„. * !'»; k If <}\ ;•!» '.^ 1 9*2.7.3 G,4S 1 in the ®ita of ilcnr HuvU N- ^ POPULAR ^A^ORKS OF l^aptatn Itllaral ilad^ii, The Soldier- Author. I. Soldiers of the Saddle, II. Capture, Prison-Pen, and Escape. III. Battles for the Union. IV. Heroes of Three Wars. V. Peculiarities of American Cities. Captain Glazier's works are growing more and more popular every day. Their delineations of military life, constantly varying scenes, and deeply interesting stories, combine to place their writer iu the front rank of Amer- ican anthorri. SOLD ONLY BY SUBSCRIPTION. PERSONS DESIRING AGENCIES FOR ANY OF CAPTAIN GLAZIER'S BOOKS SHOULD ADDRESS THE JP-U-BHiISKEIi-S. J J J COMPRISING A Series of Biographical. Sketches of the most Distinguished Soldiers of the "War of the Revolution, the "War with Mexico, and the AiVar for the Union, who have contributed by their valor to establish and perpetuate the Republic of the United States, CAPTAIN , WILL AED GLAZIEE, AUTHOR OF "SOLDIERS OF THE SADDLE," "CAPTURE, PRiSON-PtN AND ESCAPE," "BATTLES FOR THE UNION," " PECULIARITIES OF AMERICAN CITIES," ETC.. CTO. %l\ntuM. PHILADELPHIA : HUBBARD BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS. 733 SANSOM STREET. 1880. ^ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by WILLARD GLAZIER, ^ » In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. » m TO General William Tecumseh Sherman, HERO OF THREE WARS, W^HOSE Grandest Campaign, his March Through Georgia, and the Caroukas, OPENED AN Avenue of Escape for Thousands of Captives in Rebel Stockades, and among them the Author, who in Admiration OP A Valiant Soldier, and in Gratitude to the Strong Arm that led the Boys in Blue from Atlanta TO the Sea, Dedicates 5ll]is Doluine As a Tribute to his Genius and Patriotism. WILLABD GLAZIER. :T.R8B Preface. If the genius and valor of Washington and his com- patriots gave us a Republic, the hero of Chippewa nM less nobly accomplished the second conquest of Mt^xico. General Scott and his invincible army, the heroes of Monterey, Cerro Gordo, Palo Alto and Buena Vista, displayed all the best qualities of commanders and soldiers. Sieges were conducted and cities cap- tured which were considered impregnable, with a force apparently inadequate for a forlorn hope. They fought pitched battles and won them, opposing fresh recruits to veteran troops. They accomj^lished marches over routes before considered utterly impassable ; captured fortresses bristling with cannon by means of the rifle and bayonet, and planted the Star Spangled Banner upon the proud "Halls of Montezuma." In the great war for the preservation of the Union, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Meade, and the grand galaxy of brave hearts that rallied around their standards, gloriously vindicated the cause of freedom on the battle-fields of the Rebellion. Washington, Scott and Grant are names that will live forever in our history ; not because they were the subjects of a blind adulation, but because their worth was properly estimated, and their deeds truthfully re- corded. The time for deifying men has long since passed; we prefer to see them as they are — though great, still human, and surrounded with human infirm- (7) / 8 PREFACE. ities; worthy of immortal renown, not because they are unlike us, but because they excel us and have per- formed a work which entitles them to the lasting gratitude of their countrymen. Another object of this book is to group around these three generals those officers and men who climbed to immortality by their side, shared their fortunes, helped to win their victories, and remained with them to the end. Many brave and worthy officers and soldiers might be added to the list I have selected, but the introduc- tion of every meritorious soldier would make the work too cumbersome for my purpose, unless the biographies were reduced to mere encyclopaedia articles. Much pains has been taken to have these sketches complete without being heavy, to give the leading qualities, peculiar traits and distinguishing character- istics of the subjects presented. Biographies possess but little value unless they give living portraits, so that each man stands out clear and distinct in his true character and proportions. A care- ful study of the wars herein discussed leads me to feel that I can place my effort before the public without the fear of being charged with egotism. Whatever the verdict ma}^ be, the gallant heroes embraced in these pages " deserve well of their country," and richly merit all the honor they have so nobly won. WILLARD GLAZIER. Philadelphu, June 24th, 1878. Contents. CHAPTEK I. GEORGE WASHINGTON. Ancestral Lines. — Saxon Origin of Name. — Family Coat of Arras. — Emigration to Virginia. — Birth and Childhood. — School Life. — ■ The Young Surveyor. — Commissioned Major. — A Six-PIundred- ]\Iile Journey. — Battle at Fort Necessity. — Braddock's Defeat and Death. — Falling in Love. — Marriage with the Widow Custis. — Opening Scenes in the Revolution. — Appointed Commander in- Chief. — Meeting the Army at Cambridge. — The Declaration. — The Long, Long War. — Retreat Through the Jerseys. — Crossing the Delaware. — Battle of Princeton. — Monmouth. — Close of the Revo- lution. — Farewell to Companions-in-Arms. — As President of the United States 21 CHAPTER II. JOSEPH WAKREN. Birthplace of Warren. — School Days. — Graduation at Harvard. — Studying Medicine. — Warren as a Physician. — The " Sons of Liberty." — Warren's Activity in Politics. — Boston Massacre. — Oration at the Old South Church. — Liberty's Advocate. — The Tea Party. — Faneuil Hall Meeting. — Fourth Anniversary of Bos- ton Massacre. — Second Oration. — Fears of Assassination. — The Crisis Met. — Paul Revere's Ride. — Warren's Presentiment. — Battle of Bunker Hill.— Death of Warren.— *"Tis Sweet for One's Country to Die." — Honors to his Memory. — Bunker Hill Monument 43 CHAPTER III. NATHANIEL GREENE. Birthplace and Ancestry. — Work at the Plough and the Anvil. — Studying Euclid over the Forge. — Education under Disadvantages. — Lindley Murray and Dr. Styles. — Love of the Dance. — Ingenious Shingle Device.— Marriage.— On the Road to Lexington.— Made a (ix) CONTENTS. Major-General. — Expelled from the Quakers. — Sick in Camp. — At Trenton. — The Brandy wine. — Greene's Bravery. — Germantown. — Tlie Fight through t'he Fog. — Valley Forge and Monmouth. — The Army of the South. — The Long Chase of Cornwallis. — Siege of Ninety-six. — Retirement 54 CIIAPTEE IV. LAFAYETTE. Noble Lineage of the Marquis. — Early Surroundings. — A Member of the King's Regiment. — Commissioned at Fifteen. — Marriage. — The Dinner at Metz. — Noble Resolve. — Preparations to Sail for America. — Obstacles Everywhere. — Voyage of the " Victory." — Arrival. — Home of Benjamin Huger. — Journey to Philadelphia. — Fighting for Liberty. — Battle of Brandywine. — Services in the Revolution. — Arnold and Lafayette. — Return to France. — Visit to the United States. — Terrors of tlie French Revolution. — Flight and Imprisonment. — The Magdeburg Dungeon. — Liberated by Napoleon. — Visit to the United States in 1824. — Joyful Welcome. — The Citizen King of the French. — Last Days of Lafayette. 61 CHAPTER V. ISRAEL PUTNAM. Ancestry of Putnam. — Boyhood Days. — Marriage. — Removal to Pomfret. — Adventure with the Wolf. — Seven Years' War. — Put- nam in Command of a Company. — Adventures along the Hudson. — Surprised by Indians. — Down the Rapids. — Indian Superstition. — Putnam at the Stake. — The Rescue. — The Guns of Lexington. ■ — The Plow Exchanged for the Sword. — Murray Hill and the Quakeress. — Putnam's Rapid Rise in the Army. — Ruse at Prince-* ton. — Escape at Horseneck. — Paralysis. — The Last of Earth.— Eulogiums 74 CHAPTER VI. ETHAN ALLEN. Birthplace of Allen. — The New Hampshire Grants. — The Green Mountain Boys. — Ethan Allen a Leader. — Price on his Head. — Allen's Fearlessness. — The Revolution. — Capture of Ticonderoga. — Benedict Arnold's Part in the Affair. — Allen in Canada. — The Army of Invasion. — Plans for the Capture of Montreal. — The Fatal Snare. — Allen a Prisoner. — Brutal Treatment by British Officers. — In Falmouth, England. — The Gentlemen of Cork. — Exchanged. — Liberty and the Green Mountains Once More. — Joyful Welcome. — Allen Again Fightiqg the Battles of Young Vermont. — Review of his Character 87 CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER VII. FRANCIS MARION. The Ruguenot Blood of Marion. — Boyhood Days. — Early Adven- tures. — The Shipwreck. — Battle with Cherokee Indians. — Marion Leads the Forlorn Hope. — The Bloody Pass. — He Leaves Con- gress for the Army. — Fame of Marion's Men. — Battle around Savannah. — The Williamsburg Band. — Marion's Brigade. — The Camp in the Swamp. — Successful Surprises. — The Dinner in the Woods. — Tarleton and the Swamp-Fox. — Song of Marion's Men. — Fighting for Liberty without Clothes or Food. — Marriage. — Closing Scenes 106 CHAPTER VIII. JOHN PAUL JONES. The Sailor-Boy of Solway Frith. — Ancestry. — Boyish Pursuits. — His First Voyage. — Rapid Rise in the Marine Service. — In Virginia. — America his Adopted Country. — Created an Officer of the United States. — Adventures on the Sea. — The Terror of the Eng- lish. — Action of the "Bon Homme Richard" and "Serapis." — Glorious Generalship. — Surrender of the English Ship. — Fame of the Chevalier Paul Jones. — The Gold Sword and the Cross of Merit. — American Prisoners Liberated.— «A.t the Courts of Den- mark and Russia. — Last Days of the Hero 118 CHAPTER IX. THADDEUS KOSCIUSZKO. Early History of Kosciuszko. — Education in the Art of War. — An Affair of the Heart. — Exile. — Position on Washington's Stafi". — Siege of Ninety-Six, — Service in Poland. — Dictator and General- issimo. — Battle of Raczlawice. — Victory Followed by Defeat. — ■ Decisive Battle of Maciejowice. — Overwhelmed by Superior Numbers. — "Finis. Polonjie!" — Imprisonment. — Freedom Re- gained. — Retirement at Foniainebleau. — The Fall from the Preci- pice. — Closing Scenes 140 CHAPTER X. HUGH MERCER. The Moors of Culloden. — The Assistant-Surgeon of the Highland Army. — Emigration to Pennsylvania. — Indian Wars. — Wounded and Alone. — Outbreak of the Revolution. — The Fredericksburg Home. — Farewells. — Days of '76. — First Campaign. — A Gloomy Time. — Influence of Washington. — Across the Delaware. — Affairs in Philadelphia. — Putnam's Order. — Hasty Adjournment of Con- gress. — Change of Policy. — Attack on Trenton. — Victory. — The Night March on Princeton, — Desperate Fighting. — Ten to One. — Mercer Mortally Wounded. — The Farm-House Scene. — Last Moments. — Victory and Death 145 Xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. ANTHONY WAYNE. Birth and Ancestry. — Youthful Bent Towards Military Studies.— Marriage. — Beginning of Public Life.— In the Legislature. — Commissioned as Colonel. — Expedition to Canada. — At Brandy- wine. — Engagement of Germantown. — Service at Valley Forge. — Monmouth.— Storming of Stony Point.— Splendid Victory.— Revolt of the Pennsylvania Line. — Investment of Yorktown. — War with the Indians. — Peace Commissioner. — Death at Presque Isle. — Monument of the Cincinnati 153 CHAPTER XII. JOHN STAKK. Chivalrous Character of Stark. — Incident of Bunker Hill. — Birth- place and Early Life.— The Young Hunter.— On a Trapping Excursion. — Captured by the Indians. — On the Way to St. Fran- cis. — Running the Gauntlet. — Admiration of the Tribe for the White Hunter.— He is made a Chief.— Seven Years' War.— New Hampshire Rangers. — Battle in the Snow. — Brilliant Fighting of Stark. — Promoted. — The Guns of liCxington.-The Muster at Medford. — Advance on Trenton.— Princeton. — Re-enlistment. — Popularity of Stark. — Under a Cloud.— Defence of Vermont- Battle of Bennington.— Close of the War.— 1812.— The Warrior's Last Sleep 160 CHAPTER XIII. WINFIELD SCOTT. Lineage and Early Life. — A Captain of Artillery.— Court-Mar- tialled. — Queenstown Heights. — Tomahawks. — Fort George. — Battle of Chippewa. — Lundy's Lane. — AVounded. — Public En- thusiasm. — Through a Score of Y^ears. — War in Mexico. — Vera Cruz. — "Don't Expose Yourselves, Men ! "— Cerro Gordo. — At Puebla. — Churubusco. — Contreras. — Chapultepec. — Molino del Rey. — City of Mexico Taken. — Grand Plaza Scene. — Results. — "Hail to the Chief!" 173 CHAPTER XIV. ZACHARY TAYLOR. His Characteristics.— Duty, his Constant Watchword.— Lineage.— Early IMantation Life. — Indian Foes. — Lieutenant in the United States Armv. — At Fort Harrison. — Battle with Tecumseh.— Brevet Major.— The Florida War.— Okeechobee.— Ordered to Corpus Christi.— Palo Alto.— Resaca de la Pal ma.— Promoted to Major-General. — At Monterey. — Bloody Buena Vista. — Colonel Marshall's Opinion.— General Taylor's Dislike for a Uniform. — Ovations on his Return. — Elected President.— Stern Death. — Last Scenes. — Universal Sorrow 188 CONTENTS. ^JU CHAPTEE XV. WILLIAM JENKINS WOBTH. ^w^ ^^^.T-.^!;^ Y^^.«f,1812.-At West Point—The Seminole J ~^ Vl"^ Taylor in Mexico.— At Monterey.— Given an Inde- pendent Command.— Description of the Assault.— His General- ship.— Storming of Federacion Hill.— Conducting the Capitula- tion.— At Vera Cruz.— Perote and Puebla.— Capture of El Mohno del Key.— Storming of Chapultepec.—Bre vetted Major- ireneral. — Monument in Madison Square 203 CHAPTEE XVI. JOHN E. WOOL. War of 1812.— Wool's Volunteer Corps.— Captaincy in the Thir- teenth.— Bravery at Queenstown.— Death of General Brock.— Battle of Plattsburg.— Promoted for Gallantry.— Letter from President Madison.— Another Promotion.— Mexican War.— The March to Monclova.-Capture of Parras.-^The Mission of Mercy.-Buena Vista.-Wool Entrusted with the Details.- Birthplace-A\here he Died.-Fortress Momoe.-Hic JaceL— llie Chief s War Horse.— Military Funeral 209 CHAPTEE XVII. SAM HOUSTON. Early History.-Scotch Ancestry. -Birthplace.-School Days in the Forest-Hard Work on the Farm.-Homer's Iliad.-Off to the Woods -Among the Cherokees.-Military Service.-The Soldier under Jackson.-Battle of the Horse-Shoe.-Desperate Brayery.-Wounded.-Promotion.-Eole as a Lawyer.-Eises Eapidly to Distinction.-The Domestic Cloud.-Eeturn to the iTth^'^^r^'fZ ^° Texas -Houston as General. -Massacre of the Alamo.-Battle of San Jacinto.-The Young Eepublic and her President.-Annexation.-In the United S?ates Senate- Houston as Governor.— Last Days. 212 CHAPTEE XVIII. JAMES SHIELDS. The Land of his Nativity.-First Army Experience.-The Mexi- can War-cloud.-Promotion.-The March through Mexico.-At Cerro Gordo.-Brilliant Achievement.-Wounded unto Death - The Stormmg of Contreras.-Aid to Sraith.-A Generous Piece of Conduct.-Chapultepec.-Under a Galling Fire.-Eefuses to ^Zt 't/w^ though Wpunded.-HisEeturn to the United " Ifnn ~^P' 7^f ""^ Rebelhon.-The Spring of '62.-Defeat of btonewall Jackson.— Leaving the Army 227 Xiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. CHARLES MAY. Colonel May a Native of Washington. — Commissioned a Lieutenant by President Jackson. — Ordered to Florida. — Participates in the Capture of the Indian Chief Philip. — Opening of the Mexican War. — Joins General Taylor. — Co-operates with Captain Walker. — Famous Charge at Resaca de la Palraa. — Gallant Conduct at Buena Vista. — Returns to the United States 230 CHAPTER XX. ULYSSES S. GRANT. The Grants of the Early Scotch Monarchy. — Family Crests. — Direct Ancestry. — Boyhood. — Feats of Horsemanship. — Loading Wood. — Old " Dave " and Young Ulysses. — At West Point. — Experience in Mexican War. — Marriage. — Resigns His Com- mission. — In the Leather Business. — Beginning of Last War. — Recruiting a Company. — Battle of Belmont. — Cairo Expedition. — Fort Donelson. — Shiloh. — Vicksburg. — Chattanooga. — Mis- sionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. — Opinions of a Sachem. — The Last Campaign. — Lee's Surrender. — Elected and Re- elected President 245 CHAPTER XXI. WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN. Distinguishing Characteristic of Political Revolutions. — Birth of General Sherman.— Suddenly Left an Orphan. — Adopted by Hon. Thomas Ewing. — Sent to West Point. — Ordered to Califor- nia. — Becomes a Banker. — Is Made President of the Louisiana Military Academy. — Opposed to Secession. — Tenders his Resig- nation. — Assists in Organizing Troops for the Suppression of the Rebellion.— At Bull Run.— At Shiloh, Pittsburgh Landing, Chat- tanooga and Missionary Ridge. — Defeats Hood. — From Atlanta to the Sea. — Campaign of the Carolinas. — Receives the Surrender of Johnston. — Enthusiastic Reception at Washington. . . 263 CHAPTER XXII. PHILIP HENRY SHERIDAN. Impetuosity of Character. — A Poor Irish Boy. — At West Point. — Wild Conduct. — Graduation. — Service in Western Territories. — Captain of the Thirteenth Infantry. — Quarter-master under Hal- leck.— As a Cavalry Officer. — Battle of Booneville. — Promotion to Brigadier-General. — Murfreesboro'. — At Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. — In Pursuit of Early. — Cedar Creek. — Sheri- dan's Ride. — The Victory. — At Five Forks and Appomattox. — After the War 278 CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XXIII. GEORGE BRINTON MCCLELLAN. Birth and Education.— In the Mexican War.— Services in Surveys of Railroad Routes.— A Model Report.— Sent to the Crimea.— Superintendent of the Illinois Central. — Response to Governor Dennison.— Over the Department of the Ohio.— Virginia Cam- paigns. — In Command of the Army of the Potomac. — Movement to the Peninsula. — Siege of Yorktown. — Army Withdrawn. — McClellan's Letter.