The Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, August 12, 1897, Image 6

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Two Remarkable Rebel Letters
Two letters have been published re
cently which supass in a peculiar
kind of interest any other page in the
history of the rebellion - The au
thenticity of the letters is beyond
doubt They constitute a part of the
rebel documents captured at Rich
mi nd at the various State capitals and
at the headquarters of the various rebel
armies at the close of the war
All of these documents of every
class have been collected arranged
tiled and prepared for publication A
vast number of volumes have been pub
lished by order of Congress Union
documents constitute a part of the
great war library consisting of these
publications All are genuine No
part of the volumes contain that kind
of Avar history which is made up of
cloudy reminiscences or tales of im
aginary events
The first of these remarkable letters
was written by General Beauregard to
Miss Augusta J Evans of Mobile im
mediately after the battle of Bull Run
and gives an account of some of the
events of the day It discloses the fact
that female spies at Washington car
ried to rebel headquarters at Manassas
accounts of the strength of the
Union army organized to advance in
Virginia in the on to Richmand
movement
General Beauregard tells Miss Evans
that a Miss Duval of Washington
brought to Fairfax Court House a mes
sage from a Mrs Greenhow also of
Washington describing the intended
positive advance of the enemy across
the Potomac
In a later part of the letter General
Beauregard says On the night of the
TGth of July I received by special mes
senger a Mr Doimellau the second
dispatch in cipher also of Mrs G
telling me that the enemy 555000
strong I believe would positively
commence that day his advance from
Arlington Heights and Alexandria on
to Manassas via Fairfax Court House
and Centerville
This information he telegraphed to
President Davis who ordered General
Johnston then in West Virginia to
move with his entire force to Man
assas These re enforcements arrived
ill time to aid Beauregard in the defeat
and rout of the Union army
The other remarkable letter was
written by General Robert E Lee to
President Davis Aug S 1SG3 after he
bad returned to Virginia from his de
feat at Gettysburg He tendered his
resignation as commanding general of
the Confederate army and asked that
it be accepted Among his reasons for
asking President Davis to select an
other commander for the army are the
following
I have seen and heard of expres
sions of discontent in the public jour
nals at the result of the expedition I
do not know how far this feeling ex
lens in the army My brother officers
liave been too kind to report it and so
far the troops have been too generous
to exhibit it It is fair however to
suppose that it does exist and success
is so necessary to us that nothing
should be risked to secure it I there
fore in all sincerity request your ex
cellency to take measures to supply
my place I do this with the more
earnestness because no one is more
aware than myself of my inability for
the duties of my position I cannot
even accomplish what I myself desire
How can I fulfill the expectations of
others In addition I sensibly feel the
growing failure of my bodily strength
I have not yet recovered from the at
tack I experienced the past spring I
am becoming more and more incapable
of exertion and am thus prevented
from making the personal examina
tions and given the personal super
vision to the operations in the lield
-which I feel to be necessary 1 am so
dull that in making use of the eyes of
others I am frequently misled
He expressed his belief that a
younger and abler man could readily
be obtained The whole letter is
pathetic in the highest degree In urg
ing the acceptance of his resignation
lie said It would be the happiest
day of my life to see at its head a
worthy leader one that would accom
plish more than I could perform and all
that I have wished
President Davis refused to accept
the resignation and General Lee re
mained in command until his final de
feat at Appomattox It is singular that
these two remarkable letters should be
published for the first time simultane
ously so long after they were written
one telling how the first great Federal
defeat was caused in part by the ser
vices which female spies rendered to
-the rebel commander the other a con
fession of weakness and despair by the
greatest Confederate soldier of the
war
Lograns Matchless Courage
After the death of McPherson at the
battle of Peach Tree Creek in the At
lanta campaign the command of the
Fifteenth Army Corps fell to Logan It
was a moment -when hesitation might
turn victory into defeat and undo the
work of months accomplished at enor
mous expenditure of life and money
The Northern troops had been fighting
-with great bravery but their leader
was dead and as the fact became
Iknown there was evidence of that un-
definable something which to the skill
ed military man presages an unfavor
able turn in affairs There was no
open wavering no apparent let up in
the storm of battle but just that pecu
liar condition which frequently pre
cedes a sudden and unaccountable
stampede to the rear Taking in the
situation like a flash Gon Logan grab
