The Portland daily press., 1892-02-15
A typical American soldier.

y
here last week, was typical American
soldier. had known him for quite
while before I knew what peculiar
experience he had in our late civil war.
Sitting in the Aston house one after
noon he told me the story of how he
had been shot through and through at
the battle of Malvern Hill; had been
left on the field for dead; had been car
ried off to Libby prison, while his com
rades buried federal major, whom
they supposed to be himself; how he
returned to his home in Syracuse and
again entered the army as colonel
while his wound was still annoying
him. He told me of his part at Gettys-
burg; of his services at Lookout noun
tain under Hooker; his campaign with
Sherman to the sea, and how he saved
SIS, 1000, 900 worth of cotton which the
confederates were burning in Savan-
nah. He told me of his three wounds,
and the one which had never ceased
troubling him since the day that
he fell at Malvern Hill, and
asked him how much OF a pen
sion this generous government was
bestowing upon him. He informed me
that he was receiving the munifcent
sum of $50 per month. I remember
that my establishment was so great that
/ almost fell off the chair. Here was
man still under 60 years of age who for
nearly thirty years had gone about with
gunshot wound which would ordi-
narily have killed any man, and who,
during all these years, had never had
one moments surcease from pain and
apprehension; who had fought and
marched and risked his life when any
other man would have remained at
home under the theory that he had re-
ceived his share of glory. And for this
the government was paying him scarce
ly enough to keep him in cigars. Modest,
sweet natured, kind and generous, it
had never even entered his mind,
think, that the government was a
misery, contemplate hog. I told
him that l knew of teamsters
who had been kicked by mules and
who were drawing bigger pensions
than he, and / at once wrote a letter
to my brother-in-law, who was med
ical referee in the pension department
at Washington, calling attention to this
case. Upon my urging him, Gen. Bar
mum made an application for an in
crease of pension, which, thanks to
Commissioner Black, was allowed, and
this carried with it an arrearage of
something like $4,000, which the gen.
eral thankfully received. One of his
friends told me subsequently that
every dollar of that money was imme-
diately paid to creditors, some of whom
he had been owing for fifteen or twenty
years. Poor, good soul, it never oc-
Cured to him, as it might have oc
Cured to some less honorable man,
that the money given him by the grudg-
ing government might have been used
to provide home and food for himself.
He met these money obligations as
he did every other obligation in life.
But he left no estate for any admins
traitor to bother himself about. One
morning he called at my house some
months after having his pension in
creased and told me that he
had just learned from some
friend in the war department
al dSH1upGOu tldO CneTG was
lying in the department a bronze
medal bearing his name-one OF
the few awarded by congress to men
who especially distinguished themselves
during the war for bravery and faithful
service. His name had been especially
mentioned in a joint resolution in con-
gress, but if he had ever heard of the
fact he had forgotten it, and he went
all the way to Washington to get that
medal. He wore number of honora-
BILE medals, but this one he was exceed
ingly proud of. never saw him look
SO happy as when he brought that
stained and oxidized medal which had
been lying for twenty-five years or
more in the war department around to
exhibit to me. We gave him dinner on
the strength of it and handsome watch
to commemorate the event, and Gen.
Sherman paid him the highest tribute
that he ever paid to any man
who wore the federal uniform.
They gave him great funeral
last Monday with military honors.
Old Gen. Slocum, Gen. Sickles, Gen.
Fitz John Porter, Gen. Daniel Butter
field, Gen. Jardine on his crutches, were
all proud to march beside his casket,
or1 Paw nr Inbr, p pov%cr, who mos