The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-09-27

Sidney Johnston, ON whose sleeve
the South bad pinned its feFvcn, faith,
lost his own life, II not hts great battle.
pressing too far into The teeth OF the
Union lines At Shiloh. "roeivcd, yet
rocked not Of wound thai neither
BE- nor his staff thought III 10 notice
until he rccled in saddle, exhausted
from loss of blood, That insignificant
bullet, boring through his boot leg, had
pierced an artery below the knee, and
the flower Of Southern knighthood, ~
they loved 10 speak of him, blrd %
death before he would admit hc was
hurt.
In the ease Of Reynolds, Hill aud
Scdgwick, each ut = critical moment
was picked ofI al the extreme front,
probably by the ritleof n sharp'shootcr.
Mcpherson fell in lonely and ven
turcsome dash among the ihlckets IN
front of his lines encircling Atlanta,
almost al the same time with his OPP
ponenls, Polk and Walker
Among the great commanders slain
there were men who led army corps,
and even independent armies in the
field. while generals OF lesser grade,
heading divisions at least, could be
numbered by the dozen. Gallant "Jeh"
Stuart, the light cavalry leader of his
day and generation, Pat" cleburne,
famous Southern fighter, Zollcotier,
Barksdale, Oracle and many another
were among those whom the South
mouns to this day, while daring, one
armed Phil Kearny, Isaac Stevens, Sill,
Richardson, Russell, Wadsworth, Ly.
tie, Strong and Winthrop, were of those
the North has wcll.nigh forgotten.
GENERAL LEE 10 THE REAR"
That great war was fought mainly
by volunteer armies less rigidly school
ed than regulars, and looking, possibly,
for ocular demonstration Of the bravery
of their commanders. Yet, as Gordon
told us, the Southern host rose up at
Spottsylvania with the cry, General
| Lee to the rear!o when that beloved
leader appeared among his soldiers at
the far front. They would not have 1t
that so priceless head should be in
peril.
More prosaically the Northern volun-
teer expressed his admiration OF his
grim, silent, superbly tenacious gener-
al-in-chief, who went on placidly writ
ing dispatch just showered with dirt
from an exploding shell; Ulysses
doesn't scare worth cent. !"
II is n wonder Sheridan was not killed
when he dashed in, battle flag in hand,
to inspire his wearied and faltering men
in the supreme moment at Cedar Creek.
1t isa marvel that Thomas, "the Rock, !"
was unscatbed at Chickamauga.
IL evidence of the dauntless personal
courage of the American generals were
needed the long list Of corps, division
and brigade commanders wounded
would be more than convincing. There
is not space TO speak of all, but Joe
Johnston, Longstreet, Gordon, Ewell,
Hampton and scores OF Others on the
Southern side felt the nip OF Northern
loal, ....ny ~f .i.o., H'"p'-@ - .aai"
graves, while Hancock, "the superb, 7"
Howard, Gibbon, Barlow, Miles, Rick
etts, Sickles, Webb and many another
of the Union generals were all painful
i ", and some severely, wounded.
Now il might be supposed that con
spicuous dress had something to do
with this, but such was not the case.
"Full uniform" as worn in the Napo-
leonic campaigns, and even by the
English officers as late as the Alma
and Balaklava, had no place in the
civil war. Plumed Kossuth hats and
epaulets were left at home. Many gen
erals discarded the double e-breasted
coat and appeared in a simple blouse
with shoulder-straps.
Grant was absolutely shabby in gart
in the hour of supreme triumph at Ap'
pomattox. Mcpherson, it is true, had
but lust excited Sherman's admiration
by the sodierly precision Of his dress
and equipment as he mounted for Tho
+, last time. Warren ever wore his maJo
, generals buttons, stars and sash II
battle: and Sheridan, even on his ia
nous Shenandoah campaign, Away
appeared buttoned up in his uniform
. coat. but topped it, toward the last, b.
, an absurd little hat that had tickled HI
/, fancy. for all the world, as the trooper
said. .like sawed of, stoye-ln stove
e pipe"
9 II was because Of their persona
prominence at the far front that ou
"a generals we're so constantly IN peri
h II was the way Of the hour, and of W
r. heroic age Of our republic.
N It bore its fruit IN the long India
wars that followed, whereby Canbl
a Custer and Lewis gave up gallant liv'
/. that had been spared through bhttl
. after battle in the South, wherei
4 Crook, Gibbon, Merritt, Miles and Nj
i Kensie, who had commanded corps {
r. divisions IN Virginia, now led iltt
" columns IN long aud arduous chase
the most elusive foe they had ever y
!. encountered.
II Il bore its fruit in the far Philippine
Al when the original army Of occupatio
q. the twelve thousand Americans, man
a Is volunteers, defending Manila again
m an army Of thirty Thousand without ~
h. multitude of treaehrrous natives witl
a in--found itself suddenly aud furIons
~ attacked on all sides at once.
Now there were two reasohs Why u
IN generals commanding the two division
and the few brigades 10 front of Mani
ii were 80 apparently reckless Of the
n lives. One was that the troops ben