The National tribune., 1901-12-12

LlEUT.-G EN-. NELSON A. MILES.
grades by West Pointers, with only two
xceptions-LeOnard Wood and Freder-
lex Funston.
The most convenient way to exhibit the
services and successive steps by which the
general officers now on the Active List
of the Army reached. their respective
grades is by offering brief sketch of
each of the seven in the upper grades.
LIEUT.-GEN. NELSON A. MILES.
The Lieutenant General commanding
in-chief, Nelson A. Miles, native of
Massachusetts, entered upon his long and
honorable military career as a Captain
in the 22d Mass, mustered Sept. 8, 1861.
He had previously enlisted in the ranks,
but saw no service in that capacity, be-
ing appointed Captain before the regiment
left the State for the seat of war. Capt.
Miles served in the 22d Mass. until May
30, 1862, when he was transferred to the
61st n. Y, with the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel. The Colonel was Francis c.
Barlow, and Miles was induced to make
the transfer from the service Of his ma
tive State TO that of New York by the
personal friendship that existed between
the two young officers. The 61st n. 7.
was remarkable alike for the extraordi-
nary amount of fighting it did, for its uni
form good conduct, for the tremendous
losses it sustained, and for the fact that
1t furnished two of the most brilliant Di-
vision Generals in the whole Army-Bar-
low and Miles.
On the promotion of Barlow to Briga-
dier-General in September, 1862, Miles
became Colonel of the 6lst, and command
ed it for the first time in Burnsides mis-
cradle butchery of Fredericksburg, where
he suffered a severe wound. He was,
however, soon Oh hand again, and took
% L. ID l.
vision, Second Corps, after Gettysburg,
succeeding Col. Edward e. Cross, who
was killed there. Miles continued to
command this brigade with the rank of
Colonel until May, 1864, when he was
promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General
of Volunteers ''for gallant and meritor-
ious services in the battles of the Will
derness and SpOttsylvania Court House."
Barlow commanded the division until
Aug. /, 1864, when he became temper
erily disabled by the breaking out of his
old wound Of Gettysburg, and Miles sue
ceeded him in command of the division.
In week or two Barlow tried it again,
Miles going back to his brigade but about
the Goth of August Barlow had to sue
cumb and Miles held the division until
the surrender Mt Appomattox. Barlow,
however, recovered sufficiently to join the
Army again on the march to AppomattoX
and on April 8, 1865, he caught up with
the Second Corps near Amelia Court
House. Though still far from WELL Bar
death" He was, of course, entitled to
assume command Of the First Di-
vision, as he ranked Miles; but
under the circumstances he declined
to supersede Miles; proposing at first to
take brigade. But Gen. Humphreys,
who had succeeded Hancock in command
of the Second Corps, arranged to detach
Gen William IIavaG nd nf
the Second Division and to give that com
mand TO Barlow, who was thus, at the
last moment, enabled to realize his cher
ished ambition-"not TO get left at Ap-
pomattoXi
After the close of the civil war Miles
was retained in the Volunteer service
about year, being promoted to the rank
of Major-General in October, 1865. In
July, 1866, he was appointed Colonel of
the 10th Regulars; became Brigadier-
General in December, 1880, MajOr-Gen-
eral in April, 1880, and in that rank sue
ceeded Schoteld as Commander-in-Ch Chief
He was promoted to Lieutenant General
by virtue of the Act OF June 1900
1t does not seem possible to say any
thing by way of summary that would add
encOmum TO the foregoing simple recital
of facts. 1t may not, however, be amiss
TO suggest that history affords no other
instance of a young man, without military
LldililiS VI SI'tIdi GDiHUDHlDS
commercial calling for that Of arms,
and then rising TO command the armies
of Nation of S0,000,000 of people and
one of the greatest military powers on
earth.
MAJ.-GEN. JOHN r. BROOKE
Senior Maj-Gen. John X. Brooke raised
company for the 4th Pa and was mus
tered into the United States service as
Captain of it i'll April 1861. He served
in the 4th until November, 1861. when
Gov. Curtin appointed him Colonel of
the J}d Pa, regiment just then organ
lied at Harrisburg. Upon the organiza-
ton of the Army of the Potomac into
corps at the beginning Of the Peninsular
campaign. the sd was assigned first to
the Third and afterwards to the Fourth
Brigade. First Division, Second Corps
In course of the hard service incident to
this assignment-which the regiment
maintained without break until Ap-
pomattoS-Col. Brooke soon found him
self the ranking officer of the brigade.
and as such commanded it continuously
from the battle of Antietam, except a
brief absence in consequence of wounds
received at Gettysburg. In fact, he was