bed a flag and rode out to the very
forefront of the light Dashing down
the line witJi bullets falling fast on all
sides of him he jelled in his powerful
voice
Give it to them boys Give it to
them Weve got them licked
His example was contagious The
sight of their new commander braving
the dangers of battle in the thickest of
the fight inspired the troops with fresh
courage and they pushed the struggle
with a fury of determination which
brought decisive victory One of the
men who participated in that battle
was Levi P Holden now a banker in
Hampton Iowa who was then major
in the Eighty eighth Illinois Volun
teers In describing the scene Mai
Holden says
Gen Logan was inspired with the
force and bravery of a military giant
on that day Nothing could have with
stood the intensity of his leadership
McPherson had been killed by Confed
erate sharpshooters and the front rank
of battle was more than ordinarily dan
gerous Hidden in trees the sharp 1
shooters were rapidly shooting down
every man of mark who showed him
self in front Ignoring the request of
his aids to keep in the background so
he might be spared to direct their move
ments Logan dashed to the front and
remained there until the fight was
over It was a most remarkable exhi
bition of personal courage and had a
wonderful effect in reviving the spirits
of the troops How he escaped alive I
cannot understand He certainly must
have had a charm on his life that day
for the sharpshooters were continually
blazing away at him They had no
trouble in hitting other officers and
men fell dead on all sides of hiin but
Logan got through without serious
hurt Confederates in talking about
the matter afterward said the dashing
bravery of Logan amazed and unnerv
ed them
Gen Logan himself never attached
much importance to the event and
whenever it was brought up in his
presence invariably passed it over
lightly by saying How do you ex
pect troops to fight well in a hard place
if their commander shirks danger him
self
Locana Patriotism
John A Logans first military ser
vice in the war of 1SG1 05 was per
formed at the battle of Bull Run in
which he participated as a private sol
dier He was in Washington at the
time the Southern troops began to con
centrate at Manassas Junction and
seizing a gun he hastened to the front
against the protests of his political as
sociates Up to that time Logan had
been a Douglas Democrat being elect
ed to Congress from Illinois in lSoU as
a representative of that party He was
advised to keep aloof from actual con
flict but the martial spirit was strong
within him and he decided to take up
arms for the Union Having served
with distinction in the Mexican war he
was told by prominent Democrats that
if he must fight he ought to have a
commission as a Colonel at least
Pride if nothing else ought to keep
you out of this thing Logan was the
way in which his associates argued
A man of your experience ought to be
recognized by the government and so
long as the authorities dont see fit to
give you a command youre foolish to
take up arms for it
Pride be d d was the hot rejoin
der This is no time to talk or quib
ble about rank There will be fighting
enough pretty soon to keep all hands
busy and if Im not badly mistaken
there will be vacancies enough for all
the officers that can be found Ill take
my chances with a gun until then
So Logan went to the front and
fought at the battle of Bull Run He
left Washington in a hurry without
uniform and wearing an ancient and
battered hat of the stovepipe pattern
in which he faced the rebels and did
his fighting After the battle he came
back to Illinois and raised the Thirty
first Volunteer Infantry Regiment
After that his rise was rapid and the
close of hostilities found him wearing
the insignia of a Major General and
with a record forbravery and military
dash unexcelled on either side One
day in talking over his war experiences
with a knot of Conferedato veterans
one of them asked him the following
question
General Logan what moment in
your experience as a soldier do you
consider the most vital- and import
ant
When I stood in the Union ranks
for the first time at Bull Run and
manipulated an old fashioned percussion-cap
muzzle loading musket was
the reply I have had numerous live
ly adventures since then but that mo
ment was the turning point in my
career If I had hesitated then but
pshaw whats the use of saying that
I couldnt have hesitated if I wanted
to I was simply forced into the war
by my conscience
Survivors of Bull Run say the sight
of Logan in his battered stovepipe hat
and black frock coat taking part in the
battle was ludicrous enough to over
come the gravity of the situation and
some of the Union soldiers forgot to
fight in their amazement
An Arctic expedition led by H J
Pearson and two other English gentle
men has started for the Barents sea
It will explore Novaya Zemble and the
island of Waigats as well as the great
Tendra of the Samoyeds from the Ural
mountains to the Petchora river
Every man is the architect of his own
fortune
iLaMMHrffriauwatf jwgy
GOWNS AND GOWNING
WOMEN GIVE MUCH ATTENTION
TO WHAT THEY WEAR
Brief Glances at Fancies Feminine
Frivolous Mayhap and Yet Offered
in the Hope that the Beading Pro C
Restful to Wearied Womankind
Gossip from Gay Gotham
New York correspondence
