The National tribune., 1888-08-02

indifFerently answered that there was nothing
in particular. except that Gen. Pope had prom
ised to court-martial me. Hurlbut did not say
a word to this, and in a few minutes left. /
never met him during the war afterward, and
met him only once after the war, but had no
occasion to ask him how far he was interested
in promoting that court-martial promised me
by Pope
Looking back upon these circumstances, the
behavior of Gen. Pope toward me can be eX-
planned only in one way that he at that time
belonged to that class of individuals whose
policy was rather To cone:liate the rebels than
20 seriously fight them to treat them with
soft gloves and thus to soften their hearts, so
that they would repent of their sins and would
gently come TO our embrace and then things
would go again as smoothly and lovely as be-
fore. Ii was the beginning OF that guarding
potato patches policy that continued almost
two wears bv the commanders of Federal armies
aud their followers. that brought lukewarm
campaigns and disaster and shame TO our
armies; that was hated aud despiscd by the
majority Of cur rank aud file at the start; was
spit upon with utter contempt by the rebels
themselves, and was finally discarded by that
sound common sense Of President Lincoln, who
broke the spell by ordering those commanders
to use the stuff growing on the rebel patches
by their own soldiers instead of guarding them
for the rebels.
When cooled down felt contempt for such
military stupidity. and made up my mind that,
although being nothing but fly on the wheel,
1 should, when / could, pursue my individual
policy in accordance with common sense and
the principles of military science, for the study
of which ! devoted the best half of my life, all
iu1 IN hp h
standing. [ eandidly acknowledge that / did
not then care a straw about the threatened
court martial, and discarded it from my mind
teetotally.
ORDERED TO ST. LOUIS.
In a day or two I received an order to put
my regiment on board a steamboat at Hanni-
bal and go to st. Louis. Having invited Capt.
Happel, of the Home Guard of Palmyra, TO ac-
company me to St. Louis, with a promise to
get him arms, we marched to Hannibal, took
the boat, aud started for st. Louis. The regi-
ment was put into camp by the Arsenal, and
early next morning myself and Happel went to
the headquarters of Gen. Fremont. At that
time (the end Of july several three months
regiments were being mustered out. | found.
that Col. Richard Oglesby's (afteTward General,
Senator and Governor Of Illinois, regiment had
Springfield rifles, and was anxious to get them
for my regiment in place Of our old smooth
bores, if possible, and this was my especial pur-
/ pose TO see Gen. Fremont. Next to it had in
view the getting of arms for those Home Guard
companies. We went to the house occupied by
Gen. Fremont aud the headquarters of his De-
partment aud calling at the Office Of Gen.
! Asooth, the Chief of staff, / stated to him my
/ object. Asboth, tall, sodierly-looking Hun
4 gari3n, with tremendously long blonde mustache
/ aud pleasant, open countenance, received me
4 gontlemanly, and said that Gen. Fremont was
I just now busy, but that he would 60 and see him.
Asboth's office was downstairs on the left side
/ Of the hall from the entrance. Coming out
into the hail / looked into the Office Of the pri-
vate secretary Of Fremont, which was opposite
Asboth's Office on the other side OF the nall, and
! was surprised to see Gov. Yates sitting there.
/ approached the Governor and shook hands with
! him. After a few mutual y-eXChauged COm-
pliments, the Governor asked me, soto voice :
1 For Gods sake, what were you doing around
/ Palmyra? The people of the whole State are
alarmed, the citizens of Chicago particularly
/ so, and they have sent delegation TO ME to
find out about il, and here / am to see Gen.
Fremont particularly on this business, and on
some other things in regard to our troops be-
4 sides. How was it? What vas i5?" / told him
/ what / was doing and why. Oh, said he, " is
that all?" / said, That is all" Well" he
said, 4" it seems to me you were doing right
Some time during the afternoon was called
/ upstairs TO see Gen. Fremont. / requested
Happell to be on hand in the hall downstairs,
assembled the stairs. and was shown into the
/ Generals room. Entering the room, ! saw
Gen. Fremont standing close TO the door, lean
( ing his elbow on a desk, while at the other
end Of the room a lady was sitting, busy with
some work, whom / took TO be and who /
learned afterwards was Mrs. Fremont. The
! General wore a uniform coat buttoued up; he
looked 1.-THE and Wiry, straight and dignifed
his black hair was parted in front. and he had
a black mustache and beard trimmed short: his
features were fine and regular aud the eyes
bright, serious and penetrating. / bowed and
stood, waiting TO be spoken TO. He said Gen.
( Asb0th had said 10 him that / desired t. get
some arms 1 explained to him that, learning
that Col. OgIesby regiment, just mustered out,
was armed with Springfield rifles, was anx-
iOus 70 get them for my regiment, which was
armed with old smO0thbOFG guns, If there was
not any application made before mine The
General said he would give NE an order FOR
those rifles, sat down, wrote au order, and ris-
ing from his seat, and handing the order TO me,
he said: There are some complaints against
you; some serious charges preferred against
you" ! said: Probably there are" What
were you doing at PalmyTa" | told him
frankly how / was situated, how I looked upon
my duty, what / was doing and what l accom-.
plished during my short stay at Palmyra. He
listened attcntively, occasionally smiling al
my awkward English and when was through
he simply said That is ali right" And
those charges never saw the light afterward
Encouraged, ] told the General it was impor
tant, in my opinion, that those Home Guards o
Palmyra and Newark should be furnished witt
arms; that they could keep down the Scces
siOnists and would encourage the organization
Of more Union companies that Capt. Happel
Of the Palmyra company, came down with us
and should the arms be issued he would take
care Of them, and deliver to the Newark com
panies their share. Gen. Fremont asked wher
was the Captain, and / called Happel in. Th
General asked him q few questions, sat down
and gave him al order for 400 stands Of arms
Happel took those arms and went home rejoic
! ing.
/ TIE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REGULAR ARM
D OFFICERS.
Here was, then, d striking Illustration in tn
, two Regular Army officers, facing the ap
: preaching tumult Of the internecine war; on
combining generalship with broad statesman
q ship and intense republicanism. while Ga
other was displaying narrow martinctsm wit
q a decided PrOcllvlty 10 glayeocracy; and thes
two might have been taken as representative
T of the two elements Of the Regular Army a
o that time with this difference: that ON Iii
/, side Of Fremont there were but few, while o
the side Of Pope there were many.
e did not meet Happel afJcrward until th
d Fall Of 1853, when the Fifteenth Corps undC
a 4 sherman IN inf