New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-22
Death Of Major General George l.. Hart
suff.

Death OF Major General George La Aa1t.
Major General George L. Hartsuff, one of
the most gallant and faithful officers of the
regular service, distinguished in two wars
and bearing honorable wounds from both,
died in this city on Saturday last. General
Hartsuff's hair breadth escapes lad been
such as sometimes to lead his fellow sol
diers to declare that he bore q charmed
life: but after escaping from Seminole mas
sacres, shipwrecks, and all the perils Of &C
tive service throughout the war for the
Union, he fell a victim at last to the pneu-
monia, contracted from overheating him
self at the Union League Club at game OF
billiards, and died peacefully in his bed.
He was left on the field for dead in Florida
when the command with which he was
serving was surprised by the SeminOles un-
der Billy Bowlegs. With both legs helpless
from wounds he dragged himself by his
arms for fifteen miles through the Indian
country.
Years afterward, returning from frontier
service with bag OF gold which he was car
rying from quartermaster strapped around
his waist, he was shipwrecked in the Lady
Elgin, and washed ashore under the waves.
At Antietam he was ordered to make
reconnaissance in force over ground which
seemed to him so dangerous that he was
unwilling to expose his command upon it.
Leaving his men under cover he rode out
himself to make the needed observations,
and after completing the reconnaissance he
received ball which he carried to the
grave as he was riding back to his troops.
The post mortem showed that the attack of
pneumonia to which he finally succumbed
would scarcely have been fatal but for the
Inflammation in the lungs around the cica
trix of one of the old wounds received in
Florida, and in the neighborhood of which
lay one Of the Seminole bullets, which he
still carried.
George L. Hartsuff was born in Tyne,
Seneca county, New York, on May %, 1880,
but the removal of bis family to the West
practically identified him with that section
OF the country, and he entered the West
Point Military Academy from Michigan in
lS4S, being graduated in 1852 as brevet Sec
Ond lieutenant Of the Fourth Regiment of
Artillery, in which capacity he did garrison
duty in New York and on the Texas from
tier until 1853. He was then made second
lieutenant in the Second Artillery, and was
engaged in Florida on Typographical duty
until May, 1855, when he was promoted to
first heutenancy in the same regiment,
and, in skirmish with SeminOles, was left
for dead on the field. pierced by three balls,
one of which lin the chest) could never be
removed. From 1856 to 1859 he was detailed
as assistant instructor at West Point. He
was on frontier duty at Fort Mackinac from
1859 to 1860. While stationed there he took
passage on the i'll tated steamer Lady Elgin,
on Lake Michigan. -Four hundred persons
persisted, but he escaped by siezing a piece
of floating timber, and was finally washed
ashore.
After leave of absence in 1860 and 1861
be did garrison duty in the vicinity OF
Washington. In March, 1861, he was ap-
pointed brevet captain, and assigned to
duty as assistant adjutant general, in which
capacity he went with the secret expedi-
ton under command of Colonel Harvey
Brown to Fort Pckens. In July, with the
rank Of captain he became chief of staff of
Brigadier General Rosecrans, commanding
the Department of West Virginia, and par
ticipated in the action at Carnifex Ferry,
September 10, 1861 and throughout the
campaign in which Rosecrans so completely
out-generaled Lee. He was assigned in
April and May, 1862, to special duty at the
War department as assistant adjutant gen
eral to the Secretary of War. In the latter
part of May he took command of a brigade
of volunteers in the field with the First
Army Corps. His brigade was in the night
battle at Cedar Mountain in August, and
bore itself brayely throughout that and
other actions in which 1t was afterward en-
gagged.
At Rappahannock bridge his command
was the only one that crossed the river. and
It held the eminences south Of the river for
several days despite the almost continuous
fire of the enemy. When the army Of the
Potomac was retreating his brigade formed
part of the protecting line, and for twenty
days he was within the reach of the enemy g
guns. He also bore a conspicuous part in
the battles of South Mountain and Antie-
tam, and was promoted to the rank of
brevet colonel on September II, 1862, for
gallant and meritorious services in the last
named action, when he was severely
wounded. He then received leave of alb
sence on account of his wounds until De
cember Is, 1862. In the meantime he was
appointed Major General Of the United
States volunteers on November 30, and,
upon his cOnvalescence, served as member
OF the board to revise rules and articles of
war, and to prepare a code for the govern
ment of the armies in the field. From April
to November 1868, he was in command of
the Twenty third Army Corps during the
operations in Kentucky and the occupation
OF East Tennessee. Being again incapaci-
tated for field duty by reason of the wounds
which he had received at Antietam, he was
not placed on duty until July, 1864, when
he served on courts martial until January,
1865.
On March l3, 1865, he was promoted to
the United States army for gallant ser
vices in the campaign terminating with the
surrender of the insurgent army under
General X. E. Lee and was placed in COM
mand of the Bermuda front of the works
for the siege of Petersburg. AS Brevet
Major General of the Unite States army,
to which position he was promoted on the
same date that he was made Brevet
Brigadier General, he was afterward as
f1a nd cfr INN mt
ant posts in Virginia, until he was mus
tered out of the volunteer service on
August "a, 1865. He afterward did duty
as adjutant general of the Department of
the Gulf and of the fifth military district,
composed of Louisiana and Texas. At the
time of his retirement he occupied the pO-
silion of assistant adjutant general Of the
military division or Missouri, with head
quarters in Chicago. The wounds which
incapacitated him having been received
when in the discharge of his duty as
Major General at Antietam) he was re-
tired with that rank and with full pay.
After some time he went abroad, and in
terested himself in bringing American
improvements in artillery to European at
tention. He had finally returned, with the
purpose of making New York his home,
and had just completed his preparations
for settling down to housekeeping
General Hartsuf gave his whole life to
the army. His pleasantest associations
were with it and with the Military Acad-
envy, and it had always been his desire to
be buried at West Point. The Secretary of
War has accordingly ordered the funeral
there, with the hOnOrs due to his rank, and
the funeral cortege will leave New York on
the government steamer Henry Smith, from
pier No. SO North river, at nine O'clock of
Tuesday next. There are men sleeping in
the pleasant little graveyard at West Point
whose names have been more brilliantly
blazoned. but none who have given more
loyal, faithful and valuable service in his