Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-31
PHIL sHERIDAN's APOLOGY.
The Amende Honorable to the Captain
of His Escort.

The Amende Honorable to the Captain
of His Escort.
George A. Forsythe in the Chicago Tribune.
On this particular morning Of which i
write, for some good reason, the hour ep-
pointed to move was earlier than usual.
-Four o'clock found the headquarter tents
struck and the general and staff mounted,
ready to move out-but no escort A mo-
ment or two later. and, amid the blare of
bugles and roll of drums, the troops started,
and the road was filled with the marching
army. Still no escort.
Turning impatiently to his chief of staff,
Col. ]. w. Forsythe, the general said:
What does this mean? Where is the
escort? Was the commanding officer no.
tifed?''
Certainly" was the reply.
-'Send an aid to find out the trouble"
An officer dashed off to where the escort
was encamped. on a little stream a few
hundred yards away. and returned. saying
that the escort was saddling in haste. and
would be there in a few moments. Shortly
after the squadron dashed up at a gallop,
and, fronting into line almost on a run,
Capt. Claffiin saluted, and, turning to the
chief of staff. was about to speak, when he
was Interrupted by Gen. Sheridan. who
said:
Capt. Clafflin, when / issue an order to
move at o'clock it means sixty minutes
past 3. not nearly twenty minutes past 1.
This must not occur again. sir"
But, general began the captain.
mo excuse. sir. We have lost time enough
already. Move out" And the general
urged his horse into trot to overtake the
corps with which headquarters Was 10
march during the day.
A few moments afterward one of the act
ing aids turned to the officer he was riding
beside and said: Great Scott! All this de-
lay was really my fault"
What do you meanY'
The chief of stan ordered me to inform
Claffiin of the hour of march. and 1 ne
elected to do It,"
The mischief you did"
What shall do?" He knew well
enough, and in a moment more he had
pushed to the head of the staff and re-
ported his dereliction Of duty to the COM
handing general himself"
On his return the question was ask ed
well, what did the chief say?"
That's the worst of it." was the reply.
Not single word"
"Nothiug?'
Absolutely nothingw Then. after a
pause. Il wonder If he will send me back to
my regiment
Il don't think So" was the response.
Nothing more was said Of the affair dur
ing the day, to my knowledge but 1 after
ward learned that the officer spoke to the
chief Of stan regarding his failure to de-
liver the order, and apologized to Capt.
Clal11ln Tor the position he had unfortu-
nately placed him in
The next morning, after the general and
stan were noun ted, he suddenly rode out
toward the front of the escorting squadron
as 1t stood in line awaiting orders, and fac
ing Capt Claffiin, he leaned slightly for
ward and said:
Capt Claffiin, yesterday morning I re-
proved you sharply in the presence of your
command and Of my staff for what
thought was a neglect of duty. have since
ascertained that you were not at all in
fault In the matter. but that the fault was
on the part Of one of my staff, who ne
elected to deliver an order to you, and"
raising his cap and bowling courteously, II
beg your pardon, sir"
General" began the captain, IT already
knew" but the general had replaced his
cap, and. touching II in answer to the cap
tain's salute, turned quickly away and gave
the order, Move out"
i do not think that the officer in fault
ever forgot the occasion, and I know that
Capt. Claffiin never did, for we talked the
matter over in his camp in northern Texas
the year before he died. Turning to me at
the close OF our conversation, he said ::
only think Of IT. The commanding general
Of the army publicly apologizing to the
captain commanding his escort for having
mistakenly reprimanded him the day before
could have died for him that day"