The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-08
BRAVE COLONEL DAGGETT.
Record of the Commander of the
Fourteenth Infantry.


Record of the Commanders of the
Fourteenth Infantry.
Among the American officers who led In
the battle against the Chinese at Peitsang
was Col. Aaron s. Doggett, in command of
the Fourteenth Infantry. who has most
Interesting record as q soldier.
1t was Daggett, then Ifeutenaut colonel.
commanding the Twenty-ffth, who led his
negro soldiers up the steep. Mauser-swept
hill at Ell Caney, and wrested the stone fort
from the Spaniards, capturing the blood
and-gold ensign. and ending the fight tefore
che less intrepid commanders came forward
/ to receive the formal white flag OF truce.
That unsupported dash of the dusky
Twenty fifth. little dwelt upon IN official
reports. was perhaps the most conspicuous
| achievement of single regiment in the
whole Santiago campaign, and upon Law
| tons strong recommendation it made D. g
gett, who was no favorite of the War De-
partment regime, brigadier general of
| volunteers.
Aaron S. Daggett is described as an ex-
tremeIy plous man who was never known
&c drink, smoke, swear or gamble. His So
ciability was mainly confined to the firing
line by nature and choice q rugged, IN
assuming, blunt, business soldier, he never
crept into popularity with the staff clique
that pulls the wires at headquarters,
though no officer ever got more work out
OF his men or created more enthusiasm
and confidence in the ranks below him. He
| was born siXty-three years ago in the little
| town Of Greene, Androscoggin county, Me,
I and went to the front in, June, 1861, as sec
ond lieutenant of the Fifth Maine Infantry,
I rising TO captain within two months In
j youth a devoted student, he threw his
/ whole energies into his military studies
/ and quickly attracted the attention Of gen.
! erals in the field by his skill in dealing
! wtth tactical problems by his fearless con-
j ndenee in his own good judgment and his
{ wonderful execution upon all occasions
How deep was tle impression he created
| was shown at the close of the war, when
/ his application for position in the Judge
! Advocate Generals Department was warm
1 iy endorsed by Grant, Sherman, Hancock,
! Wright, and nearly all the famous leaders.
/ He became major of his regiment in jan
/ uary, 1868, and two years later, when the
! great Army was being reduced to peace
/ footing, he was commissioned lieutenant
! colonel in the Fifth United States Vete-
/ ran Reserves. His service in the evil war
was continuous with his regiment Il. the
/ field in the Army of the Potomac from
/ 1851 to 1865. In that time he was woundeS
! severely at the Bloody Angle and again at
/ COLO ft2rD0F- among the H2iIS5l HSnLS
| he participated in were the first Bull Run,
Antietam Fredericksburg. Gettysburg,
/ Rappahannock Station, Wilderness, Spott-
| sylyana, and Petersburg. He was brevet-
| ted in 1867 as major for gallantry al Rap
| Dahannock. as lieutenant colonel for gal
! liant and meritorious services in the VII
/ derness and as colonel and hrisadier gen
| eraI for his whole war record.
/ He wanted 10 stay in the military serv-
| ice after the war as Judge advocate. De
! ing devoted 10 the law as well as TO the
Army AS he was a Democrat. he thought
he could not hope TO secure good billet
! in the line, and leaving his papers On fIe
went Rome, only 10 be surprised in July,
1856, to receive commission without Sc
/ IIcItation from President Johnson as CAP
| tain of infantry in the regular establish
ment. He was assigned to the Sixth Reg
| iment and served in the Southern States.
| Alabama Florida, Georgia. Mississippi and
South Carolina. until 1877. being transfer
red to the Second Infantry in 1868. For
eleven years, until the Maine was blown
up, Daggett was continuously on the Wes-
| tern frontier becoming major in the
| Thirteenth in January, 1892, and lieuten-
| ant colonel OF the Twenty-hfth in October,
1898
When the Santiago expedition was form
ing Daggett did not get any of the volun-
teer commissions bat had an opportunity
to lead the black fellows who won the col
ors at Ell Caney and reached the crest OF
San Juan Hill with the first. These ex-
ploits made him a brigadier general OF
volunteers for two months, and then after
few months recuPeration in Colorado he
was promoted TO be colonel Of the Four
teenth. which he hurried TO join in the
| Philippines. After a year OF the hardest
fighting there he has recently had his men
| guarding Manila and preserving order
! there
Colonel Daggett's wife. who is sister
of Admiral Bradford, lives with her three
daughters at Cambridge. Mass His son,
named for the admiral. is a graduate OF
Cornell University, and is well established
as an electrical engineer in Philadelphia.
But for the volunteer rank enjoyed by
General Chaffee. who has been ordered to
command the American forces in China
that honor would rightfully belong TO Col
onei Daggett by all the canons OF military
procedure. Officers of the line think
there is little if any choice between
Dagget and Chaffee. They stand
at the top as fighting commanders, and
whichever has the mere fortune to hold
temporary superiority. even through favor
| itism, the other will be found acting in a
manner to make the United States proud OF
its representation in the international force
assembled for the relief of Pekin