The National tribune., 1886-02-18

| feat much to heart, after he recovered from
the first chagrin and disappointment. No
doubt he would have been glad to be President
who of us wculdn't?-but think it was a
relief to him to get out of the worry of the
campaign and the grip of the politicians, aud go
back to his quiet life on Governors Island"
HE NEVER COMPLAINED BUT ONCE.
Said Col. John G. Parke, Corps of Engineers,
| and Major General of volunteers during the
t war: "Gen. Hancock was one of the most
! obedient soldiers l ever knew. He evidently
! learned well at West Point this first duty of a
| soldier and practiced it during the whole of
his long military career In whatever capacity
! he served he never questioned an order from a
superior officer. No matter how difficult or
| dangerous the task imposed his only thought
was to obey. Few commanders had better sue
cess in accomplishing the desired end, and
when he failed it was not for lack of the utmost
effort The only time l ever knew him to COM
! plain was while he was in command at New
Orleans, during the troubles there soon after
| the war. He issued some order-I do not re-
call what it was-that President Grant revoked.
| Gen. Hancock believed he was right. ana the
censure implied by the action of the President
keenly touched his official honor and dignity"
KIND WORDS FROM GEN. DENT.
! "Gen Hancock was the greatest Of all corps
| commanders" said Gen. Frederick T. Dent.
He was brave gallant and effective, and
|
well. Just at the close Of the Mexican war he
| was stationed in st. Louis j was then living
| there. One day soon after his arrival we were
| walking down the street together and | re-
marked to him that Miss Russell resided in the
| house we were passing and he ought to meet
| her, as she gave some fine recitatonS. He re-
! marked that he would be delighted to do so,
and suggested that we call Immediately. We did
so. We were ushered into the front parlor and
| she was sitting in the back parlOr at the piano
| She saw me, and, recognizing me, came forward
| | presented her to the young and handsome
| officer l noticed at the time that they were
both pleased with each other. 1t was in my
| opinion genuine case of love at first sight.
The acquaintance ripened into close friendship
and marriage. 1t has been most happy union"
PRAISE FROM. GEN SHERMAN.
A dispatch from ST. Louis says that Gen. W.
L. Sherman was surprised and deeply grieved
at the news of Gen Hancock's DEATH He said: :
My God it seems impossible. Only the other
day received letter from Gen. Hancock tell
ing me that he was in his usual health and
spirits l contemplated a trip to New York in
the near future, and the burden of our CORE
spondence was in relation to that visit. had
counted on spending many happy days with
Gen. Hancock. He was as close friend as |
had in the world, and cur relations during the
war and ever after it have been most cordial
and pleasant. We never in our long acquaint-
Il
| served in the West and South and be in the
East, during all the war we communicated with
each other, and ever since we have continued
close friends Recently we have been in almost
daily correspondence with each other, and
week seldom passed without the exchange of
letter. Look, here is bundle of letters have
received from Gen. Hancock in the past few
months" and here the General exhibited
package of correspondence.
General, would You be willing to give your
estimate OF Gen. Hancock as a s0ldier?"
1t would hardly be fair to others to give it.
l regard Hancock as one of the greatest SOL
dies in history. In my mind he was always
knight-a large man, with a great, large fore
head and most commanding presence. | know
of no General in all the war who in the saddle
and before his troops presented more magnifi-
cent appearance than Gen. Hancock and, then,
he was man of great brain power and huge
resources AS a military commander he had in
his lifetime few, if any, superiors."
FROM GEN. sCHoFIELD.
Gen. Schofied, at Chicago, was deeply af-
fected. "The friendship that existed between
US, he said, " was the warmest that have ever
contracted. He was about eight years my SEN
ior, which fact prevented US from being edu-
Gated together The secret of his success was
III the personal magnetism of the man, which,
breaking out as it did in moments of necessity
electrified the troops and rendered them sub
servient to his slightest wish. / never knew
anyone who made friends so rapidly or who re-
tanned friendship with so little effort. As SOL
dier nothing too warm can be said of him.
Calm, cool, and possessed of that nerve which
enables a man to keep clear headed under the
most thrillingly trying circumstances, he was
eminently fitted for leader"
HIS QUIET LIFE.
The social relations of Gen Hancock with his
subordnates on Governors Island were excep-
tionally afectionate. The General had lived
very quiet of late attending TO little else than
his official duties. His last public appearance
was at the head of the procession which followed
the remains Of Gen. Grant to Riverside Park.
Few who looked on the gallant officer that day
could have believed that in a few short months
he, too would have completed the journey to his
long home. Gen. Hancock went to Philadelphia
on the goth of last month and attended meet
ing of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion
of Honor. While there he also dined with the
Glover Club. He attended meeting in the lat
ter part of January of George Washington Post.
GAR, New York. His visit to Washington
was on private business but while here he
called on the President, the Secretary of War,
and on Gen. Sheridan. Mrs. Hancock had been
making preparations for several weeks previ-
Gus to the Generals illness to go to Florida with
the wife of Lieut.. Eugene Griffin, her niece.
They were to have left the city week ago
yesterday, but the trip was finally abandoned.
THE GENERALS OLD sCHooLMAsTER.
Gen. Hancock's old schoolmaster, Eliphat
Roberts, lives in Philadelphia. When informed
of the death of his former pupil, he completely
broke down. He is very feeble and is 80 years
old. In speaking of the Generals schooboy
days he said: "He entered my school in |
Norristown when he was seven years old and
stayed with me seven years. He was born |
commander, and before he had been at the |
school six weeks he had organized military
company" The Generals affection for the old |
gentleman was known among his intimate |
friends, and he always spoke of him as "my
schoomaster, who saved me from being whipped
in fight by picking me up and carrying me
into the schoolhouse." The General always |
called upon his old tutor when in Philadelphia |
and last March went to Washington and got his |
daughter a position i'll the Mint.
HANCOCK's TWIN BROTHER
A dispatch from Minneapolis, Mimi, says:
"The first information of Gen. Hancocll's |
death received here came in the shape of |
dispatch to his twin brother, Ii. b. Hancock, |
of this city. at 3 o'clock. The news spread like |
widfire. The brother now residing in Mime
apolis came here in 1855, and has remained |
ever since practicing law. He also has looked |
after extensive landed interests which his |
deceased brother acquired several years ago.
The news Of the Generals death came to Mr..
Hancock here entirely unexpectedly, as no ,
report of his illness had been sent out.
HIS POLITICAL DEFEAT.
1t is related that at midnight of the day of |