The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-08-09

From Frank A. Burr's LIE or Lame. A gea,,


northern banks of the Rappahan-
mock, out OF the bloody tub-like
space into which Lee had tumbled
Burnside's force from of the heights
of Fredericksburg stormed with
matchless, yet fruitless valor. The
fight had torn great rents in the or
ganization Of the army, shattered its
confidence, broken its ranks, here
and there proved its weakness, turn
ed the thoughts OF all men toward
another winter of patient prepara
ton in camp and on parade. Moth
ing was left but by slow, patient dis
cipline to prepare again for action
the great army defeat had dislocated
1t was at this juncture that colo
mel of volunteers, not yet twenty
four years of age, first caught the
attention of Gen. Hancock, who re
cords now the matured Judgment oi
wears in passing upon the military
record of the young officer who re
ported to him for duty on a dull De
cember day in 1862, with an urgent
plea to be put where distinction was
to be had.
He had Just arrived at the front
with full regiment OF Pennsylva.
mans, when he rode up to General
Hancock's headquarters. He look
ed young enough to have passed fol
a student on his vacation. 1.-the
straight, soldierly, with the bearing
of n man and the pale, beardless
face of boy, he carried on his shoul
ders the eagles won in eighteen
months of active service, which had
placed him at the head OF regiment
mostly raised in the county which
knew him best. To his hands had
his nelghbors and folk, near whom
his kin had lived for over a century,
committed their townsmen.
"Gen. Hancock" said the young
officer, Il have been ordered to re-
port to you, sir, for duty"
What is your regiment, colonel?'
Zone Hundred and Forty-eighth
Pennsylvania infantry" was the re-
ply. "and, General, while | would
not presume so much as to suggest
the disposition that is to be made OF
my regiment, should be glad if il
could be placed in a brigade of your
division where the men can see a
daily exemplifcation of the good
results of the soldierlv discipline !
have endeavored to teach"
The great soldier, not more sur
prised than pleased to find in the
young commander of a raw regi
ment so keen an appreciation of the
first military requisite, replied:
Colonel, | regret to say that we
have no such brigades. | only wish
we had. You will report for duty,
sir, to the commander of the first
brigade of this division"
The request that the young officer
had made naturally led Gen. Han
cock to keep careful watch upon
his future course, and it was not
long before he observed that in
camp ard upon parade the regiment
this young officer commanded was
a model for all the Others of his
command. So conspicuous was Its
excellence that long before the army
was again prepared for battle Joe
Hooker had predicted that it would
not be long before he would be ma
ior-general.
Through the winter the regiment
shared in the slow work of discipline
which converted the Second corp;
into a matchless engine Of war
When Colonel Beaver joined it Gen
eral Hancock was still commanding
division, General Couch was at tht
head of the corps, and the brigade
to which the One Hundred and
Forty-eighth Pennsylvania was as
signed was commanded by Genera
Cauldwell. When General Beaver
Just twenty months later, was car.
ried off the field at Ream's station
his leg shot away, a wound still
open in his side, his body SCARED
with a bullet from Charlottesville
and pierced with the shot that haC
shot him in every general action il
which he had taken part but one
General Hancock was commanding
the corps he made his own child by
the bloody baptism of the field, Gen
eral Barlow was chief of the divis
ion, and General Beaver command
ed the brigade. 1t is the habit o
European armies to make up by
significant decorations for the ranl
men miss by disabling wounds
1t is enough in a Republic to say O.
a mana colonel almost at the open
ing of the war, and mustered out
brigadier-general just before it
close-that the bullets of the enem,
were his brevets, and his own bloot
blotted the commissions longer ser
vice would have brought him.
The military companionshir
which began in this interview afte
Fredericksburg lasted through
more than two years Of active war
fare, and ended only when wounc
after wound had shattered the yonnl
colonel past all active service. Tn
personal friendship thus begun re
mains unbroken. The high opinion
of the commander OF the old secon,
corps of an officer who materially
aided him to make it famous cal
best be expressed in his own words
GOVERNORS ISLAND, n. Y,
Mdy 9h, 1882.
My DEAR SIR:
In reply to your note of the III
inst. | have to state that Genera
James A. Beaver joined the Firs
division of the Second army corp
(then commanded by me- with hi
regiment, the One Hundred an,
Forty-eighth Pennsylvania volun
teers, Just after the battle of Freder
icksburg, December, 1862, and sery
ed constantly under my comman,
in the Second corps save when al
sent from wounds received in battle
until the fall of 1864. During tha
period he was engaged in some @
the most important campaign an,
battles of the army Of the Potomac
and took a conspicuous and distin
guished part in many Of them.
/ considered him one of the mos
infre,,id infellinent and nff;nion