Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-27

~ nun tdlklng 10 nOn-cOmrnlSSlOucu OF
Hers and privates in the way in which
does. 1t is about az difficult for pri
ate soldier in the regular service TO we
satisfactory conversation with even his
igade commander as It is for the aver
&c mortal TO be admitted to the pres
re of royalty. And private would have
bout as much chance of hobno bbing with
e Emperor of China as he would Of be-
admitted to the presence Of General
Hes unless sent on business.
Il Is not so with General Lee. Eumer
instances in which enlisted men were
lowed to come into his room at head
uarters at Jacksonville and state their
oubles and ask relief. have come under
Y own observation. A group Of soldiers
ear the road from headquarters 20 camp
ways attracted General Lees attention.
nd IL close enough he had the habit of
dressing some remark to them. A cheer
ways followed It, When any other Off
passed, whether approaching the rank
? General Lee or not, the men were al
avs expected to rise and come 10 atten
IN. If they did not do so the result was
reprimand. The stiff salute took the
ace Of the half-rolicking remark the
zen always counted on from General
&c
The result IS that there is hardly a COM
issioned officer In the Seventh Army
orps whom | have not heard censured
the enlisted men save General Lee
hough ] spent several weeks in camp.
nd mingled much with the common SOL
'ers. / have yet 10 hear scarcely ole Of
hem speak of Fit2. Lee save in terms al
lost affectionate. ] have not yet reach
4 the point OF believing that soldiers
ght better when led by officers who re-
ard them as bullet-stoppers."
have heard such officers call them
han when they are under a commander
no treats them as only a little lrwer
AN himse,f-creatures Of flesh and blood
d emotions, though their hearts are
eating under the blouse of a private
During the past few weeks General Lee
as been visited by numbers Of enlisted
en- from the Fourth Regiment home on
through, and asked to extend their
aves. He has invariably given them
rdial reception, and so far as 1 have
oeen able TO learn, has, In every case.
ranted their request A commissioned
ian may sometimes feel like criticising
ioneral Lee. and may do so. / never
card but one enlisted man say aught
gainst him, and he was so drunk he
hould have been in the guard-1ouse.
II is perfectly easy to see why some
Ulcers are liked and some are disliked;
Why some are successful in handling their
men, and why some have everything IN
80 a.
been oiled in a month. The captain who
Is most popular and in my opinion the
)ne who can do more with men under
fire, is the one who is continually looking
after the individual welfare Ct the men
Of his company. In at least nine cases
out of ten it will be found that the popu-
lar company officer is the one who spends
his days studying the comfort Of his COM
pany and planning to obtain for them all
that the government will furnish. In
other words, a good captain is always a
good kicker. In season and out Of sea-
son he is kicking for his men. u q
volunteer officer finds he is not popular
with his company, do not let him relax
discipline as a means Of gaining coveted
popularity. Let him devote more time
to his men, let him look more closely af-
ter their interests, and he will fnd their
respect and love increasing. Men who
are we'll cared for do not mind having
the curb used on them. Discipline in the
regular service is several times more
strict than in the volunteer army, yet /
have never seen an enlisted man from
the regular army who did not respect
and admire his officers. The reason was
that while the officers controlled them
with a strong hand they also looked care
uflly after the welfare of the men under
them. No more contented mortal can be
found than the average regular soldier.
An officer should bear in mind this fact:
An enlisted man is as helpless as a baby.
Under the regulations he can do absolute
~ nothing TO help himself. he has 10
depend utterly upon his officers. IL is
only too true that in many Instances he
has depended in vain.
One of the most popular officers in the
seventh Army Corps was General Burt,
IF the First Brigade. He was promoted
TO brigade commander from the colonelcy
# a regiment of regulars. He was known
as a private's man. He seemed to have
a peculiar liking for the private soldier.
dany stories are told OF his remarks 10
enlisted men, such as the following;
A priyate in one of the regiments of the
il was proper for him to attend the fune-
raj services held prior to shipping the
remains 10 the dead soldiers home, In
wisconsin. The chaplain who had charge
of the services was a gentleman against
whom nothing could be said, save that
he was what the men called long-winded.
The services were very long drawn out.
everybody was tired to death. Hymns
and prayers and preaching seemed inter
minable. Finally. General Burt, who was
NOT a church-goer OF exemplary regularity
WHISPERED TO a corporal who was standing
i,,et behind him: Corporal. amt TINS
hard?" n,
An officer of the Second Virginia Regi-
ment said the other day he was much
s,,rnrised TO meet In Washington recently.
General Burt's color sergeant. Inc tat
ter explained to him that he was there
to see If IL was possible TO induce the
president to reinstate General BURT as
Of the First Brigade OF 6ehe-
raj Lees corps. Il saw the fresiueh''
too" said the sergeant. He didn pro,
roisa me he would reappoint General
Burt. but he treated me all Iish'' anu
nook hands with me a second time when
he found out I was asking for something
for somebody else, and not for myself.
A good story was told the other day al
me raunion of Mosby's men at Manassas
Though perhaps not new. IT is interest,
mo When General Stoughton's command
wes encamped at Fairfax Courthouse,
Mostly was continually lowering ABOUT
h,s ontposts, endeavoring to capture MS
nickets' one rainy night Mosby TOOK
twelve men and set out. He captured inc
AT line of pickets. and carried them
aione 10 the second, making them ana
the plckets Of the third line his prisohsrs
ue had more prisoners than MS twei'e
men could guard. ho,ss IN
Alone, Mosby proceeded 10 inc NUE. nv
which General Stoughton Jay as'esp; an