Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-18
"REMINISCENCES OF HANCOCK
Gen. Pleasanton's n arrative of the Hero
OF Gettysbarg.
From tAe PllNaeIpAia ~.

~
From ire Pitlade,Dhia Press.
! WAsHINGToN, Feb. l3.-Gen. Alfred
PieasantOn, who commanded the cavalry
corps OF the Army OF the Potomac during
the greater part OF the war, and who dis
ungUished himself In the great battles OF
the civil war, was a classmate Of Gen.
Hancock at the West Point Academy. He
Is six weeks older than Hancock. 81
| can't disguise that TACT" he said to the
| Press correspondent last night, "because
! II is matter OF record at the War De-
! paftment," and pleasant smile fitted
! across the handsome face of the sOldierly
looking old gentleman as he twirled the
ends oil MS gray moustache, and tor mo-
ment seemed lost in reverie. Hancock
and myself graduated from West Point in
tne class Of ~" the Gen
smallest boys in the class, having
each Of us entered the academy at the age
OF l0. IL Ii curious thing IN the ritf-rad
OF lie, where there are so many sudden
changes, TO think in the light Of mere re-
| cent events that Gen. Hancock should be
indebted for his first substantial promo
ton to Jefferson Davis, who, at the time,
was Secretary Of War. In the fall of 1896
/ was AdJutant to Gen. Harvey IN the
Sioux eXpeuition, and he brought me with
MN to washington. Mr.. DAVIS wished
gen. Harvey To 70 10 Florida that winter
10 clean uut the Seminole Indians and re-
! move them tu the Indian Territory. Con.
gress had passed law creating
! four new regiments, two OF infan-
/ try and two OF cavalry, and the
/ Secretary OF War was organizing
them. one day when Gen. Harvey and nv
self were in the Secretary's Office he said
that he had been 0Yerrun with applica-
lions Tor positions in those regiments. He
desired to make them efficient as
soon as possible, and he believed that the
young officers Of the army had best be
promoted. He requested Gen. Harvey
to make out list for him OF the most
available men for appointment. Harvey
said that he knew the Secretary was in
earnest, and be asked m to make out the
list, as | was well acquainted with the
merits OF the young officers. | accord
ingly made out a list OF seventeen or
eighteen men to command these regiments,
including among them Lieut.. Hancock.
Gen. Harvey gave the list to Mr.. Davis,
and all were appointed, with the single
exception Of Hancock.
a. observed this omission and spoke of
1t to Gen. Harvey, saying chat | could see
no other reason than that Hancock's
name was Winfield Scott, a gentleman for
whom Mr.. Davis had no admiration, but
subsequent events showed that
was entirely mis- AIKEN. Shortly
after the appointments were an.
nounced received telegram
from Hancock, telling me that a certain
Captain in the Quartz rm aster's Depart
ment was dead, and asking il ne could
not be appointed to the vacancy. called
Gen. Harney's attention to the dispatch,
and he asked Mr.. Davis to give Hancock
the place. Mr.. Davis willingly granted
the request, and after HancOck's promo
lion, upon his own request, he was as
signed to duty with Harvey Ia Florida.
He J ined us at Fort Myers, on the Calico
sahatchie river, and did service there as
qua teFmaster during tue expedition
You were at gettysburg with Han.
cock Gen. PleasantonY' said a corre-
spondent. "Were you near him when be
was wOuuded?
II was about 100 yards Distant" re-
piled the General. Before the fighting
began l was at Gen. Meade's head.
quarters and Gen. Hancock rode over
TO invite us to partake of lunch.
He had placed a table in the
open field and upon it was cold chicken,
ham, army cheese. sandwiches and other
cold victuals that were mighty tempting.
Meade. Humphries, Hancock ana six or
eight other officers attacked the lunch.
and had jast about finished when the
en- my opened the fight with three guns.
Gentlemen. mount and go to your
stations exclaimed Gen. Meade. We
started for our horses, and no sooner had
we moved away from the table than it
was surrounded by a crowd of hungry
stragglers, who began to devour the rem
nants OF the repsst. 1 jumped upon my
horse and had not gone 80 yards before the
enemy let drive about 100 guns. | heard
the explosion of a she'll behind me, and,
looking back, saw flying in the air an in
discriminate mass of sandwiches, cheese,
crackers and straggers all mixed up to-
gether. A SHELL had exploded right on
the table from which moment before we
had been eating. and ii that battle had
been opened with 1850 guns, instead of
three guns, the Army of the Potomac
would have been deprived of the services
OF greater number of general officers
than il could we'll have spared0