The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-30

Il new DOCK comes out, Tedu an Oio
one"
1t may be all right for the man with |
a backward glance, but this is day |
of forward looking men, and I fear
will not be needed even by those with |
a literary bug.
1 am sometimes criticized for talking
SO much about myself, but L am not
trying to write literature, pen history,
found school of philosophy, start
new cult. or inaugurate new economic
movement; but merely to set down
some things l have seen or felt.
If you are not interested in my ex-
periences or vagaries, then skip my
column. for it is a mighty personal
affair. I merely take it for granted
that in my rankings and in my think
ing 1 am about an average man and,
therefore in exploiting myself, 1 am
but giving expression to things which
readers
1 am rather surprised that before
| interest in reading about the Civil war,
save in a most perfunctory way, in
order not to appear too ignorant when
! the question came up in general con-
versation. 1 began to be moro tn
| terested when the north and south
came closer together to free Cuba from
| the calling yoke of Spain
| Now. I find after having been I'M
mersed in the great world war for sew
eral years. reading. writing and speak
| ing about it, that my appetite for the
story of the Confederacy is growing
apace and that I am devouring his
tories, memoirs and letters with the
avidity which is almost gluttonous, for
the more 1 feed upon the "reminiscences
| the more 1 crave
| Fortunately for years I had been
accommodating a library of my own on
the subject with the view of some day
| taking the time to work through 1T
and have it handy for my boys If they
get interested in it. But in addition
to my own books I find that the library
|
in volumes relating to the late I'M
pleasantness. This gives me chance
when I have bit of leisure to dip
into the story of the heroes who wore
the gray.
| I have always been great student
of history but I find that frequently
one can get more from good biogra-
ply, or from series of letters, or
from sketches than can be had out
| of the monumental offerings of the
famed historians. Read the regular
histories for the thread of the story.
but be sure to tighten them up with
strands found in the less pretentious
| studies
| For more than two years book on
the shelf at The Age-Herald has been
staring at me, but somehow I never
even fingered it, The title is, Two
Boys in the Civil War and After" 1
had it confused with similar story
in which DR.. W. B. Crumpton tells of
| the adventures of himself and brother
| in which a tr p to California in the
1
| ences are blended in most readable
| way.
| l picked up the volume to glance
through it, but found it was concern
ing the Houghton brothers, and seeing
the picture of my friend Col. w;
r. Houghton 1 was soon reading his
"reminiscences with eagerness. 1t Is
curious how you run across things un-
expectedly. The first thing to strike
my attention was the statement of
M. B. Houghton, that when the war
broke out he was living at Newton, in
Dale county, and this being down in
the section close to where I was reared
it got my whole attention.
But to my very genuine surprise he
said, John A. Truetlen of Glennville
came to Newton in July, 1861, and en-
rolled some Is volunteers, myself
among the number. | was 16 years
old and fairly well developed for boy
OF that age. We went in wagons
to Eufaula. and thence to Glennville
(ny birthplace), where the company
was recruited to its full strength of
one hundred men and named the Glenn
Vile Guards"
was all attention at this. Mr.
Houghton went on to say that John B.
Truetlen was elected captain, who on
the formation of the Fifteenth Alabama
! regiment at Fort Mitchell, was APP
pointed lieutenant colonel, and will
liam Richardson was elected in his
place. The Glennville Guards was
numbered Company II, by which desig-
nation it was ever afterwards called.
Now all this gripped me, for Colonel
Truetlen, whose widow now lives at
Eufaula, who died some years back
at Washington City, was an uncle OF
mine on my mothers side. 1 knew that
he had been gallant Confederate
soldier. but was unfamiliar with his
having raised a company of his own
until / got the information above.
a delightful book of "reminiscences pub
lished by my esteemed old friend Mai
William c. Jordan of Three Notch
, whose record as a fighting soldier still
lives in Barbour and Bullock. and who
proved to be a veritable tower OF
: strength in the dark Reconstruction