Evening journal., 1910-10-03
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Story Of 81
By "Holland."

One of the great United. States SEN
ators Of the Civil War years was La
fayette s. Foster. OF Connecticut, who
| died in 1880 when he was "A years OF
age. All through the war he was
chairman OF the important committee
on foreign affairs, and was frequently
consulted by Lincoln. Elected presi-
dent pro tempore of the Senate In
1865, he became acting vice-president
when Johnson succeeded to the
Presidency following Lincoln's death.
and had Johnson also been assassi-
mated, as was originally planned. he
thus would have succeeded TO the
| Presidency.
/ In his later years. when he was a
| Judge of the Superior Court of his
native state, Mr.. Foster took great de-
| light in narrating some of his ex-
| periences when he was In the United
States Senate; and one evening, after
he had adjourned court for the day,
| he told me this story OF Colonel u. d.
Baker, OF Oregon. Lincoln's friend,
who was killed at the battle Of Balls
Blum on October 21. 1s61--a death
that caused Lincoln TO shed tears
publicly and that sent a thrill of hor-
ror and indignati5h throughout the
North.
"Of course" said Judge Foster, I'VE
who were members OF the Senate dur
ing the war saw much of military life
and activity I'm and about the capitol
! The streets swarmed with evidences
of war. There constantly passed
through the corridors OF the capitol
men in military uniform. officers and
privates. We early grew accustomed
TO seeing soldiers in the galleries Of
the Senate. But only once. as / recol-
lect It, we're we brought into vivid
personal relations with the army on
the floor of the Senate itself. And II
was a Senator who actually brought
us into this relation with our fighting
force-Colonel e. ID. Baker, of Ore
gon.
Il was a member of the Senate
having been elected thereto for the
first time I'm 1S54-when Baker took
HIS seat from the young state of Ore
gon. From the day that he made his
first appearance in that body until the
day of his death ! took a greater in
terest In him than / did in any other
Senator. | was first attracted to him
by a certain simple dignity of per-
sonal appearance which he possessed,
and / soon conceived the opinion, un-
shaken to this day. that he was the
peer. physically. and in intelectural
powers. of any member of the Senate
In which he sat. Naturally, my ad-
miration for him led to a rather close
intimacy between us.
We'll, there came a day, in the late
autumn of 1861, when Senator Baker
startled US all by appearing at his
desk in the service uniform of a col
onel of volunteers. We knew that he
had commanded a brigade at Cerro
Gordo, in the Mexican War, and be-
cause Of his record in that conflict,
had been commissioned colonel Of
volunteer regiment lately raised in
the East; but none of us apparently,
had anticipated his appearing at his
desk in the Senate In uniform. So we
were taken aback and made him the
center of undisguised observation.
And ! must say It was an impressive
sight-a United States Senator array
ed as for war seated quietly at his
desk in the pursuance of his duties IS
a lawmaker.
las soon as conveniently could do
so | went over to Colonel Bakers s
side. He had noticed the unusual in
! ACl0nt AAhCn III U1 Ills tOlitdkutcs
and without waiting for me to Ques-
ton him smilingly volunteered the
information that he had received or
ders to take his regiment up the Po-
tomac TO a place near Edwards Ferry,
prepared to prevent the crossing of
the river by the enemy. L found |
would not have time to don my uni
form after leaving the chamber he
said, and so l came here arrayed in 1t.
have little business to transact
and then l leave Immediately with my
command
For a moment, then, he was
thouhgtful I don't know, he added
looking up at me-and his face was as
serene as an Italian sky-'why we are
going. l have grave doubts about the
wisdom of the movement. But we are
going. And l am to command
That was all, but Immediately the
feeling flashed over me that Colonel
Baker felt he had been called upon tC
lead a forlorn hope. The next mo-
ment / found myself thinking that
though Baker knew Il, he was letting
his sense OF duty overshadow his
doubts. and would die in the effort tC
execute the orders OF his superiors, Il
need be- And Il was with the feeling
that I probably would never see hin
alive again that in company will
the other Senators present, bade hin
goodbye and wished him success.
can see him now, in memory, as, viii
a firm military tread, he went along
the aisle and through the Senate doors
and out OF our gaze.
Two days later. think It was, W.
learned that Colonel Baker had beer
killed. together with a majority of his
command. at Balls Bluff"
Copyright, 1910, by Associated Lit
erary Press.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tel
~HOW Thackeray Lett America the
Second Time"