The National tribune., 1910-03-17

his feeble strength he sought to make
the Wretched, dying men about him
! fight off the angel Death that was stalk
ing thru rows of PROSTATE soldiers.
From Gettysburg he went to York,
Pa. in a filthy cattle train, packed in
with groaning, angushed wrecks OF
manhood. He was among those who
walked into the cars The men who
We're carried in on stretchers never sur
| ived the ride, and Gilman had to be
carried from the car after the awful
misery of the racking, jolting journey
over the rough roadbed. Then came
! the months of nightmare in the hospi-
| tai, when the gangrene was killing men
almost as rapidly as the attendants
could remove the bodies and science
seemed baHied by the new terror of
warfare. Here, again, the unconquer-
able spirit of the boy soldier carried
him safely along the verge of the preci-
able to return to his parents and his
home, and with his mutilated body take
up the problems of life.
John L. Gilman was born in South
Boston, Dec. %. 1874. HIS father was
John Gilman and his mother Margaret
Crowley Gilman He received an ele-
mentary education in the primary
schools and the Quincy and Eliot gram
mar schools. At the outbreak of the
war he was employed as an apprentice
in the firm of Pond 6; Duncklee, tin
smiths.
When the first gun was fired at Fort
| Sumter the boy was seized with the war
| fever and Immediately sought to enlist
Several times he approached the re-
cruiting officers. but owing to the de-
termined opposition of his parents and
his older sister he was unsuccessful IN
his attempts to become a soldier. One
day, however, as he was going home to
| his dinner he met one Of his playmates
who was on the way to enlist Unable
to restrain himself any longer. young
| Gilman Joined him, determined to go
| to the front regardless of the opposi-
| ton of his family.
He joined the 18th Mass, command
ed by Fletcher Webster, son of Daniel
Webster. just after the battle of Cedar
Mountain, and was with it constantly
excepting in few engagements, when
he was temporarily cannoneer in
| Thompson's Indp't Pa. Battery He
saw active service under Pope, McClel-
Ian, burnside, Hooker and Meade. At
EAntietam the 18th Mass. lost over so
| per cent killed and wounded, and at
| Fredericksburg los out of $50
On the second day at Gettysburg,
during a terrible shelling the 18th was
drawn up in line between Zeigler's
Grove and the Bloody Angle. While
standing at a little stone fence, with
guns at trail arms, Gilman was struck
| by shell which ripped off the flesh
nearly to the shoulder, breaking the
| bone and leaving the forearm hanging
by the skin and flash. The shock threw
him around, and he broke his fall by
dropping on TO the other arm and his
knees. With extraordinary presence of
mind the young soldier plunged his un-
| injured hand into the corner of his
haversack to get his towel. With the
| hnlF I.
wound around the arm close TO the
shoulder and the two ends were twisted
| tightly until the blood ceased to flow.
According to the Surgeon who after
ward amputated the arm, this act saved
the soldiers life delay Of two or
three minutes would have emptied his
| body of blood
was discharged late in September, 1863.
| He returned to Boston, but owing to
the loss of his arm was unable TO con-
tinue his training as a mechanic and
was made salesman. In October 1864
| Gov. Andrew appointed him to a posi-
ton in the State House. There he re-
mained until 1888, when he resigned
from the State Board Of Charities and
entered the service of the Board of Di-
rectors of Public Institutions, of Bos-
ton, later serving as Chief of the Set
| tlement Division of the Institutions
Registrar Department. In April, 1901.
the Mayor appointed him Commission
er of the Soldiers Relief Department.
which office he has held since that time.
He has been member of the Grand
Army of the Republic since 1868, when
! he joined John A. Andrew Post. IL
Later he became member of Post Z
and in 1884 he Joined Post %, of Rox
bury. He has served as Commander
OF his Post, Department Inspector, Ju
NOR vice Commander Senior Vice Com
mander. Delegate to the National En-
campment, and in 1899 he was elected
Commander of the Department of Mas
isachusetts.
Headquarters Department of Massa-
chusetts. G: A. r.. State House.
Boston.
John e. Gilman, of Massachusetts. ia
presented as candidate for the Office
OF Commander-in-Chief at the National