The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-26
mAJoR-GpNEnAL sroKLEs

Civil War veteran to honor when
mere boys OF to-day are grizzled old
follows that see Taft and Roosevelt
Clark and Wilson and the others as
fat back through the haze OF time as
our sages OF to-day now see the actors
Of the great Civil War drama.
What n funeral that will be. whom
the last survivor OF the Civil War an
swers his last roll call. whether he be
buried in the uniform of tho blue or OF
! the gray! Very few of us now of ma
ture years will live to see the spectacle.
The century run for this last signal
honor Will be spirited. Hundreds of old
codgers Will be in the running. and as
| they fall by the wayside ono by one.
the whole nation will look on agapo 10
see who gets tho laurel wreath.
Civil War Widows Till 1900.
But after this last survivor has
passed we Will still have several gener.
atoms of Civil War widows TO link
our descendants with the days of
'6i-'65 II the last Civil War widow
survives as long after Appomattox as
tho last Revolutionary widow. Esther
Damon. survived after Yorktown. she
Will be with our great-grandchildrcn In
| 1890. And this Is n conservative pre-
diction. for Dame Esther was hut nine
ty-two when she died at Plymouth
Union. VT, in 1906.
This Memorial Days roll call of the
great Civil War generals will show that
only dozen above tho rank of briga-
der are still with US. At tho War D =
partment and Pension Office have Just
checked up with tho records.
One Lieutennnt-GeneraI Left.
Only one lieutenant general of that
great conflict has won thus far in the
race against Father Time, and he was
on the Confederate side. This IS Simon
Bolivar Buckner, who ran for. Vice
President on the Palmer ticket in 1896.
In his quaint old log house at Glen
Lily, near Munfordville, ky.-one OF
the most noted country homes in that
State-this venerable old soldier and
one-time Governor. who had the grace
to act Is one of General Grants pail
bearers. entered his ninetieth year on
April /. His friend and brother Con-
federate officer. General Marcus ].
Wright. tells me that the other day he
received a letter. written in firm
hand. from the sage of Glen LILY. who
was apparently enjoying his usual
vigor of mind.
Besides him there survive only three
Civil War officers who commanded
army corps by assignment of their
President. They arc Majors General
Grenville NJ Dodge. Darrell E. Sickles
and James Harrison Wilson. all OF the
has the honor of being tho last surviv-
Ing army commander of the war, for
he was given command OF the Depart
ment and Army of Missouri in 1854
when he was only thirty three. After
the war he had directive charge of the
building OF the Union Pacific Railway
managed many other great engineering
enterprises and served in Congress. Al
his home in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he
celebrated his eighty-first birthday
April IL.
One Generals Great Distinction.
General Sickless eighty
birthday will come around in October
He enjoys tho distinction of being the
senior surviving official Of the Federal
government. having been In the diplo-
matte service under Pierce and having
served In Congress throughout Buchan-
ans administration. In the house
which he has occupied almost since the
war he lives in New York City. which
Is also the home of the only other
American who sat in Congress beferd
the war. the Confederate brigadier-gen
eral. Roger A. Pryor. who will be
eighty-four during the coming summer
The seventy fifth milestone of Major
General Wilson will be passed Septem-
Der 2. He was major general also in
!, the Spanish War. and was in command
OF the allied American and British
the Boxer troubles.
There survive also four Union gem
! erals who In the Civil War were corps
commanders by virtue OF their pres.
ence in the field of operations. These
are Peter j. Osterhaus and julius H
| Stahl. who were majors general dur
| ing the war; David McMurtrie Gregg
| and Nelson a, Miles. who were briga-
diers- general at the time of Lees sur
render.
osterhaus entered his ninatieth year
last January. Since he finished hts
eleven years service as our consul at
\ Lyons, under Johnson and Grant he
has remained in his native Germany.
at Mannheim. Seven years ago Con-
gress expressed the nations gratitude
to this old soldier by placing him on
| tho retired list of the regular army.
with the rank of brigadier- general.
General stahl. a native OF Hungary,
who before our war had fought for his
native Independence under Kossuth.
| lives in New Yerk. and will anter upon
his eighty eighth year Of old bachelor.
hoow in November. He served In the
L =. = - = ~ - IL a