Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-23
THE NEW COMMANDER.
General B. IL. Grierson Arrives In
the Oily.

the Crty.
Last night HERALD reporter dropped
into the Westminster hotel, and found en-
the register in wonderfully firm clear and
symmetrical hand, the legend, General
B. H, Grierson, U. S. Army" Twigging
in this the arrival OF the gentleman who
takes General Nelson A. Miles place in
Los Angeles, the news-hunter asked
where the new arrival might be found,
and being told that General Grierson had
but moment before gone to his room, a
card was sent up, to which the Gen
eral kindly responded by an invitation
to come up stairs. Arriving at the door,
the reporter was greeted in avery affable
| manner by the General. A rapid
glance, while exchanging courtisies, re-
vealed in,General Grierson, a man fper-
haps five feet ten inches, rather slight of
frame, with the frosts of about 55 years
besprinkling a crop OF hair still far from
thin. and full beard, innocent of the
touch OF razor for many years.
This hirsute adornment is
worn medium length, and while
the General evidently does not figure in
any respect in the role of a dude as a
man, or look at all like carpet knight as
a soldier, still his beard is carefully
attended to. The same is generally true
of every thing connected with his per-
sonal appearance.
General Grierson arrived in this city
yesterday, coming on rather hastily from
his post at Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the
hope of finding General Miles here. In
this he was sadly disappointed, for
the old Department Commander had
left the day before for San Francisco,
where he was unexpectedly summoned
10 take command of his new department
| This unwonted haste was caused by a
sudden determination on the part Of
| General o. o. Howard to go East as soon
as he could. General Miles will proba-
bly, take command at the Presidio to-day
and telegraph at once to General Grierson,
| who will then assume command in Los
Angeles.
The new commander is not a stranger
in this State. He has visited California
several times, once no further back than
| 1SS5-three years ago. He is also well
versed in the affairs of his Department,
as he has been for two years in command
OF the District OF New Mexico. which is
part of the Department to the command
of which he has been promoted. 1t in
cludes Southern California, Arizona
and New Mexico. The General
has also had much valuable
experience in the management OF the
Indians, as he has had Immediate
charge of the Navajos since his being
stationed at Santa Fe, and as he has
been on the frontier since the close of
the war. General Grierson in conversa-
ton last night was kind enough to ex-
press unstinted pleasure at the prospect
OF spending some time in Los Angeles.
He admires the city and the surrounding
country greatly, and is deeply impressed
with the great possibilities before this
section.
AS to where he and his staff are
to be quartered after the close of this
year, he pleads truly too recent interest
in the matter to be fully informed. He
likes the present quarters very much.
1t costs the Government only $500 rental,
which is certainly cheap enough. 1t
ought to be secured again for the use of
the General and his staff. No doubt it
will be so unless perchance its owner
may wish to improve it.
General Girerson is widower,
having unfortunately lost the companion
OF a long lifetime very recently
He has four grown up sons, one of whom
is following in the footsteps of his father,
being a Lieutenant in the army, another
is in college at Washington and the
youngest, who is nineteen, is similarly
engaged at Santa Fe.
General Grierson was born at Pitts
burg, Pa, July, 1887. He removed with
1,y5 4 &c ,,lr o. j
subsequently to Jacksonville, III. Early
in the Civil War he was appointed on
the staff of General Ben Prentiss,
with the rank of Major, and was pro-
NOTED 10 the colonelcy of the
Sixth Illinois Cavalry. then Brigadier.
General of Volunteers in 1868, and Major
General in 1865. His services rs
cavalry leader we're conspicuous, and as
such he conducted many important and
successful raids and operations, among
which was his memorable cavalry raid
into the heart of the Confederacy in
1868. With three regiments of cavalry
and q battery of artillery he started
south from La Grange, Tenn, on April
II, 1868, riding in the rear of all the Con-
federate forces opposing General Grant
down TO Baton Rouge, destroying rail-
ROADS, burning depots, cars, bridges and
large quantities of arms and war ma
terial, and in sixteen days he rode over
900 miles, sometimes making forced
marches of orty-eight hours
| He sent detachments to the right and
left to destroy telegraphs, manufactures
and magazines. On the fifth day after
their departure his men rode eight miles
through swamp in which the water
was from three to four feet deep. Twenty
horses were drowned. During the last
thirty hours they marched eighty miles.
fought two skirmishes, swan river,
destroyed Confederate camp and cap
tured several prisoners. They were now
altogether without food. On reaching
Baton Rouge, so completely were the
men worn out that it is said hree-fourths
of the command were asleep in their
saddles. They had effectually accom-
plished their purpose for the time in cut
ting off communication between Vicks-
burg and the East.
TOOK LAUDANUM.
DIR. GrittiDger EndeavOrs to Take