The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-07
LAWTON AS A VOLUNTEER
TESTIMONY OF COMRADE WHO
SERVED IN HIS REGIMENT.
He WAS a Thorough Soldier I'm Every
Respect. n Capable Executive and
Considerable Gentleman.

Among the articles in the Journal regard
ing the late General Lawton it was re-
marked in one that, although much had
been written of his service with the regu-
lars his career in the volunteer service
has been generally unnoticed. / had hoped
that some comrade with reader pen
would give the omission his attention. The
hope proving vain and being acquainted
with him at that period. serving through
the war in the same regiment and being
his sergeant major while he was in COM
mand. 1 will attempt to give some of the
recollections'T have of it. =
When the Thirtieth Indiana Infantry was
organizing at Fort Wayne in the late
summer and early fall of 1861 the COM
pany of which was then a member Joined
1t at Camp Allen. Several companies, of
which two were from Fort Wayne, were
already in camp. In one of the latter
a young lad TO whom my attention was
particularly attracted. perhaps from the
! fact that he appeared about my own age
| barely nineteen-and that he wore a faded
| gray uniform with the black chevrons of
| a first sergeant, showing him to be one of
| the then recently discharged three months
| men. He was tall, slender, with just a
| touch of the gaucherie of suddenly grown
| youth, but something about him drew and
| hela my attention, although / might have
/ been puzzled to say why His face was
| thin. intelligent and delicate almost to
| femininity, his upper lip crowded by the
| promise of a mustache, then only the
shadow of a shade" boy with some
| thing of boys hesitation and awkward
| ness, yet, i'm some indefinable way to me,
| different from most of the others. Although
| attracted to him our acquaintance was very
| slight until some time later His old gray
uniform was, In a few days, exchanged for
bright blue one with the shoulder straps
| OF a lieutenant which seemed very proper
In my opinion, and just what might have
| been expected. There was nothing espe-
cially noticeable about the lad only that
he appeared fully equal to his position and
responsibilities without asserting himself
and that he gave one the impression of
having something in reserve. Perhaps 9TH
ers were not so impressed, but was
The common experience of a volunteer
| regiment was ours, and at last the battle
of Shiloh gave the young man a pair of
captains shoulder straps, and Company A,
with more than an average of soldierly
material in its makeup. found this tall
ycungster In command of 1t. He seemed
now to develop more individuality He
apparently had more room in which to
grow; and 1t seemed emnently proper that
he should be in command of one of the
best skirmish companies in the service
It's efficiency did not fall off any under
his command Of it and there was little of
that criticism of him which was so certain
xxr1xo
standard set by the American volunteer
for his officer. The colonel trusted and de-
pended upon him; the men on the skirmish
or picket line had no misgiving when he
was in command of it. His brother Officers
respected him and probably loved him.
oouptless often wondering why, for while
ne was good comrade, he never went out
or his way to seek popularity.
The characteristics now so widely known
were then developing. His courage was an
unadulterated article, well known to ali.
but not particularly insisted on. as cour-
age was something SO common then and
there as to occasion no special remark
His conduct was more noticed, as it was
not quite so universal an attribute By
conduct L mean. of course. that rather
uncommon common-sense which a man in
| a responsible position shows by doing the
| right thing in cases of emergency seizine
the right moment to do it and never losing
the golden moment for fear of assuming
responsibility.
| These qualifications. among others led to
a stan appointment later, which separated
captain Lawton from u.s. but he must have
satisfied the general he retained him
In that position until he was recalled to
command the regiment. This occurred
after the original organization was mus
tered out at the expiration of it's three
| year term. aat.
AS LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
These who had re-enlisted as veterans
| al tn, 81 G1r1
three companies. Lawtons company was
one that re-enlisted as an entire company
organization. To these the veterans of the
other companies were added. The regi-
ment was built up into an eight-company
organization by the addition of q veteran
company of the Thirty-sixth Indiana and
a draft from the State of four hundred
drafted men and substitutes, known to us
| generally as 'conscripts." This gave lis
eight companies and Lawton a commission
as lieutenant colonel, and he assumed com.
mand Now We began to realize his capa-
city This mass of raw material reached
us while falling back and contesting Hoods
| advance into Tennessee in the fall of 1854
Skirmishing and fighting days and re-
| treating nights left apparently no time tc
lick our new acquisition from the back
counties of Hoosierdom into shape. but
somehow Lawton wrung from the crowded
hours few moments now and then for in
structon in the first rudments of soldier
life, although company organizations were
not effected until we reached Nashville
, The history of these days with US would bt
, entertaining-'but that is another story"
with all our imperfections on oul
, heads" We stood in the front line a.
Franklin to see Hood hurl his veteran divi
sions against our works time after time
| | To see the Southern cross go down in blood
and wreck that day must have been Il
, | these raw Hoosiers sight like leaf ou
of Revelations. Lawton's superb control
, | assisted by his few veteran officers anC
men scattered through this unorganizet
mass, brought us through this fierce battl,
with no loss other than the common ant
unavoidable casualties of action, but tn,
fact that no man struggled. that all wer,
, | In their places when at last the Confed
| crate army was worn out, has Away.
seemed to me little less than a miracle
and must, taking the condition of the regi
| ment into consideration, be credited to
personal control of its commander al
phenomenal as anything in the history o
the regiment, perhaps I'm the war. Their,
were many scenes of confusion In the with
| drawal from close contact with the enemy
and the retreat in the night I.
: Nashville but We arrived there in goos
shape and, the lines of defense bein,
| formed about the city. Lawton, trustin,
that the enemy would await our initiative
applied for permission to encamp his com
r mand in the rear of the lines for organiza
r ton and drill, which was granted. The bull
| of the regiment were entirely innocent o
! next two weeks were a revelation to all; [,
IL TAl o. n1xv-f Of