Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-29
THE OLD POST ROADS
Routes as Given in an interest
ing and Venerable Map.
RATHER SHY ON GEOGRAPHY
Bill introduced to Create the Volun-
teer Retired List.
SHY ON GEOGRAPHY
SURVIVORS OF THE CIVIL WAR
Only Thirty Nine Major and Brigadier
Generals Left-Casualties of the
Great Four Years Contest.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Representative Mann of Illinois has by re-
quest introduced In the House bill to
create in the War Department a special
roll to be known as. 1.-THE Volunteer Re-
tired List" And upon written application,
the Secretary of War can enter upon that
list the name of every surviving major gen.
eral and brigader general, and every sur
vlving colonel of the Union volunteer army
during the civil war who has received a
brevet as brigadier or major general, Each
person SO entered must have served not
less than two and one-haf years in the
volunteer army and shall have reached
the age of seventy years, when he shall be
entitled to three-fourths OF the pay of his
actual rank. or the same that is now re-
ceived by retired officers of equal rank in
the regular army.
This bill is accompanied by petition
signed by twenty-one brigadier generals
and ninety brevet brigader generals. In
Guiding John L. Beverage. William Birney.
William Sooy Smith. James B. Weaver.
Green B. Baum and Stewart l.. Woodford.
1t is claimed in the petition that of the
131 major generals of volunteers In the
Union army appointed during the civil war
and not transferred to the regular army,
only three survive, and that, of $40 brig
adler generals, only thrty-six survive.
These veterans have average age Of sew
enty-four years. ranging from sixty-hve
to ninety-three years, and the youngest
probably will not survive more than ten
years longer.
Interesting Statement Of Facts.
Gen. Green B. Raum supports the petition
with very interesting statement of facts.
He says that not more than $50 of the sur
vlving officers of the great volunteer army
xn1
proposed retired list. This statement" he
says, "is definitely verified by the fact that
of the more than COO persons who We're APP
pointed major generals and brigadier gen.
erals of volunteers only thirty mine survive.
This short line is led by the venerable
ma jor general of volunteers now ninety
three years of age. OF the colonies of regi-
ments who were appointed brevet brigadier
generals and whose service brings them
within the provisions of this bill but few
remain"
The regular army on the LIST of May 1855,
consisted of 90, 900 officers and men. The
volunteer enlistments in the Union army
during the four years CT the civil war num-
berede 2,731,51 officers and men.
The following table shows the losses of
killed and wounded in the regular and the
volunteer armies:
Regulars. Volunteers.
Killed in action:
On,cers .............-. ~ 4,142
Died from wounds:
Officers. Observation-Disclosures. 452 2223
Enlisted NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 6,663 40, 7S7
Total Observation-Disclosures. 1855 no 065
In addition to these 248, GOO volunteers died
Of diseases and casualties Incident to the
service and hundreds of thousands were
wounded and recovered.
In presenting the petition General Raum
claims that there has been no legislation
whatever by Congress especially recogniZ-
ing the services of those volunteer officers
who comman ded brigades. divisions and
hot ,ipbt stY oh,