The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-08-16
uTTLEST HERO
OF CIVIL WAR
LEAVES RANKS
Drummer Boy Of C hickamau-
ga, After As Years Ser
vice, Full Of Adventure,
Becomes Civilian.
IN ARMY AT Is YEARS
After War Fights Mexican
Bandits and Leads Soldiers
Across Rio Grande to
Avenge Insult.

ACIOSS ItlO UT8nQe u
Avenge Insult.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1s.-rhe I'll,
TEST hero Of the Civil war; has retiret
from active army service, and thi,
action seevred the last link between
the Union Army Of Civil war days ant
the United States army OF today.
On Friday, August Is, Col. John Lon
coin Glenn terminated an active mill
tary service Of more than 45 years, be
gan ~ "the drummer boy of Chicka
mauga," when IL years old. Col Glen
has been for the last two years con
nected with the office Of the Quar-
termaster Generals Department here
at Washington. He was entitled to
retirement Is years ago-had he want
ed to, but Col. Glenn felt too young
and stayed on.
Nor does he feel too old now for en-
gaging In business, 50 that when q
propitious time arrived, in conjunc.
ton with q combination of the calen
dar that also existed when his advent
on earth was made. Col. Glenn reached
sixty-fourth birthday anniversary. He
will be given the rank Brigadier Gen
eral, long step from the title ser.
geant. first conferred upon him for
signal bravery shown in battle.
To Work For Son.
Col. Glenn has a son John Lincoln
Glen, Jr.. a partner in the Studebaker
automobile agency at San Antonio,
Tex. To him the colonel one day re-
Gently addressed formal application
for employment as salesman, asking
the favor OF an early decision. Down
at the bottom Of the letter he wrote:
II am yet just az good man as you
are, son, and can do just as much
hard work in one day as you can, If
am little old" Needless to say, the
colonel from the display Of confidence
in his ability as an automobile sales
man, received a prompt and favorable
answer So he Is going to enter an en-
tirely different line from his LIES
work.
There are great many incidents con.
nected with Col. Clem's life which
form the theme for splendid story.
One OF these concerns an invasion OF
Mexico, shortly after he entered the
regular army as q second lieutenant.
Glenn was In charge OF squad charg.
ed with apprehending cattle thieves.
Trailed for five days the band finally
escaped across the Rio Grande, where
they stood making sinister motions
with thumbs and fingers. Unable to
Withstand the insults Glenn ordered
his soldiers to cross the boundry line
and in an engagement the desperadoes
were killed to the last man. For his
action the lieutenant was officially
reprimanded; told his conduct was
unbecoming an officer of the United
States army; that he had been guilty
Of tremendous lack Of judgment In vio-
lating neutrality laws, an act which
might result In serious complications,
q repetition being threatened with Sc
we're consequences. The communica-
ton was officially signed in ink, but
underneath was the pencil inscription:
Good boy, Johnny, do it again"
Recalls Fraternai Spirit.
A newspaper correspondent asked
Colonel Glen on the occasion OF the
last memorial day, what memory was
uppermost in his mind that date. And
the famous old soldier, who, at the age
Of IL years, was the twice-wounded
veteran of one Of the greatest cam
paigns of history, did not reply with a
tale Of sanguinary adventure.
my memory pictures today what
my kid eyes saw fifty.one years ago
today" he said gently, "a soldier in
blue and a soldier in gray. shaking
hands like two loving comrades be-
tween the trenches, swapping tobacco
and coffee. In the morning they were
to stab each other brutality with bayo-
nets in a fierce hand-to-hand fight for
those very trenches. Yet what I like
to think Of first on memorial day is
not the bloody fight, but that tender
scene preceding it, which showed me
that after all, man to man, we soldiers
Of the north and of the south were
friends and brothers always. We of the
north hated that which they fought
for, but we did not hate them person
ally, nor they US.
And that is the most hallowed of
my memories on this memorial day,
for it brings back the thought that we
who fought to kill each other were re-
ally never enemies. 1t was a war OF
cannon against fortress, OF rifle against
trench. but never Of man against his
brother man.
1T is the great tragedy Of those
bloody deaths we brought each other,
but not because OF hatred for each
other, out IOr the sake OF principle,
that we must think Of on this sacred
memorial day
Runs Away From Home.
Johnny Glenn ran away from his
home in Newark. O., when he was ten
years old and attached himself to the
Twenty-second Michigan regiment.
The officers tried to chase him away,
but the soldiers made him a pet and
mascot, and finally in May. 1862, the
colonel enlisted him.
He was the hero Of brilliant scene |
at Chickamauga, performed right I'M
der the eyes of his Union comrades. !
who were falling back rapidly. John
ny's poor little legs were weary. and |
30 he Jagged behind, a Confederate
colonel galloped up to him. "Surren-
der, you damned little Yankee DEVIL"
he cried.
Weak and tired though he was. his
nerves never quivered. He pulled up |
his heavy musket-he had abandoned
ais drum--and fired. The colonel fell
aeadlong from his horse, and volley
II bullets from the men behind him
aimed over Johnny Glen. Johnny's
comrades on the hill saw their heroic
little soldier boy fall face downward.
rbo haff1e "a god four hnurS after that |