Year: 1872




There may have been greater Generals,
greater in mental endowments, greater in
the power to organize and effectively
handle great armies but in the late war
OF the rebellion, there was no officer who
combined the attributes of a true man
with the qualities Of brave General, in a
greater degree than did the gallant COM
mander of the old 9th Army corps, Gen
eral Ambrose f. Burnside The contest
ed bridge at Antietam gave proof Of his
bravery; the siege Of Knoxville, of his
| firmness and powers of endurance; and
we need only remember the alacrity with
which he obeyed his superiors, whether it
| was to take command of the Army of the
Potomac. or lead his invincible 9th corps
across the country to the assistance of
Grant at Vicksburg, to understand his pat.
riotic devotion to the cause of his country.
But the little story OF him which am
about to relate, gave proof of qualities far
superior to any if these-of kind and
sympathetic nature, which did not for
get, as was too often the case, that the COM
mon soldier was his brother, and that
sometimes it was better to cut red tape
| and save soldiers life than to let him
die by an unfeeling adherence to army
rules and regulations. This was the
secret Of his great popularity with the
men in his command, a popularity
which did not end with the war. for
the soldiers who fought under him will
not forget his kind and fatherly care to the
latest period of their lives. But to my
story. We were at Spotsylvania Court
House. the day following the terrible bat
tie of the 18th of May. Both armies, ex-
hausted by the fierce and sanguinary con-
flict of that day, were resting upon their
arms, portions of our army being under
marching orders for another flank move
ment. The command to which belonged
had had its share Of the fight and still in
position were enjoying the much needed
rest. My brother had been with the 9th
Corps at the siege of Knoxville and in the
long march and attack at Jacksonville,
Miss, then back to Annapolis to prepare
for the last grand campaign. Worn out
| ing upon a slender constitution, he was
sent to the hospital. He was not allowed
to remain in the hospital long and in less
than two weeks had been sent to GONZALES
cent camp, and from there to the front.
He arrived on the day of the battle before
spoken of and reported to the surgeon of
his regiment.


This surgeon had been promoted from
hospital steward, his only knowledge of
medicine having been gained in the army,
and was one of the most contemplate of
that contemplate class of officers with
which our army was cursed. Without
medical knowledge or skill, inflated by
his undeserved promotion, his federation
in the army was mere burlesque, and he
cared no more for the lives of the soldiers
than he did for those of dumb animals.
This surgeon ordered my brother to his
company, still suffering from the malarious
disease caught in the Mississippi swamps,
hardly able to drag his weary body along.
While we were enjoying the brief rest.
before mentioned, he succeeded in finding
me- hardly knew what to do. We were
already under orders to march to the left.
For him to march, in his present cOndi-
tion, was entirely out of the question, and
to be left behind was only to die of expos
ure or be taken prisoner and carried to
Richmond, where death, in his case, was
Just as certain. Iwould not 60 to his sur
geon, for / had seen enough of his
impudence and heartlessness on an
other occasion. There was no time to
spare, so l resolved on trying the only
expedient which seemed to promise suc-
cess, that of going to Corps headquarters.
Solicitude for my brother gave me courage
and taking him by the hand, l passed
down to the Generals tent, which was
only short distance off. l came in sight
of the tent Just as the General was leaving
it with bowl of soup, in his hand, going
into the open air to partake Of his frugal
meal before commencing the contemplate
ed flank movement, his horse being sad
died ready for him to mount. He seated
himself on a log and commenced to cool
and sup his soup. Not desiring to intrude
upon him at this time, stopped at little
distance off and waited for him to get
through with his dinner. He soon discov-
cred me and beckoned me forward. Trem-
bling with anxiety, approached, when
he at once disarmed me of all my fears, by
asking me, in pleasant and familiar voice,
"what he could do for me-" briefly made
known the condition of my brother, when
with face covered all over with sympa-
thy he said: sit needed no surgeon to see
that he was unfit for duty" Calling an aid
he gave orders for an ambulance to be
provided to take my brother to Fredericks-
burg, then in our possession and the head
quarters of our army hospitals.


did not see him again until the war
was over. but he recovered and is yet
alive. That his life was saved by the
kindness of his commanding general,
have never doubted. A rigid observance
of army rules and regulations by which
many Of our general officers would have
governed themselves in this case, would
have sent him back to his regiment and to
the tender mercies of its surgeon, when
he would have fallen out by the way and
persisted, or what would have been worse,
fallen into the hands of the enemy. Gen.
Burnside has doubtless long since forgot
ten the little incident, but there are two at
least, who have not forgotten it and from
that day have never ceased to thank him.