The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-13
MACARTHUR,S GRAND RECORD

MACARTHUR,S GRAND RECORD
Related on the oecas ON of Els sue
| ceeding General Otis
Some OF the critics who said that Elwen
S. Otis was cold. impassive. e bureaucrat
and did not like the looks of the firing
| line did not know Otis. These critics
were not present at the battle OF SPOTS
| ylvana Va. where for conspicuous gal
lantry eagles were placed in the field OF
| the shOulder-straps Of the man who has
| just been relieved from command in the
Philippines. Neither were the critics pre-
I sent al the subsequent battle at Chap
/ e. House. Va, where for further pro-
nouncedIy gallant service the eagles Of
the colonel were displaced By the star of
the brigadier. To take the place OF Gen
eraI Otis. and, il may be said confidently,
TO i'll IL, is named another man, Arther
Macarthur, who won promotion and a
coveted decoration on the field OF battle
II is simply the case OF one gallant officer
succeeding another. Macarthur looks the
soldier that he is. AS a matter OF fact
the word soldier is written all over
him. and, as one Of his Wisconsin COM
rades once said, IT would probably De
found stamped on the lining of his
clothes"
What General Macarthur has done in
the Philippines is TO recent to need re-
hearsel He is taking hold Of what pol
itican would call a thankless Job, but
., y
urs military career are certain, that
thanks or no thanks. he will do his duty
as ne sees It, TO the end. General MacAr-
thur is a volunteer soldier. He entered
the service in the early days Of the civil
war as first lieutenant and adjutant OF
the twenty-fourth Wisconsin Infantry,
which was recuited in the vicinity Of
Milwaukee. The record Of the gallant per
sonal achievementsof Macarthur during
the war of the rebellion is no longer than
that Of almost all the other officers who
survived that struggle. When MacArth-
ur's friends asked Governor Larrabee of
Wisconsin to commission himas adjutant
of the twenty-fourth the Governor hesi-
tated because he thought that "a school
boy should not be sent to thefront'' The
applicant for the adjutant's position was
II years old and well built. but he had
the face of a boy Of a He received his
commission however and it was not long
before he showed the stuff Of which he
was made. At PerryvilIe the dauntless
courage displayed BY young Macarthur
won him praise on the field Of battle.
Before he was 10 years of age Arthur
Macarthur was a majcr. and General
Grant afterward said that were it not for
the fact that he could not put youth OF
19 years over the veteran colonies and
the service, he would have recommended
young Macarthur for brigadier general
ship after the battle Of Missionary Ridge
In the Army Register the government
Official publication, there IS short list of
men who have won medals of honor BY
acts Of conspicuous personal bravery in
action. This official record of MacArth-
ur's acts is brief. but It Is one which an
army officer prizes more than rank. for
it sets down how was won bit Of bron-
Il, intrinsic value / cent, but whose price
is above rubies. The record stands: Ar
thur Macarthur, medal Of honor for cool
ness and conspicuous Bravery in action
in in selling the colors Of his regiment a
a critical moment and planting them on
the works on the crest of Missionary.
Ridge Ten. NOV % 1863 while serving, as
first lieutenant and adjutant twenty-ifth
Wisconsin Infantry"
The Wisconsin boys were the very head
and front of the charge up the ridge
There was a terrific fire all the way up.
after color-bearer was shot
down. The distractions of the road and |
the terrific fire had broken the organiz- /
alton and the cohessiveness Of the ranks /
When the flag went down for the last /
time the regimental line had nothing 10
rally upon, but in an instant the boy
adjutant Macarthur. siezed the staff Of |
the fallen banner. waved it wildly for a |
moment as a quickening signal to rally /
on the center. and then darted forward /
to the very crest and into a Sattery, the (
leader Of the whole line and holding /
the foremost OF the sixty battle flags F
that were moving up the slope"
Macarthur escaped death at the battle /
OF Kenesaw by means OF a package Of I
letters which he carried in his pocket /
Il is one Of the few genuine cases Of the /
many that are told OF whore letters from I
some one "dearer than sister saved 1
the life Of him who was carrying them
The twenty-fourth Wisconsin had a |
part in saving the day at the battle Of 4
Franklin. General Stanley said: a large (
part OF the credit for saving the day IS 4
due to the Wisconsin regiment. and. in /
this feat il was led by the boy colonel. !
srrthnr Macarthur. It was al Franklin /
that Macarthur was struck down a. the |
head u his men and 50 badly wounded I
that Il was thought he had seen his last 4
battle. He has taken part in many s-ncs /
and n none save with honor.
Edward B. Clark.
a DREADFUL EXPERIENCE
a man was going home to his wife AMI I