— Again in Command of the Potomac Army. — South Mountain and Antietam. — Relieved of his Command at Warrenton. — Nominated for the Presidency. — In Europe. — Gov- ernor of New J ersey 287 CHAPTER XXIV. AMBROSE EVERETT BURNSIDE. His Scotch Blood.— Graduates at West Point.— In New Mexico.— As an Inventor.— Marching to the Front.— At Bull Run.— Pro- motion.— In Command of the North Carolina Expedition.— Capture of Newbern, Fort Macon and Beaufort. — At Antietam. —Slaughter at Fredericksburg.— Tenders his Resignation.— Brilliant Capture of East Tennessee. — Before Petersburg.— Elected Governor of Rhode Island.— In Congress. ... 298 CHAPTER XXV. GEORGE HENRY THOMAS. A Second Washington. — Birth and Education. — Promotion for Bravery. — In Mexico. — Prompt Response at the Outbreak of Civil War.— The Battle of Mill Spring.— Declines to Supersede Buell. — At Murfreesboro'. — Chickamauga. — Position of Troops Under Thomas.— Their Firm Stand.— "The Rock of Chicka- mauga." — At Chattanooga. — The Atlanta Campaign. — Grant's Telegram.— Battle of Nashville. — Thanks of Congress and Gold Medal.— End of the War.— Goes to the Pacific Coast. . . 304 CHAPTER XXVI. JOSEPH HOOKER. Lookout Mountain.— The Battle Above the Clouds.— The Splendor of Victory. — The Strange Thanksgiving Day. — Taylor's Descrip- tion. — The Old Flag at the Top. — General 'Howard in Lookout Valley.— Hooker at Chattanooga.— The Peninsular Campaign.— "Fighting Joe." — Wounded. — Chief in Command.— Chancellors- ville. — The Atlanta Campaign. — Promotion of Howard. — Hooker Resigns in Consequence. — Mustered out of Service. . . . 314 xvi COI^^TENTS. CHAPTEK XXVIl. GEORGE GORDON MEADE. Ancestry.— A Fragment of Eventful History.— Birth in Spain.— At West Point.— In the Florida War.— In the Mexican War. — His Part in the Peninsular Campaign. — At Antietam.- — In Command of the Army of the Potomac. — A Kemarkable Order. — At Get- tysburg. — The Desperate Last Effort. — His Report.— Congrat- ulatory Address. — Thanks of Congress. — Advance to the Rappa- hannock. — Close Friendship between Meade and Grant. — Over the Atlantic Department. — Death in Philadelphia. . . . 326 CHAPTER XXVIII. HENRY WARNER SLOCUM. Birth and Education. — A Lawyer in Syracuse.— On the War-Path. — In the Chickahominy.— At Antietam, South Mountain and Chancellorsville.— The Field of Gettysburg.— The Repulse of EwelFs Troops. — In Tennessee. — Commanding the Vicksburg District. — The Georgia Campaign. — Marching through the Enemy's Country.— Battle of Bentonville.— A Splendid Fight- Genius of Slocum 332 CHAPTER XXIX. JAMES BIRDSEYE MCpHERSON. His Ability.— Ancestry and Early Life.— Superior Scholarship at West Point. — In New York Harbor.— On the Pacific Coast. — Sent to Boston Harbor. — Slow Promotion. — On Halleck's Staff'. — Services at Forts Henry and Donelson.— Engineering Work at Corinth. — His First Independent Command. — Vicksburg.— Grant's Endorsement.— With Sherman.— In Command of the Army of the Tennessee.— Postponement of Marriage.— March to the Sea.— Battle with Hood.— His Death.— Grant's Letter. 337 CHAPTER XXX. WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK. The Brilliant Charge at Williamsburg.— Popular Favor.— Birth and Early Training.— In the Mexican War.— The Florida Cara- paian,— Ordered to Washington.— At Antietam.— Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. — His Stand at Gettysburg. — Cemetery Hill.— Wounded.— In the Last Grant Campaign.— Battle at Ely s Ford.— Assault of Mav Twelfth.— Capture of Stuart.—" I Dechne to Take Your Hand."— In Charge of the Veteran First Corps — In the Shenandoah Valley.— Characteristics 347 CONTENTS. xvii CHAPTEK XXXI. ' JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. The Hundred Days in Missouri. — Birth and Early Life. — On Board the "Natchez." — Beginning to be an Explorer. — Marriage with Jessie Benton. — Westward Ho ! — Discoveries. — Conquest of Cali- fornia. — Across the Continent. — Senator from California. — In Command of the Western Department. — Causes of Removal. — Presidential Candidate. — An Extraordinarv Ride. — What He Achieved .' 352 CHAPTER XXXII. OLIVER OTIS HOWARD. The Christian Soldier. — Early Life. — Off to the Wars. — Bravery in Battle. — Loss of an Arm. — Antietam. — Fredericksburg. — Chan- cellorsville. — Gettysburg. — The Atlanta Campaign. — Chief of the Army of the Tennessee. — Convalescence. — His Religious Con- victions, — Story of a Wagon-Master. — In Charge of the Freed- man's Bureau. — Sherman's Letter 357 CHAPTER XXXIII. DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. The Power of the Navy, — Early Years of Farragut. — Remarkable Instance of Boyish Bravery. — Forty-eight Years of Quiet Life. — Union Sentiments. — Extract from Private Letter. — Castilian Ancestry. — Naval Combats on the Mississippi. — Capture of New Orleans. — The Bay Fight at Mobile. — Lashed to the Mast in the " Hartford." — Official Tour of European Ports. — Personal Habits ofFarragut 361 CHAPTER XXXIV. FRANZ SIGEL. Early Military Education and Career. — Espousal of the Cause of the Revolutionists. — Exiled. — Arrival in the United States. — Life Previous to the W^ar. — A Volunteer in the Union Army. — His Military Ability.— At Wilson's Creek.— The Battle of Pea Ridge. — Fighting Against Enormous Odds. — Splendid Skill Ex- hibited b}^ Sigel. — Difficulties with Halleck. — New York Indig- nation Meeting. — In Command at Harper's Ferry. — Battle of Newmarket. — Close of Military Career. ....... 368 CHAPTER XXXV. HUGH JUDSON KILPATRICK. Born for the Cavalry. — Romance of Early Life. — Married on the Eve of Going to the Front. — Her Name on his Banner. — Big Bethel. — Wounded. — To the Front again. — Falmouth Heights. — ■ ^yiii CONTENTS. Kilpatriek's First Famous Raid.— Brandy Station.—" Men of Maine, Follow Me ! "—Aldic— Gettysburg.— Night Battle at Monterey.— New Baltimore.— Attempt to Rescue Prisoners.— Atlanta Campaign.— Resaca.— Wounded.— Georgia Campaign.— Waynesboro'.— At Savannah.— Sherman's Letter.— Promotion^. —In the Carolinas.— Close of the War 375 CHAPTER XXXVI. PHILIP KEARNY. Birthplace.- Where Educated.— In Europe.— Fighting Abroad.— Honors.— Participates in the Mexican War. — Loss of an Arm.— In Europe Again.— At Magenta and Solferino. — At the Front in our Last War.— Bravery at Williamsburg. — Promotion. — Kear- ny's Power over his Men.— The Battle of Chantilly.— Death's Sad Eclipse.—" Lay Hiai Low." 387 CHAPTER XXXVII. NATHANIEL LYON. Of Soldier Ancestry.— Early Childhood.— Graduates at West Point, In the Mexican War.— On the Frontier.— Rescue of the St. Louis Arsenal. — Given the Chief Command in Missouri. — At Wilson's Creek.— Fighting Against Terrible Odds.— Twice Wounded.— The Last Charge.— Lyon's Fall.— His Civilian's Dress. — Funeral Honors. — The Sorrowful Multitudes. — Funeral Oration at Eastford.— Resolutions of Respect 391 CHAPTER XXXVIII. ELMER EPHRAIM ELLSWORTH. " How Knightly looked he as he rode to Hounds ! "—Character.— An Enthusiast in Military Science.— The French Zouave Tac- tics.— A Noble Ambition.— Early Struggles.— The Chicago Zouaves.— Their Perfection of Drill and Character.— A Tour of Triumph. — In New York. — A Favorite of Lincoln. — The War Clarion. — New York Fire Zouaves.— Sword Presentations. — In the South. — Last Night at Alexandria. — Letter Home. — The Dread Tragedy.— Universal Grief. — Lincoln's Sorrow.— The Genius of Ellsworth 39S Paqb PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR (Steel) Frontispiece. HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION 20 WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE 37 PUTNAM RESCUED BY MOLANG 77 FIGHT— SERAPIS AND BON HOMME RICHARD 129 HEROES OF THE MEXICAN WAR 171 SCOTT ATTACKED BY TWO INDIAN CHIEFS 175 HOUSTON CATCHING THE SOUND OF BATTLE 221 MAY'S CHARGE AT RESACA DE LA PALMA 233 HEROES OF THE REBELLION 243 SCENE AT THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG 255 SHERMAN'S MARCH THROUGH GEORGIA 271 GENERAL THOMAS AT CHICKAMAUGA 309 DEATH OF GENERAL McPHERSON 343 FARRAGUT LASHED TO THE MAST AT MOBILE 365 (19) PAET FIRST. ©k Mm 4 tk SM0ltttmir. SUBJECTS: Chapter Page I. GEOEGE WASHINGTON 21 II. JOSEPH WARREN 43 III. NATHANIEL GREENE 54 IV. GILBERT MOTTIER LAFAYETTE 61 V. ISRAEL PUTNAM 74 VL ETHAN ALLEN 87 VIL FRANCIS MARION 106 VIIL JOHN PAUL JONES 118 IX. THADDEUS KOSCIUSZKO ; 140 X. HUGH MERCER I45 XL ANTHONY WAYNE I53 XIL JOBii STARK 160 (20) HEROES OF THREE WARS. CHAPTER I. CEORGE A^^ASHINGTON, Ancestral Lines. — Saxon Origin of Name. — Family Coat of Arms. — Emigration to Virginia. — Birth and Childhood. — School Life. — The Young Surveyor. — Commissioned Major. — A Six-Hundred- Mile Journey. — Battle at Fort Necessity. — Braddock's Defeat and Death. — Falling in Love. — Marriage with the Widow Custis. — Opening Scenes in the Revolution. — Appointed Commander-in- Chief. — Meeting the Army at Cambridge. — The Declaration. — The Long, Long War. — Retreat Through the Jerseys. — Crossing the Delaware. — Battle of Princeton. — Monmouth. — Close of the Revo- lution. — Farewell to Companions-in-Arms. — As President of the United States. THIS wonderful Life is enveloped in the pure rays of a fame which can find no equal : in which Justice became embodied as a noble passion united to a nobler fortitude : the channel of whose genius was world-wide — like the ocean, toucliing all shores: every- where the liberator and firm champion of duty, which, to him, was the only gateway to glory : standing fearlessly in the breach, in defence of young Liberty, when the despotism of decay and king-craft attempted its destruction : the wise architect of a nation's destiny, laying deep its foundations in universal law as the expression of universal right : whom Honor crowned with her most blazing star, and who remained unspoiled, thougli on him "affluent Fortune emptied (21) 2'o HEROES OF THREE WARS. all her horn : " the adulation of millions could not divest him of his gentle humility. He was the incar- nate spirit of the New-World Thermopylae, hurling back to their Upas soil the swarming desecrators of freedom. America yet feels his breath upon her, nor could she, without him, have risen to her present state. The rays of such a glorious sun must still continue to illumine her future — as they have gilded the past and enriched the present — with an ever-accumulating wealth of light ! There is a singular unanimity of opinion in ascribing to George Washington an exceptional character. It was certainly one of peculiar symmetry, in which a happy combination of qualities, moral, social and in- tellectual, were guided to appropriate action by a re- markable power of clear judgment. It was just the combination calculated to lead a spirited and brave people through such a trying crisis as the American Revolution. His star was not dark and bright by turns^did not reveal itself in uncertain and fitful glimmerings — but shone with a full and steady lumi- nosity across the troubled, night of a nation's beginning. Under these broad and beneficent rays the Ship of State was guided, through a sea of chaos, to safe an- chorage. The voyage across those seven, eventful years was one that tried men^s souls. Often, appalling dangers threatened. Wreck on the rocks of disunion, engulfment in the mountain waves of opposition, starvation and doubt and mutiny on shipboard — these were a few of the perils which beset their course. But a royal -souled Commander stood at the helm, and dis- cerned, afiir off, the green shores of Liberty. On this GEORGE WASHINGTON. 23 land the sunshine fell with fruitful power. Tiie air was sweet with tlie songs of birds. Contentment, peace, prosperity, reigned. Great possibilities were shadowed forth within its boundaries, and a young nation, grow- ing rapidly towards a splendid era of enlightenment, was foreseen as a product of the near future. It took a man with deep faith in the ultimate rule of right and in humanity to occupy that position ; a man with large heart, with unselfish aims, with prophetic instincts, with clear and equalized brain. George Washington possessed all of these qualities — and more. It is difficult to estimate what might have been the destiny of America with this man's influence left out. No one can well calculate how much he had to do with the formative stages of American Independence. The masses may become agitated with germinal ideas, may seethe with internal fires; but it takes the mind of the leader to crystallize those ideas into form — to convert floating material into use. This was the mis- sion of Washington, and nobly did he fulfil the sacred trust. His life naturally divides itself into three parts: First, that of the youthful soldier; Second, the commander ; Third, the nation's beloved champion and ruler. There is ever a questioning gaze, a kind of loving curiosity, turned towards the streams of birth and ancestry of the world's great leaders of men who have won imperishable renown in the service of their coun- try, and a quiet satisfaction fills us if we discover that such lineage flows back to a beginning of noble men and women. The origin of the name of Washington, the far- away springs of blood w^hich coursed through the veins of those who bore the manorial title, cannot fail 24 HEROES OF THREE WARS. to be of interest to the reader. AYe learn of them first in the "Bolden Book/' a record of all lands contained in a certain diocese in the county of Durham, England, in 1183. One William De Hertburn, during this time of the Conquest, held the village of De Hertburn in knight's fee ; probably the same now called Hart- burn, on the banks of the Tees. It is stated in the "Bolden Book" that this gentleman exchanged his village of Hertburn for the manor and village of Wessyngton, in the same diocese — engaging to pay the bishop a quit-rent of four pounds and to attend him with two greyhounds in grand hunts, and furnish a man-at-arms whenever military aid should be required of the palatinate. With a change of estate came a change of surname, and from that time the family took the title of De Wyssington. The name is supposed to be of Saxon origin, and existed in England prior to the Conquest. The villa2;e of Wassengtone is mentioned in a Saxon charter granted by King Edgar, in 973, to Thorney Abbey. From the ancient De Wyssington we have the modern Washington. Laurence Washington, of "Gray's Inn," was for some time Mayor of Northampton, and on the dissolu- tion of the priories by Henry the Eighth, received a grant of the Manor of Sulgrave. This was in 1538. The grandson of this first lord of Sulgrave had many children. Two of them — John and Laurence Wash- ington — emigrated to Virginia about the year 1657, and settled at Bridges Creek, Westmoreland County, on the Potomac River. Here they bought lands and became successful planters. The son of John, one of these boys, married Mildred Warner, of Gloucester GEORGE WASHINGTON. 25 County, and from this union came Augustine, the father of our illustrious General. The mother of the Wash- ington boys, who emigrated to Virginia in the seven- teenth century, was Eleanor Hastings, daughter and heiress of John Hastings, who was grandson to Francis, second Earl of Huntingdon.^ Through Lady Hun- tingdon she was the descendant of George, Duke of Clarence, brother to King Edward the Fourth and King Richard Third by Isabel Nevil, daughter and heiress of Richard, Earl of Warwick, the king-maker. It has been affirmed that the pedigree of the Hastings branch goes back to the great Danish sea-king, whose sails were long the terror of both coasts of the British Channel. One branch wore, in the fourteenth cen- tury, the coronet of Pembroke. From another branch sprang Chamberlain, the faithful adherent of the White Rose. The Earldom of Huntingdon was received by this family from the Tudors, which, after a long dispossession, has been quite recently regained. If this lineage is correct, Washington was entitled to quarter, on his escutcheon, the arms of Hastings, Pole, Earl of Salisbury, Plantagenet, Scotland, Mortimer, Earl of March, Nevil, Montagu, Beauchamp and Devereaux. But his brightest armorial blazonry, his chiefest patents of nobility, were iiis unpreten- tious virtues, his humility, his probity; whereby a nation was led through many struggles to a free exist- ence. These are insignia of rank which cannot be taken from him. First, then, we are to speak of him as the boy-man. In the year 1732 there stood on the banks of Bridges Creek one of those primitive farm-houses of Virginia, with roof steep and sloping down into low, 26 HEROES OF THREE WARS. projecting eaves, which was then in the prevailing style. It had four rooms on the ground-floor, other rooms in the attic, and an immense cliimney at each end. The site commanded a magnificent view over many miles of the Potomac and the opposite Maryland shore. Here lived the family of Augustine Washing- ton, and here, in the forenoon of February twenty- second, was born the infant boy who was destined, in his single person, to reflect more glory on his name than the whole line, for ten generations back, had conferred on him. The record, still preserved in the family Bible, says that he " was baptized the third of April fol- lowing," and that " Mr. Beverly Whiting and Captain Christopher Brooks " acted as godfathers, and ^^ Mrs. Mildred Gregory'' as godmother. Not long after this event his father moved from the ancestral acres to the banks of the Rappahannock, nearly opposite what is now Fredericksburg. History tells us that from infancy this boy developed a noble character. His childhood — if it could be called such — was happy ; his youth — looking back on it from this distance — seemed a training school, especially adapted to his future career. He was said to have been handsome in features, with well-pro]:)ortioned physique and gen- tle manners. He had great moral courage, frankness, integrity, and a keen sense of honor. In brief, the boy was father to the man. At twelve years of age he was left without a father. At fifteen and a-half he had finished school. His bent was towards mathe- matical and scientific pursuits, and he therefore fitted himself for the ])rofession of a civil engineer. At thirteen he had made a manuscript collection of sixty- nine rules for the government of conduct, which might GEORGE WASHINGTON. 