The daily Alaskan., 1909-05-17
The CaSeOf Major IgIehart

lEiCnaft. llc MNS lltEletilul Ol uulyI slovcnly in appearance and drank hard. His uniform hung on him Imply, his coat turned green, his boots were mud dy. and his hair protrudcd through q hole in his hat.
 Charges for conduct unbecOming an officer and a gentleman-drunkenness- were preferred against the major. They were about 10 come up for trial when suddenly the enemy came down on us. The colonel led the retreat, the lieutenant colonel following in close order. Of the field officers the major alone was at the front But he was not the officer we had known. He was transfgurcd. He sat erect on his horse. his eye lighted with the fire of battle, and his orders rang out in q clear ringing tone. It seemed that he had returned to the being he had been before some great sin or some great grief had blightcd him.
 lie found the men in confusion, some flying, some gathering their weapons and accoutCrmcntS, some making an effort at formatiou The moment he appeared, out of the struggling mass a line developed. and those running to the rear came back and re-CnfOrced 1t. Scizing standard he called upon us 10 follow and, charging, saved the day.
 After it was over all reverted 10 It's former status. The colonel and lieu tenant colonel resumed command, and the major got drunk. But the charges wcrc quietly withdrawn. Though the major greatly lowered the moral and social tone of the regiment, he must be endured. Everybody felt that way the field officers because he could lead the men in battle and they could not. the line officers and the men be- cause they must have some one to lead them when there was fighting to do. No one thought of advancing the major tu the position of colonel Such colo mel would ruin the regiment with the army. For q while we tried 10 treat him with consideration, but he was so shabby. so uusoldierly, in every way so degraded, that we soon gave it up and realized that our handsome colo mel was still OUT commander
 And so it continued. When the colo mel spoke to us, as he often did, in a pleasing and dignilicd manner, call ing us my boys" We chccrcd, but the first thing we knew we were following the major over brcastworks or stand ing in line with teeth set, taking pun ishmcut. Every time there was fight ing to bc done Inc lOomcd up at the front. and when il was over he sank back into his habiluul supor.
 Under our colonel the regiment ac- Quiryd an excellent reputation for dis cipliuc and soldicrly bearing. Under the majors leadership in battle we be- came known as one of the most gal lant bodies in the army. Of course the regiment must be honorcd in some ones name. and It was impossible to honor Us through the major, There fore the colonel got no end of men ton for gallautry and eventually was made a hrigadicr general. That let the lieutenant colonel in for the bal ancc of the glory, all of which ema- mated from the major,
 The major never made any con- plaiut at the fact that all these hOnors passed over his head He didn't seem to care. Nor did any one in the regi- mcnt object. We ail felt that our services should have recognition and considered that hOnors conferred upon him would be no recognition at all.
 At the last fight the major fought the army was held in check by hill on which the enemy had planted artil- lcry, and everything was at a dead lock. The general rode up to our reg imcnt and asked for the colonel and lieutenant colonel in quick succession. Nobody could tell him where they were. He asked for the next in com maud Some one told him that Major Iglchcart was asleep on fence rail near by. Al that moment the major appeared. Tho general looked at him in despair. Nevertheless he gave him an order to take the hill!
 The way the major walked Us up that hill was sight to behold. The general hchcld it from below and when the hill was ours rode up and asked for the major. We showed him the officer lying on the ground with bullet hole in his forehead. The gen cral turned away sadly with the re- mark. If ho had lived he should have had division"
 We all knew more about that than the general. The major in command of a division! Absurd. Yet there was something about the clay he had left bchind-his former self-that made us forget his second self and think Of him as q major general. With that look on his face we buried him, fired volley over him and forgot him till the next fight, when, having no one to lead us. wo covered ourselves with disgrace and after several such cpl scdcs were mustered out of the serv- ice with dishonor.
 But to finish about the major. The day after he was killed letter came for him addressed in wOman's hand. Not knowing what to do with 1t, the
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