The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1892-02-17
NOT INIT AT THE FINISH
Editor Dana i!luminateS AlgprS
War Record.
IA ling TO Secure Leave Of Absence
During Sherldan's Campaign
Against Jubal Early. lie Left
Without Au'h"IIty and
Was Discharged From
the Arm For II.
The Eel rb!ic Bureau. ]
Cor l4th st AM fcHnsyiyaHia Ave
HHsnlf.taI f,h II Ia. \

The Rel rbIic Bureau.
Cor l+th IT. ana frHnsy iyaHia Ave
Washing ton, Ftb. II lsas. '
The New Yoil. Sun Of to day, in
it. leading edit, rltl II tcie, threw a
very large bomn into the Al ger
boom. Alger Seems 10 be the most
prominent and conspicuous candl-
date of the machine bosses Of the
republican party for the presidency
8 nee the withdrawal of Blaine. 1t is
true that Alger is not their only
hope, but Alger has plenty of
money, and, it is currently reported,
is willing to invest S2,O0O.00O in a
presidential enterprise. Inc Sun
today has ali editorial, evidently
written by Mr.. Charles A. Dana him
self, who was assistant secretary CT
war while the civil war was in pro
gress and may be expected to know
what he is writing about. The Sun s
editorial is brief, but pungeu:. and
no doubt will be interesting to MI
Filiey and other statesmen i'll Mis-
Souri, and the south west. who are a..
ready negotiating with southern
agents. Under TIE caption, Rus
sell Absent Alger, the Suns edito-
rial reads:
What is this about Russell 4. AL
ger of Michigan, as a republican
candidate for president on "a plat
form of patriotism and pensions'
The various biographies OF Gener
al Alger dwell more in detail upon
the beginning Of his military ser
vice than Oh the end.
He was Major in the second Mich
isa2 cavalry, General Sheridan's old
regiment.
On October 16, 1862, lie was pre-
meted to be Lieutenant Colonel of
the Sixth Michigan cavalry. Sub
s@quently he was transferred TO the
Fifth Michigan cavalry aud became
it's colonel
In September, 1864, Col. Alger
and his regiment We're in the Shen-
andoah valley taking part in Sheri-
dams great campaign against Jubal
Early.
About the first If that month Col.
Alger applied for ten days leave of
absence. The application was dis
approved and returned by his divi-
sion commander, Gen Wesley Mer-
ritt. because of the active operation
then il progress. Upon the return
of his application for leave disap-
proved, Colonel Alger left his regi-
ment and went to Washington with
out leave. There he procured a
detail on court-martial duty in that
city. The fact was reported to Gen.
Merritt, who reported it in turn to
Gen. Sheridan, who brought the
matter to the attention of the war
department, recommending that
Col. Alger be dishonorably discharg
ed from the service for being absent
without leave.
La consequence OF that recon-
mendation from Philip H. Sheridan
Colonel Russell A, Alger was dis
charged from the service on Septem.
ber 20. 1864.
The record does not read that BE
was ''dishouorably discharged" The
punishment recommended bv Gen
Sheridan was softened and he was
merely discharged. The incident
terminated his military career. Af
, ter the war was over he procured il
some way the brevet of Brigadie,
General ana Major General of volun
tesrs.
These facts are not stated in the
current biographical sketches relat
/ ing to General Russell Absent Alcer