Page:Confederate Portraits.djvu/133

 with a certain sort of modesty ; at any rate, simplicity. Beauregard is large enough at moments to get outside the blur of his own egotism : " My duty is to defend Charleston and Savannah; hence I may think them more important than they really are." ^ When he drops his rhetoric, he has words so simple as to approach grandeur. Thus, some one complained of the name Bull Run as unrefined. Beauregard said, *'Let us try to make it as great a name as your South Carolina Cowpens." ^

But, for the most part, the general takes himself, his army, his gifts, his plans, and all his doings in a very serious manner and never shows the least disposition to underrate their importance. He has French talents of speech, and even in the lavish military rhetoric which the war produced on both sides his stands out with proud preeminence. How he does luxuriate in large language to his soldiers : '* Soldiers, untoward events saved the enemy from annihilation. His insolent presence still pol- lutes your soil, his hostile flag still flaunts before you. There can be no peace so long as these things are." ^ What pleasure he must have taken in writing the cele- brated " beauty and booty " proclamation ! ** All rules of civilized warfare are abandoned, and they proclaim by their acts, if not on their banners, that their war-cry is, accidental publicity which distributed it both South and North ! Less critical than Captain Dugald Dalgetty, he
 * Beauty and booty.' " ^ What greater pleasure in the

�� �