The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-07

conscripts. as we still called them, could be
carried past II under fire without going 10
pieces. We were afterward ashamed of
our lack OF faith. for when the pinch came
/ cannot think that an observer would have
seen any difference in their behavior and
that of the long-tried veteran regiments on
| their right and left. In fact. no notifying
incident occurred. and they sustained their
part in manner to win the respect of the
veterans OF Crosses brigade. such as the
| Ninth Indiana. Eighty-fourth Illinois. Sew
enty-seventh Pennsylvania and others
| whose records were beyond question. In
| the trying march in pursuit of Hood they
had their regular share of all that was go
ing on, being now and after, to all intents
and purposes. accepted in full in the place
of the old Thirtieth. so favorably known in
| that famous brigade. This was surely
very unusual condition in the case of
| regiment so oddly and recently organized.
| and the credit of ii was primarily due TO
| its commander.
HIS PROMPT ACTION.
| He left nothing to chance. In the spring
of 1865 the regiment was ordered to gar
rison Morristown, East Tennessee. 1t had
| previously never done a days garrison
| duty. The town was on railway, exposed
| to dash from the rebel cavalry and guer-
| rilla bands which infested that country,
| and although there was a station and
| bridges TO guard, had no defensive works.
| A burned bridge would cut communication
| between the army at Bulls Gap and its
base at Knoxville until replaced. A hill
northwest of the town overlooked these
| bridges, the station, the railway for some
| distance each way and the town itself. The
defenseless condition was seen by Colonel
Lawton at glance, and he telegraphed to
headquarters follows: "Wil my stay
| here warrant me in fortifying myself?
| Without waiting an answer, every one was
| set at work next morning. The hill was
| crowned by two-story brick house, de-
serted. Before any reply was received
| he had the upper story of the house
pierced for musketry, heavy breast
and on top of the hill. and from this line
| of rifle pits ran diagonally down the hill,
| crossed the railway and curved protecting
| ly about the station. In case of attack.
| and necessity for the skirmishers to fall
| back on the reserve, they could retreat
from one pit to another, each commanding
the last abandoned, all the time under the
covering fire of the reserve from the main
work on the hill, until all were safely con-
centrated in the principa. work, which,
with it's brick citadel could safely bid de-
fiance to any force of cavalry likely at
that time to be brought against it. AS a
piece of military engineering on very
small scale, Ii was remarked and admired
by all. and brought concentrations from
his superior officers / never heard that its
strength was tested by attack, and, as
usual in such cases, we were ordered TO re-
join the main body next day. leaving our
fertilization to some one, as Isl klegg'
says, 'lazier than we."
Going to Texas with the Fourth Corps in
| the summer of 1865 Colonel Lawton gar
risoned the post of Goliad until late i'm the
fall Over thirty miles from any support.
in town which, and among people who
had never felt the discipline of hostile &C.
cupation. almost entirely rebel sympathiz-
ers and unreconstructed, the whole mill
tary and civil rule rested on this young
man of twenty-three or twenty-four years
But there was never a hitch in the move
ment or affairs; no lawleSsness or trouble
after the first few days. although the peo-
pie were hostile, and returned rebel SOL
diers thickly intermixed, every one habitu.
| ally going armed and no semblance of Law
in the country. Under has administrator
order came out of chaos the civil law
gained and kept its foothold, the sOul-har
assing establishment of new relations be-
tween the white and colored people was
| perfected. and all in way to more thar
satisfy his superiors and call for the ad
m-ration Of ALL The orders given him upor
| assuming command of that post, with the
power and responsibility conferred, one
might have supposed addressed to some
sage of craftsmanship, and to a miitar,
commander of high rank instead Of to
new lieutenant colonel scarcely more thar
a boy in years.
/ AN INTERESTING PERSONALITY.
: His personality at this time was interest
: ing. His position required a dignity be
so--. his age, and although he lapsed int,
! boyishness in moments of relaxation, al
: emergency of any kind changed him in
stantly into the stern and digniied com
, handing officer and governor of the post
which was emphasized by his commander,
proportions ana directness of speech AM
action from which there seemed no appeal
His moments of relaxation were not ii
public, but only among his intimates whel
no call Of duty demanded his attention
! The remembrance of them is very dear t,
, | us now. 1t may well be believed his neces
sary intercourse with these fiery Southern
, | ers, smarting under recent defeat an,
) | obliged to submit to conditions so com
; pletely at variance with all their tradi
,, | tons and experience, required a tact
wisdom and a firmness scarcely to be ex
pected in one of his age and experience
, | but he sustained the dignity of his govern
!, | ment, fulfilled all the obligations 1t ha,
: imposed on him, created a total chang
! as enjoined by his orders, and We
preserved the respect, friendship. and per
sonal regard of this hair-trigger commun
ity which he had been called to admins
trate. This young man, with no previous
training or experience to prepare him 70
such responsibility, acquitted himself of /
) | In a manner TO win the respect and ad
miration of all; and when he was relieve,
of the post, and came home with the regi
$ ment, his success was proved by the re
' | greet of the community at his departure
|
scriptions of him which have appeared II
: | some of the papers since his name began t
v be widely known during the late war. Me-
| processing to know him well representa-
him as a mere fighting machine, with
l capacity only for fighting, Berserker
! | gladiator. He has been represented as
. surly bachelor, and stress laid upon hi
lifelong exemption from any of the softe
$ feelings emotions which make a ma
n human and beloved of his friends; tn
: tender passion had never touched thi
: man, said some of his historians. AL
d though long years have passed since
S met him / cannot believe that those VIII
l. | so wrote could have known Henry w
: Lawton. The denial that he had eve
o known the love of woman, the great hu
K manizer Of our sex, might well be dis
{ missed in silence, since We have been In
d troduced in the pages of our newspaper
: to the bereaved lady and the fatherles
r children who are now following and guard
e ing his remains to their last rest, excep
= for its cruelty. 1t is cruel to speak OF
Q even thus.
He was never demonstrative, and ret
r icence may have grown upon him wit
t years; but no man had a softer heart. !
: case of tyranny-the oppression of tn
!. weak by the strong, would arouse in hir
d a burst of anger very unpleasant TO 1t
o object / believe there a time whe
t he suffered from bashfulness, for / hav
|. seen him take irsnite pains to relieve tn