M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1855-03-16

chapter Of accidents 10 turn up chance
for incidental employment, confident
that he would do the rest for himself it
he could only get start. was in this
mood in my office, a young lawyer,
with more books than briefs, when the
tardy mail of that time, "one raw and
gusty day" in February, 1912, brought
an act Of Congress authorizing the
President 10 accept organized bodies of
volunteers to the extent Of fifty thou
sand-to serve Tor one year--and 10 be-
called Into service when some emerg-
ency should require it. Here was a
chance. | knew that Jackson could
raise generals command, and trusted
to events for him to be called out, and
leltthat one year was more than enough
for him to prove himself. | drew up a
pla1-rode thirty miles to his house
tina: same raw day in February--rain,
hail, sleet, wind--and such roads as
we then had there in winler-.-deep in
rich mud and mixed with ice. | ar.
rived at the HeImitage-.>a name then
but little known---at nightIall, land found
him solitary, and almost alone, but not
quite for it was the evening mention
ed in the Thirty Years View,' when
| found him with the lamb and the
child between his knees. | laid the
plan before him. He was struck with
it->-adopted it--,acted upon it. We
began to raise volunteer companies.
While this was going on another ar
rived from the War Department to the
Governor Willie Blount) to detach
iiIte en- hundred militia to the Lower
MissIssippi,the object to meet the Brit
ish, then expected to make an attack
or New Orleans. The Governor was
a friend to Jackson, and to his country.
He agreed to accept his three thousand
volunteers instead OF the fifteen hund-
red draughted militia. He issued an
address TO his division. Igalloped to
the muster-grounds and harangued the
young men. The success was ample.
Three regiments were completed. Cot.
fee, William Hall, Benton,the colonels;
and in December, 1912, We descend.
ed the Cumberland and Mississippi il
a fleet Of flat,bottomed boats, and land.
ed at Matches. There we got the new.
that the British would not come thai
winter-a great disappointment, and q
fine chance lost.
We remained in camp, six miles
from Matches, waiting ulterior orders
In March they came-not orders tol
further service, or even to return home,
but to diSband the volunteers where
they were. The command was posi-,
tive, in the name OF the President, and
by the then Secretary at War, General
Armstrong. | we'll remember the day
Sunday morning, the 25th day oil
March, 1918. The first | knew of it
was message from the General to come
TO him at his tent; for, though as col.
onel OF regiment | had ceased to be
aid, yet my place had not been filled,
and | was sen; for as much as ever. He
showed me the order, and also his char
acter, in his instant determination not
to obey it, but to lead his volunteers
home. He had sketched severe an,
sWer to the Secretary at War, and gave
it to me to copy, and arrange the mat
ter OF ii. 1t was very severe. tried
hard to get some parts soitened, but i'm.
possible. | have never seen that let
ter since, but would know 1t ii | should
meet it in any form, anywhere, with.
out names. | concurred with the Gen.
eral in the determination to take home
our young troops. He then called &
"cOuncip Of the field officers, as he
called ii, though there was but little o
the council in 1.-THE only object be,
ing to hear his determination, and take
measures Tor executing it. The offic'
erS were unanimous in their delermin
alton 10 support him; but it was one o
those cases in which he would hav,
acted, not only without, but against ;
"cOunciL"
The officers were unanimous and We
hement in their determination, as mucl
as the General was himself; Tor tn
volunteers were composed OF the bes
young men oil the country-farmers
sons, themselves clever young men
since filling high Offices in the Stat,
and the federal government intrustet
to these officers by their fathers, in ful
confidence that they would act a faith
er's part by them; and the recrean
thought OF turning them loose, on tn,
Lower Mississippi, five hundred miles
from home, without the means Of get
ting home, and wilderness and lndi
an tribes 10 traverse, did not find a mo
ment's thought in any ones BOSOM
To carry them back was the instant and
indignant determination, but great diff
ticuIties were in the way. Tue cost oil
getting back three thousand men, under
such circumstance, must be great, and
here Jackson's character showed ilsel
again. We have all heard of his res
ponsibilities--his readiness to assume
political responsibility when the public
service required it: he was now equal
ly ready to take responsibility OF an
other kind-moneyed responsibility