Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-06-20
CIVIL WAR GENERALS
FEW OF THE OLD COMMANDERS
NOW LIVING
Ranks o. the Union Leaders Thinning
-1nterestinE Anecdotes Recalled by
General Badly" Smiths Death
Conspicuous in the Great Struggle.

In this country We have no more
forcible reminder of the fact that we
are entering upon new era in our ma
tiOnal history than the bulletins which
announce frog Gay 70 DAY the death of
the men who ESrred prominently in
the command Of our army during the
civil war The three chief commanders
long since passed away, and since their
deaths the ranks of the men who ac-
lively upheld the Union have been
thinning with steadily increasing ra-
pidity. The deaths of General Benia-
min f. Butler, General Franklin and
General William Farrar Smith removes
among the last of the men who inaugu-
rated and conducted separate cam
paigns There are now living but four
teen major generals who held that rank
during the civil war, and Of these only
one or two ever comman led independ-
ent divisions or corps. As these figures
pass from the scene of present day af-
fairs many contrasts between the way
III which they met and solved the prob
lens Of their day. and the methods
followed at the present time are pre-
scented. Much Of the pictureSqucneSs
OF civil war times has disappeared in
our ordinary life, and this is even truer
IN the case of our military and naval
establishments. For instance, in con
nection with the death Of General
Smith, Badly" Smith he was always
called by his intimateS, it will he pleas
ant to recall as key to the mans
character the courage and resOurceful-
ness with he conducted his campair
with the Army of the Potomac il the
action leading up to the attach on
Richmond. No more picturesque Incl
dent stands out FROM the history of the
civil war. Smiths command was a
movable column" consisting az 5000
infantry, sixteen pieces of artillery and
a squadron Of cavalry, and he was or
dered to join the Army of the Potomac.
On June 1 he took up a position near
Cold Spring Harbor, engaged the enc
my for nine days. and on the four
teenth retired 10 Bermuda Hundred.
Tue next day he was ordered to attack
petersburg, and that night moved for
ward, meeting the enemy early next
morning. Some rife pits were cap
tured, and Smith formed lines in front
OF the fortifcatio.s of Petersburg.
Acting as His Own Scout.
The enemy's artillery was strong aud
we'll served, and Smith could not bring
up his own guns. He had no engineer
officer to make reconnaissance of the
enemy's line to discover its weak
points, and so Badly" Smith became
his own scout, crawling on his hands
and knees for two hours. He coaxed
ms men forward, IN amalI bodies grad
ually getting his guns into position,
and in this way they fought until Z
O'Clock in the evening, when a general
assault was ordered. Two hours later
the principal Notifications to the key
OF the confederacy were taken. Smith
lost 100 men In round numbers, 500 of
whom were negroes. He took sixteen
guns, six being captured by the black
troops, who fought CALAMITY. Han
cocks troops had been ordered to OPP
crate with Smith at this battle, but the
Instructions were defective and the
corps was delayed. Smith always be-
liey5d that the defective instructions
were given to embarrass him.
nf EannroI Gu,{+h q ~
said: "Smlth, while very able officer,
is obstinate, and Is likely to condemn
whatever Is not suggested by himself"
lie was not aversc 10 crlticising his SUI
)eriors in command and this fact did
rot add to his popularity in certain
quarters. He was fighter, not
diplomat, and as n result his career
Turing the war was stormy one.
1t was in the Virginia penlnsular
that his real active service
legan, and out Of which there arose
he famous controversy which was
.nded but three years ago After the
iattle of ChicHamauga, on September
Il, 1868. General Rosecrans drew up
AAE al NY lltiiI ttit SpulutFU Hiut OF
chattanooga. Tenn. The railroad con-
lecting Chattanooga with Bridgeport.
which formed the then only available
'ase Of supplies from the north left
he city, crossed Chattanooga creek
lear its mouth, followed the river
loosely to the north end Of Lookout
fountain, passed through a tunnel AMI
hen debouched into the northern end
# Lookout valley. All passes In the
mountain We're abandoned. for the
JniOn line was behind Chattanooga
reek and Lookout valley.
Around Chattanooga.
General Rosencrans. In command at
chattanooga was in dangerous p0-
itioD, and the condition If his army.
hut off as it was from its base, was
escribed by General Grant IN his !
iemoirs as follows:
This country afforded but little food
or his Rosecrausi animals, nearly |
0090 Of which had already starved. |
nd not enough were left to draw a
ingle piece Of artillery or even ambu- /
lnces to convey the sick The men /
9I hepr Ou half r-atiou1 uf hard brood !