The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-12-26
COL. C0PPINGER.
A Vigorous Protest Against His Con-
frmatiOn as Brigadier-General.

adier-General. A petition to the Senate is
being circulated and very numerously signed,
which, after making protest, sets forth
substantially the following facts:
At the time Col. Coppinger was appointed
by the President to be Brigadier-General,
he was according to the Army Register OF
1880 number 80 on the relative rank list;
that is, of a total of II Colonies of the Army,
including ali branches of the service, and all
corps and departments, he stood 80 from
the top, or was ranked by 30 others. OF
these 20 officers that ranked Col. Coppinger,
10 belonged to the lire Infantry, artillery,
and cavalry, seven to- corps (Ordnance and
Engineers, one to the Medical De partment,
four to the Staff Department, and two to the
Quartermaster Department. As it is not
customary to appoint general officer to
command a Department or Division from
any but those of the line, we must consider
only the claims of Colonies of the infantry,
artillery and cavalry, in estimating the COM
parative merits and the reasons for exhibit
ing the military records Of those officers who
are competitors for the honor and distinction
of the promotion which has been conferred
on Col. Coppnger. Col. Swain had retired
from active service on Jan. 81, 1895, before
the selections of Brigader-Generals were
made by the President. Col. Bliss was nom
mated at the same time Col. COppinger was
to be a gadier-General. Thus there were
- Colonies of the line in active service on
the date of Col. Coppinger's nomination,
whose military history is given in brief, to
which the attention of patriotic readers of
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE is respectfully
invited.
no III nj of fha A fcyy
liam r. Shafter. Colonel of the 1st U. s. Inf
He is a native of Michigan. Retiring year,
1899 He was appointed by the Governor
of his State First Lieutenant, Tth Mich,
Aug. %, 1861 mustered out, Aug. %. 1862
commissioned Major, 10Th Mich, Sept >,
1862; Lieutenant Colonel. June >, 1863
brevetted Colonel, March 2, 1867, 50 for gall
liant and meritorious service in the battle of
Fair Oaks, Va" brevetted Brigadier-Gen-
eral of Volunteers, March 13, 1865, 81 for gal
liant and meritorious services during the
war;; honorably mustered out, Nov. 2, 1866.
He was often honorably mentioned in War
Records. Engaged in the siege of York
town, action of West Point, battles of Fair
Oaks (wOunded), Savage Station, Glendale
and Malvern Hill, 1862; taken prisoner
March, 1868, and exchanged May, 1868. In
the last case of honorable mention,n the
remarkable gallantry of q small Union force
at the battle of Thompson's Station, Tenn,
March 3, 1863 is thus described by Brig
Gen. Absalom Baird, commanding Third
Division, Army OF Kentucky: The bravery
of the little band surrounded and captured,
was so conspicuous rs to elicit the applause
of the enemy himself. and we are informed
that Coils. Colburn and Gilbert and Mai w.
K. Shafter, of the 10th Mich, were per-
mitted, on this account, to retain their
horses and side-arms." Col. Shafter was
appointed Lieutenant Colonel, 41st Inf.
July %, 1866; assigned to oath Inf, April
IA. 1869; appointed Colonel, 1st Inf, March
4, 1s79-11 years, 10 months and IL days
before Col. Coppinger was commissioned
Colonel.
Col. Henry G. Merriam, 18th U. s. Born
in Maine. Retiring year, 1901. He entered
the service while young student at Water
Vile College Colby University as Captain,
Co. Fl, Goth Me. He participated in the
Antietam and Fredericksburg campaign of
that year; resigned in January, 1868; was
Temustered as Captain, S0th U. s. C. t.,
March II, 1868; honorably mustered out,
May 90, 1864; appointed Lieutenant-Co Colonel,
L. S. G.. T., May "a, 1864; transferred to
command of 73d U. s. G. H., June 3, 1864;
brevetted Colonel, March 26, 1865; mustered
out. Oct. "a, 1865. He received medal-of-
honor, under an act of Congress of March 8,
1863 for conspicuous gallantry in the assault
OH Fort Blakely, Ala, April 8, 1865 volun-
tariIy and successfully leading his regiment
over the works in advance of orders, per-
mission being given him at his own request,
while serving as Colonel COM
manding the I'D T. S. G.. T." The report of
the Adjutant-General' of Maine, 1S64-65,
records that Lieut.-Col. Merriam, in the
assault on Fort Bakely, placed our colOrs
on the parapet 200 yards in advance of every
other regiment" Appointed Major, 38th
Inf, July %, 1866; transferred to 24th Inf,
March 10, 1869; Lieutenant-ColOnel,2 I'd Inf,
June TO- 1876; Colonel, 7th Inf, July 10,
1SS5-mOre than fiVe-and-a-half years be-
fore Col. Coppinger was appointed.
Col. Thomas M. Anderson, 18th q. S. Inf.
Born in Ohio. Retiring year, 1900. En-
tered service as private in Co. A, 9th Ohio,
April 30, 1861. Has an excellent record to
this day. He is of distinguished fighting
ancestry; one of his grandathers having
served as Lieutenant Colonel in the COnti-
mental Army of the Revolution, and the
other was Erig.-Gen. Duncan Macarthur,
second in command to Gen. William Henry
Harrison in the Army of the Northwest, war
of 1872 He is also nephew of Gen. Rob-
ert Anderson the hero of Fort Sumter. His
record in the Regular Army is as follows:
Second Lieutenant, I'd Cav, May Z, 1861
Captain, 18th Inf, May Ia, 1861 transferred
to Dist Inf, Sept. 81, 1866; Major, March
26. 1868; assigned to 10th Inf, June "a,
1863; Lieutenant Colonel, 9th Inf, March
20, 1879; Colonel, 18th Inf, Sept 6, 1856
nearly four-and a-half years before Col Cop
pinger's appointment as Colonel. Col. An
derson was brevetted Major, Aug. 1, 1864,
" for gallant services in the battle of the
Wilderness; and brevetted Lieutenant
Colonel, same date, for gallant services in
the battle of Spottsylvania."
Col. Edwin f. Townsend, 10Th .. S. Inf.
Born III New York. Retiring year, 1897.
Appointed Cadet, Sept. l, 1850, from New
York. Graduated, July 1, 1854. Entered
service as Brevet Second Lieutenant, July 1,
1854, and assigned to Sd Art. Second Lieu
tenant Jan. 81, 1855; First Lieutenant, Nth
Iuf., May IA, 1861; Captain 10th Inf, May
ii, 1861; transferred to 25th Inf, Sept. 81,
1866; Major, 9th Inf, June %, 1858; trans
ferred to 9th Inf, March 10, 1869; Lieuten-
ant Colonel, 18th Inf, March 20, 1879; Colo
mel, 18th Inf, Oct. IS, 1856. This officer
has an unbroken record of service, including
term in Military Academy. of 40 years, and
was in the service about IL years before Col
COppinger came to this country, and has
been a Colonel of the line more than four
years longer than Col. Coppinger.
r,I TOxvpcap1 IVA hraUatfpd Major