing
the account of this historic affair.
If it be true that "Whom the gods would des-
troy they first make mad" our old friend, dea-
con Wardwell, of the Pembina Pioneer-Express,
is not long for this world. More than
three uninterrupted decades at the public pa
tronage crib one would naturally suppose would
have a tendency to make one a good loser, but
not so in the deacon's case, as the last issue of
his paper goes to show. "
Admirers of "Walt." Taylor, and their name
is legion, who have been reading his excellent
editorials in the LaMoure Chronicle Of late, and
especially since the polyglot political convention
at Minot, must be forced to the conclusion that
as. between the Nonpartisan nominees and the
soidisant Republican ticket friend Walter
"could be happy with either were the other dear
charmer away"
The Fargo Forum, ar independent
newspaper said to circulate in North Da-
kota, says, editorially, that Steen is the
candidate Of North Dakota citizens who
wish to move the state capitol from st.
Paul to Bismarck.-Crosby Review.
The trouble with the Forum is that the North
Dakota capitol. is no longer to be found at the
Merchants Hotel and Mr.. Steen has merely al
lied himself with the crowd which has. for its
main object the return Of our state seat Of gov
eminent to the third floor. of that famous hos
telry.
After having been astride the fence for lol
these many moons the Minot Independent has
Ano1lu ioivao1 the onfs.HHnxryn1n nn.-s1 .I~-.~ @