The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-09-16
Army and Navy Families.

allay. Arthur y. DuTulck.
Army and Navy Families.
The United States is not con i'd
cred fighting nation, but from the
landing of the pilgrims until the
Merrimac was scuttled in Santiago
harbor no occasion has called for
daring or sacrifice but the right
man has promptly responded and
performed his duty with skill and
courage that has commanded the
res rect and admiration OF the world.
The love of warfare has been
suppressed among the American
people by industrial pursuits and
energies, but it has not
been extinguished, as the ranks OF
our volunteer army show, and
every now and then we have eyi-
dence that the martial spirit has de-
scended from family to family and
lighting instincts have been inn
parted from generation to genera
ton. Neither the army nor the
navy of the United States offers a
career such as can be found in 9TH
er countries, but the sons of SOL
diers naturally seek appointments
to the military academy and the
sons of naval officers to Annapolis,
and the registers Of the army and
navy show the repetition OF the
same name more than we realize.
Fifty seven officers of the regular
army have sons in the service, and
two generations Of the same family
are even more frequent in the navy.
The Selfridge family furnishes three
generations ns-from a lieutenant t.
an admiral. The president has the
appointment of ten cadets to the
naval and ten to the military acade-
my every year, and usually gives
them to the sons OF naval and army
officers who have distinguished
but have no political in
fluence. President Mckinley has
already appointed the son of Gen.
Sheridan and a grandson Of Gen.
Grant this year, and has promised
to appoint the son Of Capt. Gridley,
who died at Kobe the other day, as
a cadet at the naval academy.
The naval and military families
are largely intermarried. 1t is nat
ural for a lieutenant at an isolated
post on the frontier to fall in love
with his captains daughter, and
the latter is often glad to marry one
of the subalterns, because she is SO
far away from society that she sell
dom sees any other eligible men.
Naval families are brought to-
gether in the same way. In re-
cent letter | mentioned the number
of relatives Capt. Evans Of the Iowa
had in the service. Capt. Taylor
of the Indiana is his brother-in.law
he has son on the Massachusetts,,
a son-in-law on the New York and
a nephew on one Of the little gun
boats.
The Rodgers family has furnished
more people for the army and navy
than any other. Rear Admiral
John Rodgers was cousin of Rear
Admiral G. X. p. Rodgers, who
was known as the Chesterfield ol
the navy. Both are dead. The
former married a daughter Of Com
modore Perry, who ouened Japan
to civilization. The latter married
daughter Of John Slidell, of Louis
isna, who was a member OF the
United States senate when the wal
broke out and was an emissary ol
the confederacy to Europe. Ad
miral G. X. p. Rodgers had three
sons. The oldest, Raymond Rodg
ers, is lieutenant-commander In
the navy and executive officer o.
the battleship Iowa; the second son
Alexander Rodgers, is a captain II
the 4th cavalry and now acting al
general Of the army a
|Chicamauga. lie married daugh
ter Of Senator Cameron OF Pennsyl
vania. The third son, Thoma
lSlidell Rodgers, is lieutenant il
the navy and flag officer Of the Pa
citic squadron. Thomas =. Rod
gers, son Of Raymond Rodgers, j
an ensign on the Bennington.
Capt. Frederick 70 dgers OF tn
navy, a son OF the late Admire
John Rodgers, has been Chairman