Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-09-07

rode well. Sherman was favorite in
spite of the fact that he had no style
and didn't ride well.
Men in the ranks liked on impulse
a handsome, self-poised commander.
They were naturally attracted to a man
like Rousseau, and there was current
a story that on one occasion when there
was an uproar in camp, and some dis
tinguished visitors from the north
asked what was the matter, Rosecrans
said, petulantly: 1T is either Rousseau
or rabbit Gen. Thomas was not re-
sponsive or demonstrative, but he was
in appearance and in action a very
prince among officers, and, although
the enlisted men rarely heard him ut
ter a word or give an order, they spoke
Of him affectionately as old Pap
They liked Hancock because he was su-
perb. They liked Grant because he
didn't put on any style and because he
never posed.
But whether a commanding gen
eral was efficient or not, the natural
loyalty of an army made the enlisted
men his champions. They regarded it
their privilege to swear at Rosecrans
because of Chickamauga, but they
swore at the government when Rose
Grams was removed. When Crittenden
was removed from the command of the
Twenty-frst corps he rode from regi-
ment to regiment making a farewell
speech, and an explanation to each, and
the men in his command were all his
friends. When Rosecrans was removed
the boys thought the country was go
ing to the dogs, until they learned that
Thomas was going to succeed him,
when they were more than reconciled
The enlisted men of the old Fourth di-
vision disiked Gen. Nelson when he as
sur1ed command, and told many stories
in their letters to friends at home that
made an unsayory reputation for the
general throughout the country.
81 saw only last week letter written
by a sergeant in 1862, in which the writ
er stated that the men were on the point
of mutiny because of the brutal tyr
rany of Nelson. On one occasion, he
wrote, when a mule team foundered
in crossing rapid stream, Nelson rode
up and shouted to the mem standing
near: Jump in, jump in, men, and
save those mules! Don't you know that
a mule is worth more now than man?'
This story was told and reto1d to Mel
sui UlScI6I1I. AIler onion the same
sergeant wrote to his friends at home
that Nelson was the most courageous,
most efficient and most admired df-
vision general in Buell's army.
''The men in the ranks said the
major, ''liked a commanding officer
who at critical time permitted them
to do or ordered them to do what they
wanted to do at that particular minute.
On January 2, 1868, at Stone river, our
regiment was ordered to stand under
fire while other regiments charged for
ward. The whole thing seemed wrong,
and the boys were criticising the col
onel and brigade commander for hold
ing us back, when Gen. John NJ. Palmer,
commanding the division, rode along
our front.
Ellis horse was shot and the general
went down in the mud. The boys
sprang forward, pulled him from under
the dying horse, caught another horse,
put the muddy general on it, and looked
up at him pleadingly and expectantly.
Looking down at the men waiting,
with the wrathfuI impatience of battle,
Palmer shouted, on impulse: For
wardl' The regiment, waiting for no
other order, shot forward like a dog
unleashed. The boys always liked
Palmer for that impulsive ORDER
Chicago Inter Ocean.