The National tribune., 1906-03-08
NATIONAL. TRIBUNE WASHINGTON

compan;onable man of spotless charac-
ter and high professional attainments
His death diminishes the number of
living corps commanders to four, Gems
Sickles, Howard, Dodge and ]. II. Will
son, and leaves Gen. o. o. Howard the
only surviving commander of an army.
One of the greatest services which
Gen. Schofield rendered the country
was in helping to avert a war with
France at the close of the rebellion.
| But little is known of this, and it is
never mentioned in the histories of the
| country. AT the conclusion of the war
the feeling was very intense against
France for her friendship to the Con-
| federacy and also on account of Napo-
! leon Ills attempt to set up an Empire
in Mexico, and his proclamation that
he intended to restore the supremacy
of the Latin race in America He had
| taken advantage of our domestic trou-
bles to launch his enterprise, and at
| first Secretary Seward had to talk very
smoothly about it in order to keep
Louis Napoleon from recognizing the
Southern Confederacy. After Gettys-
burg and Vicksburg and we had built
up navy we began to assume a SITTER
tone, and the army generally felt that
by eXpelling the French from Mexico,
which it wanted very much to do, from
Gen. Grant down. Secretary Seward
however, was much hampered by his
previous attitude, and there was also
the strong influence of the business
men of the country, who wanted peace
and an opportunity to restore things to
ordinary conditions. Undoubtedly Gen.
Grant and all the higher officers of the
army were strongly III favor of an i'm
mediate movement upon Mexico, and
Gen. Sheridan was, therefore, denied
the privilege of appearing in the Grand
Review in order to go to Texas and
make ready. The Fourth Corps, Twen-
ty-fifth Corps and Clusters Cavalry were
sent to him, and Sheridan Immediately
began to give the French commander
very decided shivers, SO that he drew
back about 100 leagues from the Rio
Grande. AT the same time Gen. Scho-
field was given leave of absence for a
year with permission to leave the coun-
try, the understanding being that he
was to go to Mexico, and that 100, 900
veterans, who had in the meanwhile
gone home, seen their best girls and
were ready for something else, should
L. ~,
Many will remember that there was
quite little stir all through the West
of this, and companies were formed
for service in Mexico in many towns
Again Secretary Seward got in his
work. He sent for Gen. Schofield and
told him, Il want you to go to Paris,
get your legs under Louis Napoleon's
mahogany and tell him that he must
get out of Mexico; the American people
cannot be much longer restrained" IT
was bitter pill for Napoleon III. to
swallow in spite of all the gliding that
Secretary Seward was willing to put on
it, Napoleon had had at that time a
career of uninterrupted success, and
France was regarded as the foremost
military power in the world. Yet, even
Napoleon could see that he was threat
ened with an irruption of practically
limitless army of Union and Confeder-
ate soldiers, who were at that time the
best fighting men in the world Four
years of the war had trained them to
the highest point OF efficiency Scho-
field went to Paris He did not see
Napoleon, however, but had interviews
with his Ministers, in which he sue
ceeded in impressing them with the
actual facts of the case, so that, dis
agreeable as the thought was, they
were compelled to order retreat, and
the last French troops left Vera Cruz
in 1867. This mission of Gen. Scho-
field undoubtedly averted war with
France, and so Louis Napoleon's down.
fall was brought about by Germany, in
stead of the United States, which would
have been the case if he had not left
Mexico.