Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-14
SENATE SOLDIERS
rnIRry-Flve or THE MEMBERS OF THE
UPPER HOUSE ARE VETERANS.
teveral Were 0cnerais, Others Pnvstcs-
berfngs-Rogcr q. Miils's Droil
Story of Midnight Attack.

aumped into the Senate chamber a few
lays ago, dropped into a seat In the rear
row. and rested his crutchcs against his
one knee. General Gordon. OF Georgia.
paused to shake hands with the veteran.
and General Palmer, OF Illinois. also
Joined Them
While the three were conversing Gene
gal Bate. OF Tennessee. came out Of the
eloak-room and gave the New Yorker
warm greeting
Here were four men. says Washing
ton letter TO the New York Times. who
took prominent part In the war, and close
at hand were many others who had hs-
ured in that terrible struggle. 1t was
natural that the sight OF these old war
riors chatting together should direct at
tention to the large number OF ex-soldiers
now serving they country In the Senate
IL the roll should be called In the Sem
ate chamber OF men who wore the blue
or the gray In the civil war, thirty-five
senator's would be entitled TO answer.
Eleven of this number were general OFF,
GERS. The grades OF the remainder range
from colonel down TO private. several
members OF the ancient and honorable
body having carried musket instead Of
sword. and knapsacks instead Of sashes.
History has preserved the records OF
some OF these men. and II would be Tying
In the face of the statements contained In
senatorial autobiographies 10 question the
valor OF the others. In only Few OF
these autobiographles, furnished TO the
Congressional Directory. Is excessive
modesty displayed.
Senator Cockrell, OF Missouri. for In
stance, makes no mention In his bret
statement OF the fact that he was gene
raj In the Confederate army. with an I'M
portant command There hangs In ms
parlor the portrait Of Confederate ohicer
in fun uniform. which bears striking re-
semblance 10 the picture. OF Stohe"dli
jackson Ii represents General Cockrei
when he was In the heyday of his success
as a southern leader. He was hanG-
tomer man then, and his regmentals NJ
ted him better than the sober garb he now
affects.
So far as he Is concerned, the war came
40 an end with App0mattox. ana ne IS
not patient with those who seek 10 Keep
alive its unpleasant memories. lie is the
only senator with a military record VINO
chooses not 10 refer to 1t in the Direc-
tory.
FURNISHED MOST
~be South has furnished more general
officers 10 the Senate than any other
elton.
Mr. Bate. who found pleasure the other
day in comparing notes win Peherai
Sickles. has "a record which embraces
two. wars He served as d private IN
Louisiana and Tennessee regiments
throughout the Mexican war, and when
the South took up arms he was on mana
with his musket From a private ne
rose to he a captain ana before the war
was far advanced the collar of his uni
form coat was adorned with the stars
of major-generaL
once IN a While he drOops into RENT |
niscent mood. and then IL Is pleasure
TO hear him talk.
At Chickamauga he was opposed with |
his troops at one time to the division COM
fnanded by General Palmer OF ILLINOIS. |
who now sits sear him in the Senate.
General Gordon has lately added to his |
Iaurels by writing lecture on THE Last |
Days OF the Confederacy," which Is In |
great demand. Unlike some others who |
fought against the Union, he accepted the |
result of the test OF arms with me |
equanimity Of a true soldier and section
alism has no place in his creed. South
crners with memories who visit the SEN
ate galleries point him out as the com
mdnder Of the Second Army Corps or The |
Confederate army. lie commanded por-
ton of Lees army at AppomattoX, ana
took part in the stirring scenes which |
Immediately preceded the historical sur
render.
1t is not generally known that he was
wounded in battle eight times There Is
deep ndentation In his cheek which could
not have been caused by anything smaller
than "A minie-ball
While he stood talking with General
Sickles the other day, thoughts OF Get
tysburg, Fredericksburg, Cold Harbor
and other great fields surged through the
minds of many who saw them. 1t will
be thirty years next month since Sickles
was carried from the field at Gettysburg |
with a shattered leg. and more than
twenty-nine years since Gordon left his
Ola chief at AppomattoX and turned to-
ward his ruined home in Georgia Sickles
is 20 and Gordon G., but neither looks TO
be so Old
The sight Of General Sckes leaning |
heavily on his crutches brings to mind
that there is an eX-Confederate general |
IN the Senate who wears n cork leg with
out betraying the interesting fact. He is
Matthew &. Butler. of South Carolina, |
and his friends say he is one of the best
looking men in the chamber Butler join
cd the Hampton Legion as captain in
1851, and became major-general through |
the regular quarter. At Brandy Station, |
In 1869 he lost his right leg and the
chance OF further military glory. AS soon |
as circumstances would permit. General
Butler invested In "a mechanical leg, and |
now. through long practice. he can walk |
with only the suggestion of a limp
ON CRUTCHEs.
Messrs Berry and Daniel are two sena-
tors who use clutches. The former lost
leg In the battle of Corinth. in which, as a
second lieutenant Of the Sixteenth Arkan-
sas Regiment he was unfolding the cause |
of the South. Daniel was adjutant-gene-
raj on General Early's staff during the |
war but there Is nothing in his autobi-
ogfaphy TO indicate that his lameness Is
due to a wound.
Mr.. Morgan. of Alabama, was a briga- |
dier In the Confederate service. He be- |
gan his military life by enrolling the
Fifty-hrst Alabama Regiment. His COL
league. Mr.. Pugh. was a member of the |
House IN the Thirty-sixth Congress, when |
Alabama seeded from the Union. and
resigned to 20 home and enlist as n pri- |
vate. His military service was short. for
he. was elected TO the Confederate Con-
gress and remained a member Of that
body until 1t went out of business in the
spring OF 1865
MT HANSON, OF North Carolina has n |
four-years' military record in the SOUTH
ern army TO his credit. He wen. into |
the war lieutenant colonel. and came
out G major-general Mr.. Jarvis. of North
Carolina. In his modest autobiography.
says he was "a soldier I'm the Confederate
army, and was permanently disabled i'm
tho right arm In 1854" Mr. Hunton. OF
Virginia, was made a Confederate briga-
der after Gettysburg. succeeding General
Garne,t. who was killed and in April. 1866,
found himself an inmate of Fort Warren. |
Boston Harbor having been captured in
q night In Virginia. Mr.. George, of Mis-
sissippi. was colonel in the Confederate
service and so was Roger Q. Mills
Mr. Mills tells some drol stories of his
military experience. One. which he is apt |
TO relate when the company is congeniai,
refers TO his first essay in the art of war |
lie belonged 10 "critter company"
which was on its way TO Arkansas in
charge OF drove OF cattle intended for
the army OF Sterling Prince.
A STAMPEDE
The command halted one evening on |
the edge OF piece Of timber. The cattle |
were "rOlIndp1-lp |