Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-02-19

one with sufficient pluck to carry him to
the battlefield will acquit himself AXE a
man If given half q chance. When Dayy
Crockett was in his teens, he fought in
Jackson's Indian wars, and on one Occa-
sion volunteered for hazardous mission.
His colonel rejected him on account OF
youthfulness. "Why," said the irrepres-
gible frontiersman, courage cannot be
measured by the length Of beard; other-
wise q goat must be br Ter than any
man." Overcome either by the wit or the
force of the argument the colonel relented,
and Dayy won glory in the exploit.
It was hardly to he expected that mod
est young clerk from q rural town would
desecrate the Boston statehouse by quoting
Davy Crockett or initiating his audacity,
and so when Governor John A. Andrew
told Nelson A. Miles that, being only 81
years old, he was too young to command
the company which he had raised, the gall
liant young patriot saluted the flag as 9
sign that his sword was out for liberty,
not for glory, and accepted lower rank.
Lieutenant Miles was rapid In proving the
truth of Colonel Crockett's saying. He
did not remain long with his company,
but was selected by General Howard to
serve as aid upon the brigade stan. In
that capacity he was doing duty at Fair
Oaks when a succession Of incidents
brought him out as =. gallant leader Of
men. Towards brigade suffered heavily
while maxim: glorious fight almost J
the nature of forlorn hope The general
lost his arm and was taken from the field,
leaving tho regiments widely separated.
Before he lett the field Howard learned
that the colonel of q Pennsylvania regi-
1nent in his command had been killed and
that the regiment had retired in disorder
after the los Of It's leader. Calling up
Miles, he sent him to rally the scattered
companies and bring the regiment into
action. Miles executed the task in a man
ner that attracted notice of superiors all
around. him, and, although wounded, he
kept the field until the battle was over.
Somehow the fame Of the Massachusetts,
lieutenant travelled to Albany, and Cow
ernor Morgan appointed him lieutenant
colonel Of the Sixty first regiment Thu
Sixty first belonged to Howard s brigade,
and at Fair Oaks kept up the fight after
the brigade leader fell. 1t was commanded
by q soldier of the same stamp as Miles,
Francis c. Barlow, the hero of the most
brilliant charges of the army. In the first
battle after Miles appointments terrible
fight at the Bloody Lane, Antietam-Bar
low was desperately wounded. That placed
Miles at the head of a regiment, the unit
in an army, where he had a chance to
show the warrior stuff that was in him.
General Hancock assumed command Of the
corps in which Miles was rapidly winning
honors about the time that the promotion
to the colonelcy Of the Sixty-drst took
place. Referring to some brilliant feat at
arms executed by the beardless boy colonel,
the general exclaimed, II expect to be un-
der command of that young man some
day."
The prophecy was fulfilled in It's broad
est sense. Miles was destined to command
the United States army. AT the close of
the war he held the rank of major general
of volunteers and led division in the
splendid Second corps Of the Army Of the
Potomac, Young men were then coming