Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 17.djvu/428

 420 Southern Historical Society Papers.

rank and file that their leaders should be at the front, and woe betide the general of whom they could say, ** He loves to send us to the front, but he keeps well in the rear himself,** or the officers about whom they could pass the grim joke : *' There were not trees enough there for the officers to hide behind, and we privates had to take it without cover."

GENERALS AT THE FOREFRONT.

It was no uncommon thing, therefore, to find our highest generals in the very forefront of the battle.

At First Manassas Generals Beauregard and Johnston, at the crisis of the battle, both led their men, battle-flag in hand. Albert Sydney Johnston, whom President Davis always regarded as the ablest sol- dier of the war, fell leading a victorious charge at Shiloh, and in the execution of that brilliant strategy that had so far succeeded, and which, had he been spared an hour longer, would have resulted in the capture or annihilation of Grant's whole army.

Stonewall Jackson was often seen on the advance skirmish line of the army, was ever found in the very thickest of the fight, and when shot down by his own men (who would have died rather than injure a button on his old gray coat) was returning from a bold reconnoi- sance beyond his advanced pickets. " Jeb * * Stuart fell when leading a heroic charge against immense odds, which prevented Sheridan from riding into Richmond that day, and crowned a brilliant career with a glorious death. A. P. Hill, the chilvaric hero of many a glorious field, fell on the last sad day at Petersburg (when he had risen from a sick bed to command his corps of heroes) in a brave attempt to join that part of his corps which had been cut off from the main army.

FELL SWORD IN HAND.

Glorious old Pat Cleburne fell at Franklin leading one of the most superb charges that the world ever saw.

But we must restrain our pen, for columns would not suffice even to mention the names of the Confederate Generals who were noted for conspicuous gallantry and an even reckless exposure of their lives. But we must not fail to say that our grand old chief, R. E. Lee, was **the bravest of the brave," and that the world's history affords no grander battle pictures than Lee at the Wilderness offering to lead Hood's Texas brigade, and at Spotsylvania Courthouse offer- ing to lead Gordon's division, and afterwards Harris's Mississippi