Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-05
VETERANSONT THE ACTNELIST
Sixteen Survivors of the Civil War
Still in the Service.
ENLISTED WHILE MERE BOYS
Not One of Them Above Twenty
When the Struggle CIosed-Not-
able Record of Youngsters
in the Field.

United states army. There are sixtee,
VINO survived the rigors OF that war still
IN the active service, nearly all of whom
nave served except for brief interval,
through the forty-four years that hay,
elapsed since the war closed. Maio,
Charles S. Walkley, a post chaplain. an.
other veteran, went on the retired list or
May ~. OF the sixteen one is a lleutenan,
general, another is a major general. 81,
are brfgadier generals, five are colonels
one is a lieutenant colonel. one a maior
ana one a captain. These veterans ar,
doing their share OF the army's work. 70,
more than one-quarter of the general of.
tlcers OF the line are veterans Of the civil
war and two others are chiefs of staff
corps ana bureaus. The men who can look
BACK upon this long period of service in
war ana peace are Lieutenant General
Arthur macarthur, Major General John F.
weston, commander of the Department of
california; Brigadier General Earl u.
Ihomas, commander Of the Department of
the Colorado; Brigadier General Charles
Morton, commander of the Department of
the Missouri; Brigadier General Charles L.
Hodges, commander Of the Department of
the Visayas, Philippine islands; Brigadier
General Daniel H. Brush, who is also in
~ NliNI ItOIkt
y. Davis, Judge advocate general; nriga-
der General William L. Marshall chief
OF engineers; Colonel e. s. Dudley. Judge
advocate at the head OF the department
Of law at West Point; Colonel John I.
Glenn, assistant quartermaster general at
san Antonio, Tex; Colonel ]. n. Allison.
chief commissary Of the Department of
the East at Governors Island: Colonel
owen j. Sweet of the Twenty-eighth in
tantry; Colonel e. E.. Wood,-professor of
modern languages at West Point; Lieu
tenant Colonel w. w. Robinson. Jr., chief
qu~artermaster Of the Department of the
Lakes, at Chicago; Major E. o. Fechet of
the signal corps. stationed at Boston, and
Captain d. w Arnold, captain and quar-
termaster, at present in Japan.
All Under Twenty.
Not one of these civil war veterans was
above 20 years Of age at the close Of hos
Titles. and five, including Major walkley,
enlisted at the first call in 1861. The four
besides Major walkley were Generals Yves
ton, Morton and Hodges and Major Fechet.
General Morton and Major Fechet were
only 10 and General Hodges was only IA
years old at the time of enlistment. Among
the sixteen men is one who was even
younger than any OF these when his name
went on the muster roll. Colonel John L.
Glenn will not be retired in the normal
course of events until 1916. According to
LOSING, the historian. 1t is probable that
to him belongs the distinction Of being
the youngest soldier who ever bore arms
in battle. He entered the service as a
drummer hoy in May, 1861, before he was
10 years of age, but was not regularly en-
listed until 1863, because of his youth. His
story is a remarkable one and will be told
in it's place.
Those who will retire in 1910 are Generals
Morton and Marshall. Colonel Wood, Lieu
tenant Colonel Robinson and Major Fechet.
Generals Thomas. Hodges and Davis are
to retire in 1911, and General Brush, Col
onel Allison and Captain Arnold will leave
the active service in 1912.
1t is of interest as indicating the early
evidence Of qualifications for military serv-
ice that the majority Of these men gained
promotion while serving in the civil war.
OF the sixteen men, none of whom, it
must be remembered, was of age at the
close Of hostilities, one became lieutenant
colonel, one major, one captain, three sec
ond lieutenants. two sergeant majors, one
commissary sergeant and one sergeant. At
the close of the war nine of the men re-
ceived appointments to West Point and
spent four years there, while the others.
with one exception, received commissions
in the regular army.
individual Records.
Lieutenant General Macarthur began his
military service on August 4, 1862, as first
lieutenant of the oath Wisconsin Volun-
teers. He was mustered out on June 10,
1865, at the age of twenty years, with the
brevet rank of colonel and actual rank
of lieutenant colonel. He received a medal
OF honor for GOODNESS and conspicuous
bravery in action in seiEing the colors of
his regiment at a critical moment and
planting them on the captured works on
the crest Of Missionary Ridge, and was
brevetted lieutenant colonel for gallant
and meritorious service in the battles of
Perryville, KY; Stone River, Tenn; Mis-
sionary Ridge and cambridge, and colonel
for his achievements in the battle of
Franklin, Tenn, and the Atlanta cam
paign. He was twice wounded. Shortly
after the close of the war he was COM
missioned a second lieutenant of infantry
in the regular army. He saw much active
service in the Philippines. He will retire
this week, on June 2.
General Weston enlisted from Kentucky
on December "a, 1861, a few days after his
sixteenth birthday, and received a COM
mission as first lieutenant in the 4th
Kentucky Cavalry. Before being mustered
out, on August p. 1866, he had attained to
the actual rank of major. He has a medal
of honor awarded for gallantry at We
tumpka, Ala, where, with five men, he
swan the river, defeated a force OF the
enemy and captured q small fleet of
steamboats, lying In the river laden with
supplies for the enemy. He was with
Miles and Crook in the Indian cam
paigns succeeding the civfl war, having re-
ceived a commission as second lieutenant
Seventh United States cavalry, two years
after his discharge from the volunteers.
He will retire in November of this year.
General Thomas was born In Illinois on
January T. 1s47, and enlisted as a private
In COMPANY II, Eighth Illinois cavalry. on
April ], 1852, less than three months after
his 5Oth birthday. Before he was
out, on April q, 1866. he had been
promoted to sergeant major. He was sub
appointed to West Point ana
graduated with the class Of go. re-
oetNing a commission as second lieutenant
OF cavalry on June Is, 1853. His regiment