27 be said to constitute of themselves a code of moral pliilosophy. Wiien he had just i^assed sixteen, in March of the year 1748, he was engaged by Lord Fairfax to survey his immense possessions of land just purchased in that then wild region. With an Indian guide and a few woodsmen, the fearless boy set out on this hardy mission. It occupied the year. In per- forming it, he faced all the difficulties, dangers and hardships of the explorer — sleeping at night on a bear- skin or some straw before the fire, and, for months, not taking off his clothes. At nineteen, he had so grown in the regard of Virginians that he was ap- pointed major over one of the military districts, into which the province was divided for defence against the Indians. Then began the bloody struggle between England and France for the possession of America. A com- missioner was to be sent across the Alleghenies on a perilous, six-hundred-mile journey, bearing remon- stances from Great Britain to one of the French posts there stationed. Who, in all the colony, was there to undertake this daring enterprise? The Scotch Gov- ernor Dinwiddle looked around him inquiringly. George Washington, twenty years old, volunteered his services. This was regarded by all, as heroic to a high degree. He started from Williamsburg, Virginia, November fourteenth, 1753, with eight men, including two Indian guides. They went to the headwaters of the Monongahela, from there to the Ohio, and in birch canoes, paddled down that stream for nearly three hundred miles, to the point now occupied by Pitts- burg. The party reached the end of their journey in forty-one days. The mission was performed, and 28 HEROES OF THREE WARS. through many perils by flood and field, the returning party reached Williamsburg again the sixteenth of January, 1754. Washington made his report to the governor, which was published and read eagerly in the colonies and England, and established the fact that the French meant to defend their rights of discovery, and that they had the hearty co-operation of the Indians. The Legislature of Virginia was then in session, and Washington one day mingled with the crowd in the gallery to witness the proceedings of the House. The speaker saw him, and rose from his chair. " I propose," said he, " that the thanks of this House be given to Major Washington, who now sits in the gallery, for the gallant manner in which he has executed the important trust lately reposed in him by his Excellency, the Governor." The applause and enthusiasm was universal. Every one rose to do him homage, and Washington was con- ducted, blushing, to the speaker^s desk. Then a hushed silence fell on the waiting crowd to hear what might fall from his lips. But the young Major, thus taken by surj)rise, was speechless. The speaker saw the situ- ation and hastened to his relief. Directing him to a chair, he said: "Sit down, Major Washington, sit down ! Your modesty is alone equal to your merit." An army of four hundred men was raised by com- mand of Governor Dinwiddle, and Washington was appointed colonel of the regiment. The avowed object was to subjugate the French and compel recog- nition of the right of the British Crown to this conti- nent. W^hen the little band was within a few days' march of Fort Du Quesne (the site of Pittsburg), they were ^ GEORGE WASHINGTON. 29 thrown into consternation by learning the superior force and position of the French. M. De Villiers, who had been thoroughly posted on the movements of the English from the outset, sent a peace commission of thirty-four men, under Jumonville, a civilian, to advise Colonel Washington to return. Learning of the approach of this party, Washington, with a strong detachment commanded by himself, on a night of Egyptian darkness, surprised the sleeping camp, killed Jumonville and ten men and captured the remainder. It is generally agreed that Washington supposed this party intended to attack him, though their small numbers would seem to contradict the theory. Be this as it may, the result proved a firebrand which kindled the flames of war between France and England. A battle immediately followed, at a place named Fort Necessity, on the banks of the Monongahela, in which the little army had no choice but to surrender to the French commander at Fort Du Quesne. It is unnecessary to give, in detail, a description of the long war for mastery between the French and Eng- lish powers. Our aim is not that of the historian, but rather the artist, who uses events as the back- ground against which character reveals itself, in more or less striking outlines. England sent to these shores, as commander of her army. General Braddock, a man conspicuously unfitted for the work committed to his care. Colonial affairs were treated with contempt by court and cabinet. Governor Dinwiddie reduced Washington to the rank of captain, placing over him officers whom he had com- manded. Washington immediately resigned, but accepted a position as aide on Braddock's staff, which 30 HEROES OF THREE WARS. was then offered him, with his former rank. The march of Braddock's army into the valley of death despite the warnings and advice of Washington, their bloody annihilation, the death of their leader, tlie march back with the remnant of British soldiers that escaped — these all followed in rapid sequence. Then we see the young colonel at the head of seven hundred men, raised by Virginia, for frontier defence. In 1756 he was called to Boston, and travelled the entire five hundred miles on horseback, with two aides and black servants in livery. After his return to Winchester, where a central fort was established, he was so assailed and thwarted in his plans that "nothing'^ he said, " but the imminent danger of the times prevented him from resigning his command." People everywhere looked to Washington to protect them. They came to him with supplications — women with children — men from the halls of legislation. All this touched him deeply. In 1758 an expedition was organized to march against Fort Du Quesne, under command of General Forbes. Two thousand men raised by Virginia were commanded by Washington. They set out early in July. The whole force consisted of six thousand men. When the " provincials," as they were called, gathered at Winchester, it was found that they were in need of everything necessary to such an exploit : arms, ammu- nition, field-equipage, etc. Washington went at once to Williamsburg to ask aid of the Council. While on this journey, just after crossing the Pamunky river, he met at the house of a wealthy Vir- ginia gentleman the beautiful young widow, Martha Oustis. He seems to have been fascinated by her from the first moment of meeting, and when, on the following GEORGE WASHINGTO:^. "31 moriiinfr, he left the house of his host, his troth \va? pliglited to this charming lady and he had received hers in return. They were to be married at the termination of the Fort Du Quesne campaign. On the march thitherward a similar fate to that of Braddock^s army met some of the commands. They were hemmed in by narrow ravines, surprised by the superior strategy of Indians, and killed remorselessly. But the Virginia troops, led by Washington, reached the fort only to find it a smouldering heap of ashes. For, on the previous night, the French commander had blown up the magazine, burned the defences, and embarked his troops — five hundred in number — on the Ohio. The English victories in Canada had cut off reinforcements and supplies to the lonely fort, and left them unpre- pared to meet their opponents. They had, therefore, no choice but retreat. Another fort was erected on the site of the ancient Du Quesne and named Fort Pitt. Washington returned to Virginia, and on the sixth of January was married to Mrs. Custis at the " White House," the home of the beautiful and wealthy bride. This place was not far from Williamsburg, in New Kent County. He remained here for three months, and then took his seat in the House of Burgesses at Williamsburg. At the close of the session he removed, with his family, to Mount Vernon, and believed him- self, as he expressed it, " fixed for life.'' During these halcyon days we have a pleasant little picture of his domestic life as it passed on this jDrincely estate — a picture in happy contrast with the dark scenes of war which had shadowed his previous ex- perience, and which were to be a part of his future. He rose at five o'clock in the morning, read or wrote 32 HEROES OF THREE WARS. until seven, breakfasted on two small cups of tea and some hoe-cake, and afterwards mounted one of his superb horses and made the " rounds " of his broad acres. He dined at two o'clock, retired at about nine; was fond of athletic sports and the hunt. A lovely barge on the Potomac, manned by six negroes in uni- form, was one of his possessions. He dispensed a large hospitality, his house being frequented by troops of guests. Meanwhile, he was appointed Judge of the County Court and had undertaken a project to explore the Dismal Swamp. In 1763 the* peace of Fontainebleau was signed. The French had been driven from these shores and England sheathed the sword of conquest. The passage of the "Stamp Act" in 1764 incensed the people and called forth that patriotic burst of eloquence from Patrick Henry which afterwards be- came so renowned. Washington felt the approach of the gathering war-cloud, and returned to Mount Ver- non from the House of Burgesses filled with gloomy forebodings. The British government became alarmed at the temper of America, and, as a matter of concilia- tion, repealed the " Stamp Act." This was in March, 1766. But the tax on tea and other merchandise fol- lowed, and two regiments of English regulars were sent across the water to intimidate the colonists. This was adding insult to injury. The Virginia Assembly denounced Parliament for imposing taxes without allowing representation, and bold resolves were made, declaring that the taxing power should be vested alone \u the colonists. Lord Botetort, the new governor, who had set up his court in great splendor in Virginia, GEORGE WASHINGTON. 33 heard of these daring denunciations. He summoned the council to his audience chamber, and, in a haughty manner, dissolved the State Assembly. They then convened in a private dwelling, and at this meeting Washington presented a " draft of an association to dis- countenance the use of all British merchandise taxed by Parliament to raise a revenue in America." Every member signed it, and a printed copy of the draft was scattered broadcast over the country. It w^as every- where applauded. "Non-Importation Associations" sprang up in all the colonies. British commerce felt this action, and petitions from British merchants, for the repeal of the taxes, poured into Parliament. Lord North, at this time England's prime minister, removed the importation duties on all articles except tea. That, he said, must be continued, in order to establish " the authority of the mother country." In vain did earnest and eloquent men in the English Parliament plead for the rights of the colonists. In vain were petitions — in vain remonstrances. Every one who dared to make an appeal to British power, in favor of justice, fell at once into disfavor. George the Third and his court were deaf to all save selfish considerations. Thus events drifted forward, bringing in their wake the birth-throes of a great nation. The Boston Tea Party, disguised as Indians, boarded the English ships at night and emptied the tea-chests into Boston harbor. In return, insulting decrees were fulminated from the throne, declaring that Massachusetts should no longer have a voice in the selection of her rulers, and that the port at Boston should be closed. In Virginia, the House of Burgesses was broken up by Lord Dunmore, 34 HEROES OF THREE WARS. the colonial governor appointed by the crown. Public indignation against these tyrannies flamed forth every- where. Letters came from Boston to Williamsburg recommending a league of the colonies and the suspen- sion of trade with England. The day on wliich the " Boston Port Bill " was to be enforced was observed with fasting and prayer. Flags were at half-mast and funeral bells were tolled. The colonists became rap- idly convinced that nothing would satisfy the cruel despotism of George the Third save their slavish sub- mission. This could not be given. And so the war crisis approached nearer and more near. Patriot brows grew thoughtful and patriot hearts resolute as the danger defined itself The first Con- tinental Congress met in Philadelphia, September fifth, 1774, and Washington was a delegate from Virginia. He had come there on horseback from Mount Vernon in company with Patrick Henry and Edmund Pendle- ton. In that time of sublime fusion of souls, when all were drawn into concerted action by a common, heroic purpose, no one, among that distinguished assembly of great minds, exhibited a loftier patriotism, a nobler enthusiasm, or more self-sacrificing spirit than the country's future beloved General. He who had said to the Virginia Assembly when Boston was menaced, " I am ready to raise one thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and march at their head to the relief of Boston," could not certainly be accused of sel- fish or mercenary motives. When, after a session of fifty-one days. Congress disbanded, Patrick Henry said of him, "If you speak of solid information, and sound judgment. Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor." GEORGE WASHINGTON. 35 " It is useless/^ said this prince of orators afterwards, at the Richmond convention, ^' to address further peti- tions to the British government, or to await the effect of those already addressed to the throne. We must fight ! I repeat it, we must fight ! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us." In April, 1775, the first patriot blood was spilled at Lexington and all the country was stung to indignation. " To arms ! " was the cry which echoed from colony to colony. The second Congress met in May, 1775, and formed a military confederacy vested with legislative powers for their own defence. Washington was appointed chairman of committee on military affairs. The question which now swept Congress and hov- ered with anxious portent on all lips was, " Who shall be commander-in-chief of the united armies?" John Adams had the honor to first propose George Washington for this position. "A gentleman," he said, " whose skill and experience as an officer, whose inde- pendent fortune, great talents and excellent universal character would command the approbation of all Amer- ica, and unite the cordial exertions of all the colonies, better than any other person in the Union." The vote, which was given by ballot, was found to be unanimous for Washington. Congress, therefore, on May fifteenth, adopted the "Continental Army" and fixed the pay of the Com- mander-in-chief at five hundred dollars per month. This salary Washington declined, asking only that Congress defray his expenses. He received his commission on the 20th of June, and the next day set out from Philadelphia for the 36 HEROES OF THREE WARS. army. He was accompanied by Generals Lee and Schuyler and an escort of Philadelphia troops. Twenty miles outside the city they were met by a flying couriei; with news of the battle of Bunker Hill. Anxiously, every particular of the action was gleaned. Washing- ton listened breathlessly, and when told of the heroic; behavior of the Americans, exclaimed, with emotion, " The liberties of our country are safe ! " As he journeyed onward towards Cambridge, vol- unteer escorts of citizens and soldiers went with him from town to town. Every one was anxious to see him, and everywhere he produced the same favorable effect on the minds of the people. On the third of July, the army, drawn up on Cambridge common, formally received its commander, and his presence imparted to it a wonderful access of enthusiasm. From this time onward, for eight long, suffering years, until April, 1783, the war of the American Kevolution dragged its slow length along; and the history of General Washington is so interwoven with the struggle, that one could not be written without the other. Space can be given to only a few striking illus- trations of this great man's generalship. The manner in which the siege of Boston was con- ducted, terminating in Howe's precipitate retreat, has been regarded by military judges as a masterly achieve- ment. On the fourth of July, 1776, the great Decla- ration was adopted, and the army received it with wild demonstrations of joy. Washington's retreat through the Jerseys was un- questionably a piece of splendid generalship. ^* With a mere handful of freezing, starving, ragged men, he retreated more than a hundred miles before a powerful GEORGE washin::ton. 39 foe flushed with victory and strengthened with abund- ance. He baffled all their endeavors to cut him off, preserved all his field-pieces, ammunition, and nearly all his stores. There was grandeur