The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-03-10

spring into conspicuous ana Dr1l13nt success
dent Of College, state Senator Of Ohio, VA
jor-General Of the Army of the United States
and Representative Elect to the Nationa
90 elevated. within q period 90 brief and to
man SO Young t. without precedent or parable
I, in the history of the country.
Gasids s a tbeS nch as nc Se a,
Hastily gained from books in the few months
preceding his march to the field. He knew
Just enough of military science, as ne ex
pressed it himself to measure the extent o
his ignorance. Major General Buell.. com
handing the Department of the Ohio, an ex
perienced and able soldier of the regular
gratnlation on the brilliant result of the Bis
Sandy campaign, which would have turned
the head of q less cool and sensible man than
Garfield. Buell. declared that his services hat
called into action the highest qualities of {
/, soldier, and President Lincoln supplemented
these words of praise by the more substantial
| reward of brigadier, generals commission
tory over Marshall. The subsequent military
| career of Garfield fully sustained its brilliant
beginning. With his new commission he wa:
Army of the Ohio, and took part in the SECOND
| and decisive days fight in the great battle o.
Shiloh. The remainder of the year 1862 was
not especially eventfpi to GARFIELD; as It wa
| His practical sense wascalled into exercise In
completing the task assigned him by General
jRuel, of constructing bridges and re.estab'
fishing lines of railroad communication fol
| the army his occupation in this useful but not
brilliant field was varied by service on court
martials of Importance, in which department
tracing the notice and securing the approval
| Of the able and eminent Judge Advocate
General of The army.
Early in 1853 Garfield was assigned to the
highly important and responsible post oil
! Chief of staff to Gen. ROsecrans, then at the
head of the Army Of the Cumberland. Per-
| haps in great military campaign no subor.
quicker knowledge of men than the chief Of
| staff to the commanding general. An tndis-
Greet man in such position can SOW more
discord, breed more jealousy and disseminate
| more strife than any other officer in the en-
tire organization. When Gen. Garfield as
| sumed his new duties he found various
troubles already well developed and serious
Army of the Cumberland. The energy, the
impartiality and. the tact with which he
sought to allay these disSenSiOns and to dis
charge the duties of his new and irving posi-
ton, will always remain one of the most strik-
ing proofs OF his great versatility. His militia.
nv duties closed on the memorable field OF
Chfckamauga, field which, however diSas-
trous to the Union arms, gave to him the 0c-
casiOn of winning imperi>hable laurels. The
very rare distictiOn was accorded to him of a
great promotion for his bravery on a field
that was lost. President Lincoln appointed
him Major. General In the army of the United
States for gallant and meritOriOus coduct in
the battle of Chickamauga. The Army OF the
Cumberland was recognized under the com:
Rand of Gen. Thomas, who promptly offered
Garfield one of its divisions. He was extreme
ly DESTROYS to accept the position, but was
embarrassed by the tact that he had year
before been elected to Congress, and the time
when he must take his seat was drawing near.
He preferred to remain in the military service
and had within his own breast the largest
confidence of success in the wider field which
his new rank opened up to him. Balancing
the arguments on the one side and the other,
anxious to determine what was for the best,
DESTROYS above all things to do his patriotic
advice of President Lincoln and Secretary
Stanton. beth of whom assured him that he
would at that time be of especial value in the
House OF Representatives. He resigned his
commission of Major General on the 9Th day
of December, 1868, and took his seat in the
House of Representatives on the It'll. He had
served two years and four months IN the ar
my, and had just completed his sd year.
The Thirty eighth Congress is pre-eminent
ly entitled in history to the designation of
the War Congress. 1t was elected while war
was fragrant, and every member was chosen
Of the The TbrtV seventh Congs
had, indeed, legislated to a large extent Oh
war measures, but it was chosen before any
one believed that secession of the States
would be actually attempted. The magnitude
of the work which fell upon its successor was
unprecedented, both in respect to the vast
sums of money raised for the support OF the
binary powers of legislation which it was
forced to exercise. Only twenty -four States
were represented, and ls2 members were up
on its roll. Among these were many distin-
9uiShed party leaders on both sides veterans
in the public service, with established reputa
tons for ability, and with that skill which
comes only from parliamentary experience.
Into this assemblage of men Garfield entered
without special preparation, and it might al
most be said, unexpectedly. The question of
taking command of a division of troops I'M
der Cen Thomas or taking ms seat IN Con.
late indeed, that the resignation of his mill
tary commission and his appearance in the
House were almost cOtempOraneOuS. He
wore the uniform of a MajOr-General of the
United States army on Saturday, and on Mon
day in civilians dress he answered to the
roll call as Representative in Congress from
test of a mans ability in any department of
public life moro severe than service in the
House OF Representatives. There is no place
previously acquired or to eminence when
outside. No place where SO little cnnsidera-
ton is shown for the feelings at the failure of
beginners. What man gains in the House
and if he loses and falls back, he must expect
no mercy and will receive no sympathy. 1t is
field in which the survival OF the strongest
is the rule, and where no pretenSe can de-
serve and no glamor mislead The real man
is discovered. His worth is impartially
weighed; his rank is irreversibly decided.
W1tu POSSIBLY d SlHSic cACcptiOh, udTuciu
was the youngest member in the House when
| he entered and was bnt seven years from his
college graduation. But he had not been in
| his seat sixty days before his ability was rec
ogniZed and his place conceded. He stepped
| to the front with the confidence of one who
| belonged there. The House was crowded with
strong men of both parties. Nineteen OF
| them have since been transferred to the Sen
ate and many of them have served with dis
| tinction in the gubernatOriai chairs of their
respective States and on foreign missions OF
| grew so rapidly, so firmly, as Garfield.
As said by Trevelyan OF his parliamentary
hero, Garfield succeeded because all the
| world in concert could NOT have kept him in
the back ground, and because when in the
! front he played his part with prompt in
| trepidity and commanding ease that were but
the outward symptoms of the immense re.
serves of energy on which 1t was in his pow
| er to draw. Indeed, the apparently reserved
| force which Garfield possessed was one OF his
great characteristics. He never did 30 well
| but that it seemed he could easily have done
/ better. He never expended so much strength
| power at call. This is one of the happiest and
rarest distinctions of an effective debater
| and often count for as much in persuading an
! assembly as the eloquent and elaborate argu-
| fhent. The great measure of Garfield 8 fame
| was filled by his service in the House of Rep.
| resentatives. His military life, illustrated by
honorable performance and rich in pro mise
was, as he himself felt, prematurely terminus
| ted and necessarily incomplete. Speculation
as to what he might have done in q field
where the great prizes are 80 few can not be
soldier he did his duty bravely, he did it. in
| toII;ooutlv no u,on an onyiAhla name. and he