Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-09-23

rode well. Sherman was a favorite In
spite of the fact that he had no style
and didn't ride well.
Men in the ranks liked on impulse
q handsome, self-poised commander.
They were naturally attracted to man
like Rousseau, and there was current
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: tits 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 n word or give an order, they spoke
of him affectionately as old Pap
They liked Hancock because he was SUI
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
swore at the government when Rose
Grams was removed. When Crittenden
was removed from the command of the
Twenty-first 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 remoted
the boys thought the country was 60
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 disliled Gen. Nelson when he as
sumed command. and told many stories
in their letters to friends at home that
made an unsavory reputation for the
| general throughout the country.
II saw only last week a letter written
by &. 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 fioundered
in crossing rapid stream, Nelson rode
| up and shouted to the men standing
near: Jump in, jump in, men, and
save those mulesl Don't you know that
a mule is worth more now than a man p
This story was told and retold to Nell
sons discredit. After Shiloh the same
sergeant wrote to his friends at home
that Nelson was the most courageous,
most efficient and most admired di-
vision general in Buells 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 3, 1865. 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.
His 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 generation IL, and looked
up at him pleadingly and expectantly.
Looking down at the men waiting,
with the wrathful impatience of battle,
Palmer shouted, on impulse: For
wardi' 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.