in this achieve- ment which far surpassed any ordinary victory." After crossing the Delaware, he stationed his troops on the western bank, with the broad river flowing between liim and his foe. The forces of Cornwallis faced the American lines on the other side. On Christ- mas night, when the German soldiers were indulging in their convivial holiday customs, Washington, with twenty-five hundred of his best troops and twenty pieces of artillery, made the passage of the Delaware, through floating blocks of ice. He effected a landing nine miles above Trenton, and advanced in two divi- sions upon the town. Their attack was simultaneous, and the result was a surprise and a victory. It was more : for this piece of military strategy turned' the war current in their favor and swept them towards success. Panic seized the British troops and they fled, dismayed. Such superior generalship was not looked for. Arms and stores were captured, besides a thou- sand prisoners. Washington, took his army back over the Delaware on the same day, and after a brief rest, re-crossed it on the twenty-ninth. The enemy were concentrating at Princeton. Corn- wallis, to whose relief General Howe was marching, supposed he had the American array entrapped, since it was impossible for them to retreat with the Delaware in their rear. But once more Washington rose superior to the occasion, and executed a marvellous feat of skil- ful daring. On that night the American watch-fires were piled high; bands of sappers and miners were 40 HEROES OF THREE WARS. heard noisily at work, and sentinels went their ac- customed rounds. But a rapid and circuitous march round the British encampment was conducted in the silence of the night, and morning revealed the unwel- come truth to Cornwallis that he had been again out- generalled. The American army had slipped from his grasp. They had reached Princeton without discovery, and, attacking the three British regiments stationed there, put them to flight, and won a decisive victory. The capture of Burgoyne, the battle at Germantown, and the winter at Valley Forge only served to illustrate one of the most illustrious of commanders. The evacu- ation of Philadelphia by the British was followed, June twenty-eighth, 1779, by the brilliant battle of Mon- mouth, N. J. The tired soldiers slept upon the field, and Washington, wrapped in his cloak, slept in their midst, with the young French Marquis De Lafayette by his side. During the summer of this campaign occurred the savage massacres of Cherry Valley and Wyoming — horrible blots on the page of history, which can be charged to British instigation. With a skill and judgment which amounted to inspiration, Wash- ington held the fleets and armies of England at bay, baffled the eflbrts of their ablest leaders, and closed the year's campaign, if not a victor, yet not vanquished. The surrender of Yorktown in October, 1781 — the news of which was shouted in the streets of Philadel- phia at midnight — echoed over the continent, and awoke the responsive enthusiasm of a liberated people. This culminated, at length, in the treaty of peace, signed at Paris in April, 1783. December fourth, Washing- ton took leave of his brother officers. His eyes Avere full of tears, and his voice trembling with emotion as GEORGE WASHINGTON. 41 the words of affectionate farewell were spoken. '^ With a heart full of love and gratitude," he said, " I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former have been glorious and honorable. I cannot come to you to take my leave, but shall be obliged if each of you will come and take me by the hand." Tears choked his utterance. Without a spoken word — in silence more eloquent than any speech, each ol them grasped the hand of the man they so loved and venerated. The scene is described as affecting in the extreme. December twenty-third, he resigned his commission to the Continental Congress at Annapolis. A convention, held soon after, at Philadelphia, fused the Confederacy of States into a nation, and created its constitution. The choice of the new nation was unanimous for Washington as its first President, and his installation took place April thirtieth, 1789. How he guided the affairs of state into peaceful and wise and successful channels, for two terms of four years each, history records. How America loved him as its father, history records. He retired, a conqueror : not alone on the battle-field and in the chair of state, but in the wide realm of a grateful people's affection. His conquests were more glorious than those of Caesar, more grand in their results than those of Napoleon. It is questionable whether Napoleon I. or any of the world^s military leaders have displayed rarer general- ship or greater military genius. More dazzling and meteoric they certainly have been, but hardly more able. Nor have they exhibited sublimer heroism. Nor has any life ever radiated a purer patriotism. He rose 42 HEROES OF THREE WARS. beyond the General, and became merged in the Ruler. " He gained the independence of his country by war — maintained it by peace — established it as a free govern- ment in the name of order, and law, and justice '^ — two of the greatest things, says Guizot, which, in politics, man can have the privilege of attempting. Such laurels as he won, crown only the brows of those heroes sent of Heaven to be the special saviours of special epochs, and to lead the nations and peoples of earth up to higher levels of thought and action. CHAPTER II. JOSEPH AVARREN. Birthplace of Warren.— School Days.— Graduation at Harvard. — Studying Medicine. — Warren as a Physician. — The ''Sons of Liberty." — Warren's Activity in Politics. — Boston Massacre. — Oration at the Old South Church. — Liberty's Advocate. — The Tea Party. — Faneuil Hall Meeting. — Fourth Anniversary of Bos- ton Massacre.— Second Oration. — Fears of Assassination. — The Crisis Met. — Paul Revere's Ride. — Warren's Presentiment. — Battle of Bunker Hill.— Death of Warren.— "'Tis Sweet for One's Country to Die." — Honors to his Memory. — Bunker Hill Monument. NO brighter name illumines our country's Eoll of Honor than that of Joseph Warren, the hero of Bunker Hill. When the heel of British tyranny would have crushed to earth the sacred liberties of the American people, this young patriot, distinguished already in the councils of state, sprang to the defence of his country, and willingly laid down his life for the principles he had so fearlessly advocated. The Tree of Liberty grew apace, watered by such martyr- blood as that of Warren, and a grateful people hold his name in immortal memory. When a man thus makes himself the exponent of an idea, when life itself becomes a secondary considera- tion to justice and to right, the world — always a hero- worshipper — is anxious to learn every detail of that life, to penetrate, if possible, the hidden springs of its action, and discover, if it may, out of what soil the hero took his growth. (43) 44 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Joseph Warren was born in Roxbury., Massachu- setts, in 1740, but the accounts we have of his childhood days are too meagre to furnish any hint of the boy that was ^^fatlier to the man/^ It is supposed that he attended the grammar school of Master Lovell, where our forefathers received the training which prepared them for Harvard. When only fifteen years old he entered college, and graduated with honor in 1759. During his university days he was looked upon as a boy of talent, and also acquired the reputation of great personal bravery. After leaving college young Warren began the study of medicine, and soon became distinguished in his profession. He was especially active during the year 1764, when the small-pox spread throughout Boston. At this time he is de- scribed as an accomplished gentleman, of fine presence and engaging address, winning favor alike from the learned and the humble. But his energies were not confined to the limits of his profession. He soon be- came known as a fine writer and an eloquent speaker. From the year of the Stamp Act to the final breaking out of hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain, he did not cease to advocate by pen and voice the rights of the colonies — fearlessly con- demning taxation as tyranny, and openly advocating resistance to it. During these years, when the seeds of the Revolu- tion were being sown, a secret society, called the ^^Sous of Liberty,'^ flourished in Boston, which wielded a powerful influence in politics. From the year 1768 Dr. Warren was among its principal members, and there formed an intimacy with Samuel Adams, which was almost romantic in its strength. " Many of the JOSEPH WARREN. 45 members of this club filled public offices, and few in the outside world knew from whence the public meas- ures of resistance to British tyranny originated.'' In 1772 their numbers were increased, and they met in a house near the *' North Battery,'' where over, sixty persons were present at their first meeting. Dr. "Warren drew up the society regulations, and it is recorded that ^^ no important measures were taken without first consulting him and his particular friends." Here were matured those plans of defence, which saw their first fulfilment at Lexington and Bunker Hill. After the tea was destroyed in Boston Harbor, the meetings of this society were no longer secret, but their place of rendezvous was changed in the spring of 1775 from the ''North Battery" to the "Green Dragon." No member of this organization was more zealous than Dr. Warren, no one more active in patriotic measures. After the bloody scenes of the Boston Massacre, he was a prominent leader in the efforts made by the town to effect the removal of the troops, and was appointed by the town one of a com- mittee ol three to prepare an account of the affair, "that a full and just representation may be made thereof." The account was published, and sent to England in a vessel chartered especially for that purpose. Dr. Warren was elected member of the State Legis- lature from Boston for the term of 1770, and his name figures conspicuously in the controversies of the times, and on committees appointed to draft important state papers. In 177"> he was re-elected, and served his term with distinguished success. In March of the year previous he delivered the anniversary oration on 46 HEROES OF THREE WARS. the Boston Massacre of 1770, to a large audience in the Old South Church. It was delivered on invita- tion of the town committee, and was said to be a brilliant effort. In this address he fearlessly charged Great Britain with an invasion of colonial rights, and called on his hearers to resist the torrent of oppression which was being poured upon them. In the course of his oration he gave utterance to the following mem- orable words : " The voice of your fathers' blood cries to you from the ground, 'My sons, scorn to be slaves! In vain we met the frowns of tyrants — in vain w^e crossed the boisterous ocean, found a new world, and prepared it for the happy residence of Liberty — in vain we toiled — in vain we fought — we bled in vain if you, our offspring, want valor to repel the assaults of her invaders!'" The address was printed and widely distributed, and a duly appointed committee returned the thanks of the town to the speaker. During the exciting years of 1772, 1773 and 1774, Warren seems to have been foremost in every move- ment looking towards the liberties of the colonies.. Then, as now, there was a conservative party in poli- tics, which was afraid to offend the British lion, and which desired reconciliation at almost any price. But if the minions of royalty cried '^ peace, peace ! " War- ren told them there was no peace. His voice rung out everywhere, counselling opposition to unjust laws, encouraging the weak, and winning, by force of logic, the faltering. In 1772 he was one of the celebrated Committee of Correspondence which, November twentieth, handed in its famous report of grievances. This important JOSEPH WARREN. 47 document was arranged under three heads: First, "A Statement of the Rights of the Cobnists;" Second, '^A List of the Infringements of those Rights ; ^' and Third, "A Letter of Correspondence with other Towns." Dr. Warren was the author of the second paper, and Mr. Barry sums up the " formidable array of complaints '^ as follows : " The assumption of absolute legislative powers ; the imposition of taxes without the consent of the people ; the appointment of officers unknown to the charter, supported by income derived from such taxes; the investing these officers with unconstitutional powers, especially the ' Commissioners of his Majesty's Cus- toms;' the annulment of laws enacted by the court after the time limited for their rejection had expired; the introduction of fleets and armies into the colonies ; the support of the executive and the judiciary inde- pendently of the people ; the oppressive instructions sent to the governor ; the extension of the powers of the Court of Vice-Admiralty ; the restriction of manu- factures; the act relating to dock -yards and stores which deprived the people of the right of trial by peers in their own vicinage; the attempt to establish the American episcopate ; and the alteration of the bounds of colonies by decisions before the King and Council." The paper was a masterly production, and its statements were clear and forcible. Thus the march of events went forward until a crisis was precipitated on the colonies by the arrival of the celebrated tea in Boston Harbor. Immediately, the country was filled with excitement. " The Committee of Correspondence and the select men of the towns summoned meetings ; and every friend of his country 48 HEROES OF THREE WARS. was urged to make a united and successful resistance to this ' last, worst, and most destructive measure of the administration.' '' November twenty-ninth, 1773, a meeting was held at Faneuil Hall which, for want of room, adjourned to the Old South Church, where Warren and John Hancock and others were the leading spirits of the occasion. Of this meeting was born the Boston Tea Party, the first Congress, and, eventually, American inde- pendence. In 1774 Dr. Warren was chosen a deleerate from Suffolk County to the General Assembly of Massachu- setts, and became thenceforward the leadinor man of the province. At this time John Hancock was President of the Provincial Congress, but when he went to the Continental Congress at Philadelphia, Warren was elected to fill his place. Meantime, the fourth anni- versary of the Boston Massacre was at hand, and some of the British officers had threatened that " they would take the life of any man who should dare to speak on that occasion.'' Warren, hearing of the threat, solicited the privilege of delivering the anniversary address. On the day appointed, the Old South Church was filled with an expectant throng. Large numbers of British soldiers crowded the aisles, stairways, and even the pulpit. An ominous silence reigned throughout the vast multitude as they waited the arrival of War- ren. At last he came, entering the church through a window back of the pulpit. His friends were on the qui vive of alarm — fearing his assassination. ThougK standing ready to avenge such a cowardly act, would JOSEPH WARREN. 49 that atone for the murder of their beloved Warren / But the crisis passed as Warren, commencing his speech in a firm voice, waxed eloquent as he went on. He pictured the wrongs of the colonies ; he proclaimed the corner-stone of his faith — " Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God " — he painted the scenes of the Bos- ton Massacre in such colors, and with such pathos of appeal, that the soldiery who had come there to awe him by their presence, shed tears at the sad picture. To the relief of the friends of Warren, no outbreak occurred during the address, though it was frequently interrupted by the groans and hisses of the tories, and the applause of the patriots. This speech aroused the enthusiasm of the country to the highest pitch, and all hearts beat with the com- mon sentiment which he had proclaimed — "Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.'^ One of Warren's biographers, speaking of this time, says : " Such another hour has seldom appeared in the history of man, and is not surpassed in the records of nations. The thunders of Demosthenes rolled at a distance from Philip and his host ; and Tully poured the fiercest torrent of his invectives when Cataline was at a distance, and his dagger no longer to be feared ; but Warren's speech was made to proud oppressors, resting on their arms, whose errand it was to overawe, and whose business it was to fight. If the deed of Brutus deserves to be commemorated, should not this instance of patriotism and bravery be held in lasting remembrance ? '^ Samuel Adams was moderator of this meeting, and notwithstanding some disturbance at the close of the oration, succeeded in finishing the business on hand and dispersing the audience peaceably. 