Seward daily gateway., 1925-05-15

lieutenant of volunteers to that of major General, and was commanding an entire army division of 25,OOO men.
 General Miles, who at the peak of his military career was Commanding General of the army, was one of the few high ranking officers of the regular establishment to attain his position without West Point train ing, and also enjoyed the distinc. ton of being among the still smal, Ter group to be honored with the rank of Lieutenant General.
 From clerical position in Bos. ton business house, he entered the army at the age of 22; participated in more than 30 of the severest en- agreements of the Civil War; was four times at the point of death from wounds, and emerged from the great struggle the possessor of many envl able citations for bravery and dis tinuished service. Continuing in the army, he fought and persued Indians on the Great Plains for more than 20 years; led the army of occupation into Porto Rico during the Spanish American war, and although long retired when the United States en tered the World War, he was ready and eager to participate once again in the service to which his life had been devoted.
 It was the saddest disappointment of a long and adventurous career when, despite his best efforts, Gen eral Miles was not recalled to ac tive service in 1917. He had beer retired in 1903 upon reaching the age limit, but when the United States entered the European war, he asked to be sent to Siberia with the Amer ican troops. It was decided. how ever, that an exception could not b. made in his case, hence his last mil itary service was in 1916, when h' presided over the Medal of Homo Board which reviewed the list of of ficers and men who had been hon ored by the nation with that decora tion.
 General Miles received his frs military training at the hands of former officer of the Fernch arm, who eked out a livelihood in Bos 1 ton by teaching number of youn' men the tactics employed by tn French army. It was quite natura that his ambitions should enter ol
 the army, for he sprang from a lon
 line of fighting colonists on the pa ternal side. The family traced it
 ancestry back to the Rev. Johl
 Myles, fighting parson," who, upol
 the outbreak of King Phillips War l in 1875, girded on his sword and le' the Colonists against the Indians Captain Myles's home was fortified by the pioneers, and from there h. led many subsequent forays agains the red men.
 Daniel Miles and Joab Miles, great grandfather and grandfather respectively, of General Nelson A Miles, fought in the Revolutionar, War, and were "in at the death when Yorktown fell. His father Daniel, also was fighter.
 The elder Daniel Miles at on time possessed a large landed for tune, which he had built up througl long years of unremitting toll. Jus as the country was settling back at ter the War of Independence, Danie Miles was one of those who repos ed enough confidence in the govern 1 ment he had aided in establishing l to convert his farms and treasur into Colonial currency. There wa great wave of counterfeiting sweeI l ing the land at that time, however
 and hardly had the Miles forum been counted out in paper none
 when the government suddenly re
 pudiated the entire issue, and tn
 family, along with others, was redut
 ed almost to poverty.
 Young Nelson himself was fgh
 CT and Indian vanQuisher from hi
 earliest youth. While at school h
 was never so happy as when leadin
 his comrades against imaginary ''Ir
 dians," who were always uppermos
 in the young soldiers mind. Hi
 elder brother, Daniel, who taught hir
 in school, used this military predi
 ection to calm theboy's prankish mo
 ments. He was sore pressed to di:
 cipline Nelson until he used militar
 terms. Being kept after school 0 1 thrashed had little effect. but Whe