The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-07-25
Gen. F. S. Nickerson.

Gen. F. S. Nickerson.
Less than 80 Major Generals and 1Ot
Brigadier Generals are living of those
| who commanded armies in the civil
war. Nine are residents of New Eng
! land-Howard and Fessenden, Major
! Generals, and Ames, Darlington, Nicker.
son. Paine, Chamberlain, Conner and
Wilcox, Brigadier Generals. Col. John
i C. Caldwell, who was mustered out of
service with the rank of Major General
of volunteers by brevet is resident Of
Kansas. Of these distinguished officers
Fessenden, Howard, Ames, Chamber
lain, Connor Nickerson and Caldwell
are natives of Maine. The Boston
Globe gives sketches of these men, and
we quote what it says of native Of
Waldo county:
Another modest hero of the civil war,
who was mustered out of the service
as brigadler general of volunteers, is
Gen. F. S. Nickerson of Cambridge, a
member of the Suffolk county bar and
one of the best-knOwn characters about
town. Gen. NickersOn is native of the
Pine Tree State, and was among the
earliest volunteers from that State
when Abraham Lincoln called for vol
unteers.
At Fl he was admitted to the bar and
began the practice of his profession at
Searsport, Me- He soon won fame and
recognition in his locality, and when
the war broke out was regarded as one
of the leading young lawyers of the
Waldo county bar.
In August next Gen. Nickerson will
be Is years old. He still practices law
and may be found at his office across
the street from the Globe building al.
most any fine day.
Gen. NickerSon was deputy collector
of customs in his town when the war
began, and resigned to enter the army,
enlisting as private. When the COM
pany which he had joined organized, he
was chosen captain, and when it was at
tached to the organizing 4th Maine reg
iment he was chosen major of the regi-
ment, and later lieutenant colonel on
the resignation of Col. Berry, who re-
signed to accept brigadier general
ship.
Gen. Nickerson participated in the
battle of Bull Run, and was honorably
mentioned in general orders by Gen.
Howard. He was then the major of his
regiment, and when the line broke, Gen.
Howard says that he saw the young Of
ficer rally his men, first inquiring if the
order to retreat had been given.
When the New England regiments
were formed under Gen. Butler, the
State of Maine was ordered to furnish
four regiments. OF one Of these, the
18th, Gen. Nickerson was chosen
colonel. He remained in the depart
ment OF the gulf, serving under Butler,
Banks and Candy until the close of the
war. Gen. Butler and Gen. Halleck
both referred to him on more than one
occasion as an excellent officer.
Thirty days after the close of the war
Gen. Nickerson resigned and resumed
the practice of law in Maine, but short
ly afterward removed to Massachusetts,
where he has since resided.
Gen. Nickerson is not given to talking
much about his war record, but good
naturally answered few questions
which a Globe representative asked
him the other day
Il was a war democrat" said the gen
eral, land was appointed as such from
Maine, and if it had not been for the
large number of war democrats in the
union army, think we would have had
much harder time preserving the
Union than we had.''
"Who was our greatest general?"
"Grant, without a doubt. He was an
all-round man. In some things other
generals surpassed him. There was
Sherman, the strategist, and Sheridan,
the dashing cavalry leader
''What have you to say of Bull RUM"
"Well, the trouble with Bull Run was
that we went to enjoy sort of holiday
We were confident of frightening the
rebs, and miscalculated on our enemy.
Men are a good deal like sheep, you
know. All it requires is for some one
to lead, and the others follow. One
man can stampede an army, just as
one mule can stampede corral of this
kind. Somebody started to run, and
running became fashionable, so every
body thought it his duty to Join in the
foot race for Washington. 1t was an
unfortunate affair, a dear experience
for us, but in the end we profited by it,
and there was very little running after
that
''Do you believe in a standing army
of the size that we now have?" 81 do.
Yes, l think that we require a force of
100000. With our foreign possessions to
guard and the danger of getting into
European disputes we need them. AS
a Democrat didn't believe in taking
over the Philippines, but now that we
have them we must guard and protect
them and we must have the army and
navy to do it.
THE NEWS OF BROOKS.