The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-16
MUsTERED-ouT OFFICERS.
Some Further Facts About Court
MnrtiaIs.

MartlaIs.
Pine Crest Villa Fla, Oct. 15.-There
seems to be a good deal of misunderstood
ing about the muster out of a lot of gen.
eral officers Of volunteers. Only very few
of these return again 10 civil life, the most
OF them being colonies and lieutenant col
onels in the regular army, who simply drop
out of their higher volunteer rank to their
lower in the regular service. Quite a num-
Der of civilians have been retained, but
they are men of ripe military experience.
like Gen. VIM. C. Oates and Gen. Rush G.
Lincoln Col. Oates was one of the bravest
Confederate regimental commanders. and
lost an arm in the civH war. AS Governor
of Alabama and member of Congress,
he had also made fine reputation, and his
retention is e deserved compliment to
Southern Democracy.
Among the officers retired to private
life are Brig. Gen. j. X. Hudson, of Kans-
as, brother Of the editor of the Orlando,
Fla, Daily Reporter, and Brig. Gen. T. l..
Rosser, of Virginia, to whom l referred
in q recent letter. and whose career in the
present war, has been somewhat of a fail-
ure One of the most distinguished lieu
tenant generals of the Confederate army
writing me recently, says: Il was glad
you touched up Rosser. He has been most
outspcken in abuse of he 'otfer SIDE could
not contain himself, when there was any
show Of acceptance of the situation by envy
Confederates. 1 was, therefore, greatly sur
prised at his accepting place under the
old flag after his severe unreconstruction
utterances." 1t is safe TO say that the sur
prise of this distinguished general was
widely shared by the great majority of ex-
Confederates in the South.
rnrS1 oil of In a
article in Mondays Morning News on
s'Famous Boy Heroes" 1t is not, now
ever. necessary to turn to the pages of
ancient lands to find such boy heroes. The
American revolution early in its inception
turned out a good crop of this kind, and
they have since sprung up all over our
expanding republic in every cricis of the
national life. In my own experience and
observation of some sixty years l nave
never known a boy coward in war, as only
brave boys put themselves into the LAM
gers of the battle field. And brave boys
stands out conspicuously In my memory
OF heroic deeds. At the battle of Bull
Run 1861 my horse was shot from under
me while crossing the stream with our
advancing division. Having been severely
wounded at Blackburn Ford three days
previous / was unable to walk, and con-
seouently had to remain on the bank Of
the stream after wading ashore. The
charge up the hill had been against Con-
federate battery under full fire and all
about me dead, dying and badly wounded
soldiers were lying on the ground.
Looking around / found that / was en-
tirelv alone in the midst of all this hor-
rible suffering, yet l started to work as
chaplain and surgeon to do the best L
could for the wounded nearest to me.
Some of them wanted water, but was
not able 10 bring 1t to them from the
stream. Suddenly a boy about IL years
old appeared at my side and said he would
bring the water. / told him TO take two
dippers from the wounded soldiers lying
about and fill them at the stream. This
brave boy amid showers of bullets from
the enemy, continued to bring water
from the stream until all the wounded
soldiers were supplied, when he disappear
ed as suddenly as he had come. 1 never
learned who he was, where he came from
or where he went to- but in Gods book
of record on high his name has place
and his heroic and noble conduct stands
recorded in imperishable letters. If he
sought or expected reward il was alone
from his own consciousness OF having
rislxed his life to relieve the sufferings of
brave men,
In my late military letter on the Garter
Court Martial" owing to an oversight in
mailing it. two sheets were left out and
these were Of vital Importance They re-
counted the remarkable case of Col. Mar
shall T. Polk, gallant soldier in the Con-
federate army. He graduated from West
Point Military Academy in the class Of
1857 headed by the late Brig. Gen. Thomas
l.. Casey and containing many noted union
and Confederate generals Marsh" Polk
as he was called, stood next In class rank
(2s) to Gen. John II. Forney of Alabama
and both were originally from North Car
oiina. He was favorite nephew of Pres
ident James X Polk and a highM es-