The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-11

hearts are in any way cured of the
 evils of militarism."
 "Is the Kaiser still popular?" When
 I asked this question before answering
 it he turned to sergeant at the table
 with us and said: T want you either
 to confirm or controvert what l am
 about to say" and when he nodded as-
 sent, proceeded to make the following
 luminous statement: Tt is my careful
 but candid belief from what I learned
 and saw while in Germany that if the
 people had the right without pressure
 to vote their sentiments William II could be overwhelmingly elected Presi- dent of German republic, or ever Kaiser of German empire, for his picture hangs reverently in many of the homessas does that of Hindenburg. Von Ludendorf has been made the scape goat,
 "It is true that I hope to be able to write history of the regiment and if I do so I expect to devote at least a chapter to the wonderful story of the Fourth Alabama infantry organized during the early part of 1861, mobiliz- ing for service at Dalton, Ga, where it remained for about six weeks. the time being spent in trainirig--for the long and trying period awaiting it in Virginia. It was at Bull Run it got its famous name The Fighting Fourth Alabama but I'll not attempt to give it here.
 T will be sure to devote another chapter to the Sixty fifth New York, for it's history is nightly mixed up with that of the Fighting Fourth Alabama and how in the whidlagig of time it came to be that they fought side by side will make one of the most mar vellous yet thrilling tales in the annals of America for both regiments made .--- II L. C.. .Ax~.r >lxrN. that will never die.
 "In only one instance has history failed to repeat itself. The old
 Fourth fought under the stars and l bars of a lost cause; the present old Fourth has followed the stars and stripes on every important battle front in France, carrying that starry em- blem of liberty to the environs of Se- | dan, and later marched with it in tri- | umph to the Rhine, having won the great honor of being designated as part 1 of the first army of occupation of ere- my territory.
 i History has repeated itself. The men 1 from Alabama proved just IS brave in | the great war in Europe as their fath- CTS proved themselves on every battle | field of the Civil war. Surely Alabama has a right to be proud of her famous old Civil war regiment, the same old ] name Fighting Fourth Alabama that l left Camp Sheridan in the summer of | 1917 as part of the Rainbow division, , one among the first to embark Tor ser 1 vice in France, and by living up to the traditions of the old regiments name, 1 they have, by deeds of unsurpassed bravery on every front in France, sus- 1 tained the reputation of the Fighting Fourth Alabama infantry, commanded I by an albanian Col. William P. Screws, a man who had family con nections in the Fighting Fourth Prior to the Mexican border trouble | it was again reorganized many com panies coming from the same sections of the state that furnished the men | and officers of the original fourth. Many officers and men of the present 167th (Fourth Alabama) United States l infantry are sons and grandsons of the ! men who followed the flag of the Old i Fighting Fouth' from Manassas to Ap- I pomattox
 The Fourth Alabama received over 12.0o0 replacements during the four years of the Civil war, and during that entire period not one officer or en- l listed man ever deserted the colors or | was court-martialed for cowardice. It was originally composed of companies | from central and north Alabama. with two companes from southeast Alabama. For many years after the surrender at Appomattox the regiment remained only a memory of glorious deeds. X EXPLOITS OF REGIMENT "Whenever I am asked to give briefly the remarkable work of the Fighting
 Fourth said Lieutenant Smith, between
 mouthfuls, q boil them down to the fol-
 lowing seven points:
 '1. The regiment was in the trenches longer by two days than any other Amer l ican regiment.
 %. They took the first German prison CTS captured by American forces. s. They were the victors of the only 1 organized bayonet fight which took place l in the whole war between Americans and | Germans.
 A. These boys made the farthest ad' | vance into Germany before the armistice. ] a. Only regiment in the Forty-Seconc !. division to have two medals of honor.
 "6 Only infantry regiment from tht
 l south which fought all through the war.
 "7 Only southern regiment which fol
 lowed the Germans to the Rhine and be
 came part of the first army of occupa
 tion."
 How about decorations. aid your regi
 ment receive any" mildly aueried fl
 order to arouse him.. for I had abou
 talked him to standstill. He failed to SCI
 that was stringing him. for he vas to'
 mucf- -engrossed h aating and ccnversine