Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-27
HE w AS. A FIGHTER
The Reputation Borne by the New Pay.
master General of the Army.
Gen. Stanton Has Seen as Much Ac.
tive Field Service ms Any
Line Officer.

Col. T. H. Stanton, who succeeded Brig.
Gen. Smith as paymaster general of the
army, is known throughout the service as
"the fighting paymaster," and it is said of
him that he has seen as much field service
as the majority of officers of the line. Dur
ing the war when a horse would buck or
balk at the shop it was termed "gun shy.
1t has been a common remark about Col.
Stanton that he was never known to be
''gun shy" When the war broke out Col.
Stanton was engaged as a newspaper cor
respondent in this city, and it may be said
that he actually entered the army from the
House press gallery. He and Col. w. G.
Moore, now major of police, were great
chums. and they enlisted at the same time
in the first battalion, District of Columbia
volunteers, April Is, 1861, for ninety days.
Col. Stanton was honorably discharged
July Is, 1861, and returning to Iowa he was
elected to the general assembly Of the
state, in which he served until September,
1862 He then raised company c. nine
teenth Iowa infantry, and was mustered in
as captain Of it August is, 1862, going to
the army of the frontier and participating
in many exciting campaigns. In October,
1862, he was appointed an additional pay
master and was sent to Memphis and
Vicksburg. being present at the surrender
of the latter city. He followed the Army OF
the Tennessee on its march to Chattanooga
as far as Tuscumbia, paying the troops.
In November, 1864, he went to New Or
leans, Gen. Candy having asked for his as
signment as chief paymaster.
With the Army of the Potomac.
In the following January he came to
Washington. and was ordered to duty with
the Army of the Potomac. Upon the fall
of Richmond the Secretary of War directed
him to take post in that city. He remained
there until 1870, most of the time as chief
rank of lieutenant colonel. In addition to
his other duties he was put in charge OF
the disbursement of reconstruction funds,
and was also appointed auditor of public
accounts for the state of Virginia. He had
charge Of the collection of all the taxes and
the payment Of the expenses Of the state
under reconstruction acts. In 1871 he was
a member of the board to adjust war claims
of the state of Kansas against the United
States, and in November of that year he
was ordered to San Francisco, and to visit
al; the military posts in the territory of
Arizona. In November, 1872. he was or
dered to the Department of the Platte, with
station at Cheyenne. Wyo.
In the Indian Campaign.
His service in the Indian campaign in
the succeeding ten or twelve years was
conspicuously brilliant, he having availed
himself Of every opportunity for active op
erations in the field. He was with the col
umn under Gen. John Smith in 1874, to
place the Sioux Indians on the Red Cloud
and Spotted Tail reservations. and TO
establish Fort Robinson and Camp Sheri-
dan.
In 1875 he went with General Crook on
the Black Hills expedition, and In that
year made q reconnaissance of the Bad
Lands of South Dakota. He was chief of
scouts for General Crook in 1876, in his
and took part in the engagement with
Crazy Horse on Powder river. Montana, in
that year. In the following May he was
sent by General Sheridan to report to Cen
eral Carr, and subsequently to General
Merritt for field duty, and took part in the
movements to prevent the Cheyennes from
joining Sitting Bull. In August, 1876, he
Joined General Crook on Goose creek. Mon
tana, took command of scouting column
against Sitting Bull, participated in the
battle of Slim Buttes, September TO- and
several minor engagements. In November
and December of the same year he went
with the column under General Crook
against the Cheyenne chief Dull Knifes
band, and in the following February he
went to Crow agency. Montana, to pay
the Grow Indian scouts engaged in the
Sioux campaign. In May, 1877, he took
station at Salt Lake City, and subsequently
was with the troops under General John
Smith to prevent the threatened outbreak
of the Bannocks, near Fort Hall, Idaho.
After the Thornberg massacre in 1879 he
was sent to pay the column operating
against the utes. and in December, 1879,
partment of the Platte, with station at
Omaha.
He came to Washington in August, 1884,
as a member of the board to adjust war
claims of the state of Kansas against the
United States. and in the following year
vas again stationed at Salt Lake City.
Special Duty in the Field.
In 1856 he was detailed by Gen. Crook for
special duty in the field, in connection with
the movement to prevent an outbreak of
the Uncompahgre and White River Utes,
and to establish Fort Du Chesne. He was
stationed at headquarters of the division
Of the Missouri. Chicago, from September.
1883, to May, 1890. when he was again
ordered to Omaha as chief paymaster of
the department of the Platte, and while in
this latter duty he paid the troops in the
field operating against the hostile Sioux
in the Wounded Knee campaign of 1S90-'9I.
AS one of his brother officers puts it, Gen.
Stanton has always been willing to 20
where there was work to be DONE and his
promotion to the office of paymaster gen.
eral is almost universally accepted in mill
tary circles as eminently fit and proper.
PROPOSED MONETARY CONFERENCE