The National tribune., 1900-07-12

bly, due to the influence of his wife, a
Louisianian and the owner of considerable
human and other property. His detection
was certainly more inexcusable than that
of the other officers, and was apparently
purely mercenary.
was at this time a private in Capt
/. Gardner's company, i, of the 10th,
having enlisted at the immature age of
IL 1-2 years in order to go to Utah and
help wipe out the Mormons. Having
some knowledge of drugs, and writing a
fair hand, had been kept on extra duty
almost constantly during my four years
of service previous to the war, and at the
time Of which l am writing l was on ex-
ira duty as clerk in the Subsistence De-
partment of the Post, the Commissary Of
ficer being Lieut.. Frank Armistead, Vir-
ginian, and brother Of the rebel, Gen. Ar
mistead, who died as heroically as wrong
sidedly, at Gettysburg two years later.
One afternoon, few days after the
receipt of the news of Sumter's fall, l
was alone in the COmmissary office, when
Lieut.. Armistead came in and planted
himself before a window, through which
he gazed for a long time in deep abstrac-
tion, with look of unutterable sadness
that would have melted stone. He was
SO handsome, and l j had found him SO
kind and lenient. After n time he began
TO sob and so continued for a good half
hour; then composing himself he turned
to me. Brown" he said, II understand
that Mr.. Memminger is a relative of
yours"
HE is, Lieutenant. I am under the
deepest obligations to him." 1 answered
81 leave with the stage tomorrow.
Would you like to go with me?' contin-
ued the Lieutenant.
Not to desert" / answered; "but, if
agreeable to you, / will write letter to
NTr nd ha hnp
my discharge from the United States
Army, l will willingly, out of gratitude
TO him. follow you later"
A FORTUNATE FAILURE.
"Write the letter." said Armistead; 81
am going straight to Montgomery, and
will deliver it in person and give a good
account Of you besides" and with hand
shake he was gone. l never saw or heard
of him again. He delivered my letter to
the Hon. g. q. Memminger, Jefferson Da-
vis's Secretary of the Treasurer (my for
mer guardian and benefactor), but it was
nearly 80 years, and just before that great
and noble mans death, before / received
the answer to il. How often since then
have / thanked God that nothing
came Of that letter, and that recognition
of Abraham Lincoln's grandeur of soul
and character soon made me a sincere
Union mani
Except by the people of South Carolina
Charles Gustavus Memminger, whose
fertile brain provided the great rebellion
with the sinews of war despite the most
adverse circumstances, is almost forgot
ten. Born in Germany, he landed In
Charleston, S. c., when but three years
Of age, and his father dying soon after
wards OF yellow fever. he was placed in
an orphan asylum. When eight years old
during visit of the Hon. Thomas Ben.
nett, afterwards Governor of South Caro-
lima, to the asylum, the boy had piece
to recite, the rendition OF which so carried
away Mr.. Bennett that he took him home,
adopted him, and gave him the best avail
able education, advantages which young
Memminger seconded with such zeal and
ability that at the beginning of the war
of the rebellion the Northern papers de-
In America. he was man of honesty,
Integrity, and genuine piety, as well as
of the most varied talents.
The Government now ordered the aban-
donment Of all the military posts in Utah.
and in July the United States forces, con
sisting Of a portion of the I'd Dragons,
the 7th and 10th u. S., and two batteries,
Cooke, began the long march across the
plains, our destination being Washington
City, which we accordingly reached In
October, and my regiment, together with
the Sd U. S., was at once quartered in
small frame shanties In Franklin Square,
which was then in the suburbs, but is now
In the heart Of the city.
Here we spent the winter doing pro-
Sost and other duty, and became Acting
Hospital Steward for both regiments, the
medical officer in charge being Asst. Surg
Geo. NJ. Stcrnberg, U. S. A, the present
Surgeon General of the Army.
L received my warrant as a Hospital
Steward, United States Army, shortly nf-
ter We took the field in March, 1862, and
was assigned to duty with the Sd Inf.
] Thus / had been q soldier and COM
b. .tant-non-combatant four years; had
helped to put down the Norman rebellion
lad been on scouts after Indians, and had