50 HEROES OF THREE WARS. On the fifteenth of April the Provincial Congress adjourned — warned probably of the approach of General Gage with an armed force. Hancock and Adams, who remained at Lexington, were, it seems, the special objects of British hatred, and a plot was concocted for their seizure. That their lives were saved at this time is no doubt due to the efforts of Dr. Warren. Paul Kevere says that " on the evening of April eighteenth, 1775, he was sent for in great haste by Dr. Warren, who begged that he would immediately set off for Lexington and acquaint Adams and Han- cock of their danger." But when the impetuous Eevere arrived at Warren's house, he found that an express had already preceded him. It is said that Dr. Warren participated in the battle of the next day — April nineteenth — when the first blood was shed in behalf of American independence, and that a ball took off part of his ear-lock. Warren was a member of the Committee of Safety, and on May nineteenth this committee was delegated full powers by the Provincial Congress to manage the military force of the province. Everywhere, men were flocking around the standard of liberty, and the war of the Revolution was now fully inaugurated. Warren was commissioned major-general four days previous to the battle of Bunker Hill, but did not assume command on that historic day, choosing rather to fight as a volunteer. The day before the battle, in a conversation with Mr. Gerry, at Cambridge, he dis- cussed *^ the determination of Congress to take posses- sion of Bunker Hill." He said, that for himself he had been opposed to it, but that the majority had determined upon it, and he would hazard his life to JOSEPH WARBEN. 51 carry that determination into effect. Mr. Gerry ex- pressed his disapprobation of the measure, as he con- sidered it impossible to hold, adding, '^ but if it must be so, it is not worth while for you to be present; it will be madness for you to expose yourself where your destruction will be almost inevitable.'^ " I know it," he answered, '^but I live within the sound of their cannon ; how could I hear their roaring in so glorious a cause and not be there ? '' Again INIr. Gerry remonstrated, and concluded with saying, "As sure as you go there, you will be slain ! '^ General Warren replied enthusiastically, " It is sweet to die for one's country ! " That night he was busily engaged with public affairs at Watertown, and did not reach Cambridge until five o'clock next morning. Throwing himself on a bed, he slept until nearly noon, when he was aroused with the news of the approaching battle at Charlestown. Hastily rising, he mounted his horse and rode to the scene of action — reaching Breed's Hill a short time before the opening of the battle. Colonel Prescott rode forward to resign his command and report for orders, but War- ren did not choose to take the position at that time, saying that he considered it honor enough to fight under so brave an officer. He borrowed a musket and a cartridge-box, and rushing into the hottest of the fray, encouraged the men by his brave words and braver example. Three times the British charged the redoubt on the hill, and were twice driven back. At the third charge, when the ammunition of the Provin- cials gave out, and when a terrible enfilading fire swept the inner line of the redoubt, they were obliged to fall back. AVarren was killed after the retreat began — one 52 HEROES OF THREE WARS. of the last to leave the redoubt. The fatal bullet pierced his brain, producing almost instant death. He was buried on the spot where he fell. "And thus Warren fell — liappy death, noble fall, To perish for country at liberty's call ! " His presentiment had been fulfilled. His life had been freely given for the cause he held dearer than life. In April of the following year, after the British troops had left Boston, the "remains were disinterred and borne in solemn procession from the E-epresentatives' Chamber to King's Chapel, and buried with full military and Ma- sonic honors. Perez Morton, one of the most impres- sive orators of his time, pronounced an oration on the occasion, and the patriot divine. Dr. Samuel Cooper, conducted the funeral services. The orphan children of Warren and his aged mother were there, and the sad silence, was broken by her sobs. His remains have since been removed by his family from King's Chapel to St. Paul's Church." In 1794 a monument was raised to his memory by the Masonic lodge of Charlestown. " It consisted of a brick pedestal, eight feet square, rising ten feet from the ground, and supporting a Tuscan pillar of wood, eighteen feet high. This was surmounted by a gilt urn, bearing the inscription : ^ J. W., aged 35.' The simple epitaph w^as entwined with Masonic emblems." After standing forty years, the monument gave place to the present granite obelisk, w^iich rises to the height of one hundred and fifty feet above the historic hill, and in which is enclosed a statue of General Warren. In 1777 a resolution was passed by Congress to erect JOSEPH WARREN. 53 a monument to Warren in the town of Boston, bearing this inscripti on : " In Honor of Joseph Warren, Major-General of Massachusetts Bay. He devoted his life to the liberties of his country ; And in bravely defending them, fell an early victim. In the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. The Congress of the United States As an acknowledgment of his services, Have erected this monument To his memory." But the patriotic order was never executed. His truest monument is in the hearts of his countrymen, where, after the lapse of a century, the glory that crowns his name shines as brightly as on the day of his heroic death. CHAPTER III. NATHANIEL OREENK. Birthplace and Ancestry. — Work at the Plough and the Anvil. — Studying Euclid over the Forge. — Education under Disadvantages. — Lindley Murray and Dr. Styles. — Love of the Dance. — Ingenious Shingle Device. — Marriage. — On the Eoad to Lexington. — Made a Major-General. — Expelled from the Quakers. — Sick in Camp. — At Trenton. — The Brandywine. — Greene's Bravery. — Germantown. — The Fight through the Fog. — Valley Forge and Monmouth. — The Army of the South. — The Long Chase of Cornwallis. — Siege of Ninety-six. — Eetirement. THIS scion of a Quaker stock was one of the strongest characters brought out by the Revolu- tion. His moral worth, sound mind and good gener- alship were second only to those of Washington, and side by side with that great patriot he breasted the wave of tyranny which rolled over from the mother country. On the twenty-seventh of May, 1742, in "Warwick, Rhode Island, Nathaniel Greene first saw the light. His remote ancestors were English, his father a strict Quaker preacher. The paternal purse not being filled to overflowing, the boyhood of young Nathaniel was one of almost constant toil. But his energies could not be confined to the work of the anvil or the plough, and he found his way to books despite every obstacle. He became acquainted with Lindley Murray and Dr. Styles, and made them contributors to his stock of knowledge. He read Horace and Ceesar, worked the (54) NATHANIEL GREENE. 55 problems of Euclid over his forge, dipped into meta- physics and logic, and even Blackstone and law diction- aries did not escape his craving mind. He was also fond of field sports and other kinds of exhilarating exercise, and, contrary to the strictures of his Quaker father, indulged a very un-Quakerlike love for the mazy dance. Discovered in the indulgence of this species of amuse- ment, he prepared for the expected horsewhipping by lining his jacket with strips of shingle, and thus escaped unhurt from the parental flagellation. At twenty he was vigorous in body, bold in mind, and took an active part in the political discussions of the day. The passage of the Stamp Act decided his course of action, and at once he was enrolled among the patriot band of the Revolution. In 1770 he was elected to the General Assembly of the colony, and four years later his marriage with Miss Littlefield took place. In the spring of 1775 he was on his way to Lexington, and with the rank of major-general, was placed in command of sixteen hundred Rhode Island men. His love for the military brought down on him the displeasure pf the Quakers, and he was formally expelled from that society during this same eventful year. Greene entered upon the duties of the drill with vigor, and had soon put his Rhode Island troops in good condition for the field. After the battle of Bunker Hill his command was removed to Cambridge, and here he gained the lasting esteem and confidence of Washington. After the evacuation of Boston by the British, Greene was placed in command of Long Island, at which point 56 HEROES OF THREE WARS. an attack was hourly anticipated. His head-quarters were established at Brooklyn, and the surrounding woods and roads were explored and guarded at all points of access. Every precaution was taken to insure success to the patriot band. But while this defensive work went forward, Greene was seized with fever, and for days lay hovering between life and death. While in this helpless condition, the cannon of the enemy thundered in his front, and defeat to the American arms followed. This disaster was a source of bitter grief to General Greene, and the result was no doubt due to his absence from the field. As soon as he was able to ride, his troops were summoned to the defence of New York, which was threatened by the enemy. At Harlem a stand was made and a brilliant fight ensued. General Greene behaving Avith great bravery in this his first battle. When the enemy pushed forward from Fort Washing- ton on Staten Island towards Fort Lee, Greene, who had been stationed at that point, succeeded by superior strategy in cutting off their retreat to the Hackensack. He threw himself across their track and kept them at bay until AVashington came to his relief. In the retreat through the Jerseys, Greene was the companion of Washington, and shared his glory and his vicissitudes. The brilliant surprise of Trenton was planned in part by his strategy, and the night of its caputre he com- manded the division with which Washington marched iu person. In the winter of 1777 Greene was in command of a division stationed at Baskingridge, New Jersey, where a series of skirmishes occupied the winter. To aid in the reorganization of the army for the next cam- paign and hasten the action of Congress in the matter, NATHANIEL GREENE. 57 " Greene was despatched to Philadelphia as the fittest person for such a mission, and the one most likely to succeed in influencing that body towards a favorable result. On the tenth of September of that year the Ameri- cans were encamped on the banks of the Brandy wine, and the next day witnessed the battle which made this ground historic. The Americans were massed at the ford, and stubbornly contested the enemy's advance. But a heavy force under Howe and Corn wal lis had crossed the river by a circuitous route and were rap- idly marching upon the American rear. At this un- expected manoeuvre the patriot ranks were thrown into confusion and were flying in disorder, when Greene with two fresh brigades came to their rescue. His field-pieces were planted in the path of the enemy, and by their well-directed fire arrested the headlong ad- vance of the British. The flight which had begun in panic was now converted into a well-ordered retreat, and, halting in a narrow defile, Greene drew up his troops in line of battle. This gave them the advantage of position, and they awaited the onset of the foe. The British came on in a wild charge, only to be hurled back by the death-dealing fire of the patriot troops. Again and again did the enemy endeavor to take this strong position, but without avail. Greene and his invincible men held their ground without wavering until night brought the conflict to a close. The enemy then retired, leaving the American forces in victorious possession of the field. When Howe occupied Philadelphia, and Washing- ton had determined upon making an attack on the enemy at Germantown, Greene was intrusted with the 58 HEROES OF THREE WARS. command of the left wing of the American army. The battle commenced at daybreak on the fourth of October, and the contending armies were veiled from each other's view by a thick fogi The long blaze of musketry fire flashing out from the gloom was the only guide which directed the aim of the patriot forces. But they rushed forward into the village driving the enemy before them, when suddenly, in the confusion and gloom of the morning, the division of Stevens be- came panic-stricken, and Cornwallis arriving with fresh troops, the patriot forces were compelled to fall back. General Greene conducted this retreat in a masterly manner. A running fight was kept up for five miles, and the day closed in disappointment to the Americans. But reverses sometimes only serve to give greater strength, and the lessons of this day were neither lost nor fruitless. During the winter at Valley Forge, Greene was of great service in reorganizing the army, especially in the quarter-master and commissary departments, which it seems were sadly in need of a wholesome change. At the urgent desire of Washington and Congress, he had accepted the position of quarter- master-general, and the result proved the wisdom of their choice, as an immediate reform in those depart- ments amply demonstrated. Greene stood with Washington in counselling the battle of Monmouth, while a majority of officers opposed it, and to his services on that field the victory was largely due. After twenty-four hours of fighting and constant exercise and anxiety, discharging the double duties of his two offices, he was at last enabled to throw himself down at the foot of a tree, wrapped in his cloak, to snatch a few hours of needed rest. NATHANIEL GREENE. 59 Afterwards, when the attack on Newport, Rhode Island, was planned, Greene's command constituted a portion of the force under Sullivan, which was marched northward for that purpose. The misfortune which rendered powerless the aid of D'Estaing's fleet, defeated their well-laid plans, and a retreat was rendered neces- sary. Greene's "coolness and judgment" on this occasion were conspicuous. After the burning of EHzabethtown by Clinton, an interval of inaction and inactivity followed. The slow current of affairs was suddenly broken by the treason of Arnold and the arrest of Andre. Greene presided over the court of inquiry which convicted that brave young officer; but neither his sympathies nor his regrets were allowed to interfere with the solemn execution of his duty in this important trust. After- wards he was appointed to the command of the armies of the South, and his presence and good generalship revealed themselves in the most encouraging results. Marion, Sumter, Pickens, Morgan, Howard, Lee and Carrington were the leaders under his command, and with such brave material, his achievements were brilliant in the extreme. The superior strategy of Greene and his fine tact were illustrated during his campaign in the South by the sorry chase he led Corn- wallis. For nearly a month that general kept up his pursuit of Greene without being able to entrap him or out-general his masterly manoeuvres, and the retreat ended only when the Americans were landed safely on the northern banks of the River Dan. In the subse- quent battle of Guilford Court-House, Greene took an active part, as also in the field at Camden, and the sharply contested siege of Fort Ninety-Six. 60 HEROES OF THREE WARS. The execution by the British of Colonel Hayne in Charleston as a spy, greatly exasperated Greene, who threatened retaliation — a promise likely enough to have been fulfilled had the war continued. At the battle of Eutaw Springs, Greene's losses were severe, though in this engagement he took five hundred prisoners. The campaign of 1781 closed, leaving South Caro- lina again in possession of its rightful owners. The State Assembly, in 1782, voted General Greene an address of thanks for his distinguished services, to which was added a gift of ten thousand guineas. After the evacuation of Charleston, Greene made a trium- phal entry into that city on the fourteenth of Decem- ber, accompanied by a civil and military escort, the governor riding by his side. After the war he removed to a plantation at Mulberry Grove, on the Savannah River, in Georgia, where he lived until his death. At the age of forty-four his life was cut short by an unhappy exposure to the rays of a southern sun. On June nineteenth, 1786, he breathed his last and received his promotion to a higher sphere. His memory lives, entwined with that of Washington and all the patriot dead whose precious services gave to us a country and with it transmitted the sacred heritage of freedom. CHAPTER IV. LAFAYETTE. Noble Lineage of the Marquis.— Early Surroundings.— A Member of the King's Regiment.— Commissioned at Fifteen.— Marriage.— The Dinner at Metz.— Noble Resolve.— Preparations to Sail for America.— Obstacles Everywhere.— Voyage of the "Victory."— Arrival.— Home of Benjamin Huger.— Journey to Philadelphia. —Fighting for Liberty.— Battle of Brandywine.— Services in the Revolution.— Arnold and Lafayette.— Return to France.— Visit to the United States.— Terrors of the French Revolution.— Flight and Imprisonment.— The Magdeburg Dungeon.— Liberated by Napoleon.— Visit to the United States in 1824.— Joyful Welcome. —The Citizen King of the French.