Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-27
CAREER OF COLONEL EGBERT
Served in the Civil War, in Indian
Campaign and in the Span
ish War.

Colonel Harry G. Egbert is pronounced by
o.my men 10 have been one of the most be
loved officers in the service He was
man of small stature, but active and wiry.
and superb soldier. His manners are
said to have been most courtly and kind
and he was known as an officer who was
a gentleman at all times and in all places
He was little known in Omaha, for he ar
rived at Fort Crook only few days before
his regiment started on its long journey.
He had just passed his Goth year and had
been in the service of the United States
nearly thirty eight years.
Colonel Egbert was born in Pennsylvania
January 8, 1889. At the outbreak of the
civil war he was appointed from civil life
as first lieutenant in the Twelfth infantry
and on April /, 1865, was made a captain in
the same regiment. April 23, 1890, he was
promoted as a major and transferred to the
Seventeenth infantry. May IS, 1S99 he was
appointed lieutenant colonel OF the Sixth
infantry. He was serving in this position
during the campaign in Cuba and when
Colonel Charles A. Wikoff of the Twenty
second was killed Egbert was made colonel
of that regiment. Some time afterward he
was made brigadler general of volunteers,
being discharged just before taking COM
mand of the Twenty second.
Colonel Egberts career has been dis
tinguished by his fighting qualities. His
record during the civil war was especially
one of great activity. He participated In
the battles and operations at Cedar Noun
tain, Fredericksburg, Rappahannock Sta
tion, Charlottesville, Gettysburg, Mine Run,
Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spottsylvania,
North Anna and Bethesda Church. He was
captured at Cedar Mountain and confined
in Libby prison, from which he was soon
afterward exchanged. He was captured
again at Gettysburg, but escaped. He was
breyeted for gallant service at North Anna
and Bethesda Church. being wounded in
the latter engagement. He was honorably
mentioned by Generals Doubleday and New
ton in their reports on the battle of Get
tysburg
Opportunities for displaying his abilities
as a fighter did not end with the close OF
the civil war. Colonel Egbert was stationed
on the frontier during the '70s, and took
part in many Indian engagements. He
commanded a battalion in the Nez Perces
campaign in 1877 and also in the Bannock
campaign in 1878. He had command OF sew
eral army posts during the period from the
close of the civil war to the beginning of
the trouble with Spain.
Colonel Egberts services in Cuba were
of the same high character as those which
marked his career earlier in life. He was
severely wounded in one of the battles be-
fore Santiago. The first report had him
listed with the dead. He was shot through
the lungs and his life was despaired Of,
but he recovered in time to go with his
regiment when 1t left Fort Crook for the
Philippines.
Colonel Egbert was stationed for some
time at Fort Thomas near Cincinnati. He
enjoyed social life and was popular with the
people in that city. Several of the Gin,
cinnati papers expressed a feeling OF in
dignation that the colonel should be ordered
to the Philippines after his serious wounds
| in Cuba. and insinuated that 1t was impos-
ing an unnecessary hardship upon that
officer The colonel himself, however, did
not take that view. and rather courted the
chance for further military activity.
He was accompanied on his trip to the
Philippines by Mrs. Egbert and their three
daughters. Mrs. Egbert said that after her
| experience during the absence of the
colonel in the Cuban campaign she deter
mined that on future assignments she
would go with her husband. The colonel
said he wanted the members of his family
| to remain behind, but they refused to do
SO; and he, therefore, took them with him
| The news OF Colonel Egberts death was
| severe shock to army officers at head
| quarters in this city. To General Sumner II
| came almost as personal loss The two
officers had been intimate friends for years
and the same was true Of their respective
| families. General Sumner and Colonel
Egbert were together during the Bannock
Indian campaign and the former hoped to
! the last that the bad news from Manila
might not be confirmed. Few OF the other
officers knew much of the colonel except
through the acquaintance acquired during
the few days the officers was at Fort Crook
but in that short time they learned to ad,
mire the soldierly bearing Of the man, anC
to respect him as an individual,
WASHINGTON, March 26.-(Specal Tele-
gram .)-Colonel Carter, in speaking OF
Colonel Egbert, said he was one
Of the most fortunate, and at the same
time most unfortunate OF men. Said he;
81 do not recall an engagement in which
Harry Egbert participated that he did not
get wound Now. 1000 miles away from
his native shores. he gets his fatal shot
| leading his regiment"
Owing TO the absence from the War de-
partment Of clerks having immediate charge