New-York tribune., 1896-01-10
ASA BIRD GARDENERS MEDAL.
THE RECORDS FAIL TO SHOW WHY 1T
WAS GIVEN TO HIM
SOME CAUsTIc CoMMEATs FROM AN ARMY OF
FICER-AMERICAN HEROES NOT GIVEN TO

adopted for maintaining the efficiency OF the Army
and Navy Is the granting OF "a medal OF honor
| for a specific act Of personal bravery and heroism
| Army and Navy discipline Is unreentlng ana Sc
| we're and must be- and every breach OF the regu-
atons is sure 10 be followed by court-martlal
1t Is appropriate. the other hand. that recogni-
ton should be had of man who makes thrill
| Ing rescue OF comrade under fire, the act De.hg
| voluntary. who performs some other daring
and meritorlous act at the actual peril OF MS
| fe and the medal OF honor Is given for such SER
| vices In order however that the object for
| which these medals awarded shall be secured
| it is evident that they should not be given for
| services which commonplace or In cases "here
| there is record OF specific and individual gall
| antry. One case which seems TO need expIaha-
ton is continually referred TO by officers of the
! Army.
| Have you ever examined the official record OF
| Major Asa Bird Gardiner, of the Army. retired?
| inquired a general in the regular military service
| OF a Tribune representative. The General haa
| previously been speaking of the unusual modesty
| OF famous American soldiers. and had said that
| the rule was that the distinguished the ser
| vices the marked was the modesty. IL was
decidedly the exception when great soldiers wrote
| hatterngiy or complimentary OF their own
! services The Tr.bunes representative said that
| he had not looked up the Majors official record
| and added that it appeared from private publ
cations that that officer had done deeds OF credlt
| during the rebellion, and had subsequently per-
| formed rneritorious duties The Generals tone
| indicated that he about to spring surprise
| on his listeners, and 10 draw moral. lie dld
| both.
| "C;ard,ner's case" he resumed, rs what may he
| regarded as the anthess Of those spoken OF by
! me. as Illustrating the rue that modesty ana us
| tlncton in the Army practically synonymous
| The Major is in the Judge Advocates corps lie
was retired on December S. 1855, account OK some
disability which 1t is said originated in the line CT
| dutv nd yhir
| labor He lives in New-York, where, 1t appears,
| he IS pursuing his professon-the law, not arms.
Some New-Yorkers take the Major seriously. Army
| officers do They couldn't, knowing MIN az
they do However. 1 mentioned his case as one IN
| which the services few and the pretensions
MANY in contrast with others In which the services
| are many and the pretenslons The Major was
| In the volunteers during the Rebellion Itself ABOUT
| nine months. Actual operations in the war lasted
four years say therefore. ne was at the rear not
the front for thrty-nne months. over three years.
| His whole service OF twenty-seyen months was not
| continuous IL was divided into three short terms
| and one somewhat longer. There are TWO
| Jokes In the Army relating 10 the Major. one IS
| that IN Hamersy's Record Of Living Army Offlcer'
| which contains i series Of sketches prepared by the
| officers themselves. his biography covers three
closely printed pages. while those Of the great war
| heroes over whose graves taps have not been
| sounded such as Schohe.d. Niles, Gibbon ana
| others 10 not exceed page. We laugh at the
! fact that Gardiner has medal Of honor, us
tinctlon bestowed upon officers and men who have
done some conspicuous feat Of personal ga'antry IN
time Of war No seems to know why 1t was IS
sued to him
The Tribune representative here suggested that
| the General seemed to have 1t in for Major
Gardiner.
no more" said the General. than every Army
officer who admires modesty I'm the service ana DIS
approves Of buster and pretension Gardiner poses
/ as a prominent Army officer as one with highly
creditable war record For the facts refer you 10
the official sources Of information" with this the
General left his group OF listeners IL was eVluen'
pearance indicated clearly that he felt himself jus-
fed I'm chasing Major Gardiner among officers or tne
| military branch whose claims 10 distinction Woulu
not bear close inspection. -,
| interesting the general public. The Tribune repre-
sentative looked the authentic records OF Major
htr hnn anG rood the Majors own account of his
rysS vs pnbcation m Ha S'o The ofciai Army Register
When gives in brief the names. corps and services
Major entered the Volunteers as hrst l ON
August OF the same year he was honorabiy mus
tered out rs captain in the 2Zd New ork troops
he again Joined .lay 81. 1862 The following sep
temer he left the forces for the second time once
more as captain in the State troops he resumed
tr ovr or ON" month later on February H. 1861
he became first lieutenant in what was then & cesa
the Veteran Reserve Corps on August 10 tsoo; ne
left the Volunteers and accepted second ieuten-
snts commission IN the PGr1lIne rl lIetenan Fsbrnary
| H. 1865. and Major in the Judee-AdVocates CORPS
The Register also shows that the Major was
breveted a captain March 49, isi5. for gallant
snecai engagement or specific personal act is men
toned as occurs in the case of many OF the Army
annroring The Majors name in the list Of officers
OF the Army who have received medals OF honor tor
| For distinguished services performed during m
Infop
erence TO time occasion OF the services oh W !W,ie
Of hs estsr @ bd aners bsye apPesr peseyed
medals Of honor. In each instance the piace , ua,e
an" an, forth II is a rare expecton when names OF
| medal OF honor arc mentioned without SPECIFY,
ine more or less in detail what they did when ana
wher" But Major Gardiner is referred TO generally
| while serving captain. 2d New-forK state
| on, e'als Mt the War Department manifest mucn
reserve in answering inquiries aS as TO pors .m do not
| shoW for what particular act the distinction was
bestowed The oder TO issue the meda' o waS pro- %
| mu,gated In 1872. There Is nothing OF Te1oiu % 10 70
It awarded for any spec1 T or sSn
pcuoaT repy 1eF to- % question Said that if the
case was brought up for consideration today an an
| arted apr on He also said that only recently Major
Gardiner had called at The DePartment o IN reauSn S
records in mis- case. He was adyisd to let tne SUP
ect rest res adudlcaa Tina az ,re
| informed that he not entitled to medal OF
under any strict for Ti him hin IA" n" to-
oSifate the question Since then the Major has not
| reverted to the subject -, . ,a..n
| In re,aton to the remarks or the army oluceI
! quoted at first about Major Gardeners prominence
| in Hamerseys publication. It Is true mat t,ar Gt
| diner-Asa Bird has devoted TO his services tnree
| closely printed pages that General Miles has halt
| mage General Cilbbon the same, General Schonell
| one oage and other famous soldiers corresponding
| iy short references. The Major dwel.s a. Iengrn
| ,inon his career I'm the Judge e-Advocate-Generals
| corps devot.ng two pages 70 these peace SER
|
MISS PAUNCEFOTE ENTERTAINED.
| Roston Jan 9-Mrs s. d. Warren. the younger
-. xinh. arn,o at her house MarbOrO-st.. a