The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-15
TOLD AT THE TABLE.

TOLD At THE TABLE.
Three Short War stories that May Not
Be in the Histories ofthc Time.
From the Washington Post.
Brimful Of funny anecdotes that had
no chestnutty flavor was the speech of
Gen. st. Clair Mulholland at the Second
Corps banquet at the Shoreham Friday
night. The Irishman largely prepon-
derated in these anecdotes, of which a
couple of specimens from the memory
of a guest will be found below.
McCook' regiment was in front of the
enemy, and, expecting to make an at
tack next mbrnins, he mounted his
horse to ride down to the picket line
and examine the situation. With this
purpose in view he called on soldier to
accompany him and the commanding
officer made detail. McCook was as
tonished when little red-headed fei-
low rode w to him and touched his
cap, ready for his service, for he was a
mere boy, weighing not more than sew
enty-five pounds and looking scarcely
bigger than the Sharp's rife he carried.
You going with me-" asked Nc
Cook,
The lad saluted and replied In the
affirmative. "s
Were going right to the front, said
the officer "Do you know that it is
very ds.ngerous?''
Yes: your honor" said the youth.
"Have yo0 been under fire?" inquired
the ofilGer.'
Il have. your honor"
DO YOU suppose you have backbone
to keep up. with. me wherever l go?"
"I'll thry. sir; that'ss why I'm sint
sir. An If, it's heavy firing an we get
among the bullets and we're kilt you
wont be In 49, half mint before l
| come atappin at the window"
They went 90 the front
The second story was s.located at the
hospital. One of the chaplain's regi-
ment was very badly wounded and GER
tain to die. But the chaplain was tired
the chaplaips We're often tired in the
| army, you resnember-and so he went
to bed, and ne left special word with
Sergeant Joe, that he was TO be called
| If Barney showed signs Of immedia te
| collapse. When he arose In the morn
| ing he was much surprised to hear that
Barney had died during Tie night. He
| upbraided the watcher with not having
| reused him in time to administer the
| last consultations to the dying soldier.
"Nyell to tell the truth, Yer highness,
I didn't want to disturb you. an you
couldn't hey done nuthin for him.
Nuthin' could a-helped him. An when
/ a l,s,
In what way did you console him.
sergeant?"
| We'll. chaplain. I talked to him gentle
like. an hir his hand an l said to him,
Barney, says l. I'm afraid you're dyin',
my boy"
"T think am says he.
IAN | expect you,il go below says I.
| az think l win says he.
"Well, Barney, my boy says 7, you
ought to be glad you've got some place
| to go to-
Gen. Sickles rarely sits down to a
table with old soldiers without contrib
uting some valuable historical reminis-
cence. At this same banquet he told
| this story:
| 1T was I should think, very early in
the winter of '6l-2 that, having some
business with Gen. Mcclellan, | walked
up one forenoon to his headquarters in
| Admiral Semmes' house. opposite the
| Arlington. The man on duty said the
General was engaged and asked me to
wait. took seat, and shortly the
secretary of war came In and inquired
for the General An officer came out of
| the next rom, said the General was
busy just then, and asked the secretary
| OF war to take a seat and wait. Mr..
| Cameron sat down and we fell into con-
| versation. In few minutes Mr.. Lin
coin came in and inquired for General
| Mcclellan. The officer repeated what
he had said to us, that the General was
very busy. and Mr.. Lincoln would have
to wait. The president sat down with
us and said. All right. I'll watt The
| secretary of war remarked that the
| president ought in some way to have
access to one Of his generals. Lincoln
| threw one leg over the other, as If pre-
pared for a long siege, and said. oh.
no. It's all right. My time Is of no
| special value, and the general is en-
gagged in attending to our business. I
can wait as well as not And he fell
into his famous story telling. showing
not the slightest impatience at the ne
cessity of cooling his heels in the ante
room of a man who was a civilian less
than a year before, whom he had ap-
pointed to office.
"The incident Illustrated" added Gen.
Sickles. two things-first, that Mr.. Lin
coin was one of the most unpretentious
of men, and second, that at that time
everybody. including Mcclellan himself
expected Mcclellan to put down the re-
belion." .s - o.. ... ~~.'.
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