Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-12-23
A SOLDIERS CAREER
SKETCH or THE LATE GENERAL
LAYTON.

His Services in Three Wars--A man
Of Striking Personality and Utter
Feariessness---A Born Soldier and
Indian Fighter.
Particulars Of the death Of General
Henry w Lawton are given else.
where In this paper
Gen. 14awton was born in Ohio
March ii 1s43 He entered the army
during the Civil War as a sergeant OF
volunteers In Company r.. Ninth In.
diana Volunteers. He was discharged
soon after. and In September. 1851 he
rc~enlisted In the Thirtieth Indiana
Volunteers. He was made captain In
1862. lieutenant colonel la 1865. and
later liz the same year he was brevet-
ed colonel OF volunteers for gallant
and nTefitorious service during the
war,
Gen. Iawton held his rank as lieu.
tenant colonel in the inspector gen.
erals department until the outbreak
OF the war with Spain when presi-
dent Mckinley appointed him brig
adler general of volunteers and as
signed him TO the command Of the
division OF the Fifth Army Corps,
commanded by General Shafter He
took active part in the capture Of Eel
Caney and la the subsequent opera
tons about Santiago de Cuba. When
that province had been subdued he
was made military governor. where.
according to Civilian reports, he won
the good will of the influential Span
ish and Cuban citizens. He returned
to this country on October 10, 1898, on
a leave OF absence of sixty days, ex.
pecting to go back to Cuba.
Meanwhile the Indians In the west
began causing trouble and he started
for the scene OF hostilities. but ar
rived after settlement had been
made. January 10, 1899 Cen I4awton
sailed on the transport Grant to enter
service in the Philippine war; Here
his old training IN the wars with the
Indians served him IN good stead He
introduced Indian tactics. which
eventually resulted in the complete
rout Of the rebels The Generals next
hard fght took place In his attack on
San Rafael. where the American
troops were met with a heavy fire
from large number of rebels who
were concealed in the Jungle on all
sides Again Gen, Lawton employed
frontier wsffare and this alone saved
the division from great loss.
On June | Gen. Lawton was placed
in command of the defense of Manila.
and the troops formed the line around
the city.
About the middle of November the
whereabouts of Generals Lawton and
Young on account of the rapidity
of their movements. became almost
as mysterious as those of Aguinaldo s.
With characteristic energy he con
tinued his rapid moves. using all the
cunning he had gained from years Of
irregular border warfare, where cum
ming counts as much as strength. Az.
ter numbers OF these successful
dashes came the one against Mateo.
Like the southern general. who
never told his men to go on. Lawton
led the reconnaissance and following
his own tactics, he, as general was
at the head of his men, daring death
as he had deiied it carelessly for al
most forty years.
General Lawton was very striking
man in his personality. He was six
feet three inches in height and
weighed 210 pounds. His phenomenal
strength and activity. his abnormal
endurance and his utter fearlessness
made him a natural leader OF men
he lived he would have been appoint.
ed a brigadier general In the regular
army in the next week or two. to fill
the vacancy caused by the retirement
of General Shafter.