Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-05

was promoted, and I became colonel of
that New York regiment. 1t is rather GU
rious that, though 1 went into the army
from Massachusetts,, nearly all Of my work
during the civil war was with New York
soldiers rather than with those of my own
state. Later on I was in command of a
division made OF New York, Pennsylvania
and Ohio regiments, and at near the close
of the war l had command of the second
army corps, in which there were thirty
two New York regiments. At this time I
was twenty-five. I was a major general,
and was wearing the same uniform that 1
wear today. 1 have. in fact, the same yell
low sash and the same sword"
You were at the battle of AppomattoX,
general. Did you see Lees surrender TO
Grant?"
mo, did rot" replied Gen. Miles. II
was at the front, in command of my
| troops, and though Gen. Lees preliminary
correspondence in regard to the surrender
passed through my lines, did not see the
actual surrender Gen. Lee came up to our
| lines, expecting to meet Gen. Grant there"
Grant and Lincoln.
You must have seen much of Grant at
this time, general How did he impress
your?
"Yes, saw him every day. I was struck
| most by his intense earnestness. He SEEM
ed to have only one thought and that was
to succeed. He fought every battle as
| though that was to be his last one. He did
not appear to be troubled at all as to the
future. He wanted to succeed at the time,
and he was ready to risk everything for
success"
How about President Lincoln?"
He came frequently to the army, espe-
cially after defeat. He had a fatherly
influence on the soldiers. They all admired
him and loved him.
The conversation here turned to the gen.
erals experience at Fortress Monroe, where
| Gen. Miles had command at the time that
| Jefferson Davis was confined, and then
| came back to the battles of the war. Gen.
| Miles had Just finished answering some
questions as to the terrible fight at Chan
cellorsville, where he was severely wound
| ed. when 1 asked:
General 1 wonder how a soldier feels
when he comes under the fire of battle for
! the first time: You were only twenty-one
| at the time of your first fight. Do you
member how you felt when the bullets be-
afraid?"
mo, / can't say that I was afraid" re-
piled Gen. Miles. Il think soldiers always
| feel eXhilarated when they are about to go
into battle. The struggle calls forth all
that is in them. Every faculty is exertei
TO its full, every nerve is stretched to its
utmost. l know of no greater pleasure nor
more inspiring moment for the soldier than
when he first faces his enemy and makes
| the charge which is to win or lose battle
The excitement of victory is also great.
and on the other hand, there is nothing so
depressing as the knowledge that you are
losing ground and may be defeated"
How 1t Feels to be Shot.
you have been wounded several times.
general. How does it feel to be shot?"
That depends upon where the ball
strikes you,' replied Gen. Miles. IF 1t
passes through the f1eshy part of the body
without hitting the bone, it is half mile
away before you realize that you are shot.
l. IL meets with resistance, however you
get tie full force of the bullet, and 1t
strikes you like siedge hammer. 1 was
once shot in the neck. The ball cut along
the side of my throat, under my ear, and
passed on. At Charlottesville, a ball
struck my Waist-belt plate and then de-
| flectins, went off into my body. The blow
paralyZed me. 1 could not move for weeks
ffcm my waist downward. and every one
thought l would die. l was taken home
to Massachusetts. and after few days /
surprised the doctor by moving my right
foot. They took this for a sign that the
ball was in the opposite side Of my body.
and probed for 1t. laying the bone of my
took out nine pieces, leaving one. which
they failed to find. They found the bullet
several inches further down than these
pieces of broken bone. At another time l
was wounded in the shoulder by the half
of bullet. l was holding my sword up to
my shoulder when the bullet struck the
edge of the blade and was cut in Two. one
half of the bullet flying on and the other
going into my shoulder. At another time 1
was wounded in the foot. the ball striking
Mexican spur that was wearing, and
think 1 have the spur" Here the general
opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out
a big Mexican spur which was broken on
one side. The break was caused 10y the
bullet striking the spur.
Gen. Miles and Politics.
1t is not generally known that Gen. Miles
had good chance to enter political life at
the time the war closed. The truth is that
he was offered the nomination for Congress
by one of the Massachusetts, districts. Had
he accepted, his abilities are such that ne
would probably have taken high rank as
statesman. Thinking of this. l asked:
General. have you ever regretted stay
ing in the army? Don't you think you
might have had pleasanter life had you
given up your military career at the close
Of tine war;"
NO" replied Gen Miles. IT have not. l
like the army, and my life, though 1t has
had some hardships. has not been an I'M
pleasant enc I have had many advan-
tages. l have had a chance to see the
great west grow from a wilderness to an
empire and have been permitted to work
in its development. When 1 went west to
take my place as colonel of one of rhe reg
iments of the regular army. from the Cana
dian boundary to the Rio Grande and from
Topeka to the Rockies was little more than
an Indian camping ground. This strip Is
about 400 miles wide and 1900 miles long.
1t is as big as all the Atlantic states with
Kentucky and Ohio. 1t is bigger than New
England with New York. Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois added to it. 1t
is a country equal, in short, to tnat Of the
best part of the United States. l have seen
this vast territory opened to settlement.
have seen the Indians upon 1t subdued and
changed from fighting braves TO good citi-
gems. They have taken up lands, and :hey
are now adopting our ways. Upon their old
camping grounds have grown up big cities
and 1 have seen a popula ton of millions
constr uct an empire in the wilds where
they have hunted. 1t is, I think, great
thing to have witnessed all this. and deem
myself fortunate IN having done So"
Bicycles for the Army.
At one time during the conversation the
subject of military improvements came up.
and 1 asked Gen. Miles where he thought
would be the next great advance in army
matters.
He replied: "It will probably be in the line
of transportation of men and equipment.
The bicycle and the horseless vehicle VIII
have much to do in the wars of the future.
Put an army on bicycles and their opponents
would be at their mercy If they were not
similarly equipped. The bicycle troops
could feed off of the supplies Of their enemy's
country. They could move so rapidly that
the others could not catch them. They
could choose their own positions and fly