The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-10-31

quote General Scott, Shields con-
centrated the division about hamlet
and determined the attack in front.
The battle was long, hot and varied:
but ultimately success crowned the
zeal and gallantry of our troops ably
directed by their distinguished COM
mander, General Shields" At Chapul-
tepec, his horse was killed under him:
Shields fought on foot, bareheaded, in
shirt sleeves, leading his brigade,
sword in hand. Yet another wound,
but no cessation of rush and combat.
Shields command led the van into the
city of Mexico and first planted the
Stars and Stripes on the walls of the
| Belen Gate. - a.asa.
Came the great war-the war for
the salvation of the Union. Shields,
| a resident of California, bounded
across the continent, joyous to be
again soldier. He was commissioned
brigadier and assigned to the ShenaR-
| doah Valley. At Winchester he met
| Stonewall Jackson, fated there to meet
under the blow of our own hero his
only defeat. Shields again was
wounded; much of the engagement he
directed from his blood-stained cot in
the rear of his command: Colonel
Kimball who led the final charge re-
ported, after the victory, that in all
details he carried out the plans and
directions of his leader. Shields divi-
sion alone had confronted Jackson's
much larger army, and had won the
victory. If later at Fort Republic,
severe defeat, it was because orders
given by General Shields to burn the
bridge across Aqua Creek, for some
unexplained reason, had not been
obeyed This the testimony of Gem
eral Oates, an officer under Stonewall
Jackson, speaking at the unwilling of
the Shields statue in the Capitol at
Washington: Had General Shields
orders been obeyed, there was no es-
cape for Jackson" The orders
obeyed, the bridge burnt, one of the
most decisive victories of the war
should have been gained by General
| Shields.
General Shields resigned from the
army March %, 1863 | take his act
to have been mistake. He and the
Secretary of War, Mr.. Stanton, were
not in accord. Shields should have
borne with patience Mr.. Stanton's dis
pleasure and gone forward in spite of
temporary opposition, gone whittier
his merits babe him go, forward to
greater victories and higher rewards
It was a mistake of his Celtic tempera-
ment, to which we must grant in
diligence, in view of the deeds of
glory, of which elsewhere it was the
generous prOmpter.
General Shields is the soldier of
three wars. He barely missed being
the soldier of four wars. While a
resident of Minnesota he heard of an
Indian outbreak near the Southern
border line of the State. Quickly his
appeal echoed through Faribault and
Shieldsville: troup of his Irish
colonists rallied around him, with
whatever arms they could gather to-
gether. Soon General Shields and his
| braves were on the field of strife, but,
alas, for his expectation of fourth
war, peace had already been pro-
claimed.
So, when building a monument to
James Shields, we have built it to the
soldier, General Shields. Have you
done we'll, Companions Of the Loyal
Legion, Comrades of the Grand Army
of the Republic, in setting up before
the eyes of present and future genera
tons, in Minnesota's Hall of Fame,
the man who rushed to war, in defence
Of country'S rights, and country's
honor? Most decidedly so. Peace is
the ideal condition of human society:
all things, even war itself, must tend
to peace. But God avert from America
the ruin of it's commonwealth, the
plumber of it's territory, the dishonor
to it's flag from which war alone could
have wrested it. Rather war, hun
dred times, than evils such as those.
Never do we know when menace may
be nigh: never, consequently, must
Americas sons be void of the martial
spirit, which bids America ever be
free, ever secure, ever honored and
respected The names of our military
heroes are safeguards of patriotism
their memories perennial founts of its
life and vigor.