The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-14


 , = have handed back to a south erner the Confederate flag that my father captured at GettysDurg, 1 wouIu ! have laughed at the Iuea, for a deep i dyed yanKee to the bone was l, all my affiliations and my interest being cen | tered on that side. But after 1 tough side by side With the boys from Ala 1 bama over there in the tnIckest of the | battles, under the burning shell ana | shrapnel and learned to know and love l tn em, any other feeling than that ot comradeship of unity was abandoned, | swept out, and it has been nay pleas ure to hand to Col William F. Screws, for the l6ith infantry, the flag that nay | father captured fiftyseven years ago." With this fine-spirited sentiment, his heart warming to the utterance or the words and hiS genuine delight gat the l slpendid bond or friendship that ex- among the men of the north, east l south and west, Col. George k. Leach. who was the commanding officer of the 151st field artillery, tlrst Minnesota, Rainbow division during the late world war. opened the very delightful little talk that l had with him yesterday just after he had made thei presenta- | tion of the old Confederate flag in the most impressive manner to AIabamas s own beloved Col. William F. Screws for the 167th infantry.
 The thought came to my mind as l looked at the boyish face and figure of Colonel Leach. who from start to fin isn wore his honors with credit to him self and his regiment during the har- rowing days of trial and tribulation on Flanders field. that while Me records of Americas fighting men-soldiers ana marines-have been told in prose and poetry-how they have won Tor them selves the distinction of leading all the warriors in the world in the comba.s of open warfare during the late war, and all the brave deeds they have done, not nearly enough has been written about the heart of the men, the. senti. ment that lies buried behind the his tory they made-how their eyes were opened their hearts touched, and thelr consciences animated by the terrible scenes of bloodshed and misery in which they took part.
 Here, indeed, is example of the heart of the American soldier: All his old prejudices gone, his memories of the differences between north and south in the bitter days of 1863; his old traditional ideas of enmity between the Yankees and the men from Dixie, van-
 shed. and today the man from Minne- sota, a deep, dyed-in- -the-wool Yankee, comes into our midst with a wonder full 1920 spirit rendering old blood stained Confederate flag, made by gen. tie southern women in the long ago. to Col. William P. Screws for the grand old 167th infantry.
 Nothing could be more touching or more full of heart interest. and when the stories are told in years to come of the first reAnion of the Rainbow divi- sion, there will be no incident more beautiful in the memory of southern people than this gallant young Minne- sota colonel and his gift of the old Confederate flag.
 Colonel Leach declared that there was very little to tell about himself personally-indeed it was rather mean of me to ask for anything further than the beautiful tribute he had paid to Alabama by his presentation of the flag, but knowing that many would be interested to know something of the man who had done such a graceful act 1 Insisted upon some of the details that had filled his life full of interest and activity.
 T had served seventeen years in the l5lst before the late war" Colonel Leach said. Graduating from the Uni versity of Minnesota, I at once became affiliated with military affairs, feeling that IL IS every mans duty to the citi- zenship of his country to be prepared and believing that country's growth ana safety depend upon her prepared ness began to take an active interest. In military affairs aside from my, banking and insurance interests
 My father served in the same regi- ment during the civil war" said Colo mel Leach, that I served in during the recent war. In 1916 I was on the bor- der for nine months and was only out or the service for about thirty days be- fore mobilization was the order of the day, and the record of my regiment is