The National tribune., 1886-02-18
TRIBUTES AND "REMINISCENCES.
WHAT GEN. RosEcRANs SAID.

TRIBUTES AND "REMINISCENCES.
WHAT GEN. RoSECRANs SAID.
eyes, | knew Gen. Hancock we'll when he
was a Cadet at West Point" said Gen. w. S.
| Rosecrans to representative of The NATIONAL
! TRIBUNE. "The papers were wrong, however,
| in saying that we were classmates. | graduated
! in AZ and Hancock in n. / was serving as
| assistant instructor in civil and military
engineering, and he was one of my pupils
| during his last two years at the Academy. 1t
was in this capacity that / was associated
! with him. You know there is a good deal of
exClusiveness among the different classes at
West Point; at least there was at that time, and
/ presume it is very much the same now. The
higher classes did not mingle with the lower
ones except as they might be thrown together
while on duty. So, you see Hancock being
two years behind me, | knew little of him un-
til / became his teacher.
i remember him distinctly rs fair haired
blue-eyed. bright boy-the youngest, l think
in his class. He was always good -natured and
we'll behaved, and WAS popular with every body
He was full of fun, but he had kind heart,
and l do not think he ever INDUCED in practical
jokes at the expense of others, as SO many did.
In his studies he was among the best, and yet
not brilliant. He always seemed to TAX things
sort of easy, and did not have TO work as hard
as most of the boys did to attain equal prof.
cheney. i remember he WAS
good in blackboard drawing. There was no
one in the class who could equal him in this.
By the way, Hancock was of Quaker family.
You know the Quakcrs don't believe in war;
and all his friends were dead against his adopt
ing the military profession. l have been told
that they made every effort to dissuadc him
from going to West Point and that his father
even threatened to disnherit him. But he was
a born soldier, and nothing could turn him
from his choice.
1T seems strange to think of it now, but it
is fact that from the time Hancock gradu-
ated, in IA, we did not even see each other again
until lSSf-forty years Our posts of duty
were widely separated. In 1854 / resigned
from the army, and from that time till the war
broke out / lived in Cincinnati, and was en-
gagged in civil engineering. / entered the
army again in 1861, but nay service was entirely
in the West and his in the East so that we
never once met. About a year ana a half ago l
was in New York on business and Gen. Han
cock came to my hotel TO see me. Our meeting.
after so long time, was exceedingly cordial
and pleasant. | saw in him as q man and a
veteran soldier many of the characteristics that
marked him as boy at the Academy-the same
gentleness of heart and kindly courtesy. /
thought him one of the fneSt-looking men /
had ever seen. | only met him once afterward,
and that was when | was member of the Con-
gressional committee to visit West Point Gen.
lIdHCOEh WAS tiIcTC lOT tnO Of tHIet udyS, ana l.
greatly enjoyed his pleasant and genial conf
panionship. He was my ideal of soldier and
a gentleman.
while l am talking about West Point I
would like to say a word about the feeling that
existed between the Regular and volunteer
officers during the late war. We heard good
deal then, and do yet about the jealousy of the
West Pointers toward those who entered the
army from civil life and rose by merit to high
commands. Now, in my opinion this is largely
imaginary. There's good deal of nonsense
about it. I'm sure | never had any such feel
ing, nor did | ever see any of it worth mention
ing. Of course, there is a bond Of fellowship
between the graduates Of West Point, just the
same as there is between the alumni of any III
stitution of learning This is only natural and
/ do not believe it goes any further than that.
1t is no doubt true that as between Regular
and an untried volunteer officer, other things
being equal, there might be preference for the
former, by reason of his military education;
but whenever a volunteer officer proved under
fire his courage and his ability to command, he
was treated with just as much respect and con-
sideration as any West Pointer of equal grade. l
do not say there were not individual eXcep-
tions, but i believe | am right in declaring that
this was the almost universal feeling among the
Regular officers"
GEN. NEWToN's TRIBUTE.
II think Hancock, when he was a Cadet,
was the handsomest boy ever saw" said Gen.
John Newton, Chief Of Engineers awe were
at West Point together, although he was two
years behind me, and did not become inti-
mately acquainted with him during our Acad-
emy days During the early part of the war
we commanded brigades in the same division.
Although in this relation we were together in
several severe engagements / was never in his
immediate presence under fire, as each of US
was absorbed in the duties of his own COM
d. .I.oL a..
cock was. He knew no fear when duty called.
His very presence was an inspiration to his
men. When Richardson was killed at Antietam
Hancock succeeded to the command of his di-
vision, and was subsequently placed at the
head Of the Second Corps, in which position he
made such splendid record during the last
two years of the war. After Gettysburg We
drifted apart. l was sent West to command
the Second Division of the Fourth Corps in
Sherman's army, and was not again associated
with Gen. Hancock.
"He was in all respects model soldier His
military genius cannot be questioned and his
personal courage could not be surpassed. l do
not know whether he ever aspired to the COM
mand Of the Army of the Potomac. That posi-
tion carried with it responsibility that few
men would voluntarily seek. But / believe
that if it had been placed upon him he would
not have shrunk from it, and | believe he would
have led that army successfully. have always
Decn sorry tnaL heynoldS Qln not accept tnc
chief command after Charlottesville. | be-
leve it was offered him, but he declined it,
and fell while leading the First Corps at Get
tysburg. He was another grand soldier
while j was on duty experimenting the
engineering operations in New York harbor, a
few years ago, my relations with Gen. Hancock
were pleasant in the highest degree. l shall
always remember them with satisfaction. i
used to visit him Oh Governors Island, and he
often came over to see how we were getting
along with our job. He seemed to take great
interest III the work, and while not assuming
to interfere or dictate in any way, he fire.
quently aided me by suggestions offered in the
kindcst way. l came TO love and esteem him
beyond the power of words to express.
u remember that went over to call upon
him a day or two after the Presidential elec-
tion of 1880, when it was known that he had
been defeated. He met me very pleasantly, |
but could see that he was-well disgusted-
guess that's about the right word. suppose |
any of us would have felt about that way. He !
did not have much to say about it, but / think |
he felt that he had been betrayed by some Of !