Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-07-14

Fl as s@- - stop to consider
-"@SS what was back
of Hobson's ex-
plot of 1898 or of Cushing's Of 1864.
Much less is it taken into account what
it cost Gushing to be the hero of the Al
bemarle or what it may cost Hobson to
have been the hero of the Santiago
"bottle -
Lieutenant Hohson's emergency came
to him. He did not seek it. The same
with Gushing also with Captain Dorst
and Lieutenant Rowan, the other heroes
of Cuban invasion A great crisis comes
suddenly. It awaits the man. Its hero
must be one who is familiar with the
situation, hence there can be no such
thing as aroving commission for certain
men to monopolize the deeds of derring
do. I" When the noted western scout and
adventurer, Ned Buntline, offered his
services to Grant, the general put him
| off with the very frank and searching
remark, "You are too anxious for
wounds and glory" A man of Bunt-
lines temperament and ambition can
not do anything without an amount of
theatrical display which in 80 cases out
of 100 means ruin to any war enterprise
they may engage in.
1t is the modest, we'll balanced and
persistent fellow who succeeds when
the enemy is to be surprised and dealt
a stunning blow. The trying time for
a leader engaged in an enterprise like
that of Hobson at Santiago is not when
he volunteers for the hazardous project
nor when he reaches the danger point
/ of fire, but at the moment of final exc
cution. 1t cannot be known beforehand
what changes a moment may make IN
the situation. Gushing found the situa
ton of the ram Albemarle so totally
different from what he had counted
upon that he had to change his plan
under fire. The final test is upon pres
ence Of mind, quality not supplied by
the enthusiasm nor ambition Of the
average volunteer.
American soldiers are just the men to
fight on their Gown hook" as the say
ing is They are self reliant, independ-
emit and cool. The Germans make the
boast that in their army if every officer
, falls there are soldiers in the ranks Ca
, pable Of taking the vacant places to d.
! rect the fighting Americans can go
further and say that they will fight
ahead and fight we'll without direction.
! Many battles of the civil war were de-
cided one way or the other by the SOL
J diers making it their own fight Chat
! tanooga was won in that way, but the
! most conspicuous example was at Get
I tysburg, where the Federal army had
7 three different commanders within "a
hours and but small portion of the
troops knew during the whole fight who
was actually in command. Every point
won was gained by a sort of martial in
stinct without the aid Of genius. Here
a battery defended ground which proved
to be key position, there a band OF
sharpshooters or cavalrymen or infantry
! charged and scored little victory
= which counted in making up the grand
! result.
! Lieutenant Bayard Wilkeson bled tc
! death alone after sacrificing his battery
\ on Barlow knoll to save an army corps
y from destruction Warren, scouting
\ alone, saw the long gray line pushing
\ it's trailed bayonets toward Little Round
4 Top. Hazlitt dragged his guns up TIN
4 rugged mountain to head off the Con
I federatcs, and Weed detached his brigad
u from the line without orders to go OF
y the same Grand Either of these gallan
"a fellows would have cut down the mai
: who should have dared to insinuate tel
minutes before the crisis came that h
would so far forget himself as to reck
!. lessly anticipate or willfully disobe
e. orders. But the hour arrived when
: would have been baseness to stand upo
ceremony. Hazlitt fell and Weed fell
but Little Round Top, which the com
mander of the Federal army had total
ne n ignored in his plans and orders, wa
saved.
sThere is process Of selection at wor
: in bringing to the front the successful
\ free agent in war. Cushing was FIRE
Y rover in the waters of North Carolin
long before he destroyed the Albemarl'
He had engaged in enough thrilling az
ventures to make a book, but neverth
less would have died in obscurity bl
for his grand stroke at Plymouth. Eve
GnaC triumph ulun buru lis uedu, II
he led battalion of marines afterwal
in the land attack on Fort Fisher, sin
et ply one of score of lieutenants ordere
into line with the ships crews
Had Cushing been burning for di
tinction in the regulation way for lite
40 airy and stage heroes he would ha'
y chafed over being shelved in the isolate
field of Albemarle sound while the nay
was winning glory in Charleston harb
and on the Mississippi. When the tin
the game 10 choose d hlah 10 Do" up u
of Albemarle at her docks, his superlo
ken knew by experience that in him we
'ne combined the fearless courage and soul
ock Judgment necessary for the despera
work
the In the Same way Captain Dorst 81