Newspapers / The Pinehurst Outlook (Pinehurst, … / Jan. 29, 1916, edition 1 / Page 7
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PAGE THE PINEHURST OUTLOOK it up and retired, for we had a perfect division behind our high and heavy en trenchments. If he had tried by dividing his forces to attack at that point and also on the flank -we would have advanced from our works and by assaulting his troops in our front compelled him to bring the flanking forces to aid them and then we would have beaten his entire command. ' ' GENERAL HOKE'S ESTIMATE OP LEE General Hoke went on to say about General Lee: "A notable thing about our great commander was his instant readiness to listen to any plan for fight ing or doing anything to the enemy which had merit and good sense behind it, for his grasp of military matters and strategy was so complete that he knew at once what was good and if his judgement showed him the plan had value the officer who suggested it might feel sure that at the first opportunity it would be put to the test. I know General Lee did this very thing a number of times. I wish to say that General Lee had wonderful quickness of eye and could inspect troops of any branch of any service, or even as they marched past in review, and observe any defects; such things as a horse without a shoe, the shortage of some article of equipment carried by a soldier, or if a piece of artillery harness had been tied with a string. General Lee loved to fight, in spite of the gentleness of his life and his profound Christiaii spirit, and surely no man was braver. His plans of battle are fit studies for any tactician." THE CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH General Hoke would have been a lieu tenant general had the war continued a little longer. One of his most important acts was the capture of Plymouth, an important town on the Roanoke River, not far from the North Carolina coast. He told General Lee that if he could take his division from the army of North ern Virginia to Plymouth and have the Confederate ram Albemarle aid him, he could capture the place. So his division was ordered to Weldon, N. C, and from there it marched to Plymouth, the Albe marle, which had been built in a corn field beside the river, not far below Wel don, meantime going on down the stream and nearly destroying the Federal fleet. While this combat on the water was in progress Hoke assulted the town and cap tured General Wessels and all of his troops, over 8,000 in number, together with a vast amount of supplies of all kinds, which were immediately sent to General Lee. AN UNWRITTEN CHAPTER OF HISTORY For this capture of Plymouth General Hoke received the thanks of President Davis and General Lee, the congratula tions of all the prominent officers and the thanks of Congress. This action and other things which General Lee had ob served brought to Hoke an honor which is memorable. One day in the autumn of 1864, while Lee and Hoke were riding together along the James River, General Lee suddenly said to the North Carolina officer that he wished to give him some special information and then, to Hoke's utter astonishment informed him that he had notified President Davis and the Con federate Cabinet that in case he was killed or disabled in any way Hoke was to take his place in command of the army. General Hoke demurred, saying there were many officers much his seniors in age, length of service and ability, but General Lee quietly but firmly told him that all this was settled and that his plans were definite a'nd not to be changed. After the war General Hoke turned his attention to the details of civil life, burned all his war papers and put behind him everything relating to his service in the Confederate Army, saying that the war was over. In 1867 he married the beautiful Miss Van Wyck, two of whose brothers became very prominent judges in New York. The general has been inter ested in mining and railway development and has prospered exceedingly. He was the principal owner and head of the Cranberry Iron Mines for a number of years and some twenty years ago planned a railway from near the North Carolina line at Monroe to Atlanta as an important link in the Seaboard Air Line, the dis tance being something like 400 miles. General Hoke attired himself in the garb of the every-day countryman, put on a big felt hat, mounted a heavy horse, rode all along the line of the proposed road, in his modest way, always so effective, making friends everywhere and securing rights of way almost without cost, built the road and later it was turned over to the Seaboard Air Line. General Hoke has never taken any part whatever in politics, and has never attended a Con federate reunion. His admirers are of all parties. Though an ardent ex-Confederate he is yet broadly and vigorously National. THE UNKNOWN HERO On one occasion, the year after the war, he happened to be at West Point Military Academy, with his quick eye saw everything worth seeing in the finest mili tary school on earth. He dropped in one of the recitation rooms and found an in structor lecturing on rapid marches by troops, citing as one of the finest exam ples during the Civil War a march made by Hoke's division. The general heard this but did not make himself known, and walked out as quietly as he had entered. He never wrote a newspaper article except one about Lee. To the writer he gave the only statements regarding himself in the Civil War which he has ever made. His Summer home was at Lincoln Lithia Springs, a place which he had owned for a number of years and where he established a delightful colony, his Winter home being at Raliegh. He was in truth a typical American; soldier once, gentleman always. During the war his first thought was of the health. and comfort of his men and this is the cause of the intense affection which the sur vivors of his division exhibited for him. Stately in figure, with snowy white hair, erect and showing the soldier in every step, General Hoke was a man to be taken note of anywhere, and his wide range of information and acute intellect, in spite of his seventy-five years, made conversation with him delightful. He could give no end of reminiscence of the Civil War, and yet no man on either side in that conflict was so reticent; not even General Grant, that "Master of Silence." Send The Outlook to friends! It tells the story and saves letter writing! A Bright Outlook For Your 1916 Game COLONEL "27" "29" "31" jffj.'4 OVA $9.00 Colonel "27" Full size, floater Colonel "29" Medium size,sinker V Colonel "3 1 " Small size, sinker I St. Mungo Manufacturing Go. of America J2J-J23 Sylvan Ave., Newark, N. I. New York, 36 Warren St. Chicago, 36 So. 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The Pinehurst Outlook (Pinehurst, N.C.)
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Jan. 29, 1916, edition 1
7
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