Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-23

trains loaded with Spanish troops; also
vrecking culverts and bridges with dyna-
mite. This recalled to the comrade an am
bushing experience he had passed through
while raiding the enemys railroads in
Georgia.
The second speaker also knew a rail-
road story and the third still another, if
Tot better one. Thus it happened that
we mad. railroad night" of it, for G. A.
r. campfires don't grow dim until morning
breaks. When the commander called upon
the colonel to parade speech, or a song,
or a story" the veteran horseback soldier
promptly followed the lead but changed
the subject from the contemplation of
wars cruelties to something quite the re-
verse.
My story is about a ride on the rail in
which one was hurt" said he with
su lie in his voice that caused half the
gray heads in the room to project an ear
sidewise. for fear of missing a point NO
one hurt and every passenger in the
party-there were 1900 of US, at least de-
clared that he had never in his life enjoyed
an afternoons trip equal to the one we
made over the Orange and Alexandria rail-
road in the spring of 80. / was in the
Infantry then. a captain in Slocum's bri-
gade, Franklin's reserve division, so-caled.
The whole division, comprising three bri-
gades, led by Slocum, Kearny and New
ton, had been left at Catlett's station, half
way between Washington and Fredericks-
burg, when the Army of the Potomac
sailed to the Peninsula to attack York
town and Richmond. General Mcclellan and
the Wa, Department were at odds about
l 5, Little Mac wanting us at the front
and the Washington authorities insisting
that We remain guard before the gates
OF the capital, hundreds of miles from the
enemy.
kcarny Was Fighting Mad.
kearny was wild, he was savage about
being sentenced to mastery inactivity
when there was fighting going on. so you
may imagine his stormy wrath when an
order came one morning to Franklin to
send d brigade to Alexandria by rail- and
Slocum was told to put his on board the
cars. Our brigade. you see, by the cour-
tesy OF the service, had the first chance at
anything which turned up that day and
SlocunI would not yield his privilege Kear-
ny was the senior brigadier fighter who
had lost an arm in Mexico, and he was
Eearning to lead those finely drilled Jersey
men-the first four regiments sent out from
the state-through their baptism of fire.
But orders were orders; Slocum's bri-
Eade must go first to Alexandria by train
take the first steamer to the peninsula and
join column of assault Mcclellan was
forming for an attack on the confederate
batteries at Gloucester Point We marched
to the cars, leaving Kearny at division
headquarters. Scowlng Savagely and in
his Impotence. jabbing his scabbard into
the ground-piotttng, We knew not what
We found out, though, later on. He was
waiting for answer to a personal dis
patch sent to his influential hackers in
Washington"
The coloners auditors needed no prompt
ing about the characteristics of Kearny
and Slocum, which made the episode the
more interesting for the others involved in
IT, The brave kearny would go out of his
way TO find a battle. He lost his life while
seeking one within the enemy's lines at
Chantllly, entirely alone. Slocum, on the
other hand. bided his time, carrying out
the program set for him by circumstances
He lived to command the right wing of
ShermanS army on the march through
Georgia
OF Wood md Scrap Iron.
THE Orange and Alexandria railroad of
those days, as most of you remember"
continued the colonel, was very primitive
affair, indeed. 1. was a wooden track road;
that is, the track consisted of long hewn
tinbers topped out with strap iron. No
grading had been done in laying it, and It
ran up hill and down dale Just as nature
or the great flood had left things in the
beginning. 1t was a 'switchback' without
the back-Switching attachments Given
power to haul trains up the hills, they
would run down themselves Just like any
thing on wheels But there was no such
power provided for US that day. The rick
ETY. old engines couldn't pull the cars I'D
simply, not at one haul. So we jumped out
ard pushed the cars up the heavy grades
and then scrambled in and rode down at
breakneck speed. The soldiers, officers and
all, entered into the fun with the abandon
or school boy crowd toboganning with
bob sleds. All agreed, however that If
Secretary Stanton was really anxious that
we reinforce Mcclellan he would better