The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-06-28
WHO FOR BR|GAD|ER
Were so Plentiful in 1861 you
Would Stumble Over
Them.
UNWORTHY APP0lN TEES
NO MAN But ONE TRAINED IN
ARMS SHOULD BE AP-
POINTED.
TOM CORWlN'S WITHERlNG SA!lRt
How he Laughed Brigadier out of Congress
and Into 0bIiyion--The Wild
Boar's Lesson.
Bears Lesson.
Washington, June %, 1913

w aShlngtOn, June -, 1910
To the Editor:
Many mistakes were made on both
sides during the late Civil War III the
matter of appointment of BrlgadlerS,
and even Major Generals. | know less
about how things were managed III the
South in that regard than III the North
ern end of the "unpleasantneSs, as l
was then Il resident of this city. But
/ nave understood that MI. Davis got
very tired of some of his appointments,
and particularly of eX-Govcrnor Floyd,
of Virginia. and Pillow. of Tennessee,
who ran away with the bulk of the army
from Fort Donaldson, and left Buck
ner with a remnant to fight it out the
best he could with General Grant.
The failures on the Northern side
were numerous. II is sufficient to refer
to two or three lamentable instances.
There WAS in the first instance, Il Mr..
General Pierce. | think his name was.
who made a disgraccful surrender at
Bethel. 1t is creditable to him to say,
however. that he redeemed his charac
ter for manhood by enliSting as Il private
immediately after his surrender.
OF General Banks. as Il Major General,
it is sufficient to say that he was highly
esteemed South of the Potomac, for his
valuable service as Quartermaster for
Stonewall Jackson. He was afterwards
sent out west of the Mississippi, where
he rendered similar service to General
Dick Taylor. son of old lack.
The friends of General Il. F. Butler
claim that he. too, rendered distinguished
services to his country. although as
o., n-, 30
bottled him up near City Point; and
although he mad :, sigma. failure at
Fort Fisher. The claim of his friends is,
however. that ne coined She phrase,
"c~ontrabands of var" as applicable to
thu. slaves who ran away from the
South in the early part of the contest,
and that as Governor of ,<eW Orleans,
he cleaned tint streets. anG kept out
the yellow fever.
But these were the Major Generals.
AS to the Brigadiers taken from civil
life. / cont know: that history has pre-
served GLy account of their achieve
m"nts. They We're generally appointed
to satisfy the importunate applications
Of Congressman and others who had IL
huence. 1t was said here, in those days.
that d man could not throw n stick ut
a dog, about the hotels, without hitting
Il brigadier. or an applicant for a
brigadierShip.
Is it not absurd to appoint Il man
commander of an army who has had no
education or experience in that high
art? A man may learn the art without
a West Point education: but he must
begin at the foot of the ladder, and
rise gradually, accompanying study Will
daily service. 1t is the dictate of com
mon sense that we never employ Il
Shnn-n ,olnr TO MAKE, Il coat nr Il On T.
penter to make a plough-share, and is
the command of armies a more simple
art than these. which no man brought
up to other business can master without
Il regular training? Can Il lawyer or !
farmer organize Il mass of men into re
gimentS?
Apropos of this hrigadier question.
remember Il debate in the House o
Representatives which took place il
1910. pending the Presidential campaign
in which the candidates We're PreSiden
Van Buren, and General William Henry
Harrison. There was Il valiant briga
der general of the Michigan miIiti;
there at the time. who ventured a lear,
ed criticism of General Harrison's mill
tary career, and especially of his con
duct at Tippecanoe.
This military criticism of the Nichi
gan brigadier afforded Tom Corwin. O
Ohio. Il fine opportunity for the display
of his rare powers of Wit and ridicuie
He represented the heroic young com
mander on the field of his glory-th,
muster ground-on the quarterly parad
day. armed cap-a-pie on Il bob-tailed oil
mare. During the parade a cloud arise
threatening Il heavy shower, when tn,
commander orders IL retreat to a neigh
boring liquor shop. There. Alexander
like. when he cut the gordian-kno
with his sword. the Michigan her
slashed open the Watermelons that wcr
piled around. And having eaten thci
contents, the rinds We're used as drink
ing vessels to dispose Of the whiske,
like the scandinavian heroes. VINO af
ter fatigue of war. drank wine from tn
skulls of the slaughtered enemies.
General Creary had criticised the in
competency of General Harrison as
commander. for having taken position
at Tippecanoe, in an angle formed by tn
river on one side and a morass on tn
other. Creary's idea was. doubtless
that it left Nc way of retreat. Corwi
said he would not venture to take issI
with the gentleman on Il point involyin
so much learning. but he would Civ
some authorities on the other side. II
said:
"In almost all scientific research. w
ma that what Is now reduced to SyE
tenn. and rises to the dignity of science
was at first the product of some cast
atty. which. falling under the notice O
some rejecting mind, gave rise to SUI
Irising results. The accidental fallin
of an apple developed the great law G
cravitation. / am sure ] have some
where seen it stated that Pyrrhus. tn
celebrated king of EpiruS. who is allow
ed by all authority to be the creates
general of his time. first learned t
fortify his camp by having a river
his rear and a mOrasS On his flank: an
this was first suggested to him by seem
q wild boar. when hunted to desper'
zion. back himself against q tree or