Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-09-09

l then spoke OF three young farmer
boys who in 1861 entered The army as
privates. One of them started in as o
regular and the others in volunteers.
They were no more promising than hun
dreds Of thousands of other youngsters
who enlisted as privates during the war.
They won distinction, making unusually
good records as soldiers, serving through
the war, and the two volunteers, after
mastering out, were given commissions
in the regular army. 1T is int testing to
state that these two volunteer privates
of 1861 reached the rank OF brevet briga-
der general before the close of the war.
This gives something On an idea of the
stuff that was in the youngsters. They
had to begin with the rank of second
lieutenant in the regular army. Two OF
those young men of 1861, who began as
private soldiers, have reached the highest
rank in the army, that of lieutenant
general. ard the third if he lives another
year will be a lieutenalt general and in
command of the army with which for
more than forty years he has been grow
ing up. The three youngsters of 1861
are tie pl oscnt Lieut. Gen. Adna r.
Chaffca, Lieut. Gen. Samuel NJ. B. Young,
row the military commander i'll the
Philippine islands, ard who, as already
stated, year herce will become lieu
tenart general.
The military history Of these three
generals gives plair5 telling answer to
the question, What is there for the
private soldier to look forward to, to
hope for?"
Those three boys in their teens, un.
known outside of their immediate neigh
borhood, not members of even well-to-do
families. were backed only by their own
personality and superb scholarship. They
won high places from the ranks, and
their history as soldiers and their rec
ord as gentlemen is an inspiration to
every young man who is acquainted with
the history and the record, and well they
may prove an inspiration to the youth
of the land.
But we need not stop here. A Boston
clerk in dry goods store was deter
mined to enlist in 1861. He was soon
chosen a lieutenant and after a brief
test was given a captaincy; and after
a still further test, under Mcclellan on
the peninsula, in 1862, when that officer
approached the gates of Richmond, he
was advanced to lieutenant colonel and
a little later to colonel. In 1864, during
Grants never toll forgotten campaign
from Culpepper to AppomatoX, he was
made a brigadier general, and few
months after that major general. There
was nothing III the Boston clerk while
he was clerking, to show that he was
better than thousands of other clerks
in the same city. 1t was in him to make
good. At the end of the war he was
made colonel of regiment of regulars,
and in 1880 a brigadier general; ten
years later a major general, and ten
years later. 1900, lieutenant general. This
was Gen. Nelson A. Miles. Someone may
say that there are not many like Gen.
Miles. Do not make yourselves believe
that. There are plenty of them on
farms, in factories and stores all over
this proud land, where the way to an
education and an enlightened civilization
is open to all. There are plenty of Chat
fees, Youngs, Corbins and Others who
have made their way by industry, on
their own merits, to high stations, both
in the army and in civil life.
A STRIPPING of boy was introduced to
President Lincoln shortly after his in
auguration. The great war President
liked his appearance and the next morn
ing he was a lieutenant in the regular
army. He was not boy of unusual
ability, nor had he been given unusual
advantages; he was an ordinary city
boy, but when responsibility was placed
upon his shoulders he nanfully' assumed
it and moved ahead. He has been in the
army ever since has failed in no posi-
ton in which he has been placed; he has
done better in every position than he
was expected to do. Three years ago he
reached the rank of major general and
now stands next to the head of the army,
and in April 1906, when Gen. Chaffee re-
tires, Mai-Gen. John c. Bates, the strip
ling of 1861 in whom Lincoln had CON
iidence, will become lieutenant general.
A Milwaukee school boy, white faced
slim and frail, was determined to become
n soldier and serve his country. He Of
fered to enlist several times as a private,
and finally one day was made a lieu
tenant. Three years later he came back
to Wisconsin i'll command of his regiment
as colonel, and the following year entered
the regular arm as second lieutenant
He was made major general in the
regular army four years ago last Febru-
airy and. if his life is spared, will succeed
Gen. Corbin as lieutenant general in com
mand of the American army less than
two years from now. So the door has
opened to Arthur Macarthur; so it opens
to many who win an opening.
IL.
any good reason for any well informed
man or woman in this country to dis
courage the enlistment of bright, prom
Using young men in the United States
army. So it would seem that there is
no good reason for any intelligent man
or woman to ask, What is there for
the private soldier to look forward to.
to hope for?''-Evening Wisconsin.
American Woman a Flirt.