The National tribune., 1903-01-29
ly at Gettysburs-aad in the Wilderness un-

and on my 21st birthday, July II, 1864
l entered the WI lesale dry-goods house. o
ke!ton, Bancroft & Co, at Columbus
Ohio Was in Columbus until October
1859, when l mo I'd to Emporia, Kan. Ii
the same business there until August
, 1915, when l returned to Columbus, an,
entered the wholesale dry-goods house o
Green. Joyce 4 Co. Was salesman an,
partner in that business until January
1902, retiring on account of an injury t
my head from fasilhg on the icy payemen
in January, 19O0N Since that time, / hav
crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times AM
made trip from London of 5000 mile
by water. In NV travels l have beer
. through Morocco. \the Canary Islands
Madeira, England, Scotland, Holland
Belgium, Switzerland and France"
J We copy from a Columbus co. paper a,
interesting incident of the war service o
Comrade McCarter: -. ..s,
Frequent reference has been made t.
the fact that the late President McNinle!
gained his first distinction in the Civil
War by the remarka BILE accomplishment
as Comnissary Sergeant, of moving :
wagon train well to the front on the bat
tleheld, where he furnished coffee and IA
tons to the famshed men of his regi
ment when the days battle had been lullet
4 into silence. The veterans of that war n.
well as all men familiar with military af
fairs appreciate what an achievement thai
was.
''There are few persons in Columbus
doubtless, who know that the same heroic
feat was performed by a man who has
been resident of this city for many years
and is one of the best known business
men here at the present time. The man is
Mr.. Robert ID. McCarter, and though his
comrades and those who belonged to tho
lannon's Gen. Shields's Division in the
service are familiar with the circumstance
the story did not become publicly known
until q few weeks ago at the Grand Army
Reunion at Washington.
| Zone of the interesting features accom-
panying the recent Grand Army En-.
campment was the Reunion of Shields's
Division, which was really the first gen,
eral Reunion of the division held since
the war, and it was at this meeting that
the incident was related, Mr.. McCarter be-
| ing present and introduced as one of that
class of heroic soldiers who accomplished
something for tile cause of which mention
has never been made.
THE man who was responsible for
bringing the story to light. and who did
| it quite unexpectedly to Mr.. McCarter
himself, who has always refrained from
relating it in public, was Hon. Thomas H.
Mckee, the present Journal Clerk of the
National House of Representatives. and
who served during the war in the 1st Va.
When Mr.. Mckee introduced Mr.. McCar-
ter at the meeting, he told the incident,
which Immediately was taken up and has
since been going the rounds Of the East
ern papers.
"The incident occurred on March %.
1862, at the battle of Winchester. Mr..
McCarter was Fl private in the ranks at
the time and was but IS years of age, yet
he fed, single-handed, the whole of
Shie!ds's Division just after that memoir
able conflict, when the intrepid Stonewall
Jackson, for the first and only time in his
remarkable war career. was actually driv
EN- from the field Mr.. McCarter was a
count of Gcing guard duty along the line
of the b. & o. Railroad. was not, as a
regiment, in the battle. Regimental head
quarters and two companies, however,
were at Winchester.
"After the wounding of Gen. Shields,
the command of the division fell into the
hands of Gen. Kimball, and Col. Mason.
of the 4th. was Acting Brigade Com
mander. The -Quartermaster was
absent. and Gen. Kimball ordered Lieut..
Lippett, of the 4thrto draw and issue ra-
tons from the Post COmmissary, the army
being without fobd.i
Lieut.. Lippett, when he proceeded to
carry out the order, directed Private Nc
Carter, who was lat the time acting as
CCHiinisSiry- SerSeaHt, 10 accompany Min.
The rations We're drawn and loaded on the
wagons, but just as the long train was
about to start for the battlefield, Lieut..
Lippett fell i'll with hemorrhage of the
lungs He was unable to proceed, and
indeed was in service only short time
afterward, death oyertaking him within a
few months. Realizing the urgent neces-
sity of getting the food to the soldiers at
once and without delay, he ordered Pri-
vate McCarter to take command of the
train, proceed Immediately to the front,
and on arrival there to issue the rations
to the army. The Lieutenant was too i'll
to sign the requisition for the provisions.
and subsequently it required an act of
Congress to adjust the account as a re-
''Private McCarter, though not more
than mere boy, undaunted, proceeded
to carry out the order. He arrived on
the battlefield with his train of provisions
in pitch darkness. Not campfire was
burning, and so dark was it that the first
part of the train passed beyond the Union
lines between the sentries of both armies.
An alert Corporal of the Union army, see
ing the string of wagons, and recognizing
it as the looked-fOr provision train, made
haste to stop it, whispering eagerly to Pri-
vate McCarter that he was outside the
lines. But for that timely stoppage the
whole train and ratiOns in few moments |
more would have been captured by the |
enemy, whose ranks would have been fed |
instead of the Union forces.
'"The train turned about and, taking a |
place of safety within the lines, Private |
McCarter began speedily to distribute to
the 10 regiments and the batteries of the |
division their rations. The work was of
necessity performed in utter darkness of
the night, without light or scales or any |
other means of determining the amount of |
rations issued, save the quick perception |
and accurate judgment Of the 18-year-old |
private soldier boy in charge. The dis
continued the rest of the night,
and it was fast growing day when the
work was completed. Indeed, before the
last ratiOns had been given out the army
had begun to move, resuming its pursuit |
of Gen. Jackson, who had fallen back af-
ter the battle, under the cover of dark
ness.
1.-THE work was we'll done, however. SO
that after the memorable battle of Win
chester, through the heroic service of this
soldier lad, who bore no shoulder strap,
not even a chevrOn on his arm, the army
of Shields was refreshed and cOmforted
and strengthened. His fellow-citizens of
Columbus may unite with Hon. Thomas
II. Mckee who, in closing the story, said:
''Robert d. McCarter may never be-
come the President of the United States,
but his zeal nd-his courage and good
judgment are aS-nluch deserving of the
praise of his cOuntrymen as was the act
Of our late President in feeding his army
in the late struggle. We can well pay a
tribute to the courage and fidelity of Com
rade McCartcr fSrSAll his good works and
for the noble lifehAe has lived since the
c.ose Of the war"