Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-03-06
SOME RECOLLECTIONS
OF GEN. SCH0FIELD
PASSING OF A BRILLIANT COM
MANUER
His Services to the Nation in Times
of War and Peace-Brief Sketch
of His Successful Career as
Soldier


LOS ANGELES, March 5-CEditor
Herald): one of the brilliant COM
manders of the Union army during the
Civil War, Lieut.. Gen. John NJ. Scho-
field. has gone to that bourne where the
roll of the drum will never again recall
stirring scenes of camp and march. lie
had rounded out three-quarters of
century. having been born in Chautau-
qua county, n. y, in the year lSjL
From the same county came also an
other Union war veteran-Gen. Geol u
StOneman. afterwards governor oil the
state of California.
Two years after graduating with
honor at West Point young Schoteld
was appointed to the prOfessorship of
natural philosophy i'm that institution
and remained in that capacity till called
to the chair of physics in the Washing
ton university at st. louis
Gen. Schofield received his first COM
mission in the Union army (April, lS6l)
as major of the First Missouri infan-
try in Frank p Blairs regiment. He
soon saw service, taking part IN the
capture of Camp Jackson, and then
marched with his regiment under Gen.
Lyon through Missouri. This eXpedi-
ton was TO capture Missourh and keep
the state in the Union. 1t was
courageous undertaking, this marching
with a handful of men through a hostile
country. alive with rebel sympathiZers
Gen Marmaduke was driven out Of
Missouri but returned from Arkansas
with reinfOrcements and gave battle
at Wilson's creek. where Schofeld was
serving Gen. Lyon as chief of staff.
Here Lyon met his tragic death and the
SchntipI1
Though the day was lost he acquitted
himself with such distinction that rapid
promotion followed.
1t was at this early eng" cement in
the war for the Union that an incident
occurred which came very near closing
his career, and which, had it turned out
differently, might have changed the
fortunes of the Union army Replying
10 a letter addressed TO him by Augusta
Prescott in 1894 asking at what time
during the war he was nearest to
DEATH he said:
Il must say that I do not believe a |
soldier can tell under what one of the
many dangerous circumstances in
which he may have been placed he was
nearest to death. He Las no means Of
estimating that very uncertain guam
tity. But, so far as | know, the mar
rowest escape | ever had was when n
musket ball cut channel through my
beard in the battle of Wilson's creek,
August TO- 1861
Schoffeld's promotion was rapid. AT
an early stage of the conflict he was
placed in command OF the Missouri
state troops with the rank of brigadier
general and a few months after was
advanced to the command Of the Army
of the Frontier with the rank of major
general. This army was organized with
a special object in VieW-tO subdue
guerrilla bands and generally to CO.
operate with other forces i'm the trans
Mississippi district.
In 1864 SchOfield was intrusted with
the command of the Army of Ohio, but
was presently called TO take command
of the Twenty third Army corps under
sherman in the Georgia campaign. in
November of that year at the age of
So he won his most signal victory at
the battle of Franklin. where he de-
feated the Confederate forces under
Gen. Hood. The important result of
this engagement was that Nashville,
which had been seriously threatened,
remained in posse! sion of the Union
lists to the end of the war.
After the war near the close of
President JOhnsons stormy admins
tration, Schofeld ecarne secretary of
war ad interim, serving during por-
lions of the years l868-69. AT that time
he was supplementing the work Of
Gen. Grant in an endeaVor to restore
harmony between the north and the
south.
After the war the country was
divided geographically into depart
ments," each commanded by a major
general Later the departments We're
renamed "divisons." 1t was Gen. Scho
a IN IN
Pacific coast while it was nomnally n
department in 1870, and again at a
later period when il vas known as the
division of the Pacific" He had also
served in command of the divisions of
the Mississippi and of the Atlantic
From 1883 to 1895 he was commander
of the United States army. In the
latter year he was retired with the
rank of lieutenant general.
Gen. Schofield ranked seventh in his
graduating class at West Point Gen.
Phil Sheridan ranking last. Among
his other classmates were Gems. Nc
Pherson. Sill and Terrill of the Union
army, and Gen. Hood, his last great
antagonist. in the Confederate army
| OF the great commanders of the war
| for the preser .tion of the Union Scho-
| field, by the general consensus of mill
| tary opinion, ranks next after Grant,
Sherman Sheridan and Thomas.
Thomas was killed in battle and Scho-
field succeeded Sheridan as commander
of the army and also to the rank of
! lieutenant general.
When a decade ago, his name was
tentatively mentioned in connection
with the Republican presidential nom
| nation, his fitness for the exalted posi-
ton. and his traits OF character were
thus summed up by an impartial critic:
His intelligence is high, but it takes
the shape OF subiinated common sense
rather than genius. He is not famous