The Washington herald., 1906-12-16


the winter. I'm of in the morning for
Palm Beach. Fla Mrs Brooke is
superintending the packing now"--and
like a young man of for an eager hoh-
day. he waved aloft his railroad tickets,
and seemed impatient for the morning
70 come so that he could start away
He does not walk with alacrity,
does Gen. Brooke. and occasionally
he may be seen TO hold his hand to
his side as if there was a pain there
Small wonder, says one Of his friends.
another veteran of the civil war
Brooke was all shot to hell at Cold
Harbor. and they busted his leg at
GETTYSBURG" Few living officers Of the
civil war have seen more actual fight
ing service than Gen. Brooke. He led
his troops. those of the Light Brigade,
into the mouth of he'll" and he paid
the penalty. Forty-one years service
he saw altogether-war for the Union,
war to make the Indians good. war
with the Spaniards, and in July, 1902,
with the rank Of major general, he re-
tired from that army which he had
entered as a youth of twenty three
with the rank of captain. He has spent
his time since retirement in seeing the
world: he has just returned from a visit
to the Orient. to Japan and the Philip
pines.
John R Brooke was born IN Mont
gomery County. Pa. July p. 1888. His
people were iron manufacturers. and
ne himself was educated for civil
engineer. But there was not much
chance for US in that line in my
day." he said, 'and so I went into the
iron business, too, and when the war
broke out I had worked up to be the
superintendent Of a foundry When
the war broke out he was one OF tho
first to respond to President Lincoln's 5
calls for volunteers, ana in April, 1851,
he entered the service as captain In the
Fourth Pennsylvania, which regiment
was attached to the Army OF the Po-
tomac, with which he served during the
war. Here we sit" said he. com
Portable in this hotel IN Washington
Forfv-one years ago saw my first
active service on the defenses OF Wash
ington. He was made colonel of the
Fifty-third Pennsylvania volunteers in
November of 1s5l, and he commanded
the regiment through the Rappahan-
mock. Antietam. Fredericksburg, and
other campaigns Of 1852
one of the tercest OF the early en-
gasements in which he participated
was the battle OF Maryes Heights, Va,
December 13. 1852. he says After
fredericksburg I was appointed. tempo
rariiy. 20 command the Third Brigade,
First Division. and I took part in Gen.
Hdncocks advance OF reconnaissance
from Harpers Ferry TO CharlestOwn,
Va On the day Of the M2Tyes Heights
battle I led the Twenty-se Con-
nccticut in connection with my own
regiment The eminence was crowned
with artillery and lined with infantry,
fortified with rife Pits and a stone
wall We were ordered 10 take this
position by direct assault, and ! tell
you IL was one OF the toughest jobs Of
the war. Division after division was
led Up swept with rife fire, cTumpled
up into a bloody mass, and driven back.
shattered and broken. There was moth
ing 10 IL. the regiments had 10 retire.
and 1t was a lost battle At the foot
of 4iaryes Heights the dead lay II
heaps Talk about war
After this Gen. Brooke took part IN
the Charlottesville and Gettysburg
campaigns. He went into Gettysburg
as brigadier general commanding the
Fourth Brigade, consisting Of the
Twenty-seventh Connecticut, Second
Delaware, Sixty-fourth New York. and
the 18th Pennsylvania. The Second
Corps, to which he belonged, saw gallant
service. and a minie-ball caught The
general in the left leg early in the
fight, shatteTing the bone. And. OF
course, you had to go to the rear and
saw no more Of the battle?" he was
asked.
Rear, nothing, I was on horseback.
I couldn't use my leg anyway. I had 1t
tied I'D and went on" he said.
Later in this same year. in August
he led his brigade in pursuit Of Lees
retreating army as far as the Rapidan
River. participating in the skiTmishes
at Banks Ford. on the Rappahannocki
at ThorOUghfare Gap and Falling
Water, where part Of the enemy crossed
the Potomac. Here. again, we had hot
fghting," says the General 1t fell "a
my corps 10 have the task Of resisting
Lees effort TO turn the right wing OF
the Army of the Potomac at Auburn
Mills, and we took in the Bristoe Sta
tiOn tight in October. also. That's where
the race ended. at Brlstoe Station. Lee
was beaten then, and by that time
Meade was strongly posted on the
Heights Of Centerville and too near the
defenses of Washington to allow Lee
10 gain his rear SO Lee, got mad. tore
up the railroad from Bristoe TO the
Rappahannoek. and away he went with
his whole army"
Where were you so severely wound
ed, general?"
"Oh. that was at Cold Harbor. But
before that came spOttsylvania Court
House and the row on the Po River
The fight at Spottsylvania was some
what Of a surprise to our friends the
enemy 1t was just before this battle
you know, that Grant wrote 20 Halleek
I propose TO fight il out on this line
If it takes all summer He did. too
1t was a fight Of the hardest kind OF
knocks. but we were the bigger. and
better able to stand more of them;
that's why we won"
1T was in this battle, was it not
that you captured some guns?"
Yes, a few. I think. AS I said, !;
was a surprise, and we captured all the
works and nearly the whole Of John
sons division. 1t was at this battle
that Lee, seeing disaster all along the
line, rode out bareheaded in front OF
the line and sat. dauntless, on his horse
setting an example Of bravery TO his
men. Get back, Gen. Lee" his men
shouted. and when the general turned
10 the rear the men came on the charge
with a courage that checked our ad-
vance and saved the remnant Of theiI
army from destruction"
And what about Cold Harbory'
Cold HaTbor was fought on July 3