The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-16

ing the department of the Columbia,
with headquarters at Vancouver Bar
racks, state of Washington.
GENERAL MILES.
Now then, let's have a look at these
men. It's fact of some interest to
note that among all the general Off
GERS General Merritt is the only West
Pointer. All the others entered the
service as volunteers from civil life.
All are native Americans, with the eN-
ception of General Coppinger, who
was born in Ireland. He entered the
volunteers service with the highest
rank of any Of the present general
officers, having enlisted as a colonel
of the Fifteen New York cavalry on
Jan. o. 1865. He was honorably mus
tered out June II, 1865. He, you re-
member, married a daughter of the
late James G.. Blaine
miles, who would command all the
forces, should there be a war, was
born in the town of Westminster. Wor-
coster county, Mass, on Aug. s, 1889.
He WILL therefore, have reached the
retiring age of g.. on Aug. s 1903. If
you inquire among officers of the army
you will find some are inclined to be-
| little his achievements. You may de-
pend upon it that those men have a
| private opinion that their own achie-
vements have not been properly appre-
| cated and they are Jealous. i know
| Miles, and | have no reason to sing
| his praises, but | tell you that there
is no man in the army today who has
| a more wonderfully brilliant record.
! There was no man in the civil war
who, for his age had such a brilliant
record as he, with the possible eXcep-
| tion of Custer.
Miles was not quite 81 when he went
to the front as first lieutenant of a
company which he had raised himself.
He was a clerk in a croCkery store in
Boston when the war broke out. He
had laid away $1,000, which he had in
the bank. With that money and with
$500 which he borrowed on his per-
sonal note, he raised and equipped a
company. The governor of the state
mustered in the company and COM
missioned Miles as captain. Then a
| political friend wanted a commission.
| The governor then said that Miles
was too young to command a company
and demanded back the commssic /,
Offering in exchange the commission
of a first lieutenant. AS such ne en-
tered the war, with his company form
ing part of the Twenty-second Massa,
chusetts infantry.
He had been in the service but a
short time when General o. o. How
ard happened to be attracted to him
and took him upon his staff Miles was
one of Howards aides-de-camp at the
battle of Fair Oaks, May 81 and June
! IA %
recent years about Miles being a dress
| parade soldier. Now let me tell you a
story. 1t was the first day of the bat
tie of Fair oaks. The fight was on and
the bullets came so fast that they
would have split raindrops. Every
move made by Mcclellan was met and
matched by Johnston. Lnngstreet and
Hill were pounding Casey unmerciful-
ly and the great gaps in the lines of
. Fitzjohn Porter, Howard and Franklin
showed that the repartee of the John
nies was of the kind which made reply
in many places impossible. Howard had
some orders which had to be delivered
at once. The chances were that the
man who carried the orders would new
er live to bring back his report to
headquarters, and Howard knew it. He
also knew that the messenger, if even
he was to deliver the orders, must be
fearless and, above all, level-headed
Miles was the man he chose for the
work, but the great-hearted Howard
told his young aide of the danger, and
made the commission more a request
than an order. Some time after Miles
started out Howard, standing in front
of his tent, saw a stretcher approach
ing with wounded man upon it. AS
1t came closer Howard and the Of
hcers with him saw by the uniform
that the man on the stretcher was q
young officer, and they saw also a
great, ragged wound in his neck, the
flow of blood from which he was Vainly
trying to stanch by gripping the torn
flesh in his fingers. When Just in from,
OF the tent the young fellow saluted
with his free hand, and. in as steady
a voice as he could command, ne said:
General, l had myself brought here
before being patched up, to tell you
Cpointing with that free ARM that youI
lines are weak right over yonder and
you must send reinforcements at once
or there'll be trouble there
THE man who made that report was
Nelson a. Miles. As the stretcher.
bearers were carrying him away. How.
ard asked one of them where Miles
had been picked up.
Down there near the far end OF the
line, about mile and a half would
say, sir
Hearing this. Howard, turning tc
the officers about him, said:
| Holding that wound for a mile and
half to bring that report! If thai
hoy lives, he'll he heard from again
This story has never been printed
but | know it's gospel truth, for How.
ard told ii to me himself. That one in.
cident shows the manner of man Miles
Is. The incident repeated itself, under
different conditions, at Malvern Hill
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville. Old
Wilderness, Spottsylvania and Ream's
Station. lie took part in every battle
of the Army Of the Potomac, eXcept
when wounds kept him from fighting
from the beginning to the end of the
war A lieutenant at 21, when the wal
opened and a major general at 26, wher
it closed. That was Miles's record as
volunteer
NEVER LOST A BATTLE.
Ills record in the regular army is toe
well known to need comment from me
sherman and Sheridan were pretty
good authorities on such matters, anG
! have heard them say that Miles was
the greatest Indian fighter we have
ever had. Take the capture of Gero.
nimo, for instance. What the late Gen
Crook gave up after trying for BIZ
years To accomplish Miles accomplish.
ed In six months, and, l think, without