The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-26

whose services in that office covered
practically forty years of the exist
ence of the Republic, William Nc
Kinley is the first to call the nation TO
arms. Nine men who had seen active
military service have preceded him as
chief executive of the nation, several
of them serving two terms, yet 1t was
reserved for this man, who entered
the service of the nation as a private
soldier at the age of seventeen ana
rose step by step as a result OF active
and gallant service upon the field OF
battle. thus realizing the full meaning
of the step, to issue the first soldiers
call to war. Washington Jackson
Harrison, Taylor, Pierce. Grant,
Hayes, Garfield and Harrison. former
occupants of the White House, were
all military men; all generals yet not
one of them was called upon to as
sumo the responsibility and duties
which now devolve upon William Nc
Kinley. private soldier sergeant, lieu
tenant, and at the close Of the SER
vice, major
MILITARY EXPERIENCE.
Every war which has heretofore
been entered upon since the organi2a-
tion of the government was begun un-
der the administration of a man with
ont military experience, whether 1t be
the war with the Barbary states in
1903 and again in 1915; the war Of
1912; the war with Mexico or the War
of the Rebellion.
Possibly President McKinley's prac-
tical knowledge of war and of the
losses Of life and all the SORROWS which
accompany it, may have had some
thing to do with his willingness, anx-
iety indeed. to bring the questions
which have been constantly before
him since his Inauguration to a peace
full solution. If this be true, it was
because of this practical knowledge of
the horrors of war and the sufferings
they must bring, for there is nothing
in William McKnley's personal record
in the field to show lack of courage or
hesitation before entering upon the
struggles which must result in a loss
of life, and endanger all those partici-
pating.
MKINLEY'S WAR RECORD.
1t is interesting at this time and un-
der these circumstances to recall
something of the actual war history
and services of this soldier-president,
who now becomes the Commander-in-
Chief of the Army and Navy at the
time when the nation is entering up
on actual hostilities. 1t was in June,
1861, at Poland, Ohio, his boyhood
home, that a seventeen year old boy,
he volunteered and entered the ma
TONS service as a private soldier. The
record of his early military service is
told by that earlier Ohio president,
General Rutherford b. Hayes who
said of William Mckinley:
When | first made his acquaintance
he was a boy just past the age of Il.
lie, with me, entered upon new,
strange life, the life of a soldier in
the time of actual war. II was soon
found that he had unusual character
for the business Of war. Young as he
was we soon found him in executive
ability, a man of unusual and unsur-
passed capacity. When battles were
to be fought or service performed in
Warlike things ne 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
a book and love him like a brother.
lie nhluIdllN progressed, IOT MS ldltnl
ana capacity could not he 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 the 18th of September. 1862
I'm the battle of Antietam. That battle
began at daylight. Without breakfast
without coffee, the men went into the
tight and continued until after the sun
went down. Early in the afternoon
"a he
commissary department OF the brig
ade was under Sergeant MCkinley's
administration. From his hands every
man in the regiment was served with
hot coffee ana warm meats, thing
that had never occurred under SINH
lar 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.
ALERT AND INTREPID.
When in later years, Major McKin.
leys qualities as a manager of i'm
portant undertakings were called int,
question by somebody the reply wal
made by one familiar with his record
"A man who, before he had attained
the age of twenty-one, kept up tn,
supplies of the army of General Crool
in active service i'm the field, is no
lacking in business ability" That hi
action in emergency and under grea
stress Of circumstances is prompt ant
wise is shown by an incident occur
ring during Sheridan's great battle a
Opequan, when Captain Mckinley a
aide de camp ON the staff of Genera
Sheridan, brought verbal messag
TO General Duval commanding III
Second division, TO move his comman,
quickly to a position on the right O
the Sixth corps, the First division hav
o ing previously been ordered to tina
position. General Duval on receivin
the order, asked "By what route sha
move my commando" Captain Nc
kinley. knowing no more about tn
country than did General Duval, an
without definite orders, replied, -
would move up this creek" to whic
Duval replied, 81 will not bulge with
out definite orders"
Captain Mckinley replied, This
time OF great emergency, General,
order You by command of Genera
Crook to move your command up thI
ravine to position on the right {
the army General Duval obeyed an
moved on the route indicated by III
young aide de camp, attained the DC
sition, charged the enemy and drov
them in confusion from their work.
as the result OF the responslbilit
taken by Captain Mckinley at thi
critical moment.
PERSONAL COURAGE.
OF his personal courage in battle.
historian writing Of the battle OF VIII
chester OF July "a, 1864, says: