The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
MEN ON THE R0LL0F HONOR
now soME BRATE FELLOWS WON
THE GOVERNAfE NT PENSION.

WASHINGTON, Jan. lo'-lHE BUN y long pen
,,ou list continues to have an interest for people
IN washington. Nowsdealers say they are
s,ked every hour where one can got q copy Of
,he pension issue. Wherever THE SUN Ia on
An. somebody lie seen reading the list, usually
found. among the.oflcers and employees Of the
~eoycrnment or among the visitors. veterans
from every State who are still curious about
everything that relates to the personality of
men who were prominent In the volunteer army.
One could gather. fresh material for volumes OF
war history from men who have been seen porting
over the list.
A veteran Illinois soldier and politician ex-
plsins how Gen.. John A. McClernand, who ia on
tho list at the ratio Of 800 q month, happened
70 DO the senior officer ct the siege Of Vlckaburg.
"Mr. Dana, In his letters to Secretary Stan.
ton,' no said, gave a. tho real reason for
McClernand's removal that II Grant should DO
killed or should DO compelled to give up the
command. McClernand would succeed him.
Mr.. Dana agreed with the decision that he was
unfit to command even q corps. MoClernand
owed his early prominence in the war and his
seniority to politics. He was 0 member Of q
leading firm Of lawyers at Springfield and had
been a member of Congress. He was an IRON
bound, moss-covered Democrat. There was Q
disposition to do everything to encourage Dom
ocrats to follow the example Of Douglas, who
came out strong against secession and for
coercion after the fall of Sumter. Lincoln
knew It would.have q good effect in Illinois, the
southern part of which was In doubt, to have
rock-ribbed Democrats take up arms for the
Union. John AlLogan-'Black Jack'-as he was
called by his Democratic admirers, was reported
TO be in full sympathy with the SOUTH. Lincoln
is said to have urged McClernAnd to enter the
army; at least he warmly welcomed the offer Of
sion that, was not warranted by his Ignorance
OF war, his lack OF sold,ierly qualities, and his
o timely influence Jon the Democrats of Egypt,
as southern Illinois was called, though 1t was
unt9rt1nate from the military point Of view. ;.
himself at ES%f for sM month"; anihse af Spse Ss %a 81
relieved of his command at Vioksburg. Tho
citizens would hear a mighty ~clatter of horses
what appeared to be a company of cavalry com.
Ing In full charge. 1t Mas Gen. McClernand,
s nids sn fapr opasEYle sol MisS w Sy n0sSr a hs a score Sp h q
military dignity in retirement. He Is now on
Gen. Samuel W. Price" said q Louisville
visitor, appears In The Suns list as q pen:
siIonsr rated at 500 q month. This is for total
blindness. For at least q dozen years after the
war he supported himself and a growing family
as an artist. He was quite successful as a
portrait and Renro painter, and eXcelled es-
Pecially in the painting Of negroes in character.
lstic scenes, after the manner OF J. q. Brown
and Of Thomas ". Wood; More than fifteen
years ago his sight began to fail, and in O few
years his blindness became total. As the origi.
nal cause Of the disease that produced this re-
suit could be traced to HIS military service, he
billy" ~
"Gen. Harrison c.. Hobart. whose name 10 in
the list at the ratio of $50 q month" said a
clerk IN the Pension Office who Is from Wiscon.
WI; escaped %as one from 81 'p Hib aSSPp Prison seSw ths % . ei,iG sSe
% as Tfsis c ahal g anu IN 1 " IiSb y t e hts ssl 1Sas
on the shores OF the lake, tell visitors about his
experience. As he has grown stout 1t is: hard
!ae t @as q Candidate ns d4daa s fOr Gsv tnrSas n @ vi sanaeL
nut Il was at q time when only a Republican
fpSuid DC ELECTED , After serving many years as
'kee, he became the private secretary Of the late
Alexander Mitchell, the Scotch fnancier and
iost oy his heirs tnAthe smash Of 1893"
There are only four Of the high.rate PEN
gions drawn by burlington people, said the
vermont veteran, but when It comes to PEN
atoms for the loss of an arm 1 viii back That
little in town against any place. big or little, in
than anywhere else. Conspicuous among them
are Gen: 9. Howard. and Gen, Woodbury., or
COY woodbury.. as he prefers, to be called.
z promoter and 10 also engaged in the manu-,
s Sssl s q rs g. " tsIjs,s n i jss 81 %sk,i Hs i sS : llssis
~tration to find a foreign mission for him, but he
refuses to ask for anything. He is well pre-.
quarter OF i a &c ee s9 : a mora OF liz. fO Go a, ' %ood z
bury runs a hotel. The other scores of one
i ns%e 10 R Roat e nngSS themselves In all ways. from
An Illinois veteran said he was glad to learn
tSat he widow Of Gen. John NJ. ,corse, the hero
SGP;pflI. hy yum '' 5Eoi q t he R seiF.A has 81 'e oft s1pSS ssa
t ciSent SSt 81 th s.1 yeterrp bs said there : we're many n.
pom that have never been recited in print
1t was partly to destroy a million rations
dred men en- that sta the t confod Sais y Gem q .0T french enh,
surrounded 1t with an overwhelming force.
t zen: Sorse and less than q Thousand men rein
Mhtn the attack became earnest, the great
d danUsrs o. III the enemy easily drove the few
The. tSs' IasI w arom pea las DO '! Tse OF nen aeS from Until tbia
p the little fort, without order, every mar for
himself himself More than half were shot down before
With ne dead and wounded. III latter tried to
crawl to the last refuge, but most received q
sfS0q tSs or third ins,s shot There was no chance 70
Der, Or death. Yet when further resistance
f%enSiyely. refused Gen. French's conrteous do
thnahp Tor surrender. For a nan to raise his
mead above the earthwork and fire at the en-
S%oiSS' h %as 70 20 shot, yet only a steady fire could
1T was 70 Induce the mon to rise and fire
ia Inat len. Corse, every field and nearly every
me onicer, exposed himself by standing. Corse
YES shot through the face and fell unconscious.
III Iourtellotte, ! think, succeeded, only to
,en a. once. Then Col. Rowett assumed COM
nnssnu, was shot In the head, and fell. Every
S,ISer above the rank Of Captain was killed or
ISuhaed. and only a few Of the company Off
~ escaped, More than half the men had been
snct, and the remainder could do virtually
nSlhing. 1t was when Rowett said something
aDSers surrender, which. he explained. was mis-:
that Corse aroused himself and
S ino SsS Never sSrrender!,, Suddenly, when
t ~" nag only to make a last charge and take the
iVrt, zen, French Withdrew his force and fed.
~ was said he had q copy of the Union signal
s . ana read the message sent by Sherman's
s sHHai corps from the top of Kennesaw, blue
y uin IN the distance: Hold the fort, i am
,ng' or TO that effect, Gen. Corse was Post
died" WI So"' Se"ie p'ioio A'
mere were two instances of despairing cour-
s ss IN Ihis light" continued the veteran. 9TH
S SeSor IN each case was a deserter from the Con-
IisiuWearGate army; Penned up and certain to be
nhtiea, either in, the capture OF the fort or by
my n enemy for dcsertion, they chose dramatic
"estnods OF getting themselves shot.
worhI reglmental nag waved over the earth
HV n ri, ana y fell when a shot shattered the staff.
a private who had never been conspicuous for
WA Inn an awkward stumbling M~ississippian,