The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-10

Major Hopkins and Colonel Charles
p. Lincoln are also anxious to be brig
adiers, and there are others. Judge
Harlan of Grand Rapids wants to re-
cruit company here In Washington
He says that the Michigan association.
here has more than six hundred MEM
bers, and IL he can get authority from
the governor to go ahead with his work,
he can easily raise a company here
But the patriots on the prairies win
I'LL the volunteer ranks.
When Civil War Broke Out.
At the breaking out of the civil war
| there were only twenty clerks In the
war department, and Simon Cameron
secretary Of war. was forced to rely
upon such volunteers as he could get
A large number Of young men came
from Pennsylvania and offered their
assistance In the emergency and workedE
without pay for some months until con-
gress met and made appropriation for
| the employment Of additional clerks.
Thomas A. Scott, then q vice president
| Of the Pennsylvania, Railroad company,
was on the same footing az all the rest
| He was without military rank or any
official standing until on May ., 1861.
| he was commissioned as colonel Of the
District of Columbia volunteers to-
provide him with the necessary SEM
blance Of authority to act. General
| Camerons order placing Mr.. Scott in
| charge OF all railroad lines and the
movement of troops was very broad
| and arbitrary. 1t was that "all fnfor-
nation and instructions in relation 70.
| extended roads or telegraph lines, OF
! operating them on government account.
must emanate from Colonel Scotts de-
| partment." How he fulfilled his trust
| and finally became General Cameron's
| trusted chief can best be told in that
veterans own words, as uttered to the
| narrator:
Scott the Man for the Place.
mo man in America, In my judg-
| ment, could have on that day fulfilled
! the requirements of the situation as.
! Colonel Thomas A. Scott did. 1t need
| ed an individual of untiring energy.
quick decision and great nerve to deal
with the everyday requirements of the
| situation, and no man possessed air
these qualities in such degree as he.
did. 1t had been a part Of my policy
at the beginning of the war not only To
/ take and operate railroads in the
enemy's country, but to build lines OF
Il
| as practicable. Most of our old army
officers thought this could not be done.
| but Colonel Scott demonstrated It's en-
! tire feasibility almost at the beginning
Of his career as a military railway
| manager.
'In an incredibly short space of time
| after he came to the department he had
| his office placed in telegraphic COM
| munication with all the army stations
| that could be reached and with every
telegraph station in every loyal state.
| of the north He had great response
bilities and a great work to do.
Railway Through Washington Streets
1T had taken possession Of the Balti-
| more and Ohio railroad before his ar
, rival, which, of course, passed under
his management as soon as he assumed
charge He then built line OF railway
through the streets of Washington to-
the Long bridge, so as to make direct
connection with the Orange and Alex
andria railroad beyond Alexandria In
less than a month he had so systemat-
lied his portion of the duties of the de-
partment that he could tell the capac-
ity for transportation toward every d.
vision of the army His marvellous mas
terry of details connected with his BUSH
ness qualities and his power to reach
your Judgment almost without explain
alton. was one Of the characteristics OF
his mind which served to make him In
many respects the greatest railroad
manager that ever lived in this coun-
try. ]. Edgar Thomson was, perhaps,
his superior in solid foresight and men
tai grasp, but no man, ever exceeded
him in executive ability. He and Thom-
son formed a combination of brain and
railroad talent greatly diverse, but so
harmonious as to be effective for great
results upon all occasions.
In No Condition to Fight.
1.-TWO DAYS before the battle OF Bull
Run Mr.. Scott and myself went down
to look over the position Of the troops.
their necessities, etc. Neither of us was
pleased with the situation, for it was
evident that after the Confederate army
concentrated at Manassas our forces
were not in condition to fight. We re-
turned to Washington impressed with
this idea. General Winfield Scott CON-
mander-in chief, and myself had an in
terview on the subject, and he secuted
the idea that the Confederates would
concentrate at Bull Run, and said that
General Patterson, who was at Mar
thought IL impossible, and urged the
sending Of all available troops to Bulb
Run. 1t was late in the day when the
decision was reached to forward all
troops that could be gotten to Manas-
sas, and there was a question as to the
time. Colonel Scott was called on and
solved that problem by landing on the
field in time for battle the New Jersey
regiments, which were then in Wash
ington.
| Assistant Secretary Of War.
when congress met one of its first
acts was to pass a law authorizing the
appointment Of an assistant secretary
of war, and up to that time Colonel
Scott had no other position or authority
/ than that conferred upon him as coll
onel Of the District of Columbia volun-
teers. and my order making him mana
ger of the military railroads and tele-
graphs did not give him all the author
ity needed. When the law created the
office of assistant secretary OF war the
question as to the selection OF a man
came up in the cabinet meeting. Mr..
Lincoln suggested David Davis, after