The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-06-29
GEN. SKATERS
PAST CAREER

Major-Genera1 William Rufus Smarter.
commander of the United States army Of
invasion into Cuba. says the New York
Times was recently described by his lie
long friend. Senator julius C. Burrows, as
every inch a soldier and just the man to
clean the spaniards out of Cuba Since
their youth Senator Burrows and General
Shafter have been close friends. having
come together in Kalamazoo county. Mich
igan, in the winter of 1859. when Burrows.
was tutor and shafter a. student in the
Prairie seminary.
The son of a pioneer farmer, William R.
shafter was born in the town of Gales
burg, Kalamazoo county, Mich. October 16,
1885. With scant educational facilities, the
future general toiled on his fathers farm
until he attared his majority. By that
time he had saved Sufficient money TO carry
him through the winter term at the Prairie
seminary He returned to agricultural pur-
suits, but the monoteny of a farmers life
was irksome to his ambitious spirit, and
the outbreak of the civil war found him
ready and eager to become a soldier.
AT the first opportunity that presented,
young Shafter rendered his services as a
private. He was a fine specimen of man
hood physically hardy, athletic, a dashing
rider, and very handy with a gun. Persons
in local authority appreciated his worth,
and he was commissioned first lieutenant in
Company L of the Seventh Michigan In
fantry. He was mustered into service
few days after the repulse of the federal
troops at Bull Run. and from that time to
the present he has been in the military serv-
ice of the United States.
One of the first engagements in which
Lieutenant Skaters company participated
was the battle of Balls Bluff, which
suited in disaster for the union forces. For
tunately the Michigan militia emerged from
the battle in fair condition and rendered
effective service with Mcclellan in the
peninsula campaign. AT the battle of Fair
Oaks Shafter was wounded, but he so
distinguished himself that the commanding
general said in his report: Lieutenant
Shafter of the Seventh Michigan Volun-
teers in charge of the pioneers, was light
ly wounded, but kept the field and furnished
beautiful exhibition of gallant conduct
and intelligent activity" Lieutenant SHAFT
ter remained with the Seventh Infantry
til its close at Malvern Hill.
In the summer of 1862 the Nineteenth
Michigan regiment was organized and
Shafter was assigned to it, with the rank
of major The regiment Joined the West
ern army and for a year or more saw. a
great deal of hard service in Kentucky and
Tennessee In the official reports of the
Middle Tennessee campaign Major Shafter
Is praised for meritorious conduct and spe-
cially mentioned as lone of the most de-
serving officers of the Nineteenth Infan-
try" Together with other federal officers
he was captured by the confederates, but
his galantry in battle had been so con-
spicuous that his captors allowed him to
retain his horse and side arms He was
prisoner of war for three months, and was
exchanged in May, 1863
Soon after Major Skaters return to his
command he was commissioned lieutenant
colonel of the Nineteenth regiment, and
this promotion was speedily followed by two
successive brevets, the first as colonel in
recognition of his gallantry at Fair Oaks
and the second as brigadier-general for
gallant and meritorious conduct at
Thompson's Station. He served about
year as Northumberland of the Nine
tenth, and was promoted TO be colonel of
the Seventeenth regiment of colored troops.
He remained in this latter command until
the close of the war and was mustered out
of the volunteer service November 2, 1866
Prior to his retirement from the volun-
teer army however, Colonel Shafter was
commissioned Northumberland of the
Forty-frst United States Infantry, and his
connection with the regular army has been
unbroken ever since. In April, 1869, he was
transferred from the Forty-first to the
Twenty-fourth Infantry, and during the
next few years he was actively engaged
in Indian campaigns and along the Mexi-
can frontier. In every station with credit
He was promoted by President Hayes in
1879, to be colonel of the First United
States Infantry, and he held that rank for
about eighteen years. During nearly all
this time he was in command of the troops
at. Angel Island, Cal.
On May 8, 1897, Colonel Shafter was pro-
Noted to be brigadier-g general of the United
States army and was assigned to the COM
mand of the Department of the Columbia
Soon afterwards he was transferred to the
Department of California. becoming the
department commander at the same station
where he had been for so many years post
commandant
With the development of plans for the in
vasion of Cuba the president and secretary
of war began to look about fer suitable
leaders. Prominent among the elig!bles was
General Shafter. President Mckinley made
him a major-general of volunteers on the
4th of last month"; and he was assigned to
command the troops in the Santiago de
Cuba campaign. Put Shafter on the is
land" said Senator Burrows to Secretary
Alger, "and : will guarantee that he will
speedily clean out Cuba from end to end"
----~ INCONSISTENT DEANS
From the Admission Hot Blast