Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-02
THEJUNIOR GENERAL
Youth and Bravery Combissc, a 70
Great Civil War.
MERE BOYS ON BOTH SIDES.
Pennypacker the Junior Major .ot'ersl of
the North, while fitz Lee, Hosser' Young
and Butler Were of the Confed-rseT.
Washington Poft)

The matter which appeared = his col
umn n few weeks ago relative 20 he pres
ent residences and occupauN 81 the
Confederate generals excited a good deal
az interest all over the country ana
brought out many incidents which. but for
this might have been forgotten ana lost.
Among other Inquiries this article mas
awakened Is an interesting discussion IT
regard TO the age OF the youngest Peherai
ofiicers-"the boy generals" as IN were
colled-who were undoubtedly among ~
yc,ngcst n not themselves the 20 g. yeF'.
Ulcers Ok this rank on either sid'. TIE
pur,oeo - this a. .icle Is the discu sion OF
tina; matter
Beginning with the Confelerates, there
were great many young general officers
made late in 1861, when the military re-
organization bill" was passed by the Con
Tolerate Congress. When the first battle
II Mana ssas called by the North the
FIRST battle of Bull Rum was fought many
Of e.. Confederate troops were IN blue
uniforms. nm. some serious mistakes were
Nude IN that 20.h and 2lst Of July In con
sequence" ~ that battle OK Governor Lee.
OF VIrgtqE better kno~'n To the country
es Fuzb.~ Zee. was captain and al
.,.lnt-' .l.I on the staff Of Genera
well. and General John Ewell Brown
stuart a.. T. y. STUART was colonel OF
the First Virginia Cavalry. General Lees
second son. General William Henry FItz-
hugh Lee. better known "a "Runy" Lee,
went into servi, as captain OF a troop
that became par. Of the Seventh Virginia
Cavalry. Having been an officer I'm the
old army. he W. appointed second leu
tenant in the IA Infantry three weeks
after he gradu ! from Harvard. cap
tain Lee was SCI, cted 20 ~ colonel OF the
new regiment numbered the Seventh Vir-
Einia Cavalry. which went 20 S,uart's d.
vision. stuart was made a brigadier-gene-
raj very shortly after Manassas. His
regiment was then rcorganze1 under the
new military law. and Fitzhugh Lee. who
had been lieutenant colonel. became colo
mel, and Colonel William +. Jones, who
had succeeded Stuart as colonel. was
made brigadier- general. and killed in the
Shenandoah Valley in 1851 50 much in
explanation which may be useful in I'M
Outstanding what g TO follow.
PROMOTED.
or the young colonies promoted TO bri-
Ead.cr-Ccnerals I'm the Army Of Northern
virginia in the winter Of ls5l-'G2. Fitz
Lee had seen more servic" than any Of tho
rest. Stuart was a first lieutenant I'm the
First Cavalry, OF which George McClol-
Ian was the senior captain; edwin V.
sumner. OF Massachusetts. colonel. and
Joseph T.. Johnston. Of Virginia, lieuten-
ant-coloud. I'm the Oh army. Fit2huSh
Lee bad Just been made "a first lieutenant
when re resigned. lie was I'm the Second
Cavalry, OF which Earl Van Dorm. after
ward Confederate major general. was
senior cpptain. Albert sidney Johnson,
colonel, and Robert T.. Lee lieutenant
colonel. OF the regiments of the Old
United States Army, the Second Cavalry
furnished more general Offices of both
sides than any regiment in the service.
George IT, Thomas was one OF its majors.
and Harlic. the famous Confederate gen
cral. was the other. John T.. Hood. the
Northumberland aftCrward. was its ad-
iutaut. This regiment had been IN some
Of tho hardest Indian hghtq which ever
occurred on the frontier |1r example,
there was the celebrated action at Wich-
tia Village in 1853 when Van Dorm, with
five troops of tl!s regiment, fought ana
nearly anihilatcd 800 "omanche warriors.
the most famous warlike Indians on the
Southwestern border ana wonderful
horscmcn In this fight Lieutenant Lee
behaved with great salantry He '"as
dnucerously wounded by aL indian arrow
which WAS driven nearly 10 the feather
into his side. lie coolly lay down and di-
roctcd Il soldier Of his command 20 pun
f. out" IL would not come with an or
binary pull Cor Il was barbcd. Lee made
The man put his foot against his d4ec'D
BODY ana pun with all his strength.
Though this caused oXcruciating agony,
the gallant Virglnian never showed the
slightest signs Of suffering. Finally. thc
arrows head was pulied cff 'hc sha-.,
which was then easily withdrawn. The
long steel head OF that COmanche war
arrow was never extracted. and Il S.
somewhere n Governor Lees cOrporosity
vet. unless it has been absorbed. which
is the more probable case for this was
.hirty-four years ago. just about this
time.