The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-08-16
How Custer Went to West Point.

cagO Inter Ocean.
How Custer Went to West Point.
The late John A. Bingham was, witt
ex-senator Sherman, the last OF th'
many Ohio men who We're prominen
In national affairs in the time Of Lin
coin. Judge Bingham entered Congress
in 1859 He and Mr.. Sherman wer'
sworn in ON the same day. Bingham
served sixteen years In Congress, an,
for twelve years was minister TO Japan
At the close of the civil war he wa.
judge advocate In the army, and pros
ecutei the cOnspiratOrs who murdered
Lincoln. Later he was one of the man
ayers in the Impeachment trial Of Pres
ident johnson.
With all his great achievements
Judge Bingham was prOudest Of the
fact that he sent Gen. George A. Custer
to West Point. One day in Washington
before the war, Judge Bingham re
ceived letter.
1T was boys letter." he said. In
telling of 1t, but there was something
In it which captivated me, and after
forty years l can remember that letter
verbatim. 1t read thus:
"'Dear Mr. Bingham: 1 am told you
can send boy to Vest Point. am
also told that you don't care whether
he is a Democrat boy or Republican
boy. am Democrat boy, and l want
to go to West Point and learn to be a
soldier so l can fight for my country,
Sincerely yours,
GEORGE A. CUSTER
81 did not know the boy" added
Judge Bingham. but l knew Of the
Custer family living at Rumley in my
county. 1 wrote back that If his par
ents consented would appoint him,
and In due time did so.
George Custer went to West Point
as my cadet. and heard nothing from
him until the war came on and l
learned that he had been sent into the
field. Next l heard Of him as engaged
most calamity at Bull Run. A few days
after that disastrous battle there was
a knock at my door. A tall soldier,
his shirt open In front. long yellow eurls
hanging upon his shoulders. came in
with stammering speech. He hesitated
moment. and then said:
"'Mr. Bingham, am George Custer,
the boy you sent to west Point l
have fought my first battle and have
tried hard not to be a coward. l think
it is my first duty to report to you. sir
THAT was my first sight Of Custer.
God bless him! took him in my arms.
Indeed. he had not been a coward! He
had been promoted on the field for con-
spicuous bravery. After that 1 kept
close watch of his movements, and it
rejolced me to see my cadet the young
est general I'm the army. In the midst
Of his fame he married a lovely woman,
Elizabeth Bacon, of Michigan. He
brought his bride to me, and she de-
clared:
"'Mr. Bingham, want to thank you
for Transforming my husband from
wOod-chopper into general Of the Uni
ted States army
'NOble boy! Noble woman! As l
think how happy and proud they were
that day, my heart is full of anguish
to think of my boy cut to pieces by
those miserable redskins In the West"
Youths Companion.
The Mimic Bullet and the Mauser.
THE MIME ball." said the Captain.
KILLED more men than the Mauser. At
July 81. 1864. the Twentieth
Illinois went into the fight with 200
effective men; it came out with fifteen.
All the rest were killed or wounded. In
my own company every man was killed
o. wounded. There were no officers or
sergeants or privates left. In the South
African war it is officially reported that
only per cent. Of the wounded die.
The small Mauser bullet, fired at long
range, makes clean cut which heals
readily. The large MIME ball. construct
ed to penetrate, made wound that was
difficult to handle, and full % per cent
of our wounded died.
'.In the battle Of Atlanta had raised
my sword arm to point out to Il man
behind me rebel who. half hidden be-
hind tree, was picking our men of,
when l was struck by bullet that
went through my shoulder. The ball
crashed through the shoulder blade,
threw the bone Of the upper arm out
Of the socket, went through the hand
Of the man standing behind me, and
lodged in the stock Of his gun. My sword
few ten feet high, and my arm. with
tendon cut, went flying about like
fail. The surgeon. 1 remember. put
the arm in place. and prObed the wound
with his fingers. the finger of the hand
In front meeting midway the finger of
the hand Mt the back. That shows what
a hole that Mimic ball made. Queerly
enough. the man shot through the hand
by the bullet that went through my
body died, and recovered. The fellow
that shot me was killed two seconds
after he fired by one Of our own men,"
Chicago Inter Ocean.
How Grant Ran.
In September, 1879. there was a re.
union of the Army of the Cumberland
ut Utica, n. V. at which President
Grant. General Sherman, General
Hooker, General SlOcum and Governor
Seymour We're present.
Long and loud cries arose for Grant,
who, slowly rising from his
chair, expressed his pleasure at being
with his friends, but his dislike at
being asked to speak, and his difiidence
In doing SO.
But there are those" he added, dry
ly, and pointing to Sherman and 9TH
ers, "who are not troubled with any
sort of diffidence."
The three generals present made |