The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-10-04
BLUE AND THE GRAY
GRAVE MEN WHO MET ON the
FIELD Of BATTLE
Thrilling Stories Of the Rebslliea-
Old Soldiers and Sailors Relate Reni.
niscences Of Life In Camp and On
the Field -Incidents Of the Was.

| NnG rIG10-1nCl0Gnt0 Oh N00 " 0Bs
Il can't understand" said the Major.
why so many of the biographical
sketches of the late General ]. ID. Cox.
after paying him high tribute as an
officer, scholar and gentleman, wound
up by saying that in the army he was
cold and unsympathetic and failed to
| arouse enthusiasm or achieve popular
lty among the men of his command.
| Every soldier who served under Gen
erai Cox knows that the statement Is
as far as possible from the truth, and
can account for the Injustice only by
assuming that the sketches were writ
ten from notices of General Cox, pre-
pared shortly after the war, when he
was in politics.
AT the beginning of the Civil War
General Cox was no more popular with
sensational newspaper correspondents
than General Sherman was. Cox was
at that time something of a newspaper
man himself, and legitimate newspaper
men had 10 more appreciativef friend. He
\ hAAu AndStCACu SuOt tiittuu anu Ad0
ten not little for newspapers. No
general officer in the army was more
inclined to be courteous toward news
paper men than was General Cox, but
his first experience in the Kanawha
Valley was discohraging. The gener-
ais division, consisting of Kentucky
and Ohio troops, was sent up the great
Kanawha River to drive Wise and
Floyd out of the valley and give aid
and comfort to Union men of West
Virginia. He planned his campaign
so skillfully and moved so expeditions
ly that he accomplished his work in
half the time given him and advanced
beyond the Gauley without serious
loss
This campaign should have been
presented to the people as one of the
most successful of the summer of 1861.
But it was not. Shortly after his
troops started up the valley two CORE
spOndents waited on General Cox and
demanded that they be furnished
horses, be given places on his stan, be
taken into his mess, and be given ac-
cess to his headquarters news. The
General explained that he could not do
all this, but that he would see that
they were supplied with provisions and
that they were properly cared for. The
correspondents resented this offer and
informed the General that he would be
sOrry for his refusal of their request.
They left the command in few days
and sent letters to their papers, repre-
senting that General Cox was incOm-
petent and his army n mere rabble raw
aging the country.
IAN indignant people forced retrac-
ton as to the troops, and the troops
themselves made it impossible for the
lying correspondents to secure further
employment in the field, but General
Cox was judged in later years, by those
who did not know him, by the reports
sent home in 1861. The truth is he was
at that time as well informed as to all
the duties and rules of military life as
any officer in the volunteer service, and
he was, because of his sOldierly appear
ance and bearing and his courtesy and
sympathy, immensely popular. In that
day of awkward and surly officers he
was distinguished for his self-pOise and
dignity and for the graciOusness with
which he returned the salutes of the
men in the ranks. 1 Lave known men
on guard to walk out Of their way to
get chance to salute General Cox.
Cox was a good disciplinarian, but
he never clustered, and was never se'
we're. On one occasion several officers
called at his headquarters and stated
to him that they would not promise to
march their men up the narrow river
valley. He sent them to their quarters
and said nothing Of their impertinence
until after the war. While In camp at
Gauley Bridge. his Quartermaster Gen
eral shot private in the Second Ken
lucky Infantry. The men Of the regi-
ment escaped the control Of their Off
GERS. and made Il rush to kill the Quar-
termaster, who had been taken to
Cox's headquarters. Cox saw the men
coming, but instead Of ordering the
guards to fire on them he ran toward
them alone, bareheaded and unarmed.
He reached gap in stone wall ahead
Of the 500 or COO furious armed men
and stopped them. He explained that
they might kill him, but they could not
pass.
STRENGTHENING to his full height. he
said firmly, Your General, unarmed
as you see. orders you to return to your
quarters, and he expects you to remem-
Der that you are soldiers and obey
Much to the surprise Of the score Of
anxious officers watching the parley,
the men returned to their camp. Cox
sent for company from another regi-
ment, which guarded the prisoner to
the lower camp. No charge of mutiny
ever appeared against that regiment,
which afterward, under Nelson and
Palmer, made splendid reputation
for drill. discipline and hard fighting.
ION another occasion company sent
to reclaim a picket post. east of the
river, was surrounded and compelled to
fight its way back to the river. at a
heavy loss. Although they held their
new line until night. the men of that
company felt their deieat keenly, and
when at night they were ordered to re-
turn across the river to their camp they
were sore and humiliated. As they
were about to leave the boat they saw
at the landing an officer in Generals
uniform, and they jumped to the con-
clusiOn that General Cox had come
down to give them roasting. and they
braced themselves for it. believing they
deserved 1t.
Instead Of scOlding. each man re-
ceived compliment, General Cox
shaking hands with many of them and |
congratulating them on making so
good a fight against overwhelming |
numbers. He explained that he had in |
formation that the company had made |