Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/75

 The Battle of Belmont. 69

Discipline in the Confederate States Army.

In fidelity to duty and observance of prescribed regulations, it may be assumed that the Confederate soldier compared favorably with any similarly taxed and ill provided.

Generally, he was scarce surpassed in willing attributes by the model followers of the first Napoleon. Dominated by patriotism, his ardor yielded neither to hunger nor nakedness.

The following statement contains a just tribute to a gallant and efficient officer a present honored and useful citizen of Richmond:

RICHMOND, VA., May 29, 1888.

In connection with the prevalent idea so often expressed that there was little or no discipline in the Army of Northern Virginia [?], I take pleasure in putting on record what I heard General Harry Heth say of General John R. Cooke's North Carolina brigade, composed of the Fifteenth, Twenty-seventh, Forty-sixth, Forty-eighth and Fifty-fifth North Carolina regiments.

We were talking on the subject of discipline of troops, and he said that he thought at no time had the United States army ever been in better condition and discipline than the command of General Albert Sydney Johnston in Utah in 1858, and that no portion of that command was in better drill, discipline and general efficiency than the brigade above mentioned, just previous to the end of the war.

R. H. FINNEY, Late Adjutant- General of Heth' s division, Army of Northern Virginia.

The Battle of Belmont.

In the early days of November, 1861, the regiment of which I was Lieutenant-Colonel, the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth senior regi- ment, Tennessee volunteers, First brigade, Second division, was in camp at Columbus, Kentucky. This was General Folk's headquarters. His encampment was strongly fortified with batteries, which com- manded the river. Immediately opposite and across the river is the small village of Belmont, Missouri.

Here Colonel Tappan was posted. His command consisted of his