Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-05
LOYAL LEGIUN'S GUEST
LIEUT.. COMMANDER TAKEUCHI
OF JAPANESE NAVY.

Sngetoshi Takeushi a lieutenant COM
| nander OF the imperial japanese navy,
who was in service throughout the recent
war between Japan and Russia. was among
the guests at a meeting of the Military Or
der OF the Loyal Legion. Commaudery of
the District of Columbia. last evening at
Rauscher's. After the business of the
meeting had been transacted First Lieut..
Thomas II. Mckee. U. S. Volunteers. read
paper on Views and Reviews of the
Civil War"
Lieut.. Commander Takeuchi was the
center of an interested group during the
evening. The Japanese visitor took ac-
i've part In the recent war. being for six
months engaged in the siege of Port Ar
thur, and later being on the bridge of the
nrst-clasS battleship 1wate in the battle of
the Sea of Japan. From the time that the
enemy 8 fleet was sighted, the nloraing of
May "a last year. until the close of the bat
tie on the evening of May % he was con-
stantly on the bridge of his ship, directing
the men under his command. During that
time, he says, although his ship was struck
twelve times by shells. only one man was
killed and dozen wounded.
Lieut.. Commander Takeucni stated that
the firing by his ship was continuous from
about o'clock the afternoon of the first
day until dark. and for just fourteen min
l,tes in the afternoon of the second day
IL that period of fourteen minutes he says,
the enemy's boat, against which he was
pitted. was overcome by the rain of shell
and sunk. The crew of his boat rescued
about 800 of the Russians during the battle.
This is the first visit of Lient co nmander
Takeuehi to the United States. He re-
ceiVed his training for the navy In his own
country But now, recognizing the great
ness of this country, he has come here to
study the English language and American
| customs, and to look into American naval
affairs and the naval system. lie will re-
| main about two years. He has been here
opV w he Is thirty five
years OF age
Candidates for Office.
In the absence of Lieut.. Gen. Chaffee,
commander of the local commandery,
Junior Vice Commander NJ V. Z. Woodruff
presided at the meeting. The chief business
consisted in the reporting of the cand-
dates for officers of the order for the
coming year. The election is to be held at
| the next meeting early in May.
In his paper on the civil war Lieut. Nc
kee spoke of the contrasts of the struggle.
How different, he said, the April day
| In 1861, when Fort Sumter was fired upon,
| and April IA, 1885. when President Lincoln
was stricken by an assassins bullet. He
contrasted May %, 1861. when the troops
| from the north marched across the long
| bridge to fight the south, and May %, 1868,
when the troops marched back again for
! that great review on Pennsylvania avenue,
which marked the discharge of the army.
The speaker described graphically the men,
orable scenes of the war.
After luncheon several informal speeches
were delivered. The first speaker Gen.
John M. Wilson. He stated in opening
that while he was an officer in the union
| troops on the District side of the long
bridge, in 1851 when the troops crossed.
his cousin was in command of the confed-
crate troops at the other end of the bridge.
| He read a letter, In which Gen. Michael r.
Morgan, a member of Gen. Grants staff,
described the scenes surrounding the actual
surrender at Appomattox Court House. The
letter states the circumstances of the writ
| ing of the terms of the surrender by Col.
| Eli s. Parker. a full-blooded Indian.
1t was announced at the meeting that the
veterans of Maryland had won a great fight
| in the Maryland legislature the last day of
| the session, when 1t was voted by that body
| to appropriate $25, 900 for a monument to be
| erected to the 81 900 men who volunteered
| for the union from the state. The
victory came at the last moment, by q per-
| sonal appeal to the democratic leader of
| the senate, the speaker said.
| Another speaker was DR.. c. F. Rand. He
| told of a characteristic meeting with Presi-
! dent Lincoln when he was trying to secure
| a commission after being wounded severely.
DIR. Rand answered the first call for troops
| April 49, 1861, and he had the honor OF
winning the first medal of honor in the
! war, and within twenty-four hours after
leaving this city for the front. He told
also of the assassination of Lincoln, at
| which he said he was a witness, being in
| the audience at Ford's Theater.