ETTING toward
the styles of au
tumn are the cur
rent fashions in
dress though as
yet there are no in
dications of radical
departures If there
were a plenty of
outright and radi
cal changes the
present array of
fashionably dress
ed women would
not be as handsome
as it is because ad
vanced notions al
ways jar the ob
servers feelings though those same
notions may come in time to be gener
ally adopted One striking feature of
the fall fashions is to be if only wom
en will take the designers dangling
bait a rush into big plaids in woolens
Just now these fishers for favor are
not claiming that the plaids colors will
be brilliant but they insist that the
squares must be big If women accept
so much there is little reason to doubt
that before one knows it the hues will
become garish Then for a while
well wish we could wear smoked
glasses and if we dislike the display of
horse blanket stuffs enough to ignore
their promoters claims theyll not be
come stylish if they gradually win
favor then well soon come to view
was white embroidered chiffon The
bodice had a fitted lining and a square
slashed yoke of the taffetas edged with
green embroidery To this yoke the
embroidered chiffon was gathered and
fell loose to the waist The sleeves
were also of taffetas with a ruffle of
embroidered chiffon around the arm
holes
New weaves of taffeta are appearing
and this silk promises to soon have
other uses than as linings and trim
ming One new sort that is woven close
with metallic threads is really regal
and is one of the few dressy materials
that lend themselves to the needs of
elderly women Draped with lace or
net the metallic gleam flashing
through the result is at once artistic
dressy and dignified It is not at all
the sort of tiling that buds should wear
but neither is duchesse lace Only the
delicate web laces are suitable to young
folk valenciennes above all Older folk
may wear any lace that is beautiful
but all the heavier types belong espe
cially to the dignity and beauty of
years But for the young folk there
are beautiful new taffetas rich of
weave and well recommended as to
durability One of these in pale rose
pink made a beautiful gown of num
ber 1 in this group In the skirt the
silk was tucked lengthwise several
times in the center of the front and
also in groups around the bottom that
separated frills of narrow black Chan
tilly lace The blouse waist was
trimmedwith a band composed of black
lace bordered with tucks and narrow
lace frilling and on either side of this
the material was tucked crosswise
with bands of black lace insertion be
tween The belt of black satin had
long sash ends
Such gowns as the one numbered
four hero are the sort that assert the
complete stylishness of cashmere for
if such pretty dresses as this are made
of it who can say it nay Narrow bias
folds of white silk trimmed it in the
skirt and the bodices white silk lining
yon but because it has not been adapt
ed artistically to your need
Half sleeves below loose puffs are be
ing worn again in our grandmothers
style The half sleeves are delicate
muslin which is if you are lucky
heavy with hand needle work Dainty
round collars of needlework such as
we see in the pictures of our great
aunts are worn with these sleeves
only they are now set on a high collar
Is it that we have not the throats our
great aunts had Have long years of
gripping high collars really spoiled the
lines of the throat when it Is cut off
sharp by a mere neck band However
that is even the girl who looks stun
ning in low dresses can hardly wear a
round collar without the relief of nek
swathing above The collar above
should be made of a bit of muslin yel
lowed as the collar is with a bit of
needlework from some old piece
apliqued on Every tiny scrap of hand
needlework is precious these days even
if the muslin on which it is wrought is
falling to pieces with age Cut out the-
beautiful embroidery close to the edges
and buttonhole it to a new piece of net
or muslin It is well worth the pains
The dressy wrap just now is of lace
or net cut work and embroidery We
are beginning to admit a prejudice
against appearing out of the house
without some effect of a wrap to drape
the outlines of the figure even though
that wrap does not add a bit to the
warmth of the costume For this nom
inal protection the gauzy wrap is of
course perfect A pretty type of it is
shown here by the artist It was made
of black mousseline de soie and white
embroidered mousseline consisting of
two short capes the lower black the
upper white Commencing at the
lar in front two long tabs of pale gray
silk reached below the waist and were
garnished with jet beads and lace
applique The collar employed both ma
terials and the embroidered mousse
line formed a cascade jabot in front
Some of these dainty garments are no
Z aV
them with the naked eye and vote
them tasteful
Besides the evidence of hesitancy on
the part of the weavers that declares
at first for subdued shades there is an
other sign of their uncertainty though
it may be fairer to characterize it as
shrewd scheming That is that the
first gowns offered in these stuffs are
for indoor wear Later will come the
outdoor rigs and the forty horse power
colors One of the lures set by These
manufacturers is shown in to days
smallest picture The stuff had a soft
