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SOME PAGES EROM MY SCRAP BOOK
REMINISCENCES OF JOHN 0. CALHOUN.
By Bev. Sam Walker.
Cobham, Ga., Jan. 10, 1908.
Dear Tom: As the weather is so fine to
day and my old wounds have moderated a
little in their grumbling, I have concluded
to give you some recollections of John C. Cal
houn, as I saw and heard him in my boyhood
days. If my memory serves me correctly, the
first time I heard him in public was at Will
ington, S. C., upon the occasion of burying a
soldier who was killed at the taking of the
City of Mexico. He paid a fine tribute to the
soldiery of the South, especially the Palmetto
Regiment of South Carolina. He then spoke
some words of the deceased and then of com
fort to the relatives.
One short sentence I remember as follows:
“He who dies for the right never dies, there
fore Lieutenant J. B. Moragne lives for
ever. ’ ’
He then proceeded to justify the annexation
of Texas. He said that Texas was largely
settled by Americans, and declared that Mex
icans did not understand our citizenship, nor
would they ever appreciate the blessings of a
government of the people.
As an examjfle of their ignorance of condi
tions in Texas, he said that when the Mexicans
became jealous of the wealth the Texans were
accumulating by tobacco culture, they had
passed a law that no Texas farmer should
plant more than two bushels of tobacco seed.
Then pausing and turning to an old man in
the audience, he said: “That would plant
half of the whole state, would it not, Peter?”
The old man replied, “Yes, and all of Mexico
besides. ’ ’
Calhoun was a master of logic but he im
pressed me as entirely lacking in magnetism.
All men venerated Calhoun, but they loved
McDuffie.
Mr. Calhoun was happy in his domestic re
lation. His wife was a warm-hearted little
woman. She made cloth on an old fashioned
loom for the whole family, black and white;
even the great man himself, when at home,
w T ore a whole suit of weaving, cutting and
making.
He often said she was a little Roman ma
tron. One of his maxims was that “no man
was fit to govern until he had perfect con
trol of his own temper.” His wife said she
had never seen him lose his temper but once
and that was when she had captured him when
he was preparing a speech upon free trade,
and compelled him to hand the threads for a
web of cloth. They had to be handed to her
one at a time, and it required constant atten
tion to hand the right thread. He became
careless and handed the wrong thread several
times. She warned him that she would crack
his head if it occurred again. He transgressed
once too often, and she cracked his head with
the shuttle. She hurt worse than she intend
ed. He sprang up and left. He said it made
him sick and he had to go out to get fresh
air, but Mrs. Calhoun would say, “Mad, John,
mad. ’ ’
THE JEFFERSONIAN.
Mr. Calhoun was of medium size, graceful
and dignified in every movement. His neck
impressed one as being a little sorter than
the average. His forehead was rather broad
than high. His hair was abundant and worn
long, as the style then was. He had very
large, dark eyes, expressive beyond descrip
tion. His mouth was large and had all the
curves which speak of constant goodness.
I suppose he was the greatest statesman who
had lived in America up to his death. It was
justly said that he carried South Carolina in
his pocket. He never joined any church, if
I remember correctly, but he lived better than
a majority of churchmen of his day.
Shortly after Captain Webb swam the Eng
lish Channel, an Englishman observed to a
Yankee that that feat was nothing, as he knew
a man that swam the Atlantic Ocean. The Yan
kee said:
“ Where were you when he was swimming?”
“I was on a vessel, and saw him swim all
the way,” said the Englishman.
“I am glad that I have a witness,” said the
Yankee, “for I am the man that did the
swimming. ’ ’
GENERAL ROBERT TOOMBS.
Some writer has claimed that there was but
one Napoleon. The same would have applied
to General Robert Toombs, who was an intel
lectual giant, with a head of his own, a man
w T ho could not brook opposition from any one,
or any source. He might have admitted that
he had an equal, but a superior never; at the
same time the general was a kind hearted
man, who always took sides with the under
dog in the fight, whether it was my ladies’
poodle, or a suck egg hound.
