The evening times., 1898-07-29
Y1oHrE1s on rHE PAsT.
Gallant Array and Navy Men Tried
Under Fire.

Under Fire.
Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, WHO has just
been assigned to the, command of one
Of the brigades of the First Army
Corps. is an ex-Confederateevet veteran with
a truly remarkable history. Men whose
memories travel back to the early sixties
remember him as one of the most DASH
ing and daring of the Southern cavalry
leaders. In great degree he resembled
Custer. whose classmate he was at West
Point. Once. at Buckland Mills. I'm Vir-
ginia, as he was driven out, he left a
message for the gallant leader who died
on the Big Horn. 1t read:
You have disturbed me at my break
fast. 1 owe you one. and I'll get even
with you."
lowed Custer to cross the creek. then
swooped down upon him, while the Union
troopers were brewing Coffee 1t took
Custer twenty-four, hours to gather his
men after this dash. Rosser is now a
rich man. and IT Is interesting to record
that 1t was his old chum. Custer, who
helped to make him one. The surrender
of Lee left Rosser penniless. and with a
wife and three children to support he was
construction corps of the Northern
Pacific Railroad. There Custer, quite by
accident ran across him-I tell the story
as / had 1t from Gen. Rosser himself a
few months ago-and. seeking out the
chief engineer of the road said:
There Is a man named Rosser under
you as q construction boss?"
Yes" was the. engineers reply. land
one of the best men l ever had. Is there
anything wrong about him?'
NO" said Cus,er but tie was at West
Point with me. and afterward a major
general in the Confederate army. Can't
you give him something better than the
work he Is doing?'
why. / have been looking for just
such man. said the engineer
And so Rosser, through Clusters kindly
offices. was made second in command of
the engineer corps. When. few months
later, he became the chief he made such
shrewd use of the opportunity the po-
sition afforded him for speculation and
Investment that today he Is easily worth
half a million dollars. Custer. on the
o:her hand, died poor man. and his
widow is now mainly dependent for sup
port upon the pension she receives from
the Government.
Rosser Is the fourth Confederate gener-
al to be given high command in the vol
unteer army. Wheeler, Lee and Butler
being the other three. Surprise Is ex-
pressed in some quarters that Gen. John
| X. Gordon has not been similarly hon
| ored. The son of country preacher,
Gen. Gordon, when the Civil War broke
| out, was trying to develop coal mine in
| northwest Georgia. Down there in the
| mountains he raised a regiment of ma
| tives and reached Virginia in time to
! take part in the opening of the war. In
| the first engagement of his hardy noun
| taineers two-thirds of them were either
| killed or wounded. Every officer save
| Gordon was slain. and his own escape
was miracle, his clothes being riddled
| by bullets.
| The mark of a mimic ball on Gen. Cor
| dons cheek is reminder of the bloody
| and wrathfuI day when the battle OF
| Seven Pines was fought. The Sixth Ala
bama, commanded by Gordon was at the
! front of the fight. Suddenly there came
| an order. from whom was never discov-
cred TO charge across an open field and
| caDture a battery that was stationed in
| a thicket and pouring deadly fire into
/, the Confederate ranks. II was ike the
| charge of the Six Hundred. Some one had
/ b,undered But at the head of that yell
! ing and racing thousand OF men. ana IN
.he face of that murderous fire. Gordon
sprang to obey the fatal command. When
| the shattered remnants of the regiment
| were hurled back across that death
| strewn field. its colonel. bleeding and
| wounded in five places. was carried to
| the hospital tent. where for weeks MS NE
was hardly worth hoping for.
| Nevertheless. he recovered. and in two
| years rose by hard fighting and merit as
a commander to the rank of lieutenant
| general. As commander OF the CohIeu'
crate Second Army Corps he was the first
| 70 attack at Gettysburg. and he held the
last line at Petersburg, fighting with stub
| born yaIor for every inch of space. Yet
he he'd not had a particle OF military
training and when the war closed was
only thirty years of age. Since then ne
! has been twice governor of his State and
| twice a member of the Federal Senate
The reports regarding Gen. James H.
| Wilson which come from Chfckamauga
prove pretty clearly that youthfulness is
| not always essential to the making of a
| successful commander. This eminent
| Union veteran. who has done magnificent
| work at Camp Thomas in assisting Gen.
| Brooke to make real soldiers out of the
volunteers, Is said to be enjoying splendid
! health and to look as though he could
! stand the rigors of a hard campaign as
! well now as when he led the famous
Wilson cavalry five and thirty years ago.
Gen. Wilson resigned from the regular
army in 1870. and mas since been engaged
in important railroad and engineering
operations Ten years ago, at Washing
ton. the writer was a chance witness to
an historical meeting between the general
and John H Reagan. Gen. Wilson ap-
peared as an expert before the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce. OF
which Mr.. Reagan, then senator from
Texas was a member. The chairman of
the committee in presenting Gen. wilson
TO the other members approached Senator
Reagan, who. extending his hand. said
with a smile: 7~-
81 think / have met the gentleman De-
fore I remember him..
.And I also remember you very well.
Mr. Reagan" was the generals reply.
.'The circumstances were very different
from these"
The circumstances were, indeed. differ
ent. for the last time the two men had
met was when Gen. Wilson'S cavalry had
captured Mr.. Reagan. postmaster gem
-eral of the Confederacy, in company with
Jefferson Davis, the fugitive president OF
the government of the lost cause. Gen.
Wilson. recalling the event, said that he
was then intent alone upon the capture
of the fleeing head of the Confederacy.
and had accomplished his purpose. He
did not care for Reagan as prisoner
and did not desire to cucumber himself
!! with any more prisoners than Davis. so
| he offered Reagan his parole. The latter
refused 1t. stating that Davis was old and
| weak. He might need assistance and
possibly nursing. and Mr.. Reagan, who
was then a young and vigorous man. re-
solved to remain with his chief. At sec
ond meeting with Gen. Wilson the touch