brown ground crossed by fine lines of
green and red the skirt was a modified
godet and the bodice alike in back and
front was arranged in deep tucks be
low the yoke which was green silk
covered with cream passementerie The
stock collar matched the yoke and was
trimmed in back with green silk wired
points the whole edged with a narrow
puffing of white chiffon The rather
full sleeve puffs were tacked down as
shown white chiffon ruffles finished
the wrists and green velvet furnished
the belt Thus made the goods was
certainly attractive so it may be said
to have scored its first point
Women who would leave to others
more daring than themselves the test
ing of new fancies and who do not in
sist that the end of every season shall
provide them with a new set of dress
rules will have a chance to choose
from many materials and methods of
making that hold over to autumn
Cashmere promises to be stylish and
very pretty new dresses are made from
it Gown number 5 in to days large
picture was of white cashmere em
broidery in porcelain blue silks orna
menting its skirt as indicated In the
bodice the goods was tucked yoke
Vest and revers being white silk em
broidered with roses and
The belt and the two tiny ro
settes in front were mauve velvet
Even closer to the summer styles was
the brown dress immediately above
this in the picture and like the other
it was a very dressy model It was
white mull lined with red silk and
made with a wide fluffy skirt gath
ered at the waist The bodice had a
plain vest finished with cascade frills
of the mull and a novel yoke divided by
the vest but square in back and
trimmed with bands of scarlet satin
ribbon Below the yoke the mull was
tucked and the slashed basque was
also trimmed with ribbon
For the remaining house dress of this
group number 2 lettuce green taffeta
was used as skirt lining and oveff this
-a
J
FROM THIE END OF SUMMER
WRAPPED FOR IOOKS XOT FOR WARMTH
the skirt at the hips and the folded belt
was of black chiffon with long ends in
back
From these pictures it is apparent
that we are not tiring of blouse bodices
So cleverly are these now made that
they suit every sort of figure There
are bodices bloused in front bodices
tight in front and bloused in the back
bodices bloused both front and back
and tight at the sides and bodices
bloused all around These last are
made most cleverly in imported gowns
the blouse portion standing smartly out
from a well defined waist round When
the blouse is only in front or is front
and back then as a rule the loose por
tion droops below the belt But no
fixed rule can be given except that if
the blouse makes you look baggy it is
b
AND FORESHADOWING THE FALL
supplied a slightly bloused vest that
was partly hidden by a huge drapery
tie of white chiffon Over this came a
bolero of the cashmere trimmed to
match the skirt and finished with plain
sleeves The remaining gown of this
cluster of novelties was an exceedingly
unusual combination of silks Two
flounces of striped silk the stripes
matching perfectly at the edges gave
the skirt and the blouse waist was
white silk covered with gathered white
chiffon and finished with a bolero of
black Chantilly edged with black vel
vet and held together with two black
velvet straps A lace yoke trimmed
more than elaborated fichus made with
point reaching well to the belt at the
hack and attached by a dainty belt to
the fluffy knot at the waist in front
Consistency and clearness of detail are
given by bands of velvet or satin and
black is the favorite color though for
country use lovely confections of this
sort are gotten up in black dotted
white Liberty silks are also much
used in their more gauzy qualities Now
that autumn is not far away it would
seem to be time to consider wraps that
are essentially protective but fashion
able women havent a thought of that
as yet
Copyright 1S97
NOVEL FORM OF HOSPITALITY
Plan by Which an Irishman Added
to the Sum of Human Enjoyment
A man with an unusual idea of hos
pitality was Mr Mathew of Thomas
ton Ireland who lived in the earlier
years of the last century Mr Mathew
inherited an annual income of about
125000 For many years lie lived
abroad in a very frugal manner in or
der to accumulate an amount that
would enable him to indulge in a form
of hospitality in his own country in
-harmony with the plan he had devised
His house in Ireland might be com
pared in size with a modern hotel
Each of those he wanted to visit him
had a suite of apartments and ordered
his meals at the hour that best suited
him He could eat alone or he could
invite others to join him All the vis
itors hunted shot fished played bil
liards or cards at will and all brought
their own horses There was a resrular
bar where drinks were served with
out stint Mr Mathew as host com
pletely effaced himself He mingled
with his visitors as one whose stay was
as definitely fixed as theirs In fact he
conducted his house as if it were a
hotel with the exception that all was
without charge No servant was al
lowed to accept a tip Violation of this
rule was followed by the instant dis
missal of the offender This establish
ment unlike other country houses of
Ireland of the period was conducted
with perfect order and without waste
His hospitality was lavish and attract
ed to Mr Mathew all of the more fa
