Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-10
M'KINLEYS WAR RECORD,
The First Of Ten SoIdier-Presidents
to Issue Call to Arms.
dis Executive Ability Demonstrated and Hi.
Personal Courage Unwavering on the FieIt
OF Battle.

| or the ten Presidents of tn,
| Nni'eu states whose services in tina
| 'i"ce covered practically forty years o
| .ie existence OF the republic. William
| Mchlnley is the first to call the natior
10 arms. Nine men who had seen &C.
| i've military service have preceded hin
| as chief executive of the nation. severa
OF them serving two terms. vet il was
reserved for this man, who entered the
service Of the nation as a priyate sol.
dlef at the age Of seventeen. ana rose
H'ep ny step as result Of active anC
Sdlliiht service upon the field Of battle
mus realizing the full meaning of The
Slep To issue the first soldiers call to
war Washington. jackson. Harrison
iaNlor Pierce, Grant. Hayes. Garfield
ana Harrison, former occupants of the
w mite House. We're all military men. ali
gcnerals,yet not che of them was called
upon to assume the responsibility and
duties which now devolve upon vii
liam Mckinley. private soldier. Ser
Seant, lieutenant. and, at the close OF
ms service, major.
Every war which has. heretofore beer
entered upon, since the organization Of
the government was begun under the
administration of man without mill
tary experience, whether it lie the war
with the harbary states in 1903 anf
again i'll 1915; the war Of 1872. the Wal
with Mexico. or the war of the Rebel
lion.
Possibly President Mckinley's prac-
ucal knowledge Of war, and of The
losses of life and all the sorrows which
accompany it. may have had something
to do with his Wllingness-anxiety in
deed to bring the questions which
have been before him constantIv since
his Inauguration to a peaceful solution
II this he true, il was because Of thi!
practical knowledge of the horrors of
war and the suferings it must bring
for there is nothing in William Mckin-
ley's personal record in the field ID
show lack of courage or hesitation he
fore entering upon the struggle Whicl
must result in a loss of life and endan-
ger all those participating. 1t is inter
estin2 at this time and under these cir
cumstances says the New York Tri-
bune. to recall something of the actual
war history and services Of this SOL
dier-President, WHO now becomes the
commander-in-ch chief of the army and
navy at the time when the nation is en-
tering upon actual hostiities.
1t was in June. 1861. at Poland. Ohio.
his hoEh0od home. that. a seventeen
year-old hoy. he volunteered ana en-
tered the nations service as a private
soldier. The record Of his early mill
tary service is told by that earlier Ohio
President, General Rutherford Il
Hayes. who said of William Mckinley:
When | first made his acquaintance
he vas a boy just past the age OF
seventeen. He, With me, entered upon
a new and strange life-the life Of sol
der in the time Of actual war 1t was
soon found that he had unusual char
acter FOR the business Of war Young
as he was, we soon found in him exc
cutive ability, and an unusual and un-
surpassed capacity When battles wer,
to Inc fought or service performed ir
Warlike things he always took his place
The night was never too dark. the
weather never too cold. for prompt and
efficient performance of his duty. When
/ became commander Of the regiment
he soon came to be upon my staff, and
learned To know him like book. and
love him like a brother. He naturally
progressed. for his talent and capacity
could not be unknown. The bloodiest
day of the war the day on which more
men were Killed and wounded than any
other day Of the war, was September
j., 1862. in the battle Of Antietam That
battle began at daylight. Without
breakfast. without coffee. the men Went
into the fight and continued until after
the sun went down. Early in the after
noon they We're famished and thirsty
The commissary department Of the
brigade was under Sergeant McKin-
legs administrations From his hands
every man in the regiment was served
with hot coffee and warm meats
thing that has never occurred undeE
similar circumstances in any other
army in the world. He passed under
fire and delivered With his own hands
those things SO essential for the men
for whom he was lahoring.
When in later years Major McKinloy's
qualities as 4 manager Of important uN-
dertakinGs We're called into question by
somebody, the reply was made. of famil-
lar record: "A man who. before he had
attained the age Of twentY-one, kept up
the supplies for the army of General
CROOK. IN active service IN the icid. is not
lacking in business ability" That his ac-
ton in emergency and under great stress
of circumstances is prompt ana wise is
shown by an accident occurring during
ShcrdanS great battle at Opcquan. Cap
tain Mckinley. as aide-de-camp on the
staff of General Sheridan. brought a YER
bal message to General DuNal. command
ing the second division. to move his com
mand quickly to a position to the right
Of the Sixth Corps, the first division hav-
ing previously been ordered to that posi-
ton General DuVal on receiving the or
der asked. by what route shall move
my commando Captain Mckinney
knowing no more about the country than
did General puval. and without definite
orders, replied, Il would move up This
creek. to which Duval answered Il
will not bulge without definite orders
Captain. Mckinley replied: This is
time of great emergency. General. ! or
der you. by command of General Crook
to move your command up this ravne to
a position on the right of the army.
General Duyal obeyed and moved on
the route indicated by the young aide-dc-
camp. attained the position. charged the
enemy and drove them in confusion from
their works, as the result of the respon-
sbility taken by Captain NICK ulcy IN this
critical moment.
OF his personal courage in battle. 4 his
torian, writing of the Battle of WncheS-
ter, July "A. 1864. says:
When it became necessary to fall back