The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-12-27
Death of General LawtOn.

South Africa had usurped. The report
that General Lawton had been killed
caught the quick, eager eye of people
as they scanned the headlines of the
newspapers, and the fervent hope was
expressed that the intelligence might
not be verified.
A feeling of extreme sadness is
aroused throughout the country by the
mournful confirmation of the news of
the death of this gallant officer. Gen
eral Lawton was one of the foremost of
the brave men who upheld the good
fame of The army in the Spanish war.
Whatever criticisms were aimed at Of
ficiels high in authority at Washington,
or chief in command of the army, only
fervid words Of admiration we're spoken
or written of the subordinates in COM
mand, like Lawton, Chaffee and Wood,
on whom fell the real work of subduing
the Spaniards, and to whom, in respect
of those in command, the chief glory
belongs, Lawton was the hero of FL
Caney, the most desperate and the most
brilliant exploit of the advance on San
tiago. He was the ideal of the cour-
| ageous, skilful, relentless, unpreten-
tious fighting American soldier. He
was tall of stature, weighing over two
hundred pounds, "and every ounce was
bone, muscle and grit" He was the
silent man, the silence of power and in-
telligence, brave of heart, lion in ac-
ton, but illustrating the truth of the
sentiment,
"rhe bravest are the tenderest,
The loving are the daring"
Lawton was graduate of the Civil
War, one of those patriotic youth who
early enlisted in the ranks of the
Union army, rose by virtue of
gallant and meritorious services, and at
the close of the war entered the regu-
lar army. In that other school of war,
Indian fighting, in which many Amer
lean officers have gathered experience
that has made them the most formid-
able and wary of all military COM
manders, Lawton developed those quail
tiles that shone out conspicuously in
the advance through the Cuban iur-
giles, and that have made him a surprise
and terror to the Filipinos. When
the announcement vas made that lie
would be sent to the Philippines, his
name aud fame were guaranty that
Aguinaldo's rebellion would come to
the same end the Indian risings of the
west reached. The more brilliant and
important achievements in the Philip
pine war have been those of the forces
commanded by General Lawton, and
once in particular, after the capture of
San Isidro, he seceived the formal and
official congratulations of the President
for his successful operations. How
often he was rnofficially thanked by
the whole American people, the volum-
nous dispatches from Manila disclose,
telling the long story of bis dashing
onsets and intrepid conquest of insur-
| gent strongholds.
OF General Lawton one who knew
his characteristics well says;
To meet Lawton on the street one is con-
sciously impressed that here indeed is a
man; view him as a warrior, and he became
q veritable Plutarch character. He wears
boots; there are no creases in his trousers;
| ha ~ no lot 4.
fits he has a regard for neatness, yet when
all is said the greatness that clothes the
man is the one thing that fixes the atten-
ton; that fastens firmly the conviction that
here is one who has done with opinion; a
character that partakes not of the common.
1t did not take the battle of Ell Caney, the
bombardment Of Santiago, to stamp Lawton
a hero; it is the everyday life OF the man
that tells OF his mastery over the world and
mankind. Yet times of terror furnish OPP
portunities for heroes, and Lawton simply
grasped the opportunity at FL Caney, at
Santiago, without any thought OF the after
glory, but with an unwavering determine
ton to do his whole duty. Self-denisl is
one OF the characteristics of truly great
man. Lawton was great in this sense, al
80. Temperate in his habits, he neither
drank nor smoked. When rendered a CT.
gar he modestly said 81 do not smoke,
and later the writer ascertsined that he did
not drink He was not vouble man in
fact, it was difficult to make him talk
Asked for some personal "reminiscences an
anecdote, pathetic incident, he said: my
wife will tell you these things better than ]
can She shall talk for me- -
Admiral Grau, killed in desperate
! encounter with the Chilians in which
he was greatly overmatched, is the
naval hero Of the Peruvians. His ma me
is still borne on the Peruvian rolls and
is called at periodic inspections, of the
, army as well as the navy. Then an of
, ficer steps forward and salutes, and
pointing upward answers, "Absent, bu
4 r..