The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-09-08

'SlgnerS. his 1aUner, Cranuall hOS0-
Grams, descended from early Dutch i'm
migrants from Amsterdam. The name
signifies in Dutch a wreath Of roses.
The generals parents were both reared
in the renowned valley of Wyoming, in
Pennsylvania, and settled in Ohio in
1903. William Starke was born to them
in Kingston township, Delaware county,
o., Sept. 6, 1910.
Young Rosecrans was quick student
and at 10 years Of age had exhausted the
springs of learning within his reach. He
was an ardent searcher of the Bible, and
the religious tendency colored his whole
after life. He was also proficient in
mathematical and scientific studies and
Of his own volition chose West Point
course. He obtained an appointment as
cadet wholly unaided and unknown to
his family. At the academy he was a
hard student and something of a recluse
and religious enthusiast While at West
Point he embraced the Roman Catholic
faith, and that step induced his younger
brother, Sylvester Horton, afterward
bishop of Columbus, but then a student
at Kenyon college, Ohio, to become a
Catholic. In the case Of the general the
youth was the father of the man. He
would not tolerate an infidel in his mill
tary household. He declared that socie-
ty has no security for the morals of a
man who refuses to bow to the Supreme
Being. He also held that all theologies
other than Roman Catholic are corrup-
tons of the true doctrines of the mother
church. When the war broke out, Will
liam, the soldier, and Sylvester, the
priest. both lived in Cincinnati, Sylves-
ter was bishop Of the diocese, and it was
believed that a coalition of family inter-
ests had a marked effect upon the patri-
otic action Of that border city.
Cadet Rosecrans was in the class of
1912. The class opened with 112 students,
and only So graduated. Among them
were the Confederates Longstreet, Van
Dorm, McLaws, Lowell, R. H. Anderson,
Gustavus W. Smith and Rains, and the
Union Generals Pope, Doubleday and
Newton. Rosecrans stood third in math-
ematics and fifth in general merit.
The future general began with the
rank of second lieutenant in the engi-
neer corps. At the age of 90 he was ap-
pointed assistant professor of engineer
ing at West Point. About that time he
married Miss Hegeman, daughter of a
well known New York lawyer. Ten
years later he was only first lieutenant
and was again in the engineer service,
detailed to the navy department. Weary
of waiting for promotion and larger
emoluments-'few dying and none re-
signing" in these piping times of peace"
he set an example and left the service in
1854 to becomea consulting engineer and
architect in Cincinnati. There the war
found him poor,' with wide pro-
fessionalreputatiol. and powerful church
connections. His first service in the war
was the organizing and drilling of Gin
cinnati's home guards for the defense of
the city. Later Met cClellan chose him as
engineer of the Ohio militia, and within
two months from the fall of Sumter he
held three military appointments, the
last being brigadier generalshp in the
regular army. His first command was
four regiments of volunteers-the Seven
teenth and Nineteenth Ohio and the
Eighth and Tenth Indiana. Two weeks
after ne assumed the reins he fought an
isolated battle on Rich Mountain. West
Virginia, making a successful flank at
tack that decided the first campaign of
the war.
Shortly after the victory at Rich Noun
tain cClellan was called to Washington
TO organize the Grand Army, and Rose
Grams succeeded him at the head of the
department of West Virginia. The Con.
federates hailed the change as good
omen and nicknamed their new oppo-
nent the Dutch general" Robert E. Lee
was the Confederate commander, and the
Washington authorities, holding Lees
abilities In high respect, frequently ad-
monished Rosecrans that there was cause
to fear that he might be outgeneraled.
To one caution Of the kind Rosecrans re-
piled: ''Not at all. l know all about
Lee. He'll make splendid plan of a
campaign, but I'll fight the campaign
before he gets through with planning it,"
So it turned ont. Lee was outgeneraled
and compelled to abandon West Vir-
ginia. Finished drawings of Lees plans
were filed m the war department at
Richmond, and the Confederate historian
Pollard characterized them as "the best
laid plans that ever illustrated the con-
summation Of the rules Of strategy or
ever went swry on account Of practical
failures In their execution"