The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-20
SCHOFIELD TO RETIRE.
He Has Been In Service Forty Years

HHite mouse hopes for Him is n ON =
sense.
Within a few days another of those
valiant warriors of thirty years ago will
pass out of official existence. For more
than forty years the name of John M.
Schofield has figured on the records of
the army, first among the cadets at West
Point, and now among the commanding
officers. Old age is the merclless cause of
his retirement. but the sixty odd years of
the veteran sit lightly upon him, and
there is every Indication that many years
of vigorous enjoyment are still in store
for him.
10 rise to the rank of major general,
commanding officer of the United States
army, has been the dream of every young
ster who wore the uniform of the West
Point cadet. In 1549 country boy from
Canandaigua, in Chautauqua county,
New York, entered the military academy.
He was studious and quiet, cool and obe-
dent, a hard worker, but never brilliant.
One of his instructors said "He'll make
a safe soldier, a good man to rely upon. .
The country boy was John NJ. Scho-
field. Others in his graduating class OF
1858 passed with higher honors than be
did, and gave promise OF more brilliant
careers, but the safe, studious boy
triumphed in the end. 1t is the old story
OF Wellington and Napoleon -oEe conser-
vative, automatically exact, calm and
plodding; the other a meteoric genius,
a worsnlper at the shrine of destiny.
Waterloo passed judgments upon the abIli-
ties Of the two extremes. On the 29th
OF this month"; Gen. Schotield retires from
the army, after having obtained the
highest rank within it's gift
IN THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN.
Many years from now, in the histories
to be written in the future, Gen. Soho
field will be a grander figure in the clos
ing years of the war than he is to-day.
The campaign Of Atlanta, where the won
derfui soldiers of the Confedelacy, under
Gen. Joseph e. johnson, were slowly
ground to pieces, fighting and master
fully retreating all the time against
overwhelming numbers and equipments
will be the halo surrounding the name OF
Sohofield in years to come.
How much of the success of that cam
paign was due to his plodding persever-
ance, has never been accurately measured,
because of the unanimous alteration given
to Sherman. True, the original genius
OF the campaign was Sherman's. But
the responsibility of execution rested
largely upon Schofeld. He it was who
carried out to the letter the plan OF his
superior, oyerpowering unforeseen obsta-
cles created by the yagaries of war, and
letting nothing interfere with the sue
cess OF the mission assigned him.
nj
Georgia campaign numbered 10, 900 men.
1t was called the army of the Ohio, and
had Just passed through the Knoxville
campaign 1t was in May of 81 that Gen.
Schofield crossed the Tennessee line into
Northern Georgia. where Sherman was
concentrating his forces for the final an
initiation of the stalwart remnant OF the
Confederacy, under Johnston.
GIVEN HAZARDOUS WORK.
In mapping out the campaign, Sher-
man decided that Schofleld should keep
in the van occupying the attention OF
Johnston, by doing the demonstrating.
This was most hazardous feature OF
the campaign, particularly in dealing
with IA soldier of Johnston's great skill.
But Schofeld was equal to the task, and
in all the battles preceding the fight for
Atlanta, he was potent factor in driv-
ing the warriors in gray slowly back from
point to point and meeting fierce fesls-
lance at every stopping point, For John
Ston eXcelled in the art OF holding MS
opponents at bay while the rear OF his
army built Notifications and raised in
trenchments five or six miles back.
There was fighting every day in that
campaign, and some of it rivaled in
ferocity the bitterest struggles OF the war.
In the fight for Resaca, one OF Scho-
fields divisions commanded by Judah had
"a terrific struggle, losing 600 men in
short time When che main army reached
Adairsville, oil the morn ng OF May IL,
it was found that Schotield and Hooker
had already finished the task.
While the army was near Dallas, Gen.
Schofield was badly injured by his horse
falling on him while riding through the
thick forest at night, to consult with
Sherman This left him out of the sad
ole for several days. Schofield and Hooker
were associated in all the preliminary
battles, but an incident occurred at the
battle of Cuffs farm, on June *, which
caused an estrangement between tnem
In this battle Gen. Hood commanded the
Confederate forces, and his method OF
desperate charges and firing made him a
form liable opponent. Gen. Hood exc
cuted a sudden night march and delivered
a fierce attack upon Schofield and Hook
er. The losses on both sides were heavy
and although Hood fell back, there was
little gained on either side. Hooker
made an exaggerated report to Sherman
of this fight, in which he inferentlally
blamed Schofield for the failure to gain
a moro emphatic victory. For this,
Hooker received a reproof from Sherman,
caus ng iil-feeling on all sides.
After the Atlanta campaign, Schoheld
and Thomas kept Hood from moving
towards Nashville. He was commander
of the army in the victory achleyed at
Kingston, and March %, 1860, effected
the junction Of his forces to those OF
Sherman at Go'dsboro.
When under fire. Schofeld was as cool
as if he were sitting in his own house.
He believed that commander should set
an example for his men that would make
them respect him as soldier, and abso-
luGe bravery is the surest way to win such
respect Early in the war he accom-
plished this. 1t happened this way Dur
ing a skirmish in southern Tennessee he
was taking a drink of water from tin
cup. The Confederate fire was hot, and
while the cup was at his lips bullet
passed through it, The water gushed out
of the holes made by the bullet, put ocho-
fieId did no even remove the cup from his