The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-07
FROM MAJoR YOUNG.
A Letter From Utah's Gallant Com
mander at Manila.

Major r. w. Young has written a
letter to Governor Wells. which is thor
oughIy characteristic of this hero OF
] the battle of Manila AS might be eX-
pected, Major Young is entirely toe
] modest to even appropriate a portion
/ of the glory to himself for the excel
lent record made by the Utah batteries
in the Philippines. He is proud of the
record, of course, but he does not want
the people of Utah to laud him more
/ than his associate, Major Grant.
/ And so he writes a letter to the gov
/ ernor, as interesting as it is charac-
/ teristic of this hero in disguise. The
/ letter is as follows:
Manila p l. Dec 81. 1898.
I Governor H. W. Wells, Salt Lake City.
My Dear Gcvernor-The first cabled ac-
| counts of our operations here conveyed
the very erroneous impression that IL
I was A battery, under my personal COM
mand. which alone had figured so con-
spicuOusly on the night Of July 3lst. Sub
seQuent accounts OF subsequent events
/ have given 70 that battery and to me a
relative prominence which IL and l did
y not deserve. l believe / need Rot assure
you or anyone acquainted with me. that
such partial statements neither originated
with, nor We're known to me. before trans
initial.
/ l had believed that the great mass of
I correspondence from the batteries, which
4 =.
had served 10 give our citizens an aDsO-
lutely fair and impartial view of the part
I borne by each of the batteries in the con-
: test; but, upon later reflection. il seems
/ TO me to be only Just that l should write
you a few lines, for publication. prefer
ably, II you see mt, correcting any such
false impressions.
I In the first place 1 desire to say in all
sincerity that if il shall be the deliberate
judgment OF the officers and men of this
battalion that L have been as good a
soldier as my friend and companion.
Major f. A Grant. IN energy. recOurceIul-
ness care for the men. discipline. courage.
prOmpUitude and in all those other quail
ties which so TO make up military success,
| shall esteem myself fortunate. SplenC ID
as the personnel of A battery was with
I its excellent HeUtenants. nOncOmmisSiOned
officers and c2nnOneerS. II was nor 2
whit superior either in skill, intelligence,
energy. bravery discipline or PATRIOTS Il
10 the superb manhood of 3 battery.
They were sons OF the Self-Same race,
and blood Of the self-same clan and
Just as well drilled and instructed y
bettery claims no higher place for itself
than TO be counted equal in hOnOrab e
service with its companion battery. so
closely have the TWO been associated that
there are many officers and orSanizatio--s
here today who speak of our battalion = 5
the Utah battery. not knowing We 2~e
two. With justice We claim that no or
Sanization here, volunteer or regular has
won a better name than our own, and, 1
may add that the name has been won as
much through the services of Major
Grants battery as by my Cwn-il 10
good enterprise has the CleOfan's silk
gift to n battery been advanced higher CT
farther 10 the front than that of b.
Ny own real sorrow in losing that close
touch with my old battery. which CINE
with my promotion. was compensated by
the gain of a partial interest as major II
SO excellent battery as the other.
As to service personally was not pres
ent in the trenches during the night OF
July S1st until after the firing had ceased.
nor did 1 on that occasion drag any
guns through mud to flank the enemy.
nor then or at any other time perform
any acts of personal herOism- l was not
present in the trenches during one of the
nights when our lines We're Dombarded- l
am. therefore. d very ordinary kind or
hero. and claim no greater credit for my
self than that l attended closely TO b-si-
ness with such ability as 1 possessed
chiefly that / showed my willingness. by
volunteering to undergo such dangers and
hardships as the war might develop.
So far as the service of 3 battery was
concerned 1 may say that in each of the
engagements prior to Aug. y. and in the
battle of that day. Major Grant had Just
as many guns, officers and men, and nred
just as many and as well aimed SHOTS
as A battery Nor was his battery COM
manded by me at any time between June
10 the day of embarkng q San Fran
cisco, and Aug. q, nor am L entitled 70
any of the credit due Major Grant and
his officers for the excellent state OF in
struction of his battery. Major Grant
was brevetted as I was and with the same
rank-we have both felt that the honor
was granted US. not as a personal. tribute,
but as Just recognition of the services OF
the officers and men whom we had the
honor and pleasure TO command My
own promotion as major did not come as
the result of ''heToism, or as reward
for meritOrious services. as our home
papers implied, but as the result of your
own efforts commended even at our err
listment and continued until the a"thori-
ties at Washington recognized the right
of Utah to have a battalion organization
with a major in command
There is before me a magazine contain
ing Alfred Austin's poem on the Amerl
can and English kinship in il / find the
following lines which ] address TO those
of b battery if any there be. who have
felt a sense of injustice and wrong
Now let US have done with a worn out
tale.
The tale of an ancient wrong
And our friendship last long as love doth
last,
And be stronger than death IS strong
With great respect your obedient servant.
(Signed) RICHARD w. YOUNG.
Dyspepsia can he cured by Using