Mosby, John S. (1833-1916) to: Sam Chapman
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03921.47 Author/Creator: Mosby, John S. (1833-1916) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1914/06/12 Pagination: 2 p. Order a Copy
artist would like to paint a group portrait of Confederate officers, including Chapman.
with
12 June 1914, The Alamo
Washington
Dear Sam:
The artist who painted my portrait for the G. A. R & wants to paint a group of six of my men to go with it - told me that he wd. not paint from photos but only from life. I asked him if he wd. not made an exception of my brother Willie as he was my ?. He declined but said I could select six. Afterward Peter Fr? Persuaded him to make the exception of Willie. But in the meantime I had told Col. William that he & you wd. be in the group, but as I shall have Willie in it you & he must draw straws for the privilege. I have no doubt that Josie will made ? ?. It is all the same. Peter sent me a letter from the artist saying that he wanted to paint a copy of the ? recumbent statue ? Lee & wanted also a group of Confederates with it - including myself. But I wrote to Peter declining that honor as it wd. be in bad taste to put a man of a low rank as I had beside General Lee & I suppested these names - Longstreet, Stonewall Jackson, A. P. Hill, Ewell, Stuart, Wade Hampton - these are six - if he has more then I think Jubal Early should be there on account of his prominent & ? ? - His ? in the Shenandoah Valley were the inevitable. In his Memoir Jubal he had a year or so ago he speaks very charitable of everybody but me. I enjoy the distinction of being the only Confederate at whom he has ?. But that does not in the least affect my judgement of Early as a soldier & it is only in Early the soldier that the world takes any interest. I say this in the same spirit that got up out of my bed in the hospital & went to Warrenton to vote for Taft after he had kicked me out of office & turned me out on the ? charity of the ?. Hope to see you soon. Show this to Revencomb.
Your Truly,
J.S. Mosby
I enclose another letter from Peter in reply to mine declining to sit in the Lee ? suggesting the names of men that should be there. You see that he agrees with me. The artist told me that he was willing to come to Washington to paint portraits of the living actors. I wrote to Major Dolly of course he is willing to come. The artist said nothing to me about painting a picture of the recumbent statue of Lee & group of Confederates with it. But as he will have to go to Lexington to see the statue & he might meet Gen Dolly in Staunton. I wrote Peter that to put me in a group with Lee's Generals wd. make me look ridiculous - a dwarf by the side of giants - a Lillipution looking up at Gulliver. Now I am not affecting humility. I know perfectly well that the judgment of history - has given me precedence over other soldiers of my rank in our war. I do not say that I deserve it - many dispute it - but I am not responsible for the opinions of the world. The judgments of contemporaries are often reversed by posterity. I much prefer being first in one class to being second in another class. I am one of the few old men who hasn't one single ? to complain of. On the whole as compared with many others I think the world has been very kind to me in spirit of the fact that the State of Virginia kept me locked up eleven months in the Albermarle jail, wh. is all that Virginia ever did for me.
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