Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-04
THE START AND FINISH.
MEMORIES OF MEN WHO HAVE WON
THEIR WAY TO FAME.
"Col.'' Frank Blair - John A. Logan
Lying Wounded ON Cot-Granrs
Move Against Columbus
Soft-Handed Captain.

Soft-Handed Captain.
Contemporary history biography, and
war "reminiscences are ablaze with the
decorations of titled officers and high-sound-
ing with the names of brigadier generals,
ma jor generals, lieutenant generals, generals,
commodores, and the like without end
Rea,iing these accounts, my memory brings
back tine earlier days of the war, when
many of these men occupied insignificant
rank, who were then scarcely at all known,
and concerning whose future no one, not
even the most enthusiastic and hopeful of
the persons principally interested, had
suspicion that it would ever bring any re-
wards OF magnitude.
The first person of this class whom / met
after the breaking out of the war was Frank
Blair, then colonel OF Missouri regiment
1t was at Boonville, No., in July, 1851, just
after the little army under Lyon had met
and defeated a Confederate force. Blair was
then known as a politician. He was tall,
slender, with fresh, ford face, reddish
hair, freckled cheeks, and most engaging
manners. He seemed to lie gentleman OF
elegant bearing, suave, polite, and with an
air as if born to command. l fancied then
that he was one who was calculated by his
ensemble to command men, and prophesied
for him future of the greatest brilliancy.
LYING WOUNDED ON cor.
Coming down TO Cairo after the battle of
Fort Donelson heard that there was a
wounded officer in the after cabin, where
upon with true devotion to my journalistic
duties, l went back to get some facts An
orderly entered the cabin at the same time,
| and followed him as he went up to a cot
which was spread in the center of the con-
fined space. A human form was outlined
under the bed-clothiEg, which was being
twisted as if the form beneath were with
ing in vigorous manner. At the same
time, from the further end of the bed,
| where the head of the form might be sup
posed to be, there were issuing lcng-drawn
! calculations which seemed to be the out
come in part of pain and in part of impa-
thence The orderly walked up to the head
of the bed, and SO did L; swart, pallid
face, shock of long hair of raven hue,
heavy, coaLbIack mustache, and pair of
fierce, blazing eyes suddenly came into
view The eyes took me in for a moment
with an expression of anger. and then
harsh voice grovsled: Jim, d-n You, don't
| yca make a spectacle of mel" This was my
| first glimpse of Gen. John A. Logan.
| In january, 1862, went TO Cairo. The
place was slough without limits, and the
| human element that wiggled in the mud
| hole were bad lot. The regiments were
mostly of newly enlisted men, discipline had
no existence, whisky supplied the place OF
water, and nearly everybody was drunk,
getting drunk, or getting over a drunk.
Soon after my arrival body of troops
commenced rossins the Ohio river, and the
report went forth that it was a move against
Columbu. / could obtain no horse, and
accompanied the columns on foot The
weather was damp and nippingly cold, the
mud deep, and the route, which was mainly
through timbered country, was Distracted
by bogs and fallen trees.
HE GAZED STRAIGHT AHEAD.
struggled on through the mire, and un-
der the dripping branch $, till about 3 in the
afternoon, when suddenly there was lively
connection a short distance TO the front. /
saw mounted force approaching on a full
galiop. The leader was n short, th!ck-set
man, slightly bent in the shoulders, with a
reddish, closetrimmei beard, tight set lips,
with eyes that were apparently without ex-
preston He gazed straight ahead into
vacancy as if he were in a dream, and rs he
rushed by splashed gallons of mud from his
horses feet all over me from hat TO hert
The leader with the trancc-like expression.
the firIn-set lips, and LOOK fixed irtcnt!y
upon nothing Gen. Grant. Ii was my
first view Of the maR who afterward rose t.
the leadership OF the armies OF the repuhlie.
His return was the signal for couatc.
march.
Many time and oft after that period
when the future general of the natona!
armies covered ne with Kentucky mud l
saw him. Never during the long period
when met him almost every dry ami
night did he in the least vary from the mys-
terious, distracted trance-iikc apparition
that dashed out from the murky depths OF
the timber and then disappeared. He YVES
always wrapped up in himself. When lie
rode through the lines he gazei stoliGly IN
tie front, looking neither to the right nor
left, and seemingly paying no more atten-
ton 10 the regiments he was passing than If
they were n thousand miles away. The
soldiers would look at him curious!y, nver
getting a suggestion from the iinmobiie
fsce, the inscrufable features
soFT-HANDED AND TENDEE-roorED.
Tie First Iowa infantry was cornposed of
thre-month's men. Tn, captain o! tie
governors lrlys, Company !, was a tail,
slender young man from Dubuque, with a
refined face, elegant manners, and the air
and breeding OF a gentleman He had not
been bred to physical toll of any kind, but
was soft-handei and tender-footd a
woman when he started out as n soldier.
During the march under the broiiing July
and August sun OF 1861 across Missouri 10
Springfield he WAS always at his post OF
duty, and was one of the most indefadgable
and uItiring men in his company. tie
seemed possessed of some charm against
being soiied by dirt; when every other man
on march would be disguised with dust
and perspiration he was a, clean as if he
had just emerged frlm a Turkish bath, with
immaculate linen, his hair brushed, AID his
uniform without a stain. Less than two
years later l met him during the seiye OF
Vicksburg. He was then Maj. Gen Heron,
and was in command of the division holding |
the extreme left of the Federal line Of in |
yestinent.
There was a little, sickly chap whom met |
during the Fremont campaign in Missouri, |
who was a major in an Iowa regiment, OF |
which John A Mcdowell, brother Of the |
famous general, was colonel The major |
was most discontentei man; he was dis |
satisfied with his position, his prospects, |
with life in general Not long after | met |
him at Barnum's hotel, in s.. Louis; he was |
sick and on his way home to Burlington, as |
| thought to die. l accompanied him part |
OF the way, and when / left him h. was ai'- |
parently puny, so frail, 80 i'll that never |
expected to see him again. He became
major general in due season, ard Was tho !
John NJ. Corse who defended Al.atoola, |
saved Sherman from annihilation, and per |
formed feat whose desperation, genius, |
heroic courage, and persistence never found |
q superior, if it did an equal, during ths |
civil war.-Poliuto in Chicago Tines.
Says the Preacher to the Teacher.
The Rev. Edward Everett Hale turned |
very neat point in a very neat manner the
other day at meeting Of the Schoolmasters' |
club in Boston. He reported a teacher ms
saying To him Just before the meeting /