Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-18
SOLDIER PRESIDENTS
Only Half Dozen Veterans
Guess Their Number
Z: yaa ri Gu a.ol - 900 snAgs e. 40
OVER A LUNCH TABLE
EVERY WAR UNITED STATES HAS
PRODUCES EXECUTIVE.
Started With Washington and Have
Been Keeping It Up Those
Who Have Served.


A knot of veterans surrounding a lunch
table in one of the restaurants of the city
on Monday were discussing the number of
soldier Presidents the United States has
had, and but one of the half dozen men
guessed correctly.
War has given us twenty-three out of
thirty-fve times those who have taken the
oath as President of the United States"
declared the veteran. 'Of these Washing
ton, Monroe, Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, Nc
Kinley and Roosevelt have taken the oath
of office twice, so that in all sixteen of
the twenty-five men who have been called
upon to assume the duties of President
have been at some time or another in the
army, and many of them had brilliant rec
ords. Three soldier Presidents died by
assassination, and two, Garfield and Nc
Kinley, were succeeded by Vice Presidents
who were veterans. Every war the United
States has ever had has given us Pres
fdent, and some of them have given US sew
eral. We started out that way with Wash
ignton, and re elected him. Then we had
Monroe, who was valiant soldier of the
revolution. He was attending William and
Mary College when the revolutionary war
broke out, and resigned to become cadet
in the United States army. Soon after
ward he was commissioned lieutenant, and
took an active part in the campaign on the
Hudson.
I'm the attack on Trenton, at the head of
small detachment, he captured one of
the British batteries. He got ball through
, the shoulder In this engagement, and was
promptly promoted to a captaincy. He
then became an aid-de-camp on the staff of
Lord Stirling, with the rank of major, in
the campaigns of 1777-8, and distinguished
himself in the battles of Brandywine, Ger
mantown and Monmouth.
by this service with Lord Stirling he
lost his rank in the regular service, and,
failing to return as commissioned officer,
he left the army and returned to Virginia,
where he began the study of law under
Thomas Jefferson, then governor of the
state When the British appeared in Vir-
ginia, shortly afterward, Monroe exerted
himself to organize the state militia, and
when the British went south Jefferson made
Monroe military commissioner to the
army in South Carolina.
jackson the Next.
jackson, was the next soldier President,
and he would rather fight than eat He
was the last of the revolutionary Presi-
dents-three in all. 1t is true that he could
scarcely have been called a revolutionary
Soldier for he was but broth of a boy,
but he and his brother were revolution
lists of the very reddest type. Their parents
had just emigrated from Ireland in 1865,
and the boys were only 13 and 16 years of
age, Andrew being the youngest, but they
ter at Hanging Rock. Andrew also saw the
massacre of the Waxhaw- militia by Tar
Teton, and assisted his mother and brother
in caring for the wounded Americans.
..In 1871 the Jackson brothers were cap
tured by the British, and treated mighty
mean The British commander undertook
to make meniais Of them and ordered An
drew to blacken his boots, which the red
headed youngster refused to do The COM
mander struck him with his sword and
gashed him on the face and arm, leaving a
scar which staid with him through life.
They were afterwapd imprisoned at Cam
den and saw the defeat of General Greene
at Hobkirk's HILL The two boys got small
pox and nearly died. Robert finally sue
cumbing, while Andrew was a long time re-
covering. Their mother was long time
in effecting their exchange and then they
all went to Charleston to aid the imprisoned
Americans there. His mother died there of
ship fever.
Tried to Break Into War.
Andrew jackson tried to break into the