Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-25
QUEER SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE
Developed in the American
Civil War.

The foreign contingent in our army has
been with us from the beginning, though
now II is a rapidly decreasing quantity
more conspicuously represented on the re-
tired than on the active list. Some of its
members were professional soldiers who
went wherever there was good pay TO be
had for fighting; others we're enthusiasts
Tor our cause or institutions. During and
Immediately after our civil war this for
eign contingent was particularly strong We
were or thought we were under the neces-
sty OF hiring almost every foreigner who
offered himself with a certificate Of service
| to drill our young volunteers. The good,
the bad and the indifferent were all found
holding our commissions. There were ex-
cellent officers who deservedly rose to high
commands who were the graduates Of
foreign armies or foreign military schools:
there were others who were little more
than drillmasters; while from our adopted
citizenship there came not a few men who
were carried into the army by the same
sympathy which years before drew them 10
the United States. They resumed here the
swords they had worn in their native lands.
Almost every European land had sons in
our foreign contingent, and there were
strange cOmpanionships formed in conse-
quence, The late Major De Rudio was a
brother officer Of Captain Keogh Of the
Seventh cavalry. De Rudio was an italian
radical, one Of the orsini oonspirators who
attempted the life Of Napoleon III, missed
their aim and killed a good many innocent
bystanders. More fortunate than his chief,
De Rudio received Communication Of SEN
tence, went to exile came to this country,
served in volunteer regiment in the civil
war and somehow or other obtained q com
mission in the regulars, as a second lieu
tenant Of cavalry. Captain Keogh was a
graduate Of the papal army the cadet OF
an old Irish family He had fought for
the papacy against Italian unity and on
the defeat of his cause sought and found
service in this country. He fought for the
union and was appointed to the Seventh
cavalry when that regiment was raised.
There could have been no common meet
ing ground between Keogh and De Rudio,
and one wondered how It was possible 70
keep the peace between them Keogh was
one OF the brave men who died with Custer.
/ De Rudio was in the same Eight but with
that wing Of the regiment commanded by
Major Reno. Ksogh's horse was the only
horse or man of Clusters immediate fol-
lowing found alive by the relieving column,
ana became a famous steed. Il was long
maintained the pensioner OF the regiment,
and, riderless, participated in all parades
and ceremonies, The late General Cop
pinger was another officer who first
smelled powder in the papal army. Like
keogh he came of an old Irish family
whose traditions led him TO Rome not as
a pilgrim but as a defender
The United States in turn has furnished
many soldiers of fortune to other lands.
In Latin America the military adventures
! from this country have been so common
a. to give us a better name for fighting
/ than for minding our own business On a
/ much larger field and in much grandsr
style Ward In China inustTSgted the Yankee
capability for alternating the roles of the
/ general and administrator. A story even
more striking than Wards IL that OF
General John p. Boyd, a native Of Massa
| chusetts whom some very old Bostonians
may have heard mentioned by their faith
ers. He died In 1880. naval officer OF the
port OF Boston ending a very busting ca
reer which had carried him to India IN
the humdrum routine Of this office. In
india he commerciaIzed his command OF
a remarkable body OF msrcenaTies he had
organised into division. He literally con-
tracted out himself and his army 70 ma
i've potentates that had the price, and
/ only abandoned the lucrative practice when
British conquest had progressed 50 far
as 10 leave no room for the exercise
OF his peculiar talents. At one time Boyd
Is said to have had as many as ten thous-
ana men IN his army, which was admit
tedly well organized and handled In later
days when our army was very small
young Americans who had strong yearn-
/ ings for military life they could not sat
isfy here sought service IN foreign lands
Thomas III. Benson made much OF one in
stance, that Of young New Yorker who
was captain OF cavalry In the Austrian
army. who had difficulty in securing a
commission to serve his own country IN
the Mexican war Benton hated west
Point and charged Il with exsrtinE its in
fluence against this Austrian trained
American 10 prevent him from receiving
a rank In accordance with his experience
Boston Transcript.