mous men of the time The great sum
that he had put aside during his resi
dence abroad enabled him to indulge
his hospitable instincts until he died
San Francisco Argonaut
Tiiccia act oVkllcVi o normononf
no because the style is unbecoming to I diplomatic legation in Abyssinia
AN ENGLISH COUNTRY DOCTOR
Incidents in the TAfp of if
Famous
Physician Undson n
Doctor Hudson who practised in tha
midst of the stocking district of Eng
land was known as The Evening
Mail because he rarely made pro
fessional visits unless specially sum
moned until alter his dinner three
oclock His partner who did most of
the day work was characterized as
The Morning Post Tliey had a prac
tice so extensive as to require the ser
vice of thirteen horses and two dis
pensers or makers of medicine Thu
late Sir Benjamin W Richardson who
was Doctor Hudsons aid for several
months tells in his Chapters of Med
ical Life several anecdotes illustra
tive of this country doctors character
and practce
The first time Richardson accompan
ied Doctor Hudson five-and-twenty vis
its were made between five and ten
oclock p m and at every house of
importance at which the doctor called
a table was spread with refreshments
biscuits sandwiches port and sherry
Doctor Hudson was a stern looking
man with a course voice and an
abrupt jerky delivery He had a kind
ly spirit which sometimes was the
dupe of his heart Once while riding
through a village lie was called in to
see a girl who was very poor She
had all the symptoms cf death Thu
doctor was touched and used all the
means at his command to restore her
Then he galloped home to procure thiy
best remedies for her case
He found that the dispensers were
well acquainted with the character of
the case and one of them remarked
that it was only that Hysterical Har
riet who would cure herself with a
peppermint drop Whereupon the doc
tor became angry asserting that hys
teria had nothing to do with the ill
ness that the girl was dying and
would probably be dead before the
medicines arrived The dispensers
worked rapidly and a special mes
senger was sent off with the medicines
The doctor passed a restless night
thinking of the poor girl and rode off
the next morning before breakfast to
see her He found her singing at the
wash tub and she had not touched his
physic It was a splendid illustration
of the mimicry of disease
A nervous lonely man with a gen
erous sensitive heart but of a sad na
ture lived near the doctors house
One day the man committed suicide
and the horrified neighbors supposed
that his body according to the custom
would be burned outside of the church
yard but to their surprise the rector
granted burial in the consecrated
ground
Then it was rumored that the rector
nad given his consent to the erecting
of a stone by the doctor at the head of
the suicides grave and that the doctor
would also furnish an appropriate
epitaph
There were no flowers or other ar
tistic designs such as fashion then en
joined carved upon the wide grave
stone but cut deeply were to be react1 -the
full name of the deceased and the
date of his death Just beneath were
two words Judge not The vil
lagers were brought to a stand by tlie
admonition and were ever after dumb
on the subject of this mans death
Among the Eskimos
It is said that the Eskimo as the na
tives of Greenland and the Arctic
shores of North America are called dis
like water very much Therefore they
hardly ever wash themselves and
when they do so their toilet is rough
and ready If their feet get wet they
change their boots at once as the ex
treme cold of the climate renders their
feet icy and their boots stiff after a
dip in the water No doubt this also
is the reason why they so seldom enjoy
the luxury of a wash So too they
cannot swim and even if they could
the accomplishment would be useless
since the cold water would freeze them
in no time When an Eskimo mamma
thinks her infant needs a little
and titivating she uses her
tongue
A Meeting of Monarclis
About one hundred and eighry year3
ago Peter the Great visited Paris and
wis received with much ceremony by
Louis XY then 7 years of age Two
chairs of state had been placed side by
side for the two puissant inonarehs in
anticipation of an interview of world
wide significance The sequel was
rather amusing While Louis with lie
coming deference waited for the Czar
t say something the illustrious Peter
was obliviously embarrassed by the
tender age of his host Finally faufe
de mieux ho took the little king in
his arms kissed him and conversed
about toys zo the disgust of the cour
tiers who had expected a set speech
on political matters
The Cause of the Tronble
Wires aint working said the op
erator tersely Cant take your mes
sage
Whats the matter Storm de
manded the man with the message
Worse than that replied the op
erator
What
Just received a cablegram in Rus
sian and it has twisted the wires all
out of shape Washington Star
A Fake
Yeast What do you think of that
man Blobbs He reads the future
you know
Crlmsonbeak Reads nothing I was
with him last night until late and do
you know what the last thing he said
to me was
No I cant imagine
He said Your wife wont say a
fixing to you to night Hes a faker
Yonkers Statesman
Last year 26000000 of English cap
ital was invested in the business of
manufacturing automotor carriages
Y