— Last Days of Lafayette. THE Marquis de Lafayette, of glorious memory, was descended from a long line of noble ancestry. His father, also a marquis and a chevalier of the order of St. Louis, bravely fought and fell on the field of Minden, Germany, under the leadership of the Duke de Broglie, two months before Lafayette was born. His mother came of the noble house of Lusignan. At the family chateau of the ancient line, in Cha- vagniac, province of Auvergne, France, on September sixth, 1757, Lafayette was born. All the luxury that wealth could give, all the advantages which titled rank could confer, awaited him. His cliildhood was a pathway of flowers. No adverse circumstances arose like mountains, in the road down which he was to walk. Not then, nor afterwards, until he deliberately chose the rugged way, because liberty was found in it, and he preferred hardship with liberty to luxury without it. (CD 62 HEROES OF THREE WARS. When he had arrived at the age of twelve, he was sent to the Plessis college at Paris, where he became a favorite at the royal court of Louis the Grand, and received the appointment of one of the queen's pages. Having also joined the king's regiment of musketeers, the queen obtained for him a commission when he was only fifteen years old. At sixteen he was married to a daughter of the Duke D'Ayen, a young lady fourteen years old; and though the alliance was favored and promoted by relatives on both sides, it was said to be purely a love-aifair between the young marquis and his girlish bride. For once, at least, the old adage was contradicted, and the course of true love seemed to run smooth. After his marriage the new relatives of Lafay- ette endeavored to obtain a position in the establish- ment of the king, for the marquis, but their plans were defeated by Lafayette himself, who had no relish for the favors of royalty. The negotiations regarding the matter were pending a long time, and before they were concluded an event occurred which changed the whole current of Lafayette's life, and gave him to future fame as the champion of American liberty. Near the close of the year 1776, about two years after his marriage, Lafayette, who was at that time an officer in the French army stationed at Metz, met the Duke of Gloucester, brother of King George the Third, at the head-quarters of the commandant of the place. A dinner was given to the distinguished guest, and Lafayette was among the number invited to be present. At table the leading topic of conversation was the struggle then going on in America, and there was at least one deeply interested listener. Many of the details of the contest across the water, Lafayette now LAFAYETTE. 63 heard for the first time, and he took part in the conver- sation with great earnestness. He seemed to compre- hend the situation at a glance, and saw that the cause of the American colonies Avas the cause of "justice, of liberty, of heaven." Before he rose from the table his resolution was taken. Henceforward he would identify himself with the struggling colonists on the soil of the new world. Speaking of this time he says : "When I first learned tlie subject of this quarrel my heart espoused warmly the cause of liberty, and I thought of nothing but adding also the aid of my banner Such a glo- rious cause had never before attracted the attention of mankind.'' With Lafayette, to resolve was to act, and he made preparations at once to go to America. His friends and relatives strongly opposed him in the step he was about to take, and discouragements sprang up in hia path everywhere. But his young enthusiasm and dauntless courage were not to be thus overcome. End- less difficulties confronted him before he could leave the ports of France on his outward-bound voyage, and at last he was driven to the extreme of purchasing a ship of his own, since all other means of transportation had been denied him. With sublime courage he con- quered every obstacle which stood between him and the achievement of his glorious purpose to enroll him- self among the defenders of American liberty. At last, after having run the gauntlet of exposure a long time, he set sail for the shores of the new world. His ship was named the "Victory." As soon as it was known that he had gone, the French court despatched orders to the West Indies to arrest his progress, as it 64 HEROES OF THREE WARS. was customaiy for all French cruisers to take that route. But Lafayette, anticipating pursuit, sailed di- rectly for an American port, and after a tedious voyage of seven weeks landed on the South Carolina coast, near Georgetown, at the mouth of the Pedee River. *' Entering the river about dark, they went ashore with their boats, and attracted by a light approached the house of Major Benjamin Iluger. The furious bark- ing of the dogs promised them anything but a warm reception." The family of Mr. Huger at first sup- posed them to be a marauding party, but when their character was made known by Baron DeKalb, who was with them and acted as interpreter, they were received with cordial welcome. With the hospitality character- istic of the South, everything was provided for the comfort of the generous foreigners who had come to aid them in their struggle for liberty. Lafayette was agreeably impressed with the new country and with the unaffected simplicity of the inhabitants, and his zeal for the cause he had espoused continued unabated. Writing from Charleston on the nineteenth of June, he says : " The country and its inhabitants are as agree- able as my enthusiasm had led me to imagine. Sim- plicity of manner, kindness of heart, love of country and of liberty, and a delightful state of equality are met with universally." At Charleston he received the respect and attention due his high standing and his noble devotion to principle. He had left that city by carriage for Philadelphia, where Congress was then assembled, to ask the privilege of joining the American army. He had before him a journey of nine hundred miles over rough roads, the greater part of which was accomplished on horseback. He was a month on the LAFAYETTE. 65 road; but he arrived at last at Philadel2)hia, while AYashington was encamped at Germantown, ten miles from the city, after having made his historic passage of the Delaware. On the thirty-first of July, Congress conferred on Lafayette the rank of major-general. It was entirely unsolicited on his part, as he had asked simply to serve as a volunteer at his own expense. When AYashington arrived at Philadelphia he met Lafayette at a dinner party, and having been made acquainted with the circumstances of his coming to America, complimented him upon his zeal and sacri- fices and invited him to consider the head-quarters of the army his home. This was the beginning of an intimate and lifelong friendship between Lafayette and Washington. When the Continental army marched through the streets of Philadelphia on its way to Delaware, Lafay- ette was at the side of the commanding general, and shortly afterwards, at the battle of Brandywine, dis- tinguished himself for his bravery, covering the retreat of the American forces in a masterly manner. During the action he received a severe wound in his leg, but fought gallantly on, unheeding the stream of blood which flowed over his boot-top. He was afterwards laid up for six weeks with this first wound In liberty's cause. In the battle of Brandywine Lafayette fought as a volunteer, not having yet obtained a command, though his commission had been received some time previous. When Congress conferred on him the rank of major-general he lacked one month of being twenty years of age, and he had already entered upon a career of almost unparalleled brightness. In the winter of 1777-78 a party conspiracy was 66 HEROES OF THREE WARS. formed, whose object was to displace Washington and give the chief command to General Gates. With a view to detaching Lafayette from his interest, an expe- dition against Canada was planned and Lafayette ap- pointed to the chief command. But with a noble integrity he refused to accept the position unless he could be considered as acting under Washington and subject to his orders. But the ambitious designs of the cabal proved abortive, and the expedition to Canada was abandoned. In May following, he conducted a retreat from Bar- ren Hill, in the face of superior numbers, with a skill which won the admiration of the army, and his gallant services at the battle of Monmouth in the succeeding month elicited the thanks of Congress. At the close of the campaign of 1778 he addressed a letter to Con- gress, enclosing one from Washington. In this letter, among other things, he says : "As long as I thought I could dispose of myself, I made it my pride and pleasure to fight under American colors in defence of a cause which I dare more particularly call ours, because I had the good fortune of bleeding for her. Now that France is involved in a war, I am urged by a sense of my duty as well as by the love of my country, to present myself before the king and know in what manner he judges proper to employ my services." He then asks permission of Congress to return to France as a soldier on furlough, and tenders his services in behalf of the American cause in his own country. Congress granted the permission he asked, giving him unlimited leave of absence and instructing the president to write him a letter of thanks for his zeal in the cause of American independence. A sword was also presented him in the LAFAYETTE. 67 name of the United States as a token of gratitude and esteem. He landed on the French coast February twelfth, 1779, and met with a warm reception among his en- tlmsiastic countrymen. The court, at first cold and distant, afterwards appointed him to a command in the king's regiment, where he served with his usual activity during the year. In March, 1780, Lafayette returned to the United States and again tendered his services to Congress. They were gratefully accepted ; and from that time until the close of hostilities he took an active part in the colonial struggle for independence. He succeeded in infusing into his men some of his own enthusiasm for the cause in which he was engaged, and prevented desertions by appeals to the honor of his troops, instead of adopting the usual harsh code. He defended Vir- ginia against the invasion of Cornwallis with masterly skill, and in Baltimore raised means from his own credit with the merchants of that city, to obtain much needed supplies of clothing. In the trying times of Arnold's treason, when the question, "Whom can we trust now?" "was anxiously asked, Lafayette was the bosom-friend of Wasliington, and his counsel and advice were ever relied upon. AVhen an accident threw upon Arnold the command of the entire British force in Virginia, Lafayette refused to hold any correspondence whatever with him. He returned a letter, sent by flag of truce, unopened, wnth the reply that if any of the British officers had w^rltten to him he would have been happy to receive their communications, and extend to them the courtesy ren- djered necessary by the death of their commander, 68 HEROES OF THREE WARS. General Phillips — an event which had just occurred and which was the occasion of Arnold's position. After the surrender of Cornwall is, Lafayette again petitioned Congress for leave of absence to visit his family in France, and thus terminated his connection with the Revolutionary war. " From Congress, from the several States, from literary institutions and from assemblies of the people on every side, he received the most ample testimonials of the high sense universally entertained of his disinterested sacrifices in the cause of American freedom and of the distinguished ability and success with which he had consecrated to it the flower of his manhood." Prayers and blessings followed him across the Atlantic. Congress intrusted him with confidential })owers to his government, and wrote a letter recommending him to his king "in words of unequivocal praise." France received him with demonstrations of joy, and the king conferred on him the rank of field-marshal. After the fall of Yorktovvn another year was occu- pied by turbulent conferences and negotiations for peace. Lafayette, as confidential agent of the United States in the old world, was largely instrumental in securing the happy termination of the negotiations, and was the first one to send the joyful tidings to America. In his eagerness, he chartered a ship espe- cially for that purpose. Through his influence also, Spain the more speedily recognized the independence of the United States. When everything in his power had been done for the furtherance of the interest of America in Europe, Lafayette accepted the urgent invitation of Washington to visit the country for whose freedom he had so freely LAFAYETTE. g9 expended blood and treasure. He was also prompted by his own strong desire to meet once more his comrades-in-arms. He embarked at Havre on July first, 1784, and arrived in New York on August fourth. His journey through the United States was an ovation. Universal welcome greeted him, and the " triumph accorded by the heart of a nation to one of its deliverers^' was his. In every town and village through which he passed, the mothers and daughters and widows of the land, as well as his comrades-in- arms, gathered around him with heartfelt welcome. " Congress appointed committees to receive him and to bid him adieu; and in every way a grateful nation showered upon him the most gratifying marks of their love and respect.'' On the twenty-fifth of January, 1785, he was again in Paris. He found France in the state of confusion which immediately preceded the Revolution, and at once endeavored to obtain for the people a liberal basis of government. Through him a convocation of nobles was called at which he sought to obtain for his country- men "personal liberty, religious liberty, and a repre- sentative assembly of the people." Through strenuous and long-continued efforts the power of the throne was at last limited, and the people found voice through a legislature. But the lower classes, so long held under despotic rule, were swept in the reactionary wave of the Revolution, and the terrors of that time were now inaugurated. Kings, princes and nobles were beheaded at the bloody shrine of which Robespierre was high priest, and the streets of Paris ran red with the best blood of France. Through all these times of terror, Lafayette walked 70 HEROES OF THREE WARS. with steady purpose. Every position which the power of the monarchy could offer was tendered him, but he refused them all. He would accept no pecuniary compensation for his services. His aim was far higher than mere personal aggrandizement. " Finding himself, after the execution of the king, no longer able to command the army he had created, beset by enemies, denounced in the assembly as a traitor, and by that assembly ordered to be arrested, Lafayette had but two alternatives, either to yield him- self to their authority, or to fly. He chose the latter course, but in the territory of Liege fell into the hands of the Austrians, who treated him as a prisoner of war.'' Austria finally gave him into the custody of the Prussian government, and after being dragged about for some time from one prison to another, he was at last taken to the fortress of Magdeburg, where he suf- fered the tortures of a living tomb. Nothing could excuse this inhuman treatment received at the hands of the Austrian and Prussian governments. " When, after the first victory of the arms of Bruns- wick, an exchange of prisoners was about to take place, he was transferred to the Emperor of Germany, to avoid his being included in the cartel, and was placed in the dungeons of Olmutz, in Moravia." In this prison he was cut oif from all communication with the outside world. Even his jailers were forbidden to speak his name, and neither knife nor fork was allowed him, on account of a fear that he might be tempted to put an end to so wretched an existence. His health failed to such a degree under this cruel treatment that his physician repeatedly declared him unable to recover without the aid of fresh air. The LAFA YETTK 71 court of Vienna listened unmoved to these appeals, until at last, alarmed by the execrations of the world, Lafayette was permitted exercise abroad under an armed guard. At this time his rescue was attempted by Colonel Huger and Dr. Boll man, which resulted disastrously in their capture and imprisonment for six months. The noble wife of Lafayette, escaping the fate of her relatives upon the scaffold only through the fall of Kobespierre, sought the imperial presence of the Ger- man Emperor and plead for the release of her hus- band. Denied this boon, she then asked permission to share his imprisonment. The request was granted, but her health gave way under the close confinement, and her petition for a leave of absence was refused. "She was told that she might go if she would, but that she could never return.'' With heroic devotion she re- mained; but her system never recovered the shock here incurred. Wilberforce, Fox, General Fitzpatrick and Washington all plead in vain for the release of Lafayette ; but at last Napoleon came to ask the same favor with a determination which would brook no denial. " Napoleon restored Lafayette to liberty, but scarcely to life, for his constitution was shattered and his estates had been wasted by the convulsions which had shaken his country.'' After the downfall of the Directory he revisited France, now so changed, and sought the quietude of his home at Lagrange. He refused the favors which Napoleon heaped upon him, and remained true to his Republican principles through all conflicts. He rejected even the cross of the Legion of Honor ; and the position of Governor of Louisiana, which Mr. Jefferson offered, failed to allure him. He 72 HEROES OF THREE WARS. wanted neither titles nor advancements. In the sedn- sion of his family circle he watched the progress of events, and when the empire of Napoleon crumbled and France was again in danger, he appeared once more in the political arena, advocating the cause of the people. All his influence was used to restore tranquillity, but he did not fail to urge the representa- tive system. During these troublous times his course had been eagerly watched by the people of the United States, and after the restoration of Louis VIII. both Houses of Congress passed a resolution inviting him to this continent. His second visit of 1824 was the result. He was hailed by the Nation with joy and gratitude, and the blessings and prayers of old and young fol- lowed him. He returned to France to enter the Revolution of 1830. In this hour of his country's need he was looked to for counsel. " The nation confided to him its fate, and, like Washington, he had the privilege of refusing a crown. He felt that France was not ripe for the institutions of the United States; but he desired to secure to the people an acknowledg- ment of their rights, though with a king." The supreme object of his life was ended when he had presented to the people the citizen king in the person of the Duke of Orleans, Louis Phillippe, a man tried in adversity and found true. Here terminated his great career. He sleeps his last sleep in a cemetery near Paris, by the side of his faithful wife and daughter. On the morning of the twentieth of May, 1 834, his great spirit took its flight, leaving behind an example of the purest integrity, the loftiest virtue. Worldly power LAFAYETTE. 