The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-10-19
BALD RDASH! !.
The Story Of an Alleged
"Spur and Ride"
General Beatty Reviews n3 Facts in
The Case,
And Shows That ut Best 1t Was Out
side the Danger, Line.
iRB t.
Heroes Who Would EIavo No Chance
of Appointment Jndor Foraker.

And it happened again, when Gen
eral Joe Johnston gathered the Confed-
crate armies for last struggle. and fell
upon Sherman's left wing in North Car
olina, and General Slocum needed help
after the bloody struggle at Averysboro,
that CAPTAIN Foraker was sent in the
night on the best horse to be found,
with orders not to spare him. but to give
him the spur and ride to Sherman to tell
him how serious was the struggle. of
which he was advised by the muttering
of the artillery and the dull roar of the
distant muskctry during the evening.
A long swift gallop in the night, through
obscure and gloomy roads, brought the
young Captain, with his momentous
message, into the presence of the COM
manding General. who called for John
Logan" who ordered llazcn's division
to the rescue, and Foraker piloted the
column. Il % In squirting his thor
oughbred in hot haste to headquarters
from the wing of the army that had been
hit hard and was fighting heavily des-
perate enemy delivering his last de-
spciling stroke in the last battle of the
war, Captain Foraker displayed the same
heroic temper and gallant qualities, that
distinguished him as Governor of Ohio,
and called forth from General sherman
last week such extraordinary and com
manding compliments. ."-Commercial
Gazette.
Slocum did net need or call for any
help at Averysboro and neither Captain
Foraker nor any one else was sent for
any. What the writer of the foregoing
.aXtRayagant baldcrdash was probably
thinking Of but evidently knew moth
ing about was the battle of l5entonville,
in which four divisions of Sherman's
left wing ran afoul of Joe Johnston's
entire force. thirty or forty thousand
strong, which Sherman and Slocum both
supposed to be cavalry detachment.
At that time the four divisions above
mentioned two of the fourteenth corps
under Davis and two of the Twentieth
under Williams) had been separated by
a detour from the rest of the army, which
was moving towards Goldsboro. The
distance between Slocum's column (lcft
wing and Towards right was from
to 10 miles. Both columns were passing
as Johnston knew, through a swampy
country full of bogs and quicksands
where movements were necessarily slow
and difficult. Between them was no
enemy Johnston had gathered up every
man he could muster for last des-
,peratc effort, and he went at Williams
and Davis with the fury of tiger Slo-
cum very soon found out that he had
something besides cavalry to deal with.
The battle lasted all afternoon. At
first the Union line was driven back,
but it rallied, throw back one assault
after another, and ut night-fall, when
the battle closed, it held the greater
part OF the field. No reinforcements
were received that day-not single
man. When reinforcements did come,
the battle of Bentonvillc was practically
over, What took place afterwards was
chiefly hanlSing movement by General
Logan's Fifteenth corps and Mowers
division of the Seventeenth. There
was some fighting ia connection with
these movements, but it was light in
comparison with what had been done
the first day. The battle took place on
the 10th of March; during the night of
the 2lst Johnson retreated.
Officially describing the battle Gen
oral Sherman says:
Il had gone from General Slocum
about six miles, when | heard artillery
in his dirccticn, but was soon made easy
by one Of his staff officers overtaking
me, explaining that his division Gar
lin 81 had encountered division of rebel
cavalry (Dibbrelisl which he was driv-
ing easily. But soon after other staff
officers mot one only came up, reporting
that he had developed near Bentonville
the whole rebel army, under General
Johnston himself"
General sherman then proceeds to
narrate what steps he took for Slocnm's
reinforcement.
Nov, there is no disposition on the part
of anybody to detract one iota from
Foraker's soldier record. IL was doubt
less good; as good as that Of million of
other Northern soldiers. TO say he
discharged all duties To which he was
assigned, intelligently and faithfully
should be enough. TO pervert history
and belittle the services of his comrades
In order to make him appear an eXcep-
tional hero whose deeds of daring were
conspicuous and unparalleled Is dccid-
edly to9 much. a speech has recently
been attributed to General sherman,
which he wonld probably not recognize
II he were TO road it. 1t was a speech
made late at night under the stimulat-
ing influence OF u good dinner when
men are likely To say pleasant things of.
those around them, bvt not likely to
trample with stalid Indifference upon
the recognized proprieties Of n social
non-pagtisan OCCASION. ASSUME there
fore that the speech which appeared in
the Commercial Ga4ette on the follow,
ing morning was made ZAP IN part of the
great GcncFali own worde, apl in part
of the cunning and promeditated intor-
polations OF hig reporters.
What was the tremendous exploit in
which the Coumcrcial Gazette alleges
Foraker displayed 'the same heroic
temper and gallant qualities that dis
tinguish him as Governor OF Ohio|
What act of exceptional and conspicuous
gallantry did he perform? He rode six |
,r eight oiles in the rear Of the line of
1attle to carry message from Slocum
% Sherman, through u eonntrysas bar
'en of foes as lIalstead issf consistency.
Ie did what any orderly might have
lone as we'll, and when started on his
'rrand every leap of his horse took him
arther and farther away from the field
4 battle. There are hundred private