The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-06-02

HOW OranG Rewarded n brave BOY.
The public will never lose it's keen
appetite for Lincoln and Grant STORIES
good ones, based on fact I have such
a story-a Grant story. 1t is about the
officer in the regular army who will be
the last to retire for age, on Aug. 10,
1915, of all the men who served in the
Civil War and later became regular
army officers. Before he was IL years
old he was musician in the Twenty
second Michigan. At the battle of
Chickamauga he threw away his drum,
picked up a wounded mans musket
and was in the two days battle, doing
full duty as a private soldier He had
narrow escape from capture. The
commander of a confederate regiment
demanded the child's surrender when
the Michigan regiment was fanked
The child replied with a shot that
emptied saddle and gave the lieu
tenant colonel of the confederate regi-
/ ment promotion to the rank of colonel
For this act Of courage the child-sol
dier was made lance sergeant, and
as such served to the end of his term
which included the battles, under Cen
vember, 1868.
The old commander heard of the
child's conduct while at Chattanooga a
short time before he went to Wash
ington to accept his second commission
in the regular army from President
Lincoln General Grant and President
Grant never forgot the child-soldier Of
Chickamauga and Mission Ridge.
The boys people were poor. They
could not send him to school before
he was a soldier, they received most
of his pay while he was in the army
and when the war was over he had
to work at anything he could find to
do to help the family.
In 1871, when 20, he determined to
seek an appointment to West Point.
His friends tried to dissuade him,
knowing that his lack of education
was so great as to make it certain that
he would not be accepted.
Nobody would nominate you for a
cadet, under the circumstances" said
one Of his friends.
well, I am going to try, anyway.
President Grant knows something
about men, and I guess he will send
me to West Point
President Grants attention was re-
called to the child-soldier of 1868 and
he was asked to nominate him for the
military academy. The nomination
was made at once, but the boy was
found; or, to use a less technical
term, he "fell down" He was short in
mathematics, short in history and lit
erature, short in height and weight
and short in general information.
In time the youngster appeared in
Washington with fixed purpose to see
his soldier comrade and friend il the
White House, the President.
Whom do you wish to seer" asked
a doorkeeper.
"The President"
"You can't see him now"
After waiting half an hour the boy
tapped the doorkeeper on the shoulder
and asked how much longer he would
have to wait.
81 guess you can't see the President
today" was the reply.
81 guess I can. You go in and tell
General Grant that John Glenn of Com
pany G, Twenty-second Michigan,
wants to see him.
The message was conveyed to the
President. A cabinet minister was
comforting with his chief at the time.
Directions were given to let the Wis
itor "come right in" The great sol
der and the child-soldier shook hands
like pair of old friends.
'They thought they didn't need me
at West Point, General Grant," said
the boy.
The President, after moment of re-
Election, wrote a note, slipped it into
an envelope, addressed it and told his
caller to take it to General Belknap
the Secretary of War. The secretary
read the Presidents note, looked The
young fellow over carefully and asked
him to be seated.
do you know what this note con-
tains?" asked the Iowa general, who
also had heard about the boy at Chick
amauga.
81 do not, sir"
president Grant directs me to ap-
point you second lieutenant in the
United States army"
That was done. He was made first
lieutenant in 1874, a captain in 1882,
a major in 1895, Northumberland in
1901 and colonel IN 1903
| Upon entering the regular army his
| education began. For many years he
has been thoroughly informed, we'll ed
ucated, and has always stood high both
with the army and the public. By vir-
| tue of his civil war service he could
now retire with the rank of brigadier-
general, but it is thought that he will
be the last to retire of the thousands
Of civil war soldiers who went to the
regulars. Then we can address the
child-soldier of 1868 and Chickamauga
as Gen. John l.. Glen.
While this is more than a Grant
story, 1t surely is story that en-
phasizes the wisdom, justice and good
ness of the old commander.
Here is another child-soldier story
| It fits in here:
Former State Senator G. Latham
| Sholes, inventor of the typewriter, was
editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel during
a part of the war. Two of his boys,
both under IL years of age, were sol
diers, and one of them was prisoner
1