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About Southern Chivalry.—Orchard, Tenn., Aug. 11.—Dear Cousin:— You wish me to write to you. I am very willing, but letters from the army describing army scenes and army life, are furnished from so many sources and in such numbers, private letters to dear ones athome, and the “enterprising correspon-.11dents’” epistles to the daily press; all so fully covering our history that it w’ould seem there wTas nothing of history left unwritten. But a subject occurs to me, or rather a text; it is “Southern Chivalry.”That especial attribute claimed by thedSouthern papers—a household word with them. I do not pretend to deny that it exists or that they are not thoroughly imbued with it, but as yet I have failed to discover that what 1 have supposed chivalry to be, prevails to any great extent in the regions that I have traversed, and that you know covers a deal of Cottondom. It it means avarice, trickery, dissembling for the purpose of grain, an assumed possession of superiority when in power, or humble cringing when they feel the absence of it, in fact what we call at the North “meau-ness,” I will admit they possess it to an abundant extent, for all these characteristics they have. I have been led to these remarks by recent occurrences transpiring here, which I will recite. They are not singular; almost anyofficer of observation can tell you of many fore me, gives present subject for a letter.such; but those being recently placed be-A few days since a lady from near Columbia arrived in our camp for the purpose of recovering a horse that had been seized by Col. Wilder’s foraging expedition to that place. She is the daughter ofa wealthy planter, who is, or recently hasthe rebel service, and is now’ inbeen, inthe rebel lines, an acknowledged traitor; she or her family make no claims of loyalty to the Union; they are of the ultra-SouthernAristocracy, the creme de la creme. would think the chivalric bloodYouwouldforbid her ooming to our camp, the camp of the invader, to beg for her horse; but she not only came among us, but asked forand obtained hospitality from the wife of3rs. Snlt;one of our officers. She remained three days, and by the most unblushing pertinacity finally worried the officers out of the animal, much to the discredit of said officers. What lady among you would have followed Gen. Early or John Morgan sixty miles, and humbly begged of him a return of property seized by their forces?— But her conduct while here was the most striking; she whiningly said she did not think we ought to take their horses as her lather had ouly served a yea^ in the Confederate army, and wasn’t in the army and this was her favorite pony. In fact she was determined to have him, even if she had to take the oath of allegiance to get him. These and like chivalric expressions were made. And all this while admitting to the fullest her sympathy in the ! rebel cause. But a more glaring case occurred to-day, which I will have to give alittle preface to.
Newspaper Details
Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye
Burlington, Iowa, US
Sat, Aug 29, 1863
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Courtney T.
NA, 18 May 2023
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