Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-08-16

CumDerlanQ, VINO naQ acnleVeQ renOWn
at Donelson and Vicksburg, had over
come whatever of modesty possessed
1t was not a gem of the first water
and, stalking confidently past staff Of
ficers and orderlies, ! entered the room
with my chief. Once there, I stood back
In o corner where I would attract as
little attention as possible, fearing that
I would be ordered to betake myself to
parts more fitted for a second ieuten-
ant than the apartment of the COM
manding general.
Seen. Heath" said the commander,
II have sent for you to communicate
to you the contents of this paper which
I received this morning from the Sec
rotary of war;"
The general started. 1.-The secretary
Of war;"
Eyes. He directs your arrest and trial
by court-martial."
What new persecution is this?" ex-
claimed the general, impatiently.
"The secretary seems to hold you re-
sponsible for the disaster at Chicka-
manga"
"Chickamauga2 In whatw does he
connect me with that blunder?"
"You are accused of purposely leav-
Ing the gap in our lines through which
the confederates poured, thus effecting
the rout Of the Army Of the Cumber-
land"
Gen. Heath made no reply. standing
with his hand resting on his sword-hilt,
his brows knit, his lips compressed.
81 regret this new complication" said
the general in chief, presently. II have
especial use for you, and at once"
use for me, general? But just re-
leased on one charge of treachery, and
rearrested on another. Who would fol-
low such a leader? Iwould much rath-
er you would procure the acceptance
of my resignation. Why should serve
government that distrusts me? Ny
friends, my family In Virginia, begged
me to stay with them, to fight for them.
remained true to the union. What has
been the result2 At the very outset,
in the spring of 81, was accused OF
conniving to surrender my command in
Texas. Then there were those rumors
of treachery at Shiloh-that had with
drawn the picket in my front in order
to leave the way open to attack-and
my arrest and confinement by the Sec
| rotary of war. What use to beg for a
copy of the charger What use to de-
mand Q trialf No accuser, no accusa-
\ ton. Then, after months behind bars,
the public gaze being attracted else
where by another battle, the secretary,
finding it inexpedient to hold me longer,
turns me out of prison and orders me
to report to you, expecting you to
utilize disgraced man. And now, be-
fore you can assign me to duty, a scape-
goat being needed for the disaster at
Chickamauga. an order comes for my
rearrest. The blunderer who left the
gap through which Bragg hurled Hood
has succeeded in covering up his identi.
| ty, while I, who commanded cavalry
and had nothing to do with the main
line of battle, must be sacrificed to ap.
pease the public, who are looking fol-
victories and get nothing but defeats"
should not have been present al
such an interview, beardless boy
in my teens-but had been Gen
Heath's aide from the start, and had
served him through all his troubles
often carrying his messages to those
high in authority in his efforts to gain
q hearing. could have withdrawn, Dut
nothing short of an order would have
driven me from an interview which in
terested me intensely. Gen. Heath, nat
urally restless and sensitive, had beer
maddened by his confinement and dis
grace. This new trial that doomed VI
before him rendered him ready to TURF
like hunted beast and rend his perse
cutors. 1t was plain to me that the
general in chief was giving his sub
ordinate time to cool. 1 remembered
how he had himself been deprived o.
his command after Shiloh and shelvec
as mere assistant to the commander
in chief, and could understand his pa
thence with one who had suffered sc
much more keenly in similar manner
When his subordinate had finished, thu
superior gave q few deliberate puffs al
his cigar, then asked:
Have you no suspicion as to the ori
1 l8AQ "a tncSc TuulOTSS
"None whatever"
The general in cn1ef sat thinking
"The wrongs of this war" he said, pres
emily. will be righted only as oppor'
tunity is given the wronged to RICH,
them"
"Will you explain, general7"
The commander smoked on, unrutaed
pensive. Gen. Heath stood mute, while
! wondered what solution would be
given for so knotty problem.
Il cannot refuse to obey the secre
tary's ORDERS" said the general in
chief at last, "but can postpone it's ex.
ecution. MeanwhileI can giveyou an op.
portunity to perform a signal service
which, il successful, will bear witness
to your loyalty"
Gen. Heath stood restlessly attentive
while his chief proceeded: "You pos
sess the faculties requisite for q cav.
airy leader to marked degree-dar-
ing, ingenuity, rapidity; features es-
| pecially needed in an expedition have
in view"
why do you propose, general, to
trust me with command, handicapped
as am, when there are so many others
who have never been smirched?"
Because they have not the ability to
do work for which you are conspicu-
ously fitted"
There was a brief silence, which was
broken by the general in chief.
Ut has been reported to me this
mornink that LoaRstreet's tosps d