The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-06-02
have no. recollection that any other
troops assisted. If so, what command


pericnces what is and was the common
experience of comrades. He writes from
Chicago: las to our present Honorable
Commissioner of Pensions, Mr.. Eugene
+. Ware-why. he's all right. l have had
to correspond with the Department upon
few occasions. recently. and prompt and
courteous response WAS received in each
case Per contra. under Mr. EvanS's adj
mnistration-I- am still waiting for an
swerS to my inquiries: except where my
claim WIS rejected: the papers reached me
in quick time then. The National Tribune
should write down the Hon. Commissioner
as one who loves his fellow comrades"
\ FAMILY OF PATRIOTS.
Here is Il letter that must touch every
patriotic heart and make it glow with adj
mration and move the mind to it's depths
of sympathy. Comrade John c. Lowry,
First Lieutenant. Co. f. 6sd Ohio. writes
from Chillicotle. o.: when the war
broke out my youngest brother was Il
years old. The ffe of us enlisted i'll Dc
tober. 1861. in I'D Ohio. afterwards the
i3d Ohio. Two of my brothers gave their
lives for the Union. and lie in the earth
in Dixie. and one died since the war. We
toilcd. endured and fought through all the
hard marches. campaigns, skirmishes and
battles in which the Ohio Brigade partic
ipatcl. and in July. 1860, were mustered
out-when the rebellion was suppressed.
why is it that, session after session,
our Congresses-SenatorS and Representa-
tives-quibbe and haggle and pretend
about pensions. always evading accom-
plishment? Always praising, always
promising. never relieving, the veterans:
never doing justice to the needy and
broken men of to-day, who in the days of
their strength. saved the Government
from wreck and the Union from disrup
ton! Why? The veterans have earned
at vast expense of vitality and at cost of
their ability to earn ease, comfort, and
even necessaries of life, they have earned
service pensions. Why is it so carefully
and continually denied them? The death
rate of these preservers of the Union is
fearful; soon the last of them will be
gone: and those who come after them will
enjoy the benefits Of n great and strong
Government their sacrifices and sufferings
secured | do not think that the age
limit in pensions is just. Some men at
10 are as helpless from age alone as are
others of 20 years or 10. Nature has done
her work in a way to produce that result;
and the peculiar situations of some in the
service have induced that condition. But
very few Of the veterans now can properly
support themselves by manual labor; yet
they wiggle alon.-in discomfort. weary
every hour: suffering always TO some ex-
tent; striving at something to procure
sustenance: making desperate if not de-
spairing efforts TO earn their living. 1t is
pathetic. 1t is nnju that it should be so.
Often they fail, utterly. | am of the
opinion that our noble President and
worthy Commissioner of Pensions are
sometimes imposed upon by the way in
which congressman and Senators pile
npon them what Congress should relieve
hem Of. The wisdom of the wisest man
NAV sometimes be Oyprta ya1
Il never regarded highly Executive or
Department rulings. They are too easily
revised adyersely-out of existence.
THE veterans made this country what
it is by preserving the Union. We want
only justice: nothing but justice. We
want it so established by law that TO sue
ceeding Administration can abrogate it by
a revised ruling. Can any one tell what
shape our prosperous country would have
been in now if the Union had been dis
rupted? ! do not believe that we would
now have a Government North, South or
West. that any citizen could be proud of
or any alien would respect"
THE VERY LAST CHARGE.
Comrade Chas. o. WEIGH, Co. NJ, Cd
Mass. Cav, writes from Salem, Mass
In Your issue of May II. under heading
Just Before Lees Surrender was a HUI
morous article OH the last charge. While
taking it in the light intended. will give
facts which | hope will settle all contro-
yersies OH this subject. l am referring to
no less authority than that of Gen. Phil
III. Sheridan. In his memoirs he gives
the credit of making the last charge of
the war in Virginia lat Appomattox) to
the Regular Cavalry Brigade At that
time the brigade was composed of the st,
I'd and 9th Regulars. and the I'd Mass
S1V No IN tho HrinD
mounted. that morning. having been on
picket the previous night. When relieved
by part of the Fifth Corps we mounted
and went ont on the extreme right. HAY
ing just passed through or by our brigade
battery and were preparing to dismount
Gearys Brigade Of South Carolina cav
airy charged us. We made counter
charge. and Of course. under the crcum-
stances. drove them back This was some
time--one-ha half to three-quarters Of an
hour-after the last white flag had been
shown on the rebel lines. think my au-
thorhy can not be questioned"
JUST SOME OF 1T.
Comrade Tifford Dagger, Co. Co, 10Th.
and 60. A, 154tIi Ind, writes from Nipo-
mo. Mo-: I'm The National Tribune of
Jan. % Comrade Geo. w. Smith, Co. X.
! 18th Ind, says: i want to know what
don't suppose that | am altogether lit" ,
No. comlade, you are not all of it
At the encampment in August last at San
Francisco nine old persimmon Knockers
marched az "A squad in the Department of
Indiana They We're about as happy a
squad as were to be found there-sad at
the same time. for we felt that it was our
last march together. They were divided.
| think, as follows: One of 11Jth. four of
11Gth, three of 117th, one Of the 18th
Ind"
SHOT FROM THE 2D PA. p. H. A.
Aaron NJ. Becker, Co. Ii, I'd Pa. Prov.
III. ~, Mt. JOY, Pa, writes: Il have reg
ularly read The National Tribune for more
than 20 years; not until Dec. 81, so far as
| remember. have | seen anything from
the I'd Pa. Prov. III. \. 1t pleased me to
see letter from Sergt. c. l.. Knapp, Co.
ID. | hope it will resllrrect all the com
rades who are not really buried. and that
we will hear from them. l enlisted in 1864,
March II, when 10 years, six months.
three days of age. l will have plenty of
chances to escape from this world before
the Bureau runs me down with my first
check for a pension under the G. A. K.
62-years-old bill. / favor The National
Trbune's bill, no limit on account Of age
Or youth or date of marriage. l never
missed aIroll-call until wounded at Peters
burg. | was also wounded at Chapin's