The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-02
LAST GRAND ARMY MAN TO OCCUPY THE POSITION OF
 PENSION COMMISSIONER ?

| Washington, May 31.-Probably the
 last Grand Army man who will ever | occupy the position of Commissioner | of Pensions has just taken the oath
 of office He is Gaylord M. Saltz-
 gaber. of vanwert, Ohio, a splendid
 specimen of the type of gallant soldier
 and later public spirited and patriotic citizen which the Civil War produced 1 in such abundance.
 i When say that Commissioner
 Saltzgaber is to be the last of this
 line of great men I think speak 1 within reason. MT. Saltzgaber enlist
 ed in the Union service at very early age. He is one of the youngest of I the ''comrades'' alive to-day. And yet | will be 72 years old. It hardly seems possible that the next administration will be able to find one among a com pany of men all older than 72 years who will have the physical strength to perform the duties of this responsible office
 It is pathetic thought, but one ap- propriate at this Memorial Day sea- son. For fifty years it has been the
 chief ambition of many 8 veteran. who wore the blue to occupy this i'm portant post Most of these must now understand that they must go to their graves with their ambition un- realized. When Saltzga5er quits he must pass the office on to a civilian, | probably the son of veteran. who
 will dispense the government minis ! trations to the fast thinning ranks oc the Grand Army. The veterans are dying now much faster than their comrades fell before Confederate bull lets from '61 to '65.
 But Gaylord M. Saltzgaber is still in 1 his rugged manhood. To look at hirn one would predict that he is good for
 many years of active life. Physically vigorous and mentally alert. he will prove to be one of our greatest com
 missioners of pensions, thoroughly believe. He has thick. compact body 1 that has known scarcely a day's ill., ness in G. 8 years. And this body is surmounted by fine big round head.
 His hair is white, his mustache crop- ped and grizz1ed. The flesh or his His fine gray eyes, agleam with keen intelligence. bespeak the mans bodily | and mental power.
 had toIk with MT. Saltzgaber shortly after he was appointed by President Wilson, and I was much i'm pressed by him. woodrow wilson is fortunate in being able to secure al man of his ability for the pension comnissionernhip After he had told me something of his career, asked MT. saltzgaber to relate some of his war stories,
 'T haven't done much fighting since '65.'' he said 1aughingly. .some of the boys like to talk over the old days constantly. but I have had too busy life, and consequently have experiences" But when got him started, he related many. thrilling l adventures of the war. Some time will relate some of these adventures in my letters.
 MT. Sa1tzgaber was the youngest of six brothers whom his patriotic pa rents sent out with the Union army. Four of them, including the new com
 missioner, were wounded; but all re- turned alive at the end of the war. The preliminaries of the war made a pow erful impression on the youthful mind
 of young Gaylord. The fall of Fort Sumter burned into his souI..f There was the call for volunteers. Gaylord disappeared from home. The next day his mother received a letter from him saying that he had enlisted in the Third Ohio Cavalry. This was in sep- l had celebrated his 18th birthday the preceding March. but, he was big for his age, he could ride a horse, and the recruiting officer accepted h4c. The mother was nearly crushed by the occurrence. But she bravely did
 the best thing she could do. she sent three of Gaylord's older brothers. Samuel, Thomas and William, to en- list in the same regiment and com pany, if possible, to look after her baby. The two other brothers had already enlisted in other regiments, and this left the parents alone. All through the war the boys watched out for each other, and all
 came back to the rejoicing parents in Ohio. At the end of three years Gay-l
 lord had had enough of war, and
 planned to be mustered out at the end 1 of his enlistment. But at Pulaski,
 Tenn, Capt. Culver of his regiment | made speech urging the soldiers to
 re-enlist to help preserve the Union;
 and Gaylord saItzgaber, then only IS years old but a veteran soldier. gave up his dreams of home and signed to fight until the end of the war. He
 was mustered out with his regiment i in August, 1865.
 Among the battles and campaigns