The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1898-10-14
THE BOY COLONEL.
oEn. M'ARTHUR's SERVICE IN
THE CIVIL WAR.
Soon Changed Their opinion Qualities
That Won for Him the Love Of uis
soidisrs-impul.c ~ the Lad aud
Tirm Beadinrs. Of the Commander.

| az the boy colonel" A veteran of
the 2ith Wisconsin said recently:
When the governor made him our
adjuiant. IN 1862. no was only ~. anl
small for his age. His voice had not
fully changed. 1t sounded like the
growing Of young rooster in iis FIRST
| Efforts. We made an sorts Of fun OF
/ him, and felt that We had been im-
posed upon boy tho governor. We
wanted a man. not a stripping. for ad-
| iuiant-an Office almost as important
as that OF a colonel
you ought 10 have heard the boy
on dress parade. Ills chicken voice
didn't reach halfway down the line
when he pipod out. TO the rear: opon
Z order, march' and when he minced to
the center OF the regiment moved out
In front and said. First sergeant to
the front and center, march! there
was a broad grin on the faces OF a
thousand men and a scowl on that OF
the colonel. The first colonel had seen
service and wanted competent man
for adJutant. The night after the first
dress parade he said I shall write TO
the governor to send me n wooden man
for adjutant.' The boy heard some OF
the colonels comments. and he could
SEQ that the men were guylng him. It
cut him TO the quick.
III show them that / can fight,
anyway. Then maybe they'n come to
like me better. said the boy. as he
brushed away something damp from
his soft check"
Another story from the same lips
brings out the qualities this boy had
for winning the love OF his men. Al
koneaaw the veteran who tells tho
story was badly wounded and left he
hind when the cath was ordered back
after the ropulse. Young Macarthur
was In command. and when he learned
that Sergt. Dunn was among the miss
Ing In battle he sent n nle OF men to
the front again to search for him. Said
he; III he Is wounded and alive, SEQ
that he ls given In charge OF tho sur
geon at once; II dead. bring his body
In and Il shall be sent home.' The
thought was the impulslyo one Of a
boy. but the act that OF a Arm and
ready commander.
Macarthur won his eagle. He was
no accidental colonel At the first
great battle OF the regiment. Stone
river. the colonel and iieutenant-col-
onel were both absent and the COM
mand OF the 2ith deyolycd upon the
major and the boy adjutant The regl-
ment was In sherldan'a division,
whore II served all through the war.
AZ Stone River the three brigade com
mandors OF the division were shot
down early In the fight. and the regi-
ments were left 10 themselves. II was
terrible struggle too well known TO
be repeated here. The Gath came out
with 200 men In the ranks. having lost
almost as many In the fight. This
was In 1869. a few months after the
debut OF the boy adjutant. He was
not guyed any more. and after the next
battle. bloody Chickamauga, the regi-
ment looked up to him as feature IL
couldn't do without and remain the
same
Then at tho battle OF Missionary
Ridge he capped II all by a deed OF
psraonal horolsm and presence OF mind
only 10 be expected OF a true soldier.
The 2ith, under sherldan's lead. start
ed on the signal TO 20 up the slope at
double quick for the emergency called
for rapid action on the line. They
carried the first OF the enemy'a de-
lenses, and after short breathing
spell orders came TO 80 ahead. Il was
uphill work In the double sense. for
the men had TO fight for right OF way
and struggle up the steep aud rugged
hillside under fire. Finally the color
bearer dropped down from physical ex-
haustion. while the line was strung out.
wayerlng as to which course TO take
10 avoid the onemy's fire and the OBJ
structions In the path. Macarthur.
stlll adlutant. was at the front. and,
SELLING the ilag In the hands OF the
PROSTATE bearer unmrlod Il and
rushed forward the actual leader OF
the whole line.
For tho deed Of Missionary Ridge
the boy adiutant was promoted to the
rank OF major. a field officers position.
two grades below that OF solond. A
major commands battalion OF the
regiment when In action. and often
when the regiment Ia small there are
but two field officers and the major IL
second In command. The Gath had
become 30 depleted that there were but
two field officers after Missionary
Ridge. During the Atlanta campaign
II was led by Lieutenant colonel. and
at the storming OF Kenesaw that Office
was held by young Macarthur. He was
not yet 10 years old. for only one and
a half years had passed since ne piped
his feeble war notes at battalion dress
pasade.
Al the battle Of Franklin, Nov. 30.
1864, the cath Wisconsin. led by Col.
Macarthur. was one OF the seven regl-
menta which made history that day on
Carriers mn In the famous charge OF
opdyeke's brigade. That, too. is a well
known story. but one to bear recalling.
The main line Of breastworks IN front
OF Carriers hill was preached by a des-
perato and overwhelming charge OF
Cleburne's Tennesseeans, opdycke's
brigade lay In reserve behind the
breach. The men had been In action