The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-20
Lawton's Career

Major General Lawton, like the other
two named, was born a soldier. The
middle west, Ohio, gave him BIRTH but
Indiana was his home, and among her
many gallant sons none can more
proudly ldote the gallant motto of anci-
ent Rome, Palma qui meruit ferat,''
than Lawton
Major General Henry w Lawton's
condition in 1S59-60 was very much like
that of the young Norval in the well re-
membered description the youth gives
of himself, although Lawton did not
herd his fathers flock in the Grampian
hills. But l had heard of battles, .
says Norval, "and longed to follow to
the field some war-like lord. And heaven
soon granted what my sire denied. y
Born March II, 1843, in the eyentful
spring of 1861, he was only seventeen
years old. The lowering war cloud of
the time grew darker, and none
watched it with more interest than the
tall, black-eyed- boy Lawton, then fit
ting himself for a collegiate course at
the excellent high school of his town,
Fort Wayne, in northern Indiana A
circumstance, not of Importance in it
self, but destined to be of momentous
consequence in his future, occurred lust
then that left a mighty impression
upon our high school boy.
Capt E-f5 Ellsworth, young attor-
ney of Chicago, had organized a COM
pany modelled and uniformed after the
fashion of the troops indigenes, or
Turees-the Zouaves of the French en-
pire. These were q picturesquely clad
lot of native Arabs, that Marshals Pell-
isier and FIT Arnaul had organized
from the people of Algeria, and other
portions of Frances north African do
mains. AS they We're always on active
duty, service with them (for their COM
missioned line and field officers were
from the French army became a thing
much desired by every adventurous
young French subaltern in the military
service. These Turces or Zouaves as
they were called here, became first
known to Europe and America in the
war of 1853, between France and Sar-
DINA on the one sides Austria on
the other, which resulted in United
Italy later on.
Henry Raymond, editor of the New
York Times, watched the war for his
paper from the French headquarters in
the field. He had much to say of the
Zouaves-the baggy. red trousers, red
fez and short smart blue Jacket, that
constituted their uniform, and their
dashing galantry on the skirmish line
in opening the battles. Every boy in his
teens, north and south, was thrilled to
the core with the tale of the Zouazes
lnelf IefOclOuS courage IN action and
the bravery of their young officers. And
when young Ellsworth organized his
celebrated company, at Chicago and
gave exhibitions in the contiguous
towns at agricultural fairs and like
functions, why every boy, who was a
boy, simply went wild Zouaves were
the rage. Every town of any enterprise
had its local company Lawton's town
Fort Wayne, was like the rest It was
the location of an unusually good high
school or college" as it was called. II
soon had q Zouave company Lawtou
there found the first opportunity to de-
velop as far as was then practicable the
military instincts of his nature. But
there was soon offered a far better
chance.
In April 1861, Indiana was called upon
for six three month regiments to sup
press the threatened secession move
ment in the south. There lived in north
ern Indiana at that time a man named
Milroy of some local military renown
He had been a captain in the Fourth
Indiana volunteers in Mexico The
colonel of that regiment was the gallant
Willis A German, who was badly
wounded at Buena Vista. and Henry S