Departed 'Son of the South'

Dear Editor:

Recently an honor guard of angels with wings of butternut and gray was carried to Nevada, by a gentle breeze and escorted the soul of Patrick Thomas Brophy, who departed from this life on Wed., July 8, 2010, to it's heavenly reward.

Patrick Brophy was a distinguished author, historian and colleague.

He was more than this to me, as well as to hundreds of other folks.

He was a friend, a very special friend. For he and I to become friends may seem unusual, because as historians we shared diametrically opposing views on the American Civil War. Patrick was indeed a "Son of the South" who referred to this war as the "War of Northern Aggression," the "War of Southern Independence" or the "War between the States."

I happen to be a "Son of the North" and Yankee from the Jayhawking state of Kansas. Patrick perceived both of these factors to be a "Double Sin" which the good Lord might forgive, but he certainly wouldn't!

The first time we met, he of small stature and keen intellect, looked up at me and said "YOUR YANKEES BURNED MY TOWN!"

I replied, "That's right and if your BUSHWHACKERS hadn't killed some of my Yankees YOUR TOWN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BURNED!" From this exchange one can see that two curmudgeons locked horns, and some found it hard to believe that we became and remained fast friends for more than 25 years.

Not only did we share a mutual love of books, magazines, reading, dictionaries (Patrick really didn't need one, but I certainly do), cats, walkabouts, rideabouts, discussion, debates and, on occasion, the lack of patience with people in general. He was also a quiet gentleman of the old school who delighted, with a twinkle in his

eye and inflection in his voice, to disagree in order to stimulate the conversation and the ensuing debate that almost always occurred.

The last nugget of information that Patrick shared with me concerned a "Yankee" by the name of Captain Charles W. Porter who Patrick came to admire. That's right, admire, because Captain Porter married a "Southern Belle" from Balltown, Vernon County, and he just recently was surprised to learn that Captain Porter and his wife are buried in the Double Branch Cemetery in Bates County.

Patrick was an old soldier dedicated to the study of history and many other subjects and I believe that he would have appreciated the following poem by a 19th century poet whose pen name was "Ironquill"

"An aged soldier, with

his hair snow white,

Sat looking at the night.

A busy shining angel

came, with things

Like chevrons on his

wings,

He said: "The evening

detail has been made,

Report to your brigade."

The old soldier heard the

message that was sent,

Then rose and died and

went."

So, an honor guard of angels with wings of butternut and gray came and escorted the soul of Patrick Thomas Brophy to it's heavenly reward.

Sleep and rest well my dear friend for all the pain is gone and you are still with us and forever shall be.

Arnold W. Schofield

Historian