Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-06-05
An Incident of Pathetic In
tereSt to all old Sol
dierS.
I'm Accordance With an act OF Con
gresS passed a few Years ago
the Rank OF Lieutenant feD-
eral Becomes Abolished
with the Retirement OF
General Macarthur.
General Macarthur.

N~AA
honorable and eventful military ca
reer of forty-seven years Lieut.-Gen.
Arthur Macarthur, the twelfth and
last American officer to reach that
highest rank in the army, was retired.
George Washington was the first on
the list. He was appointed lieutenant
general by President Adams on July
3, 1898, and held that rank at the time
of his death. In accordance with an
act of Congress passed a few years
ago the rank of Acknowledgement
becomes abolished with the retirement
of General Macarthur.
Like his immediate predecessor In
rank, Gen. Henry G. Corbin, General
Macarthur began his military career
in the volunteer army which was Gre
Gated for service in the Civil War.
Arthur Macarthur was born in Mas
sachusetts, June 2, 1845. He was still
an infant when his parents went to
Wisconsin and settled in Milwaukee.
His father was the late Judge Arthur
Macarthur, who had also served as
for five days as governor. Young Mac
Arthur received his education at the
public schools OF Milwaukee and was
not quite sixteen when President Lin
coin issued his first call for volun-
become a soldier that his father had
teers. So great was his eagerness to
great difficulty in inducing him to
wait until he was stronger and better
prepared for the hardships Of cam
paign life.
The boy lost none Of his eagerness
and spent nearly all his time in the
recruiting camps, watching the drills,
and studying tactics. In August, 1862,
the governor, who had kept his eye on
tho boy, commissioned him first lieu
tenant and adjukant of the Twenty
Fourth Wisconsin Regiment. When
yonng Macarthur. then delicate boy,
slim and with his voice not yet fully
changed, reported to the colonel of
the regiment he received scant wei
come. The colonel appealed to the
governor for a more mature adjutant,
but the governor declined the request.
Macarthur proved model adjutant,
however, and soon distinguished him
self by his GOODNESS under fire and his
bravery. His first battle was Perry
vile, and no officer of the command
was cooler, drawer or more efficient
true of his conduct in the battle of
Stone River. He was no less distfn-
guished at the great battle of Chicka-
mauga and at Missionary Ridge, No
vember 25, 1868. During the storm
ing of the earthworks on the ridge
his regiment from the color-bearer
who had fallen and led the command
in the charge, being the first to scale
the ridge and planting his flag there.
For this act he was awarded a medal
of honor by Congress.
He was promoted major on Janu-
ary 25, 1864, acted as lieutenant colo
mel during Sherman's march to At
1anta, and was slightly wounded in
that campaign. He was brevetted
to lieutenant-conoel of the Twenty
Fourth Wisconsin infantry, May IS,
1866, and honorably mustered out on
June 10, 1865. He was not yet enti-
tied to vote when he brought back his
regiment to Wisconsin after the close
of the war. After a few months OF
rest at home young Macarthur ap-
piled for a commission in the regular
army, and made second and first lieu
,tenant on the same day, February %
1866. In July of the same year he
was made a captain, which rank he
retained for twenty-three years.
On May 26, 1888, Captain MacAr
thur was transferred to the Adjutant
Generals Department with the ranl
of major, and not until 1896 was HI
promoted to be lieutenant-colonel
This rank he held at the beginning o
the Spanish-American war, when h
was made a brigadier-general of vol
unteers, reaching Manila in time t.
participate in the battle Of August 1a
On the same day he was made major
general, was made commander of tn
troops in the Philippines and cover
nor-general, succeeding General Otis
in 1900. He was relieved in July, 1901
and returned to the United States.
On January 2, 1900, his rank in tn
regular army was changed from lieu
tenant-colonel to brigadier-genera
over the heads of all colonels in tn
army and many lieutenant-colonel
whose commissions ante-dated his. o
February 5, 1901, he was made major
general and placed in command of th
department of the Lakes. At differe1
times he also commanded the depar
ment of the East, the department {
California, and finally the division
the Pacific. He became lieutenan
general September Is, 1906. He VIZ
with the Japanese army during IL
war between Russia and Japan, al
afterward travelled extensively in Il
Far East and in India.