The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-27
FEW, FEW ARE LEFT
PASSING OF CIVIL WAR VET
ERANS FROM THE ARMY.
For First Time Since 1851 a Regi'
ment Of Regulars Has Not
Veteran of the Great Con-
flict in It.

No small sensation was created today
amor g army veterans in the War De-
partment says Washington dispatch to
The New Orleans Times Democrat, by
an event which has heretofore escaped
attention. On a casual examination Of
the new Army Register 1t was acciden-
tally discovered that there is now one
regiment In the United States army with
out an officer In 1t who participated in
the civil war. either as officer or enlisted
man. 1t Is the first break of the kind
! since 1851. The 18th Cavalry has been the
first to clear Its roster Of the men OF
tcrty years ago.
Promotions and retirements last year
caused the transfer of Lieutenant Colonel
Godfrey from the 18th to the 9th Cavalry
as Colonel, and Colonel J. N. Whelan, its
by operation Of law for age They were
the last two civil war veterans in the
regiment. It happened that both, in or
der OF seniority, were succeeded by offir
Gers who entered the army after the war
was over.
No recent event has more strikingly
emphasized the passing of the civil war
veteran. Doubtless 1t Is a matter of in
terest and satisfaction to the hundreds
of officers who came after. who have long
been handicapped by the great names Of
the civil war.
The discovery led to the further one
than 15 veterans of the civil war on the
active list in the whole military estah-
lishment. staff and line Within a year
or two there will be a dozen to twenty
regiments without single representa-
tive.
Out of the $50 officers of all grades re-
quired by the fifteen cavalry regiments
only twenty-four have civil war records
Precisely half the number are colonies.
In six of the regiments there Ii only one
each. two of whom are majors. The
schedule of retirement dates shows that
within a few months more than half the
regular cavalry regiments will have drop
ped their last officer who fought against
the Confederate States
In every one of the thirty infantry reg
iments there is still ons or more who
bore arms In some capacity in the civil
war. But there is only a single repre-
sentative each lin twelve of them, eleven
of whom are old colonies very near the
retiring age.
Out OF the aggregate 1.6oo officers in
these thirty infantry regiments, only
forty mine appear to have been soldiers
of the civil war. OF their total of ninety
majors only nine remain who entered the
service, regular or volunteer, prior to
the surrender of General Lee. But of
the thirty lieutenant colonies. thirteen
date back to 1S6l-'65. while every one of
the colonies of infantry were civil war
soldiers. BY reason of promotion by Sc
niority up to the grade of colonel the old
fellows are necessarily found at the top.
Out of total of $40 captains Of the
line. infantry, artillery and cavalry, only
one has civil war record. Captain Eaton
A. Edwards, 18th Infantry. He served
nearly three years as a private in the
10th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. AL
though he has been a soldier continuous
ly since October 16. 1861, Edwards did not
become an officer until 1890. The appar-
ent slowness Of his promotion is explain
ed by the fact that prior to 1880. he had
been continuously a hospital steward for
sixteen years. There are still sixteen
/ staff captains including five chaplains,
who served in the civil war.
OF course. not a single one Of the 2.045
first and second lieutenants of the army,
including line and staff, all of a more re-
cent generation. took part in the civil
war.
While a good many of the regiments
will soon be without civil war repre-
sentative. it will nevertheless be several
years before the last OF them disappears
from the active list of the army, unless
retired at their own request or by order
of the President before reaching the re-
tirement age of GA years.
Colonel w. NJ. Wallace of the 18th Cav
airy, does not reach the retiring age until
January g. 1905 His civil war service COW
ell ed a period of only thirty-eight days.
Brigadier General Wade retires April IA.
1907, yet young as Wade is comparatively,
he has been continuously an officer of
regulars since May A. 1861.