Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-01-22

language is spoke, who was of his kindred |
and name, who played with him in child |
hood, has said, from her he inherited |
the sweetness and truth, the patience and |
that adorned his man1iness
and illuminated his strength and courage"
When tho call was made for troops for
the three years he was torn by divided
or should he obey the call of our common
mother, the imperiled countrys He went
to his venerable mother for guidance. She
said: 'My son, if it is your duty must
not detain you; you must 60" When
think how freely he exposed himself in
battle, when recall his towering stature,
Q shining mark for the sharpshooters, I
can but ask, ''Did not the prayers of that
great-souled woman, an invisible but i'm
penetrab1e shield, avert from him the I'M
timely fate of Lynn, of Sedgewick, of Rey-
nolds, of McPhersona"
It was these varied elements of charac-
ter, among others, which won for him love
and admiration, especially from the boys
in blue of his own state. It was not by
allowing laxity of discipline that he gained
this favor; it was simply because the men
recognized in him brave, true, kind, I'M
selfish man.
have dwelt, perhaps too long, on this
early portion of his career because be-
ieve It was here that he laid the founda-
ton of his later eminence; the colonel of
the Seventh was the promise of the major
general.
After tho marked success at Fort Pulas-
XII, to which he and the regiment contrib
uted a full share, came his promotion, and
thereafter we saw him less often and per-
haps less intimately.
shall pass over much that belongs to
the history Of the war and of the country,
Pocotalgo, Norris Island, later the trans
fer to the Army of the James.
Whether to every man comes his oppor-
tunity, do not know.
Certainly, it comes to many man who
does not recognize it. But to him came
the opportunity of a century, and it found
him ready. When Grant ordered him to
go and take Fort Fisher, Terry knew that
his business was to take the fort, not to
come back bringing ten thousand I'M
answerable reasons why it could not be
taken. With the quick sight of a true
soldier he saw at a glance just what was
the line of attack. He landed his force
five miles above the fort, so that he might
attack it on the unprotected side-the land
side. And he had the true wisdom to
know that the most humane course is
often the bravest, that the most merciful
campaign is often the shortest The re-
suit was a victory as brilliant as it was
mo1pentous, which carried in few hours
works of unsurpassed strength, and closed
the last open port of the enemy.
The splendor of the victory was recog-
nized by the president, by the general of
the army, by congress and by the nation;
lighted pride than in the state which
claimed him as son.
Thence, after capturing Wilmington, he
marched across North Carolina to meet
General Sherman, who has himself told me
of his first personal meeting with our
Terry and of the admiration which he felt
| for the younger general, feeling which
| was returned by the junior in sentiment
of strong affection for the veteran hero OF
Atlanta and of the march to the sea and
| of Savannah.
When the war closed he had attained ar
eminence not reached by any other purely
volunteer soldier. The great captain who
succeeded Grant as general of the army Of
the United States said to me: Cali the reg
ular army welcomed his appointment a!
brigadier-general in the United State
army" which bore the date of his victor,
at Fort Fisher
| Upon his military character and achieve
ments could quote at large from master
of the art, from General Grant, from Ad
miral Porter.
But prefer instead to quote from tn
ranks. A member of his regiment, VIII
entered as private and was mustered GU
file of the Seventh Connecticut looked up
on him as the embodiment of perfec
soldier" He adds: 'On the morning o
May 16, 1864, forty thousand Confederat
troops under Longstreet attempted the an
Inhalation of our sixteen thousand a
Drury' Bluff. The brigade at our right ha'
been captured; thousands of our dead an
wounded in the forest were trampled b
the enemy in their charge. Our Who'll
been pushed back; through the smoke "
saw a heavily massed line of battle sweep
ing down on us. General Terry's voie
sounded along our brigade: ''Stand firm
hold the line" We reserved our fire til
the enemy was close upon us; then, a
they gave their charging yell, flame c
fire leaped from our rifles. Had an eartf
quake opened at the feet of the chargin
confederates their halt could not hav
been more sudden. They retreated to mas
heavier charging column against III
General Terry came along our line and
low, sympathizing voice, gave the orde
to retreat. Keeping along with us, b
saved many a soldier from the rebel pri
, ons by conducting an orderly retreat i
the face of the enemy. While the bullet
and shell were falling around us like hal
an officer suggested to the general that b
hurry on in advance of the men. He r,
piled with deep emotion, CT shall stay wit
, my men,"
"a few days after the capture of Fol
Fisher" adds the same writer, IT was
, his headquarters in command of b
guard. The general cast look over Fol
Fishers strong works, and said: 'Ou
, men did fine work in storming and cal
turing this fort He seemed to forg1
that he was the hero of Fort Fisher"
, Tho war ended he was assigned, first,
, the commend of Richmond, where h
friend, his successor in command of tt
Seventh, since honored with high position
in the republic, General Joseph R. Hav
? ley, was his chief of staff. For this p'
/ sition General Terry's knowledge of civ
law, his even temper, his courtesy, b
elevated and unsullied character, peculia
| ly fitted him.
Later he was in command of the Depar
: ment of Dakota, department covering
vast territory, within which were lars
! portion of the wild Indians.
, Thence he was transferred to the sout]
with headquarters at Atlanta. Still lat,
he was stationed at Louisville. Durir
these years the southern states we,
Q gradually returning to their normal rel
t ton. His position was often perplexin
calling for great wisdom in the exerci
of his large, and I presume, underline
q powers. June 20, 1870, writing to Gel
, eral Sherman, he says that there was con
: plant that the colored were deprived
, their constitutional rights in the matt
a of sitting as jurymen. He had bee
+ urged to remedy the evil by milita1
! order; but he asks: "Would it be jud
? eious to exercise the military authority
q this manner? The time during whit
8 military authority can be exercised he
f is now probably very short; and,
t force after that authority ceased I
o not shrink from any act which is mat
a my duty, but I doubt whether it wou
, be worth while for the sake of Temporal
+ good to arouse the feeling which such {
there is much of the sagacity of state
: man.
Both while in command of the depa1
v ment of Dakota, and later, when cor
8 handing as major general the division
Q the Missouri, his relations to the Indian
b called for great prudence, courage, p
/. thence, humanity and impartial justic
n He had to protect the whites against II
8 savage and not unnatural violence of tt
Indians, and to protect the Indians again
8 the lawless and ungoverned encroachmen
t Of the whites. He has expressed to me b
T indignation that the treaties with the I
8 dams were not kept; that lands to whit
: their title was undisputed were lawless
d occupied by white settlers or traversed