The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-10-25
FOUGHT INDIANS SINGLE HANDED
WOUNDED FOR FIRST TIME ON
SAN JUAN HILL-IN THICK
EST OF FIGHT

time when so much interest is being
taken in the Cuban embarkation
camp at Newport News, Va, where the
government troops are being modified
for service in that island, it may be of
interest to know of the military career
of Brig. Gen. Theodore ]. Wint, COM
handing officer of the encampment,
who is one of the ablest and most dar-
ing officers in the service today. 1t is
still more interesting to know that
forty-four years ago this man, then
only private, passed through the i'm
mediate vicinity of the camp which
he now commands, and the surround
ing country was the scene of some Of
his first campaigns.
The camp is situated just across the
waters of Hampton Roads from the
grounds of the jamestown exposition
and affords an excellent illustration on
a reduced scale of the grand military
display that will be seen upon the
exposition grounds next year. where
will be encamped an army Of fifteen
thousand men comprising troops from
all of the representative countries Of
the world.
Gen. Whit is the most distinguished
cavalry officer now living. His ex-
ploits and his long years of service in
this branch emitting him to that proud
distinction. The forty-five years of his
career in the army have been as a
trooper and many combats among the
Indians were almost single-handed.
General Whit was born in 1S45 in
what is now known as North Scranton,
Pa, but which then bore the name of
Providence. His parents were from
the very best stock, Jonathan Wint
his father, being recognized as one of
the most solid business men of the city.
His mother was of Scotch-Irish an
cestry and a woman of refined lnd1-
viduality. At the outbreak of the
Civil War Whit was a mere boy, 16
years old still in school, but the fas-
cination to follow a military career
was so strong that he succeeded in
gaining his parents consent and enlist
ed in the 9Th Pa. Cavalry. His SOL
dierly bearing and fearlessness, no
rades in arms sent him gradually up
the ladder until he reached the rank
enlistment expired in 1864. He tried
to return to his studies, but again the
"song of the sword" drew him back in
to the service, this time, however, in
the regular army, receiving a COM
mission as lieutenant in the 4th L. S.
cavalry, in which regiment he passed
twenty-seven years.
At the close of the war the Fourth
cavalry was ordered to Texas which
at the point was commonly known as
suburb of He'll" 1t was here that
Gen. Whit made a name for himself
as a fighter.
The country was infested with nos
tile Indians, and cunning greasers
and there We're constant uprisings and
Indian outbreaks that had to be put
down. In 1892 he received his commits.
sion as major and with it came his
assignment to the Tenth" which regi-
ment made themselves famous during
the Spanish war. During his long
career and through all of his campaigns
General Wint had never so much As
received a scratch, until on the after
noon of the first days fighting at Sar
Juan hill he was wounded in the thigh
The wound was of such serious ma
ture that he was taken aboard the
hospital snip and returned to this
was made lieutenant colonel and sent
out to the Philippines. The saying
that "Yint likes to be where it is
warm" got to be a by-word because
of his desire to always be in the thick
est of the fighting in the Philippines
In 1901 he was promoted to Brig
Gen. and assigned to the command OF
the second brigade in the island OF
Luzon. He has also seen service in
China and India. General Whit does
not retire until 1909 and it is fully ex-
pected that he will be the ranking
general of the army before that date
General Whit and his staff who are
conducting the embarkation of troops
from Newport News deserve great
credit for the able manner in which
they have performed their duties.