Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-12-12
A Remarkable Career.

A Remarkable Career.
The most Of our readers are familiar
with the name of Gen. T. L. Rosser,
either by personal acquaintance with the
gentleman who bears that name, or by
reputation. The following, taken from
the special correspondence of the Pioneer
Press, will therefore be read with consid-
erable interest.
The retirement of Gen. Rosser from the
Northern Pacific railway deserves something
more than passing notice, as he is the last
remaining link between "the old time and the
new." Smith, spaulding, Roberts, Mead,
Cass and many others, all retired years ago,
and he alone remained of the men actively en-.
gagged in the baptism of this great work.
Gen. Rosser's military record is we'll known.
A "chum" and classmate of Gen. Custer at
West Point, the bugle-call of the rebellion
sent them into opposite armies Each, with
out special political or family influence, rose
to the rank Of major-general, and became the
favorite cavalry leaders of their respective ar
mics at the surprisingly early age of twenty
four years. The surrender of Lee left Rosser
stranded. Educated to the profession of
soldier, he was practically untitled for an act
i've civic business. Acting on the advice of
the old commander, Gen. Lee, he attended the
Ia sahoo1 NJ %ho Woe r
ity in Virginia, only to determine that the law
was not his "fort." He then became general
superintendent Of the National (Southern)
Express company, of which Gen Joe johnson
was president, with headquarters at New Or
leans, and aided in the enshrouding and bur
ial of that early defuuct corporation. Then
he returned to Baltimore and opened COM
mission store and-broke. Then commenced
an engineering career by making hydro
graphical survey of the harbor Of Baltimore.
Iu 1868 he was employed as transitman on
the Pittsburg & McConnelsvilIe railway. Be-
coming dissatisfied he threw up the situation,
|*and in the summer Of 1869 came to St. Paul,
| where he remained unemployed until late in
fall, when, for want Of better situation he
accepted the position of ak man in the engi-
neeripg service of the Lake Superior d. Mis-
sissippi railway, that position being the only
available one, and being rendered by VIM. L..
Banning, the then president of that road.
Think of it The Murat of the confederate
army welding an ak on railroad in the piney
woods of Minnesota -
"Imperial Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
Thrust in hole to keep the winds away"
Then, in the winter of 1870, ION the l4th
day of February,) he rendered his services to
Gen. Ira spaulding, division engineer Of the
Northern Pacific railroad and was given the
position of transitman. Two months from
that time he was constituted principal assist
ant to Spaulding and took full charge Of the
| construction of the road from the junction
through the swamps and morasses of Northern
| Minnesota to Brainerd. From that time un-
| til to-day every rail laid on the great thor
| ougbfare has been under his direct supervis-
:: ion. After the return of J. Milne Roberts to
New York in the spring of 1871, Gen. Rosser
took full control Of the work and has been the
| only engineer actively employed on the line
since that time. In 1871 he made the fret
preliminary survey from the Red river to the
Yellowstone, and between q line of skirmish
ers from Georgetown, in Minnesota, to the
mouth Of Glendive creek, in Montana. In
September of that year he reported the line of
Apple river, ea st of the Missouri, and the Hart
river, west Of the Missouri, as the most avail
abls route, was ordered to survey it, and did
complete the location Of the line from Red
river to the Missouri in two months from the
day he received his orders. Atthat time all the
country west of the Red river was ''Indisn
country" and Gen. Rosser bad several close
calls on his scalp; notably within three or four
miles Of Bismarck, under the very walls Of
Fort Lincoln, and once between here and the
Yellowstone when he, in company with Lieut..
Adair was hunting antelope six or seven miiea
from the protecting military escort. The two
were surrounded by about two hundred In
dians. Lieut.. Adair was fatally wounded by
a savage, and the general held at bay over his
prostrate body two hours, when the timely ar
rival of troop of cavalry chased the noble
red man away from his prey, and released the
general from his close quarters. Gen. Ros-
ser's successful career during the past ton
years, in Minnesota bears with it fine moral
lesson to the young men of his section. He
foreswore politics and growing at fate hen
the war closed, took hold of active, useful life
with the same resistless courage which ami
mated him when fighting the battles of his
section, and with better success. His reward
is respectable competency and the high and
sincere regard Of all who know and respect en-
ergy and skill guided and directed by IN
swerving honor and rectitude. He will re-
main in Minneapolis until after the holiday $
and will then proceed to Washington, wher'
he Will spend the winter. His future cours
of action is undecided, but it is understoo,
that he has two or three prominent engineer
) ing positions awaiting his acceptance, shoul
he determine to resume the duties of his pro
) fession actively.