The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17
LIGHTON "C0L,vGARDINER.
MS WAR SERVICE LATED EXACTLY
~ MONTHS N 90 DAHA.

on the Ground or 1ncapncity Tor AerVice'
,'Colonol' Asa Bird Toll ell. with r Storm Gardi.
ner, who Is running for District Attorney on tho
yellow dog ticket, has q record. "Colonel" Asa
Bird Gardiner Ia travelling on that record, and
has been doing 30 for a number OF years. At
meetings where ho lie introduced he is always
spoken Of as the gallant soldier who won his
spurs on the field Of battle. who was promoted
for g~allantry on the held OF battle, and who now
wears q medal Of honor awarded to him by the
Government for conspicuous bravery" When
thus introduced, Colonel" Asa Bird Gardiner
never even bushes. Colonel Asa Bird Gardi-
ner 10 to-day drawing the pay OF o retired army
onicer, such pay being $21s.75 a month. He
was q JudRe-Advooato up TO 1883. A Judge
Advocate is n Government lawyer. and that is
all. He was retired on Dec. 9, 1883. on the ground
Of Z" disability In line OF duty" and 1t would APP
pear that while he 10 unable to be q Gov
eminent lawyer and draws $21s.75 q month
because he 10 unable, he IL still able to
run for District Attorney of New York county.
"Colonel I" Asa Bird Gardiner never achieved
the title Of Colonel in the regular army. He
never rose above tho rank OF Major. he never
was . brevet Colonel. and he draws his pay AZ q
Major retired. Major Asa Bird Gardeners war
record from the Official Army Register for 1897
O. as follows:
MAY 81. 1861. First Lieutenant. s1st. New
gust Z. 1851" Total service 2 months aud II
I'm 81, 1862. Captain 22d New York State
Militia. Honorably mustered out September 5.
1852" Total service 9 months and s days.
state ss '%ill IT,, Hon Honora hbGips mustered red out Ssy July y? q.
1883 Total service l month and 9 days;
cram nRf Reserved Ia Corps 1se'' Aa s. = hl Nay is. 1885, Ss';
S Sssssssa Cal csPtIs nea Maf IS 1851, 8 1885, To aPIn psssl1s
service / year and 2 months.
Total active service during the war, 9 months
and 20 days.
After the war Colonel" Gardeners record
roads:
July 90. 1866. Second Lieutenant eth In.
fantry, regular army; accepted August Is, 1866.
ferEed to First Artillery April 8. 1869: Major
and Judge-Advocate Aug. ls., 1873. Accepted
On page 31s the Record says: Asa Bird
Gardiner, Major. Brevet Captain. March ID.
1855. for gallant and meritorious services dur
ing tho war"
On page 331 the Record says: Gardner. Asa
Bird. Major. Retired. For distinguished ser.
vices performed during the recent war while
serving as Captain ed New York State
Militia Infantry"
This last entry 10 made under tho heading
"O6icers and Enlisted Men Now in the Service
TO Whom Medals OF Honor Have Boon Awarded
Under the Following Laws" Tho law under
which Asa Bird Gardiner got his was approved
March 8, 1868, and provides medals of honor
for "such officers, non-commissioned officers.
and privates as have most distinguished or who
may hereafter most distinguish themselves In
action"
1t will be noted that Major Gardiner got his
medal Of honor for distinguished service as Cap
tain in tho Twenty-second Regiment. There Ia
q history Of the Twenty.second Regiment pub
lished. 1t IL very complete; 1t Is. Like all regi-
mental histories, written in the most compli-
mentary vein, and everything that was done by
the Twenty-second Regiment il printed in ep-
tense. This history was searched yesterday to
ind tho record Of Major Asa Bird GARDENERS
distinguished services. His name is mentioned
some seven or eight times. He was Captain of
Company I. On May 20. 1862, the Twenty.
SECOND Regiment was ordered to Washington.
1t got 40 far as Baltimore. and there it was
held up and did guard duty until juno 20. when.
under orders. 1t proceeded to Harper's Ferry.
1t remained at Harper's Ferry until Aug. "a,
when 1t was mustered out of the service and re-
turned to New York. The history does not show
any battle.
The next duty that the history details be-
gan on juno II. 1868. Tho regiment was
ordered then to Pennsylvania. According to
the history it was stationed there for some time
in the neiRhborhood of Carlisle. One morning
bklSIO = . JILL ullbu ~ KIN II ulbtOTy
tells how tho shells of tho enemy whistled
through the streets and the cannon balls fell
with the frequency of the halls pit.a-pat in .
storm. 1t also describes how the men and
women were out In tho street and how ex-
cited everybody was. and on
the fact that 1t was really remarkable 30
few persons were injured by the shrek
ing shells and the pattering cannon balls.
The total injured was less than twenty. Tho
history says: Capt. A. B. Gardiner, Company
]. going through the streets with q message to
Col Smith, was struck on the leg and was
obliged to ride horseback q few days" Then
the history quotes from a Carlisle paper q story
of the whistling shells and the pattering cannon
balls, and says that Capt. A. r. Gardiner, Com
p9nyL I, had received q medal from Congress for
his distinguished services at Carlisle.
The other times that A. B. GARDENERS name is
mentioned In this history are as follows:
Page 81. "The Captaincy Of the new COM
pany ~ was given to Asa Bird Gardiner, since
Then a LieStenkant In a voIanteer regiment. a.
Page 1855. In roster of officers who served in
Page $50. His company helped to pile sand
Page 1876. His company got an unnecessary
Page 2o2. His company was an advance guard
In the march to Carlisle:
Page 2o4. Also an incident OF Carlisle.
Tho particularly interesting part of Asa Bird
GARDENERS record at the present time, however.
is that part which says he retired Dec. g. 1888.
on account of disability in line of duty under
section 1861 of tho Revised Statutes of the
United States" and that he has from that date
drawn $21s.75 from tho Government each
month. Section 1881 of the Revised Statutes
Of the United States says:
"When a'retiring board finds that an officer Is
lncapacitated from active service and that his
lnCapAcity is a result Of ali incident Of service.
and such decision is approved by the President,
said officer shall be retired from active service
and placed on the list of retired officers"
Major Asa Bird Gardiner, as the record shows.
was made Judge Advocate on Aug. 10, 1873,
and continued in that place until Dec. 8. 1888.
A Sun reporter visited tho army building yes
to-day and inquired the exact duties of a Judge
Advocate. He was informed. as stated above.
thata Judge Advocate 10 a Government lawyer.
and his principal duty consists In representing
tho Government and tho accused at trials by
court.martial. He has no duties except those
that arc consistent with the profession of law.
Tho duties OF a Judge Advocate. TnE SUN no,