Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-07-23
"My Old ~COmmission."

"My Old Commission"
I met Captain Richard Carter, the
ex-Mayor of Dodgeville, at the depart
ment encampment. He was recently
appointed a member of Governor Up
hams staff, with the rank of Colonel.
1t Is not a matter of very great i'm
portance, but it makes me recall a
pair of young fellows of the long ago.
Maybe some of the results Of the recall
will afford two or three minutes of
pleasure to the Times-Herald readers.
I'll try them, anyhow.
In 1861, as soon as they could get into
the service after Lincoln's first call for
troops, a couple of boys, one in Racine,
where the encampment met last month,
and the other in Grant County, swere
soldier material in the Second WiscOn-
sin Infantry, the late General Fair
child's regiment. The Racine boy was
Williams. Upham, now the Governor,
and the Grant County boy was Richard
Carter, now a prominent lawyerand gen
eral %all-around good citizen of Dodge
vile. l congratulate both. Upham left
the army at the end of seven or eight
months to go to West Point. Carter,
Private Carter. stayed until the end Of
the war and was a captain when he
came home. If he is like other colonies
and generals on governors STATS, he IL
pleased with his commission, but it
means eve so little when compared
with the yellowing paper given him in
the war days that says he is a captain
that he won the commission by faith
full service in actual war. Ask Colonel
Carter to trade his old captains CON-
m~ission-to obliterate all record Of his
war s~ervice-for any kind of a modern
commission-that of Governor, minis
ter to st. James, Chief Justice of the
United States Supreme Court, or even
President and see how quickly he
will place the yellow commission over
his humping old heart and say:
THANK you: not if you were to make
me ruler of the world-to give me the
Bank Of England-not if you were to
pass to my keeping the treasures of all
of the governments Of the EARTH
L nave uOl ONcIStileu.
From what l have said does the new
generation get an idea of the satisfac-
ton with which soldiers look buck up
on their service in the war that gave
the world its greatest, most promising.
best government? l hope so. for that
is the object in writing of the Id cap
ain and the new Colonel.
Ask any volunteer who helped to
make up the vast Union army what
would induce him to have all knOwl.
edge of his ~soldiership removed from
muster rolls and other records il WASH
ington and at his State capitol. 10 that
it might never be known that he had
a part In the struggle under Cumman-
der-in-chief Abraham Lincoln, and see
what he would do, what he would say.
Our brigade newsboy got bold OF
some Baltimore and Washington pa.
pers and brought them up to tho line Of
battle the third day at Gettysburg. He
was sitting on his horse counting out
and selling papers as fast as he could
take the change. When the great ar
tillery duel that preceded Pickett's ia
. nous charge began he happened to be
on Cemetery Ridge, near the nrchway
in the cemetery. Solid shot a1d shell
few about him as thick as Green Bay
flies in June. The little fellow threw
away his papers, wheeled his horse and
pretty nearly outfiew the Confederate
missiles. When asked why he depart
ed that day SO abruptly he said he had
forgotten his revolver and went back
to hunt for it and that on the way to
the front General Meade had halted
him and told him to stay in the rear, as
his army could not afford to lose any
more Of its best men.
Il want you to look at this old Tesla
ment." said G. b. Aubery. There Is
my name written by Lieutenant Leach,
Company H. Second Vermont. He
bought it In Washington in July, 1861,
and presented 1t to me. What memor
les that Testament brings back! l re-
member the hour he gave 1t to me.
How solemn / felt and how homesick,
too! How / wanted to throw my arms
about my mothers neck and have her
talk to me-the dear mother l had run
away from! Lieutenant Leach was a
Christians real one. There were
prayers In his tent every night and
morning, and IN Sunday there was q
prayer meeting. ! was q boy Of IL,