Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-10-29
THE LATE MAJOR THORN
BURGH.

The Omaha Daily Herald Of Oc~
tober 23d, after giving lengthy
notice of the death of Maj. 7. I.
Thornburgh, pays this tribute to
his memory:
" Here, we unused, is all that is left |
of man, who in obedience to the |
trueist and purest dictates of duty, |
met death st the hands of savage
foe, who, turning his back upon the
endearments Of a loving home, lay
down his life at the command of his
country. 1t was not for him to argue
upon subtle questions of state policy;
not his place TO cavii at the gross err
rors and atrocious blunders which dis
figure our whole system of Indian ad-
miDistratiOn. Or his own knowledge
he was well aware that the very tribe
against which he was to operate had
only few months previous been kept
out of its annuities and supplies by the
malevolent stupidity of the Indian
Bureau; he knew that in the mutual
accusations leveled by whites against
Utes aud Utes against whites the In
dams were not altogether without
grievances, the whites not entirely
spotless. We may say, knowing Ma
Jor TbOrnburgh as well as we did, that
ne, in common with the great major
ity OF officers of our army, had a deep.
seated sympathy for the Indian, q
sympathy not the less sincere because
it has no idea Of peeunlary profit at.
tached to it.
But, as before remarked, he knew
bis duty and performed it; in plain
language, he was to proceed to the
agency to rectify, as far as possible, the
blunders of bureau, of whose dead
representation we will say, in charity
that we don't beliare they meant any
harm. 1t is not purposed here to re-
peat the description of the terrible
scene of carnage in which this brave
soldier fell. Enough has already been
written to make all our readers per-
fectly familiar with the facts, anu we
must not forget that we have in oul
midst the heart-broken widow aud or.
phaDs whose feelings command oul
sympathy and respect.
Our duty is confined TO the present.
We have no desire to make brief and
hurried eulOgy upon our brave soldier
the vehicle for criticism upon politi-
cal crimes which Heaven ia ita own
good time will surely avenge. In tile
conversation carried on during the past
few days among the many, many
friends of the deceased, we have learned
more Of bis history and personal at
tributes than We ever before knew, al
though We enjoyed during the period
of his service here high degree of in
timacy with him. Of his career as q
cadet, his former comrades at the mill
tary academy speak in fond terms.
Tip Thornburgh, an exception
ally bright student, was likewise too
full of animal life not 10 be the NOV
ing spirit in the various esca pades
which astonished and dismay ed the
stern disciplinarians of the Alma
Mater of the Regular ARMY. He
graduated with the best wishes and
highest regard of his supeIiors, and
the love and affection Of his comrades
His early military life was spent in the
Territory of Alaska, then just &C.
qlired from the Russian Government
at later date, with the transfer o.
his regiment to the Atlantic coast
Lieut.. ThOrnburgh was assigned tC
duty st various posts in The Eastern
States, and passed one year at the
Artillery School, Fortress Monroe
from which he graduated with distine
ton. His selection for the position OF
Paymaster brought him to the staff o.
General Crook, who soon formed FOL
him an esteem which time never