The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-06-18

ginning DS OClnE detailed 10 inc Clln-
mlssary department, he showed such
executive ability in filling the stomRchs
OF his comrades out on the battle line
that he soon emerged from the safety
Of the rear through promotion, to high
or things.
Stafr officers are the eyes and ears OF
the commandant. There nre times. too
when they have to take big chances
back their own Judgment heavily Sc
well did Lieutenant Mckinley serve on
General Hayes's staff that General
Crook took him on his staff to keep w
the supplies for his Eighth corps, He
wasn't twcnty-onc years Old then. liz
had had no previous military training
hadn't even been in the military orGln!'
cations of the period before the war.
Fran General Crooks stan Captain
Mckinley went To General sheridan's
and General Hancock's. lie also served
as acting assistant adjutant general OF
the First division. FRS, army corps, on
the stafr OF General Carroll.
When the war was over Major Nc
Kinley proved himself to b. OF that type
OF the American citizen who has no use
for things military In times OF peace.
At the battle OF Opequan, or WinChes-
ter, as the Cpnfedcrat5s call Il, MChin-
ley distinguished himself as n stan OIL
Ger OF twenty years who wasn't afraid
to assume unexpected responsibility.
and this readiness. combined with good
Judgment ana sound common sense won
him the hearty praise OF his superorS.
OpeQuau was the first great battle
of the Shenandoah campaign OF q.
Sheridan had been waiting for Lee TO
draw of some OF Early's army. and
when this division came. Early made
things worse for himself by separating
his wings Upon one OF these wings
Sheridan flung his army on September
10. 1864, the ChlCkRmauSa was being
fought and won.
Al that time Mckinley had reached
the rank Of captain in his company,
and was serving on the stan Of Cen
erai Sheridan. General Harris had
been ordered toNmovc his division TO the
right OF the Sixth Corps. He selected
his own route and got Host in the woods
General Sheridan then sent Captain
Mckinley to order General DuNal to
take his>aecund division to the position
which General Harris had failed TO ind.
General Duval on receiving the order
and not knowing til" lay OF the land
asked OF tho young aide:
by what route shall move my COM
mand?"
Captain Mckinley knew no more OF
the country than the general did. How
ever. without having been given eH-
plicit directions. he said:
ssI NyDilIl uDSp Nm this creek. y
81 will not bulge without definite or.
dcrs." replied DuYal. who had no mind
10 get lost In the shuttle
This is a case OF great emergency
general" returned Mckinley. II order
YOU. by command OF General Sheridan.
10 move your command up this ravinc
10 position on the right Of the army
General Duvai Obeyed, rcaShed the
right OF the line 81 battle. and subse-
ducntly made n successful attack from
this position. Half an hour after hr got
there General Harris came up and took
a hand In the fighting.
Captain Mckinley returned to Gener-
nj Sheridan and reported. Then Gener-
al said: THAT f. all right. my boy,
since the movement turned out success
fully: hut II IL had resulted In disaster
II would have been all wrong
Which goes to show that there ore
more chances In war than the chances
OF life or death
Bright and brave soldiers didn't like
like to be detailed on special duty which
took them away from their regiment.
nor did they like being assigned TO the
provost guard 10 pick M straEGIrrS'
nor to the wagon train. Yet this work
had To be done. and though disagree
able. the good soldier Obeyed with Few
murmurings
Mckinley. Il may b. imagined. did
not relish his work as reSimenial quar-
termngter sergeant, which Kept him
with the cnmmissary supplies. mile
or two from the battlefield. Even this
dull detail couldn't down his activity.
At Antietlm, September Il, 1867, Quar-
termastcr Sergeant Mckinley corrallcd
some straCglrrF and set them To making
coffee, and loading up two commissary
wagons with the cheering drink aud
hunts OF bread. The mules of one wa
CON were disabled and the other wagon
was sent at dusk two miles to the
front. where the regiment was posted.
orr army had been having heavy
fighting up to that time and MckinleyS
regiment went into the battle break
fastless and dlnncrlcsS Suddenly n
great cheering was heard from the left
OF the Twcnty-thlrd Ohio. Tn, division
commander sent out an aid to see what
was the cause, and II was found TO be
the arrival on the field Of Quartcrmas-
ter Mckinley with his coffee and ca
coffee coolers
This volunteered exploit put on Me
EInlcy's shoulders HIS FIRST straps, and
h, became Second Lieutenant McNiA-
At one time In the battle Of Kcrns-
town. fought on Sunday. July -, lSsl.
inter the federal ines were puzzled
hack. II was noticed that one Of the
r. rlmcnts was Etiil In the orchard.
whore they were posted at the begin
ming Of the battle. General Rutherford
u. Hayes, commanding the brigade
turned TO Lieutenant Mckinley, VINO
w1g serving as qunrt"tmastcr on the
LrIroIc STAFF. and directed him to take
nm order To retreat to the colonel OF the
regiment. Hayes loved the boy lIcutcn-
ami pg his own son and watched his
course across the fields with great nnN-
Icty. shells exploded above and
ar1und Mckinley. They burst In the
mir and they pIowcd graves In the
ground. Bullets tore up the turf ana
struck the Virginia rail fences with q
gpud. once Mckinley was entirely hid
den by the smoke uf an cNplndinE shcll,
and General Hayes ana III" stan
thought the young man had gone down.
nut he emerged. sitting on his little
brown horFc MS erect nv dOnrpOst,
Mckinley rcdchcd the regiment and led
| ID through the woods towards Winch"E-
trr 10 H. place in the brigade. ~ tho
Lieutenant drew up By tho Side ~ thu
general To salute and report, Hayes
said: 81 never expected to zoe you In
| life again"
Late that afternoon thc briGndc came
upon a battery. whore four guns ana
caIsrong had been abandoned by the
rnninln md loft for tho COnfederntng.