The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-12-02
THE SPIRIT OF THE ORPHAN
BRIGADE

OF Kentucky, in the Senate of the
United States, Saturday, November
5, 1929
Mr.. Stanley. Mr.. President, will
the Senator from Georgia yield? ;.
Mr.. Watson, of Georgia. With
pleasure.
Mr.. Stanley Aside from the mer-
its of this controversy, wish to call
to the attention of the Senator from
Georgia another phase of the sub
! ject he is now discussing. What
the Senator from Georgia is pleased
! to call the Prussianizing of the
army is, after all, but an incident
in the Prussianizing Of America.
The trouble is that in the army and
out, in Congress and out, in the
Senate and out, in the field and in
the factory, in civil and military
life, we are drifting perilously, pa
thetically away from the most preci-
Gus heritage Of the Saxon race-the
independence, the dignity, yea, and
the sancity of a mere man for that.
Those in power, clothed with some
petty authority, forget that without
authority, without shoulder straps in
war, without a police baton or star
in peace, man is the nOblest work of
God, not a little lower but much
higher than the angels in Heaven.
That spirit permeated our civil life
and military life for 1000 years.
That spirit permeated every army
that was ever raised in England or
Ireland or Scotland or Wales, from
the Battle of Hastings to the Battle
of Waterloo and beyond. That spirit
has permeated the armies of the
| South to even a greater extent than
the armies of the North, and in this
connection wish to give the Senator
a simple illustration, which might
go as a companion piece to what he
has said,
The great John c. Breckenridge, of
Kentucky, expelled by the Senate for
his loyalty to the South, was AdOnis
in love, Mars in war, and Ulysses in
counsel; framed in the rich prOdigal
ity of nature
Mr.. Watson, of Georgia. And the
hansomest man who ever rode
horse.
Mr. Stanley. The handsomest
man Of his day; as brave as Julius
Caesar and as tender as woman.
He commanded the Orphan brig
ade, Mr.. President, 1000 men whom
no man ever lived to lead into Sec
ond field Of carnage or of glory. They
left all their leaders dead on the
field of fame. They closed all the
gaps of the Army of Tennessee.
My father went out with a hum
dred and more of them and came
back with less than a dozen, and all
but two shot all to pieces. No more
martial men ever careered over a
field of fame; not they of the Light
Brigade at Balaklava; not the Old
Guard in the blOOd-stained pass of
Chain; never since men armed them
selves to settle upon the reeking,
Keeling field of carnage and con-
quest, the mastery of nations; never
since they fought with wooden clubs
until the day of poison gas had any
man ever led gamer men than they
to glory or to death.
On one occasion, captain in the
Orphan" brigade commanded a pri-
vate to sweep about his tent, and the
private told him, if such language is
permissible in this distinguished
body, to go to hell; where he. should
have sent him for such a command.
The captain sent the man to the
guardhouse, and somebody reported
the incident to Breckenridge. And
then the great rebel chieftain got on
his horse and rode down to that cap
tain's tent, whipping his horse with
his SLOUGH hat, and said, "Sir, I un-
iderstand you have ordered a private
to sweep about your tent, and he has
refused, and you sent him to the
guardhouse." The captain answered,
Il did, sir" and Gen. Breckenridge
replied, Il want you to understand
that when private refuses to volun-
tarily sweep out my tent I will do it
myself. They are not menials in the
Orphan brigade. They are all gen.
tlemen, and you have no right to
command one of them to do mental
service. Now you go to the guard
house and apologize to the soldier
you have insulted and sweep about
your own tent, or you will take his
place.
That was the spirit that makes
levery survivor of the Lost Cause
ready to-day to fight for the honor
OF his superior officer, and maker him
regard the membory of the dead Lee,
jackson. johnson and ~Breck IN ridge