St. Paul daily globe., 1888-03-15
HANCOCK DEFENDED.
Senator ingalls, Called to
Time by an Old
Soldier.
A Remarkable Eulogy on the
Memory Of the Dead
General.
Wisconsin Republicans Gath
ering to Form a State
League.
Various Bits Of Political Cos
sip From Different
Sources.

Special to the Globe.
NNw YORK, March 14.-Col. Finley
Anderson, who was on Gen. Han
cocks staff during the civil war,
has addressed the following open letter
to Senator Ingalls, at Washington:
New York, March 12, 1SSS.-Hon.
John J. ingalls,, President Pro TEN.
United States Senate, Washington, D..
C.-Sir: have just received copy of
the Congressional Record containing
the official report of your recent speech,
in which you not only insult the chief
magistrate of the nation, but attempt
to dishonor the memory of both Han
cock and Mcclellan by naming each of
them as having been an 'ally'' of the
Confederacy. As surviving member
of Gen. Uancock'S staff, who shared
with him in the tolls and the triumphS
of the civil war, and as friend whom
he honored with his confidence and
affection to the end Of his blamelesS life,
/ cannot bear in silence your brutal
blow at my old commander, | must,
therefore, as soldier and a citizen,
protest against any utterance that i'm
plies an impeachment of his loyalty to
his country. When the summer flowers
bloom again on the grave Of
THE HEROIC DEAD,
a quarter of Centgry will have passed
since the battlefield Of Gettysburg be-
came the arena where the valor of the
North and South alike illustrated the
greatness of the American people and
commanded the admiration of the world.
The name of that peaceful Pennsylva-
mia village, baptized anew with their
mingled blood, was thus made immortal
as the symbol of national power equal
to any on earth. The crOWning victory
of that combat has proved under Provi-
dence, as clearly as though we had hea d
the voice of God Himself, that the e
principles of liberty and law and frs
ternity and union i'll earnest devotion
to which Hancock lived and died are
essential to the welfare of mankind.
To this result, the highest human
achievement of this century, Hancock
contributed more than any other soldier
i'll the field When Reynolds fell Oh the
morning of the first day, it was Hancock
whom Meade selected to the supreme
command in front, with power to choose
the ground where the great battle of
the war should be fought out.
IT WAS HANCOCK
who planted his colorS OH emetery
Ridge, where he rallied or diSordered
troops and formed the lines on those
historic heights beyond which the rising
tide of the rebellion never passed. 1t
was Hancock who turned impending
counter-charge which saved the honor
nf nf
the second day, il was Hancock who
repulsed that grand assault, the most
brilliant in the annals of the war, when
the flower of the army of North Vir-
ginia Withered and died before the fort
itude of the army of the Potomac in the
final struggle of the third day. 1t was
thus that Hancock won at Gettysburg a
triple crown of glory. Naturally
enough both houses Of congress adopted
a Joint resolution to the effect that, in
addition to the thanks which had been
voted to the officers and soldiers of the
army the Potomac ''for the skill and
heroic valor which at Gettysburg re-
pulsed, defeated and drove back, broken
and diSpirited, the veteran army of the
rebellion, the
GRATITUDE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
and the thanks of their representatives
in congress are likewise due and are
hereby rendered to MaJ. Gen. W. S.
Hancock for his gallant, meritrious and
conspicuous share in that great and de-
cisive victory" In view of Hancock's
constant conspicuous service to his
country for more than forty years, sealed
as that service was by his own blood,
and in view Of the proverbial purity of
his character, it is amazing how any man
could rise in the senate chamber to de-
fame his memory. But, having had the
audacity to do so, the least that you can
now doin reparation of this cruel wrong,
alike to Hancock's memory and the
patriotic sentiment of the country, is to
rise again in the senate chamber and
make a full retraction and apology.
Respectfully yours,
FINLEY ANDERSON.