The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-08-27
lsyDt;lsAPHICAL.
"rhe lives Of great uen all remind US
We can make our lives suhlime."

efforts may be. On one or two occa-
sions recently we have endeavored, in
our feeble way, to impress upon the
mind OF the great public proper con-
ception Of the obligations that public
is and has been under to Major General
Christopher Columbus Andrews, for
his many and valuable services. This
was done voluntarily and without the
slightest expectation Of acknowledge
ment. Fancy, then, our delight on
receiving from New York, few days
ago, package containing twenty-one
copies of Il pamphlet entitled Sketch
and Public Record of Christopher G.
(by some inadvertance or laundering
the Columbus was omitted Andrews,
of Minnesota 1t is q wonderfully
instructive document. We have read
the entire twenty-one copies through
once, and will 60 through them again
az soon as we shall have finished "Jo-
sephus," "Bunyan's Holy War;" and
a little other light reading taken up
for recreation after the first perusal of
the Sketch and Public RECORD Ac.
companyipg the package was re-
quest that we "please distribute" the
Sketches; but really we cannot do it {;
we cannot bear to part with single
one Of them. Instead, we will give
the several thousand readers of The
JOURNAL a very brief outline Of the
life and career Of Our Hero.
major General c. G. Andrews, of
Minnesota, the present Minister Resi-
dent to Sweden and Norway" was
born, we are told, at Hillsborough,
n. H., in October, 1929, so that be-
fore persimmons are ripe again he will
be forty-five years Of age. His grand
father owned a grist and saw-mill, but
the youthful Christopher had no long
ings for the saw-mill business !; indeed,
to come in contact with a lath or 3
bit Of clap-board often caused him
acute pain. Neither did he love to
linger on his fathers little farm; he
didn't want to be Granger he felt
the throbbings Of genius within him
and so, at the tender age Of fourteen,
he went to Boston, and securing sit
uation in a green-grocery store at
EIGHT dollars month and board" pro-
ceeded to carve out cheese and his
destiny. By diligent attention to
business, he was enabled, three years
afterwards, to take charge of "a dis
trict school in Deering, at s11 per
month, boarding round" being a
clear gain of three dollars per month
But whether, elated with this promo
ton, he determined to strike higher, 0,
whether he didn't like the "boarGline
around" feature, we do not know il
is only stated that after a few months
spent in teaching he began the study
Of law. In 1854 he went to Kansas
full-Aedged lawyer. He had just
got we'll started at making publ,
speeches, when the fever and agu,
struck him, and be was obliged tc
turn his back on poor bleeding Kan
sas and 60 to Washington. Findin.
frame and purse both sadly attenua
ted, he obtained from Presiden
Pierce an appointment in the Treas
ury Department at 81 400 per year
! For this favor, munifcent compen
sation was made in the way Of ''elab
crate arguments; one at least O.
which was "adopted and signed by tn
Postmaster General" He also sug
gested, in an oft:hand sort of a way, tc
the President that it might be we'll TO-
His Excellcncy to send an 'impar
tial Commissioner to Kansas, to re
port as to the condition of affairs,
and the thing was done at once. Thu
General would have been glad to &c
to Kansas himself and settle matter
there, but che could not have done s(
to his satisfaction without mingling il
its politics, then 50 turbulent, whic]
would have involved a neglect of bus
mess" So, in 1857, he resolved tc
come to Minnesota, and for the mex
four years St. Cloud proudly claimed
him as her own.
His "War Record" tells how h
enlisted as,a private and was com
missioned . Captain three weeks after
ward. How he "entered into tn
study and practice of military al
with zeal and fondness." How h
was appointeda Lieutenant Colonel i
1862, after the surrender at Murfrees
boro, and within another year, Co
onel. How be was placed in CON
msnd Of the post at Little Rock, an
during the eight months he was ther
wrote number Of important order
and made numberless speeches, fo
which perilous service he was appoin
ed Brigadier General. How he sper
the next five months at Duvall
Bluff, where "some Of the duties whic
employed his time" were "to inspe,
the troops and their camps, and to a
tend to their sanitary needs; to Wis
frequently the picket line; to exam
inc and pass upon the proceedings .
two or three General Courts Martha
and Of frequent Boards of Survey
to instruct and send out freque1
scouting parties; to plan and supe
wise field earthworks; promote mil
tary instruction, discipline, eficienc
and econo'ny"--and for thus recklessl
rushing around with his life in h
hand he was commissioned Majc