The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-12-03
EVERY PART OF THE UNION 10
FINELY REPRESENTED IN
THE ARMY AND NAVY.
MEN OF SOUTH CONSPICUOUS
Chance Has Given Some Of Them OPP
portunity to See First Service In
This Great War az High Ranking
Officers.
By EDWARD 3. CLARK.

war while actually serving on a man.
of-war was Osmond X. Ingram, a Ia
tive of Alabama, an entrant into the
service from that state. Some one
se~mi-jocosely has said that this Is an
Alabama war.
1t simply has happened that three
high ranking officers of the United
States army are from the state of Ala
bama. One Of them Is Maj. Gen. VIII
liam G. Gorgas, who is the surgeon
general of the United States armies;
the second is Maj. Gen. William l..
Sibert, commanding Uncle Sans first
division in the field In France. and the
third Is Maj. Gen. Frank Mcintyre,
acting at present as chief military
censor for the government with the
promise soon of active field service In
France. General Mcintyre Is also
chief Of the bureau of insular affairs.
Every part of the Union is finely
represented In the armed forces of the
United States. The same spirit ami
mates officers from whatever part of
the country they come. 1t has beer an
accident of the service more than any
thing else, probably, which has given
some Southern officers the opportunity
to see first service and to carry
through" but the fact remains.
The adjutant general of the United
States army. Maj. Gen. Henry p. Me-
Cain. whose work perhaps at present
Is the most burdensome of all the staff
services, Is a M~ississipplan. Gorgas,
Sibert. McIntyre and Mccain rose In
the service to the point where chief
commands were certain to be their lot
when var broke out, under Republican
administrations. There has been no
politics or sectionallsm In the promo
ton of these men, nor In their selection
for high service. II was q Republican
president who sent Gorgas and Sibert
to Panama, where they made their
great fame. and 1t was a Republican
president also who put Mcintyre where
he Is.
Good Work by Southerners.
Let a Northerner write something In
appreciation Of the service Of the men
from the South. Equally with the men
from the North, West and East, their
hearts seem to be In this fight. AS has
been said, the first sailor killed In
this conflict while actually serving on
an American man-of-war was a South
erner. In the Spanish var the only
American navy oficer who lost his life
In battle also was a Southerner, Ensign
Worth Bagley. Bagley. by the way,
was a brother-in-law Of Josephus Dan
iels, now secretary Of the navy.
In the Spanish war and In the in
~surrection In the Philippines which fol-
lowed II the list Of officers killed and
wounded included Z large share OF
Southern names. 1t was Capt. Marion
B. Saffold. an ALBANIAN and q West
Pointer. who was killed while leading
4 detachment Of his regiment In the
charge at the battle Of Novoleta, Phil
ippine Islands.
II was Victor Blue, now a captain In
the navy, a North CArolinan, who
dared the fate that overlook Nathan
Hale of Connecticut In the Revolution
airy war by traversing with a single
companion the Island Of Porto Rico
subsequently to report to the American
authorities on the disposition of the
Spanish defenses In the island.
1t was Andrew s. Rowan. a Virgin
Ian and a West Pointer, who dared
death In a similar way by piercing te
the heart Of Cuba, carrying "the mes
sage to Garcia" before any Other
American soldier had set foot on the
islands soil.
Same Spirit IN All Sections.
Brig. Gen. George b. Duncan, thu
inrst American regular to be given
Cross Of War by the French govern
ment for conspicuous courage In thu
field, is a K~entucklan. A Southern
captain of regulars, because Of his rec
ord, was picked by a general staff com
posed largely of Northerners to com
mand q regiment Of National Guards
men in the field in France. His nam,
is william p. Screws and he Is now OF
duty with the Rainbow division OF
Long Island, which "in good time and
soon" probably Will sail for France.
No one must understand from wha'
Il said in Washington concerning thu
willingness Of the Southern soldiers t
do their duty and something more
that the same spirit does not animals
the Northern officers. What Is true o
one is true Of the other, but 1t Is some
thing to be able as a N0rtherner t
nay q tribute to the unmistakable spiri
cf loyalty to service and loyalty Il
country which is being shown daily b,
the men Of the South who are follow
ing the flag on land and on SEE
When the oficial record of heroi
deeds Of individual soldiers and sailor
cf the United States Is read 1t Is f0un'
that heroism knows no section. tn
medals Of honor which have bee
granted by congress for conspicuou
personal gallantry In the field hav
rome about equally, In proportion :
numbers. to North, South, East an
West. American heroism knows n
ntnte. country, city, township q ham
- Il abtdos = ~