On the 26th day of July, 1861, the First
Regiment of Georgia regulars arrived at Ma
nassas Junction, Virginia, and pitched their
tents near the railroad, between the Junction
and the historic Bull Run creek, where they
were assigned to the brigade of General Rob
ert Toombs, composed of the 2nd Georgia,
commanded by Colonel Paul J. Sims, 15th
Georgia, by Colonel Thomas,, 17th Georgia,
by Colonel Benning, and 20th Georgia, the
name of the colonel I have forgotten. Gen
eral Toombs was very proud of his brigade
of Georgians, and especially the regulars. Sev
eral times while the regulars were on battal
ion drill, the general while passing would
stop, and make a short speech, telling the boys
that the regulars should always hold the post
of honor, which means in military parlance,
the post of danger. Military discipline in the
regulars was rigidly enforced, and some of the
boys caught it hot and heavy, being tied up
by the thumbs, bucked and gagged, wearing
barrel shirts, digging up stumps, and play
ing ball, not nine on a side, with one ball,
but one soldier with five, thirty-two pound
cannon balls. General Toombs was opposed
to the rigid discipline in the regiment, and by
some means the boys found it out, then when
they were punished they would report it to
him, and he would ride over and curse the
officers out. The officers did not like his med
dling with the discipline of the regiment and
appealed to the Secretary of War to be trans
ferred to some other command. On the 20th
day of June, 1862, during the siege of Rich
mond, the regulars "were on picket at the front,
in the branch between Garntt’s and Golden’s
farms, when General Toombs received orders
from the Secretary of War to transfer the
regulars to General George T. Anderson’s
brigade, composed of the 7th Georgia, com
manded by Colonel Wilson, Bth Georgia, by
Colonel Lamar, 9th Georgia, by Colonel Tur
nipseed, and the 11th Georgia, by Colonel
Lyttle. The order made the general hot in
the collar, and instead of waiting until the
regulars were relieved, or bringin relief
with him, he mounted his horse and galloped
to the front. When he got to the regiment,
he told Colonel Magill to take his d —d regi
ment out of there. ‘ ‘ You are not worthy of fac
ing the enemy,” said the irate general. “I
am going to send you to the rear and make
a wagon guard out of your regiment.” Forty
exploding shells would not have caused more
consternation in the regiment. The idea of
being ordered from the front because they
were not worthy of facing the enemy. Pret
ty tough, but the orders of the general had to
be obeyed, and the regiment slowly wended its
way back to camp. Now note the difference
in the two generals. The first time General
Anderson ordered the regulars in line, was on
the 27th day of June, with the 9th Georgia
to march to the Nine Mile road and tackle
one of McClellan’s siege batteries, making a
feint, to hold the enemy in check, while Jack
son was cutting them off from their base at
the White House on the Pamunkey. In mem
ory I can still see the commanding form of
General Anderson, mounted on his powerful
war horse, as he rode in front of the regu
lars, remarking as he did so, “Boys, I don’t
doubt your fighting qualities”—only a few
words, but words he never had cause to re
tract. After the regulars defeated the 10th
and 11th Pennsylvania regiments at Thorough
fare Gap, General Anderson complimented the
boys by saying, ‘‘ My regulars are worth their
weight in gold,” a compliment highly appre
ciated, coming, as it did, from the bravest
among the brave.
During the campaign after General Pope,
in August, General Longstreet’s corps maneu
vered for several days on the Rapidan river,
and during the time orders were issued to
cook up three days’ rations. General Toombs
crossed the river to dine with one of his old
congressional friends, and during his absence
the 15th Georgia was ordered beyond the river
on picket. ■ When General Toombs was return
ing to camp he rode up on the 15th and asked
them what they were doing there. They told
him they were on picket. “Well, pick up
your guns,” said the general, “and go with
me back to camp. ’ ’ When they reached camp
(Continued on Page Fourteen.)
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