Evening star., 1925-05-16
Continued from First Page.


told.
Would Lead or Bust"
When the latter entered the sick
chamber. however, he found Gen.
Miles already partially dressed and
lead the parade "or bust" Anxiously
demonstrating, the younger pleaded
that it would kill the veteran
warrior. But Gen. Miles looked him
straight in the eye. drew himself up
to rigid military attention and re-
piled: Young man, you don't know
me. Why, twice I was 'mortally
wounded in the Civil War, yet here
am. You may expect me to be on
hand the day of the parade"
With that Cen Miles summarily
dismissed his chief of staff. 1t is said
that the grizzled veteran was only
prevented from carrying out his deter
mination by friends and relatives
hiding all of his clothes. AS a result
he could find no outer garments in
which to make his appearance. That
episode, however, proved that the
passing years had robbed Gen. Miles
of none of the dogged determination
of character that had marked his
entire career. and stamped him as a
soldier of outstanding ability.
Scored Bolshevism.
Gen. Miles was ever mindful of new
dangers that arose to confront Amer
lea. Just one week before his death.
in an address before the District of
Columbia Chapter of American War
Mothers. he uttered a plea for de-
fense against the menace of Bolshe-
vism, but in the same breath declared
that he could trust the mothers of the
boys and men who had brayely died
on the battlefields of the past to rise
up and send out again an army of
loyal manhood to thrust back this new
enemy if the occasion should arise.
Your lives have inspired true pa
triotism," Gen. Miles told the War
Mothers Your lives have inspired
noble ambition and exalted character
in the hearts and minds of the brave
and the true. You have encouraged
the purest and best principles that
can actuate the human heart: you
have won for yourselves the highest
honors for the patriotism you have
promoted, our safeguard and our
glory. / salute you"
Perhaps no figure, not even that of
the newly elected Vice President,
whom the throngs had come to see,
excited so much enthusiastic recogni-
ton as that of Gen Miles when he
appeared at the charity inaugural
ball last March 1t was nearly mid
night when the old soldier stepped
into the Vice Presidents box.
Dancers ceased their rhythmic steps
and even the noise Of the orchestra
was drowned as Gen. Dawes walked
up to the railing with his arm
around the broad shoulders of Gen.
Miles. For several minutes every
one in the room stood, cheering and
applauding.
Subdued Savages.
One bv one Gen. Miles had subdued
the hostile Indian Eations. including
the followers of Sitting Bull. Crazy
Horse, Chief Joseph and Natchez, and
finally the surrender of Geronimo
opened up at last the passes to the
land beyond the Rocky Mountains for
the expansion of civilization to the
shores of the Pacific.
During the inaugural ceremonies OF
President Roosevelt Gen. Miles and
Geronimo met once more and rode
in the inaugural parade together.
With the bitter campaigns of the past
forgotten, they met as old friends.
In the Civil War, though wounded
four times, Nelson A. Miles was one
of the outstanding figures, the boy
1t was his division that
was being engaged by Stonewall
Jackson at the time the Confederate
general was mortally wounded by his
own troops. Although once felled by
a bullet that was then believed to
have struck mortal blow. he refused
to leave the field and directed his men
until the tide turned. The story of
that fight, and others of the same
war. is best told by a writer of the
period, who, in an article in The Star,
said:
Story of the Fight.
cit required some grim soldiery
and hard fighting to destroy the army
of Northern Virginia, and they were
no carpet knights who fought from
first Bull Run to Appomattox The
Union was sternly resolved to pay the
nrice. however great, and men like
Nelson A. Miles supplied the where
with No other soldier of that war
ma rticipated in more bloody battles
than he. and many and grievous were
the wounds that testify to his duty
done. He was young and veteran.
Grant, Mcclellan, Burnside, Hooker,
Meade, Hancock, Sumner, Howard,
Couch, Kearney. Richardson, Cald'
we'll and Barlow are some of his su-
periors who praised his conduct ana
urged his promotion.
"He was at Yorktown, Williamsburg.
Seven Pines, Fair Oaks, Peach
Orchard. Savage Station, White Oak
swamp, Nelson's Farm, Malvern Hill,
Antietam, Smokers Gap, Fredericks-
burg. Charlottesville, Bristow Sta
tion' Auburn Hill, Mine Run, the
Wilderness, Pc River, Spottsylvania,
North Ann, Cold Harbor,
petersburg Mine, Reams Station,
Hatcher's Run, Five Forks. Suther-
land Station, Amelia Springs, Sailors
creek. High Bridge, Farmville and
Annomattox. His division was the
advance from Richmond to Appomat-
tax He belonged to the glorious
second Corps, commanded by Han
cock. and it was the tenth legion of
the Army. There was q while that
Miles was in command of 1t, though
only a brigadier general of volunteers,
and he a young man Of but 25. The
corps then numbered more than 1000
effectives for each of the years of his
age. 1t simply rained brevets. He
was four times wounded-Fair Oaks,
charlottesville and
Petersburg.
I'VE can only speculate as to what
would have been had Stonewall Jack
son not been wounded at ChancellorS