The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-12-19
Il FIGHTER.
General Miles Has Made d
Great Reputation Since
the Close Of the
War.
Although He Is Not a Graduate
of West POint-He Will Soon
Take the Place Occupied
by Grant.

Gen. Nelson A. Miles is remarkable for
lhree things He has had extraordinary
success as an Indian fighter. He took
command at Chicago during the railroad
riots of last summer and summarily sup
pressed the "Debs rebellion" But the
most extraordinary thing about him, in
the minds of military men, is that he
should have risen to high command in the
army as at present constituted without be-
ing graduate of West Point, says the
New York World
When on Wednesday of last week he
took command of the military department
of the East, with headquarters on Cover
nor's Island, he entered upon the duties
of office which has nearly always been
filled by graduates of this noted military
school. All of the generals on both sides
who rose to supreme distinction during
the rebellion were graduates of West Point.
Then was the time for volunteer soldiers
to rise to the top, but they did not do so.
After the restorat ton of peace it was not
supposed that anybody but West Pointers
would stand much chance of rising to
high command. With the army on peace
footing, promotion would take its regular
course and officers would have little no
chance to distinguish themselves in active
service.
But here is an officer whose greatest sue
cesses have been achieved since the war, and
who did not receive the benefit of the
severe military training with which the
United States government prepares its Of
fcers for the army
People occasionally hear about the West
Point ring" which is said to control the
army. There is supposed to be a prejudice
in army circles against any man who has
not gone through the regular course at the
West Point academy. Difficulties are be-
lieved to be thrown in the way of advance
ment of volunteer soldiers, and the West
Pointers are by many thought to keep the
good things among themselves.
But the career of Gen. Miles does not
show this to be SO. With many of the
qualities of great commander he has
risen to the top by natural force of char
acter and if he graduated from West Point
instead of going into the service az a vol
unteer soldier he would perhaps be no
higher than he is at present.
1t will be nine years now before Gen.
Miles will be placed upon the retired list.
Within the next year he will have be-
come senior officer of the army, with head
quarters in Washington, occupying at the
age of 81 the exalted position held by
Grant. Sherman and Sheridan as comman-
HIS WAR RECORD.
Gen Miles was very young man when
the war broke out, but he promptly vol
unteered and his record was a gallant one.
He was born Aug. 8, 1899, at Westminster
Mass and educated in the district
schools and in the local academy. When
Is years of age he left the paternal farm
and took a place a clerk or salesman
in Boston store.
Some of his ancestors had been fight
ers, and he had innate love of mill
tary affairs. This led him in 1860 to join
with many other young men an organi-
cation that received military instruction
from an old French military officer in
Boston AS a result he was well up in
tactics when the war broke out
The first record against his name in the
Army Register reads: Capt, 22d Mass.
Inf, Sept '61." With the Twenty-sec-
ond Massachusetts he joined the army of
the Potomac and served throughout the
Peninsular campaign. Appointed an aide
to Gen. o. 0. Howard, he promptly dis
tinguished himself at Fair Oaks. Gen.
Howard in his official report, says that
Lieut.. Miles, A. d. c., commanded the
left wing of the Eighty-lirst Pennsylvania
in manner to my entire satisfaction and
approval. He was wounded iii the foot"
The battles of Aliens Farm. Savage's
Station, Glendale and Malvern Hill fol-
lowed. Gen. Caldwell, who commanded
the brigade. praised him highly in his
official report.
When the gallantry of Col Barlow
caused him to be promoted to the rank
of brigadier general, after Antietam, Col
Miles, was, in his turn, promoted to be
colonel of the SiXty-first New York He
had reached this high command when
less than two months beyond the age Of
%
THREE TIMES WOUNDED.
In the battle Of Fredericksburg Col
Miles was wounded in the neck
The successor of Burnside in command
of the Army of the Potomac Hooker,
who, in the beginning of May, 1863, fought
the battle of Charlottesville. Again
Col Miles, in that engagement, performed
most valuable service, at a critical point
in a critical moment.
In his official report of the engagement
Gen. Hancock highly praised Col Miles.
On the following mornng-Sunday, May
"a rifle ball. at short range struck Col.
Miles on the plate of his belt and glanced
down through the groin into his left
leg. But for the plate it would have
gone through him. The wound proved
serious. He was taken from the field and
before he could recover from this third
wound received within a year the battle
of Gettysburg had been fought. This
was the only great battle of the Army OF
the Potomac in which he was absent from
his command. When, after the close of
the war, he received the brevet of brga-
w
for gallant and meritorious services in
the battle of charlottesville"
AT SPOTTSYLVANIA.
In the battle at Spottsylvania Gen. Miles
was still more holly engaged In the attack
on the salient, Barlow formed his division
in two lines. Brooks and Miles brigades
being in the first line. The attack was
made with great success, on the morning of
May II, after two days of preliminary fight
ing, and the confederate retrenchments
We're carried. with the capture of Johnson s
division. several thousand strong. and
about 20 pieces of artillery and 80 colors.
ReinfOrcements We're moved up, and a
series of bloody assaults was made by Lee
throughout the day in the effort to recover
the lost ground.
In the closing operations of the war; in
Guiding the action at White Oak Ridge ard
the pursuit of Lee, Gen. Miles also distin
guished himself. He had become more and
more skillful, with experience up to the
very end of the war; He is one of the few
officers now ON the active list who have re-
ceived a full commission for specific dis
adler general of volunteers being for dis
tinguished services during the recent bat
ties of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania
Courthouse
IN THE REGULAR ARMY
The appreciation of his abilities as sol
der was further shown by his commission
as colonel of the 10th infantry after the
close of the war; from which command he
was transferred, in 1869, to that of the 5th
infantry.