Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-08
PLAIN EAI.k

AshuN MAIN
THAT Ought tb shock Every Fair Minded
Man--How the soldiers Have suffered
Through McKinltys Ovcrweening Ambi-
tion.
An old time newspaper man, who
signs himself "Megargee," conducts
most interesting and instructive depart
nent headed seen and Heard in the
philadelphia Times, a paper which, by
the way, ardently supported Mckinney
for President in 1896.
In last Saturdays issue, "Megargee"
has the following:
Here is a letter that should interest
every mothers child of you, because
concerns one OF the most gallant OF
the men, and Philadelphia by birth,
who carried to victory the standard OF
the Union in Cuba, at the expense OF
many wounds, and in the Philippines, at
the cost OF his life. The inquiry is
from Clayton, Delaware, and from the
Office in that town of the superintend-
ent of the Philadelphia, Wilmington &
Baltimore Railroad Company.
Dear Seen and Heard:
Since mis- death we are treated With
innumerable accounts and anecdotes OF
the life and character of the late Colo
mel H. c. Egbert. Wniie i am entirely
in accord and approve of these eulO-
gies it is most natural to ask why, dur
ing the life OF this most gallant soldier,
so little recognition of his valor and
capabilities was given. In the first
place he was colonel of a regiment un-
der the command of officers forty or fiji
" numbers below him in lineal rank
(this by authority of the Army Regis
teri, and also of a brigadier general
who was retired with the rank of cap
tain in 1872 on account of disabilities
from wounds, and of brigadier general
who graduated from the Military Acad-
envy in 1884 as second lieutenant. Sure
ly these ecomiums are so tardy as to
be classed as reflections. Why it it?
Yours truly. F. E. WOOSTER.
Egbert was colonel of the Twenty
second Regiment Infantry, U. S. A, was
the only Philadelphia of general rank
who participated in the battles around
Santiago, and was the senior officer
killed in the Philippines. For these
reasons it was deemed appropriate to
give him public funeral in this city,,
and a committee of the Councils set
about arranging the obsequies which
were to, take place upon the arrival
of the dead soldiers body in Philadel-
phia. Yesterday the Mayor was notl-
fed that the burial would take place at
Arlington Cemetery, SO the plans for
The funeral in this city will have to be
abandoned. While the inquiry OF our
Clayton friend is pertinent, the implied
reflection upon the War Department
contained therein is vague, and there
fore he was asked to particularIZe his
accusation. This he did. in a subse-
uuent communicate, in the following
words
In the Official Army Register for 1897
(Which is our latest) H. c. Egbert
stands No. 35 in relative rank in the
list of lieutenant colonies, and below
him in relative rank are the following
officers who have been advanced in
grade to brigadier generals and major
generals: G. M. Randall, NJ. P. Miller,
W. S. Worth, w. NJ. Wherry, E. B.
Williston, Theodore Schwan o. H.
Ernst, Lloyd Wheaton, William Ludlow,
Chambers NIcKibbin, Arthur MacAr-
thur.
Among the officers on the retired list
of the army I notice Captain Charles
King, now brigadier general, who was
appointed a cadet in the Military Acad-
envy in 1862, and there is also Brigadier
General Irving Hale, who was grad
uated from the Military Academy in
1884, who also ranked the late Colonel
Egbert. Brigadier General Macarthur
stood No. 81 in the relative rank Of
lieutenant colonies, and the others
named were between him and Colonel
Egbert, and consequently behind the
latter Brigadier General King was re-
tired in 1879 in consequence of wounds
received in the line of duty, yet he
ranked soldier who not only was in
the service before him, but who was in
It continuously since 1861.
You see there is no mistaking the
character of the charge contained in
these two letters. Rank injustice is al
legged to have been inflicted upon one
of the most gallant soldiers the war
with Spain has revealed. In order to
answer the inquiry contained in the
hrst letter as to why Egbert was treat
ed as he was, the narrator proceeded
with care and cautiousness to procure
the information desired from an
authoritative source. With this end in
view, the correspondence was sent to
q friend in Washington, gentleman
who is on terms of close acquaintance
ship with all prominent army officers
and with leading officials OF the War
Department, and who is also frequently
q welcome guest in the Army and Navy
Club, where he is kept constantly ia
miliar with the gossip of The officers on
duty in the national capital. What he
says in reply may fall harshly upon the
ears of some of you but if we cannot
deal with public questions frankly they
&ad better not be discussed at ALL
Privately he expressed fear that the
subject is 'too hot to handle" All the
more reason why it should be handled
In answer to the narrators letter, he
says Upon receipt of your letter,
with enclosures, | went to the War De-
partment and conversed with some of
the older and younger men of the
army; leading the topic of conversa-
ton into the line suggested. The
thought and opinion Of men of expert
ence all trended through similar chan
nels to one conclusion. The entire
matter may be epitomized in the words
of an officer who took lunch with me-
He said: President Mckinley alone
could eXDlain WHY gallant Eobort u-or