73 flid not tempt him; crowns or kingdoms could not allure him. He belonged not alone to France, but to America, to the world. He was the champion of Liberty, the advocate of the people. To France he was the high priest of the new Republic, inauguratmg free thought, and a representative system. The words which fell from his lips were the electric sparks which fired the minds of the people and caused an empire to tremble to its fall. His aspirations were to elevate the condition of his fellow-men. His aims were liberty and justice. France loved him, and America reveres his memory. CHAPTER Y. ISRAEL PUTNAM. Ancestry of Putnam.— Boyhood Days.— Marriage.— Eemoval to Pomfret. — Adventure with the Wolf. — Seven Years' War. — Put- nam in Command of a Company. — Adventures along the Hudson. — Surprised by Indians. — Down the Kapids. — Indian Superstition. — Putnam at the Stake. — The Eescue. — The Guns of Lexington. — The Plow Exchanged for the Sword. — Murray Hill and the Quakeress. — Putnam's Eapid Kise in the Avmy. —Buse at Prince- ton. — Escape at Horseneck. — Paralysis. — The Last of Earth. — Eulogiums. TSRAEL PUTNAM was one of the most gallant -L and daring officers of the revolutionary war. He was renowned for his keen strategy and intrepid brav- ery, which served him many a good turn in the adverse fortunes of war, and certainly no more skilful or patri- otic general ever served his country under the glorious leadership of Washington. The boy Putnam first saw the light in Salem, Mas- sachusetts, and was ushered into the affairs of this world just seven days after the new year of 1718 had spoken once and parted forever with the old year of 1717. His paternal grandfather was one of the Pil- grims who came over in the "Mayflower" and landed at Plymouth Rock. The name of this ancestor was John Putnam, who with two brothers emigrated from the south of England and settled in Salem. Of the early days of Putnam there are few incidents to relate. He was a plain farmer^s boy, full of sturdy health and brought up in the simple, industrious habits (74) ISRAEL PUTNAM. 75 of the times. When he had arrived at the age of twenty-one he married a girl of Salem, and the next year — 1740 — removed to the town of Pomfret, in Con- necticut, where he settled down into the steady life of a farmer. It is of these days that the well-known story of Putnam's adventure with the wolf is told — a story which has been disputed in some particulars by several writers on the subject. During the fifteen years which succeeded his removal to Pomfret, he was occupied exclusively with his farm and accumulated a handsome property. Then came the Seven Years' War between England and France, and Putnam was placed in command of a company in a regiment of Connecticut Provincials. The vast continent of North America was the rich prize con- tended for, and the long war was inaugurated by Brad- dock's expedition against Fort Du Quesne, while the battles at Fort Niagara and Fort Edward were enacted in the early part of the same campaign. In this expedition Captain Putnam and his company performed the duty of rangers and were sent on special and perilous service, reconnoitering the enemy's camp and capturing their outposts and supplies. It was during this first campaign that Captain Putnam saved the life of Major Rogers of New Hampshire. At the close of the campaign Captain Putnam re- turned to his home, but re-entered the service the next year — 1756 — having had his commission as captain renewed. An incident illustrating his bravery and bold spirit is told, respecting his recapture of provisions taken by the enemy. They had been captured at Halfway Brook, between Fort Edward and Lake George, by a 76 HEROES OF THREE WARS. force six hundred strong. Putnam and Rogers went in pursuit, having about one hundred men in boats and two " wall-pieces and two blunderbusses." They proceeded down the lake and took a line across the land to the narrows, in order to cut off any possible retreat. " They succeeded in reaching the spot before the French with their batteau, now laden with plunder, had gained it. Unexpectedly they opened a tremendous fire upon them, killed many of the boatmen and sank several of the boats. The rest by a strong wind were swept into South Bay, and thus escaped to bear the news to Ticonderoga. Anticipating their return with reinforcements, Putnam and Rogers hastened to their boats, and at Sabbath-day Point they found their expectations had not deceived them, for the French, about three hundred strong, were approaching on the lake. When the enemy had come within pistol-short, the wall-pieces and blunderbusses were unmasked and opened upon them, aided by musketry, producing the most dreadful carnage, and leaving the further retreat of the rangers unmolested." It was such adventure as this that gave to Putnam a wide reputation for bravery and strategic skill, and in 1757 the Legislature of Connecticut conferred on him a major's commission. If there was a hazardous enterprise to be performed, or a difficult feat to be ac- complished, Putnam was the man selected to do it. Once, while lying on the Hudson in his batteau, near the rapids at Fort Miller, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of a party of Indians on the bank. Putnam had with him only five men, and to land would have been certain destruction. His decision was in- stantly taken, and wheeling his boat amid stream he ^VV^Vt^.'?.. PUTNAM RESCUED BY MOLANG. ISRAEL PUTNAM. 79 glided swiftly towards the rapids. The dusky sons of the forest watched him in amazement from the shore as his boat swept down the dangerous rapids, making the passage safely and gliding out into the smooth waters below. The red men thought him favored of the Great Spirit. Once, however, his guiding star of good fortune seemed to have forsaken him. While reconnoitering the enemy's position at Ticonderoga, he was surprised and captured by a detachment of Indians under the leadership of the French officer Molang, He was tied to a tree and forced to remain there while a hot struggle ensued between the provincials and the French allies, leaving the provincials in possession of the field. In their retreat the Indians took their prisoner with them. "He was dragged onward by his foes, who stripped him of his clothes, his shoes and hat, and forced him to bear the most cruel burdens, while his flesh was incessantly lacerated by the thorns and briers of the woods. One of these savages had struck him with the but-end of his musket and fractured his jaw, causing excruciating pain, and another had wounded him with a tomahawk in the neck. His sufferings were not ended with this treatment. He had been destined to perish at the stake, and the brutal conquerors had already determined upon inflicting the most cruel tor- ture to add to the bitterness of death. They bound their victim to a tree, naked and covered with wounds, and had already lighted the fagots that were to con- sume him, when one of them, more humane than the rest, informed Molang of his danger, and this officer rushed to his rescue. . . . Putnam was carried to Ticonderoga, where he was made known to Montcalm, 80 HEROES OF THREE WARS. who had him transferred to Montreal. In this city- there were several American prisoners, and among them Colonel Peter Schuyler. This gallant officer was very much overcome" on seeing Putnam stripped of his clothing, and exhibiting marks of such cruel treatment, and succeeded in getting him exchanged with others, when the transfer of prisoners took place. In 1759 Putnam received the rank of lieutenant- colonel, and in 1762, when war broke out between England and Spain, he went to Cuba in command of a Connecticut regiment. After contributing to the success of the English in subduing Havana, he returned to his home in Connecticut. Ten years of his life had thus far been spent in war- fare, and with the respite of another decade, the war of the Revolution furnished an opportunity for the continuance of his military career. When the guns of Lexington, on the memorable nineteenth of April, 1775, announced the contest for liberty on the soil of the New World begun, Putnam was at his plow in the field. When the news reached him, he mounted his horse and galloped to the scene of action. On the twenty-first a council of war was held at which Putnam was present, and the Assembly of Connecticut conferred upon him the commission of br i gad ier-general . During the month of May, General Putnam assisted by Warren succeeded in removing the cattle from the islands in Boston Harbor, thus cutting oif the supplies of the enemy. General Putnam also accompanied the detachment of one thousand men that on the night of the sixteenth of June took possession of the heights of Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. The history of the ISRAEL PUTNAM. 81 next day's battle is too well known to need recital here. While Warren was bravely fighting behind the redoubt on Breed's Hill, Putnam was also leading his men in the action with his customary fearlessness. " On the evacuation of Boston by the British, Putnam was placed in command of the city, where he remained until the twenty-ninth of March of the next year, when he was ordered to take command of New York, and to complete the defences of the city commenced by General Lee." On August twenty-third Putnam re- ceived the chief command, and on September twelfth New York was evacuated by our forces. " Soon after this, some British ships ascended the Hudson as far as Bloomingdale, while Sir Henry Clinton landed four thousand troops on the eastern side of the island at Ivipp's Bay." If these two forces should effect a junc- tion across the island, Putnam saw that his division would be entrapped, and set himself to work to escape the enclosing meshes before his retreat could be cut off. As the enemy were obliged to pass under Murray Hill, where resided a patriotic Quakeress, Putnam despatched his aide to the lady, requesting her to offer refreshments to the army of Sir Henry Clinton, and to detain them as long as possible. It proved a very successful piece of strategy. One hour of precious time was lost to the enemy and gained by the forces under Putnam. When the British general resumed his march, he saw to his surprise that Putnam had escaped him and was advancing into the Bloomingdale plains. In December, 1776, when Washington had crossed the Delaware to prevent the enemy from entering Philadelphia, Putnam was placed in command at that post. This was a high compliment to his generalship, 82 HEROES OF THREE WARS. as Philadelphia was considered a point of vital impor- tance to hold. In 1777 he received orders to go to New Jersey, where the enemy were occupying winter quarters at New Brunswick and Amboy. His object having been accomplished of forcing a concentration of the enemy's forces, he went to Princeton, where he spent the remainder of the winter. At this time he had but a handful of troops to oppose to the British legions, his whole command numbering only a few hundred men. Great strategy and skill was therefore required to conceal his scarcity of troops from the enemy. An incident occurred which taxed his powers in this direc- tion to the utmost. A Scotch captain, wounded at the battle of Princeton, was lying at the point of death in his camp, and asked permission to " send for a friend in the British army at Brunswick, that some testamen- tary matters of great importance might be confided to him.'' It was cruel to refuse, it was dangerous to grant the request. In this dilemma Putnam finally consented that the Scotchman might receive his friend from the British army if he would come at night. "An officer was despatched to Brunswick to conduct him to McPherson's chamber. It was after dark before they reached Princeton. General Putnam had the College hall and all vacant houses lighted up, and while the two friends were closeted had his men marched rapidly before the house and around the quarters of the captain with great pomp and bustle, repeating the manoeuvre several times to give an impression of a strong force." The ruse succeeded, and the Scotchman's friend, when he went back, reported a large force at Putnam's camp. After this Putnam was ordered to the Highlands, and made his head-quarters at Peekskill from the month of May until October. ISRAEL PUTNAM. 83 During the winter of 1778 Putnam was busily- engaged rebuilding the demolished forts in the High- lands, and made the selection of West Point for the site of a fortification, which was begun in January of that year. The celebrated escape at Horseneck is also chronicled of this year. Some writers record this event as occurring in the winter, others make the time in July. Rogers, who was with Putnam, says it was July, and it is natural to suppose that his authority is the best. General Putnam, it seems, was visiting one of his outposts at West Greenwich, against which Gov- ernor Try on was marching with a force of fifteen hun~ dred men. Putnam with his small force made a stand near a church which stood on the edge of a precipitous hill, and sent a volley from his artillery into the ranks of the advancing foe. But the British cavalry was forming for a charge, and Putnam, knowing the hope- lessness of resistance by his little company of fifty men, ordered a retreat to a swamp behind the hill inac- cessible to cavalry, while he urged his own horse directly down the steep face of the hill. His pursuers galloped to the edge of the bluff, and paused in amaze- ment, not daring to follow such a breakneck plunge down the rocks. A volley was fired after Putnam, but the shot passed harmlessly over his head. The perilous descent was safely made, and after obtaining reinforcements, Putnam returned in pursuit of Gov- ernor Tryon. The fortifications in the Highlands occupied General Putnani until the winter of 1779, when on returning from a visit to his family he was attacked with paraly- sis, from which he never recovered, though his death did not take place until May of 1790. The manner of 84 HEROES OF THREE WARS. his attack is related. He had started on a journey to Morristown in the month of December. While on the road between Porafret and Hartford, he felt the stealthy approach of the paralytic stroke. A gradual numbness crept through his right hand and foot until he was deprived in a great measure of the use of his limbs on that side. He reached the house of his friend, Colonel Wads worth, with difficulty. He did not recover, as he expected, but remained in this half- paralytic condition, though enabled to walk and ride moderately, until the seventeenth of May, 1790, when he was violently attacked with an inflammatory disease, and two days later the patriotic life went out, to be rekindled no more on earth. The farewell volleys of the infantry were discharged over the hero's grave, and the minute guns of the artillery sounded like signals of distress. The Grenadiers of the Eleventh Regiment, a corps of artillerists and various military companies of the neigh- borhood, besides the Masonic fraternity, moved in the sad funeral cortege. Dr. Waldo pronounced the following eulogium over his grave : " Those venerable relics once delighted in the endear- ing domestic virtues which constitute the excellent neighbor, husband, parent and worthy brother ! Lib- eral and substantial in his friendship, unsuspicious, open and generous, just and sincere in dealing, a benevolent citizen of the world — he concentrated in his bosom the noble qualities of an honest man. " Born a hero, whom nature taught and cherished in the lap of innumerable toils and dangers, he was terri- ble in battle ! But, from the araiableness of his heart, ISRAEL PUTNAM. S5 wlien carnage ceased his humanity spread over the fiekl like the refreshing zephyrs of a summer's evening. The prisoner, the wounded, the sick, the forlorn ex- ])erienced the delicate sympathy of this soldier's pillow. The poor and the needy of every description received the charitable bounties of this Christian soldier. "He pitied littleness, loved goodness, admired great- ness, and ever aspired to its glorious summit! The friend, the servant, and almost unparalleled lover of his country, worn with age and the former trials of war, Putnam rests from his labors, "Till mouldering worlds and tumbling systems burst When the last trump shall renovate his dust; Still by the mandate of eternal truth His soul will flourish in immortal youth ! ' " This, all who knew him know, — this, all who loved him tell." Rev. Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College, an intimate friend of Putnam, wrote the following in- scription, which was engraven on his tomb : " Sacred be this Monument to the memory of Israel Putnam, Esquire, Senior Major-General in the Armies of The United States of America, who was born at Salem, in the Province of Massachusetts, on the seventh day of January, A. D. 1718, and died on the nineteenth day of May, A. D. 1790. HEROES OF THREE WARS. Pappenjer, if thou art a Soldier, drop a tear over the dust of a Hero, who, ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men, dared to lead where any dared to follow : if a Patriot, remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country by the Patriot who sleeps beneath this marble ; if thou art honest, generous and worthy, tender a cheerful tribute of respect to a man whose generosity was singular, whose honesty was proverbial, who raised himself to universal esteem and offices of eminent distinction by personal worth and a useful life.*' CHAPTER VI. ETHAN ALLEN. Birthplace of Allen. — The New Hampshire Grants. — The Green Mountain Boys. — Ethan Allen a Leader. — Price on his Head. — Allen's Fearlessness. — The Revolution. — Capture of Ticonderoga. — Benedict Arnold's Part in the Afiair. — Allen in Canada. — The Army of Invasion. — Plans for the Capture of Montreal. — The Fatal Snare. — Allen a Prisoner. — Brutal Treatment by British Officers. — In Falmouth, England. — The Gentlemen of Cork. — Exchanged. — Liberty and the Green Mountains Once More. — Joyful Welcome. — Allen Again Fighting the Battles of Young Vermont. — Review of his Character. IT has been said that no one man contributed more, by his personal efforts, to the independence of our country than did that bold knight of Liberty, Ethan Allen. He first comes to our notice as the leader of the renowned Green Mountain Boys, in the troublous times when the land-owners of Vermont, under the New Hampshire Grants, defended their homesteads and property against the false claims of the British Gov- ernor Tryon of the New York Colony. Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, January tenth, 1737. His father, Joseph Allen, was a native of Coventry, of the same State, from whence he emigrated to Litchfield, and afterwards to Cornwall, where he raised a large family of children. Four or five of the boys settled in the land west of the Green Mountains, and did much towards shaping the destiny (87) 88 HEROES OF THREE WARS. of the infant State, Vermont. The passion for liberty seems to have been inborn with the whole family, and though none of them became so distinguished as Ethan, they were all staunch pioneers in freedom^s cause, and battled nobly against injustice and op- pression. About the year 1772 the hero of Ticonderoga re- moved to Bennington, Vermont, and it is from this date that we begin to hear of him as a conspicuous leader among the bold mountaineers of the Green Mountains. A difficulty arose between the States of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, owing to conflicting boundary lines as granted by the charters of the several States, or colonies. The original grant of King Charles the Second to the Duke of York, his brotlier, made the Connecticut Kiver the eastern boun- dary line of the Colony of New York, wliich interfered directly with the Massachusetts and Connecticut char- ters. A compromise of claims, however, was settled upon between the three States of Massachusetts, Con- necticut and New York, and all remained in a condi- tion of comparative quiet until Benning Wentworth became Governor of New Hampshire, with authority from the king to '' issue patents for unimproved lands within the limits of his province." Application being made for grants west of the Connecticut River, and even beyond the Green Mountains, Governor Went- worth gave a patent for a township six miles square, near the northwest boundary of Massachusetts, which was named Bennington. A remonstrance went up from New York against this measure, that colony claiming for itself the territory north of Massachusetts ETHAN ALLEN. 89 and east of the Connecticut River. But Governor Wentworth, by all accounts, ignored the claims of New York, and went steadily forward in the work of grant- ing patents, until in four years' time he had issued patents for one hundred and thirty-eight townships. This territory was known by the name of the "New Hampshire Grants," and did not take its present name, Vermont, until the breaking out of the Revolution. The government of New York appealed to the arbitra- tion of the Crown, and a royal decree was issued, stat- ing that the Connecticut River was the dividing line between New York and New Hampshire. This decree, according to New York jurisprudence, forced the set- tlers under the New Hampshire Grants to purchase their lands over again or submit to writs of ejectment in favor of newer claimants who had obtained grants of the New York government. Ethan Allen, who was already a leader among the sturdy yeomanry of the Green Mountains, became noted for his zeal in oppos- ing this injustice, and was chosen to represent their claims at the Albany courts. The trial was little more than a farce, and the case, as might have been expected, was decided against Allen's constituency. He went home and reported the condition of affairs to the excited and indignant mountain pioneers, and a meeting was immediately held by the people of Ben- nington, at which a formal determination was expressed to defend their property by force. They agreed to unite in resisting all encroachments on lands purchased from the government of New Hampshire. Open war was now inaugurated between the Green Mountain Boys and the officers who came to enforce the king's de- cision. Forces of armed men successfully drove away 90 HEROES OF THREE WARS. sheriffs and their posse coming to serve writs of eject- ment on the settlers, and in some instances the intruders were caught and administered a whipping with the ^' twigs of the wiklerness." Ethan Allen was the head and front of this resistance in the name of justice: the chief leader and adviser of the Green Mountain faction. The force thus taking the law into their own hands was regularly organized, and Ethan Allen was appointed colonel commanding, with several captains under him, chief among whom were Seth Warner and Remember Baker. '^Com- mittees of safety were likewise chosen, and intrusted with powers for regulating social affairs. Conventions of delegates representing the people assembled from time to time, and passed resolves and adopted measures which tended to harmonize their sentiments and con- centrate their efforts.'' In this manner affairs went on until Governor Tryon issued a proclamation offering a reward of one hundred and fifty pounds for the cap- ture of Allen, and fifty pounds each for the capture of Seth Warner and five others. Not recognizing the authority of New York in this matter, Allen and his friends sent out a counter-proclamation, offering a reward of five pounds to any person who would take and deliver the Attorney-General of the Colony of New York to any officer in the military association of the Green Mountain Boys. That gentleman had been particularly active in the warfare against them, and was in consequence an object of special dislike. Allen, seeing only his duty in thus setting at defiance the authority of New York', went forward perfectly regardless of threats and faithful in the execution of the trust reposed in him by his brother pioneers. The ETHAN ALLEN. 91 settlers acted strictly on the defensive, but, nevertheless, commotions, mobs and riots were the order of the dav. Manifestoes were published defending the outlaws and condemning the New York proclamation. Thus the course of events went on from bad to worse, the hos- tilities growing more determined, the enmity deeper. How long this state of things would have continued, or to what pitch it would have been carried, no one can tell, had not a common cause united the people in resistance to a common enemy. The smaller feud was eclipsed by the greater. Ominous clouds of tyranny on one hand and opposition to it on the other were slowly gathering in the political horizon of the young colonies, and the battle of Lexington announced the first thunder-burst of the Revolution. Vermont, now recognized as an independent State, boldly stepped to the front in the contest for liberty, and Ethan Allen was her standard-bearer. Eight days after the battle of Lexington a plan was on foot for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, on Lake George, and the seizure of its cannon for the Provin- cial army at Boston. This fort, together with Crown Point, constituted the key of all communication be- tween New York and Canada, and was consequently a point of great strategic importance. The scheme for its capture was a private one, although it originated with several members of the Assembly then in session at Hartford, Connecticut. A committee, at the head of which was Edward Mott and Noah Plielps, went through the frontier towns raising men for the project, and a thousand dol- lars v;as loaned fronnihe treasury of the State to carry the plan into execution. 92 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Sixteen men were collected in Connecticut, and in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Colonel Easton added some of his militia to the force, enlisting volunteers as he went forward. About fifty of these reached Benning- ton, where a council of war was immediately held, and parties were sent to secure* the roads to the northward, thus preventing intelligence of their approach from reaching the enemy. Colonel Allen and his Green Mountain Boys joineMl the force here, and the whole party reached Castlcton on the evening of the seventh of May. ^^ Here a second council of war was held, at which Allen was appointeil commander of the expedition, James Easton the second in command, and Seth W^arner the third." The fierce now consisted of over two hundred men, and they marched directly to a place called Shoreham, on the bank of the lake opposite Ticonderoga. It now became necessary to have a guide who was familiar with the fort and its places of access. Accordingly, Nathan Beman, a young boy, whose father lived near the shore of the lake, was induced to lend his services to the occasion. The number of boats being exceedingly deficient, only eighty-three men had crossed when the day began to dawn. The moment was critical. The fort, if taken at all, must be surprised before daybreak. There was no time to be lost. In this dilemma Colonel Allen re- solved to march on the fort at once, without waiting for the rear-guard to cross the lake. Accordingly, Colonel Allen drew up his mountaineers in three ranks and first made a little spe«'h to them, reminding them that they had come to fight in the cause of lib- ETHAN ALLEN. 9.T erty, and offering any who chose to avail themselves of it an opportunity to retire. No one retired. The order to advance was then given, and the force marched in silence up the heights to the fort. They passed the sentinels, one of whom retreated to his bomb-proof after discharging his piece, and another contented him- self wnth wounding an officer in the head. The men, after forming inside the fort, gave vent to loud huzzas, which startled the sleeping inmates of the barracks. Colonel Allen then demanded to be shown the apart- ment of Captain Delaplace, the officer commanding, and, mounting the steps leading to the officer's room, ordered him, in a voice of thunder, to come forth instantly or the whole garrison would be sacrificed. Captain Delaplace, startled from sleep by the unex- ])ected summons, sprang to the door with his pants in liis hand, and his pretty wife peering over his shoul- der behind him. There stood Ethan Allen, like another Ajax, stern and thunderous, and demanded the immediate surren- der of the fort. "By what authority," asked Captain Delaplace, "do you presume to make such a demand?" " In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Con- tinental Congress!" thundered Allen, in return. The authority of the Continental Congress not being exactly clear to Delaplace, he began speaking in reply. But his speech was cut short by the uplifted sword of Allen, as the demand for immediate surrender was sternly reiterated. Thinking further parley of no avail, Delaplace surrendered the garrison, ordering his men to parade without arms, and Allen with his brave boys took possession of the captured fort. When the 94 HEROES OF THREE WARS. clay dawned on that immortal tenth of May, it seemed to flood the earth with unusual splendor — so wrote Ethan Allen in his autobiography concerning this eventful time. Perhaps the beauty of the morn- ing took a shade of brightness from the rosy flush of the victory he had just achieved. One hundred and twenty pieces of cannon, besides swivels, mortars, small arms and stores, were captured with the fort. In a few days after the seizure of Ticonderoga, Col- onel Allen sent Captain Seth Warner to Crown Point with a detachment of men, and the surrender of the garrison at that post followed. Captain Remember Baker on his way to Ticonderoga reached Crown Point just in time to join Warner in taking possession. Benedict Arnold had arrived from Massachusetts just before the expedition for Ticonderoga set out, commissioned by the Committee of Safety of that col- ony to raise men for the same purpose. Finding an organization already under way, having in view the same object, he endeavored to assume command, and lead them to the fortress himself. But the Green Mountain Boys would not permit their beloved com- mander to be supplanted by a stranger, and to prevent disturbance Arnold submitted to the dictation of the majority, and went as a volunteer. His conduct on the occasion was brave. He had marched by the side of Allen, and entered the fort with him. After the surrender he again attempted to assume command, but his orders were not obeyed, and he was once more obliged to look to Allen as his ranking officer. A scheme was entered into at this time between Allen and Arnold for the purpose of seizing the garri- son at St. Johns, and taking possession of a royal sloop ETHAN ALLEN. 95 which lay there. The beginning of the enterprise was successful, but reinforcements arriving for the enemy from Montreal, Allen was attacked, and driven to his boats. After this adventure he remained at Ticonder- oga as commander-in-chief, while Arnold held Crown Point. Meantime, Colonel Allen was busy planning new successes, and on June second, 1775, he addressed Congress a long letter asking permission to make an advance into Canada with a force of two or three thou- sand men, confidently asserting his power to conquer this province of Britain. He said that with fifteen hundred men he could take Montreal. This project met with little favor from Congress at the time, that body having resolved only the day before the date of Allen's letter that no invasion of Canada ought to be countenanced. Three months later an expedition into Canada, sec- onded by the voice of the whole nation, met with dis- astrous results. Had Congress listened to Allen when he first proposed his plan, there is little doubt that the invasion would liave been successful. Allen was now relieved of his command at Ticon- deroga, Colonel Hinman with his Connecticut troops having arrived from that State. The majority of Allen's men returned to their homes, their term of service having expired. Afterwards, Colonel Allen and Seth Warner went to the Continental Congress to procure pay for the soldiers who had served under them, and also to obtain permission to raise a new regiment in the New Hampshire Grants. They succeeded in both objects. When the new regiment was raised, Seth Warner was chosen its lieutenant-colonel, and Samuel Saiford, major. It is not clear why Colonel 96 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Allen was not connected with this or'^W,#;'' "'^'■ 111 n '111 1 li^^vnM SAM HOUSTON. 223 in the history of battles, but that bringing such havoc and slaughter to the ranks of the foe, themselves escaped with the loss of only seven men killed and thirty wounded. It seems incredible, yet it was true. Eight hundred prisoners had been taken — over six hundred of the enemy had been left dead on the field — the river of San Jacinto was choked with the fleeing and drowning ranks of the enemy, and multitudes had met their fate in the morass and bayous. Besides two hundred and eighty of the enemy's wounded, only seven are known to have escaped from the field ! But the Texans rushed to their work with a desperation which brooked no resistance. They fought for their homes, their liberties, and to avenge the murder of their dead companions. Before the battle came on, Houston had addressed them eloquently, and had given them a war cry which fired them to the highest pitch of des- peration. He had charged them to remember the Alamo, and with that cry on their lips they rushed to battle. A victory scarcely without parallel in history followed. Santa Anna was captured, and thus almost at one stroke the chains were stricken from bleeding Texas — her freedom was achieved and Houston was the man who had done it. It passed into a proverb that " Houston was the only man that could have kept the army in subjection, or achieved the independence of Texas, or preserved it after it was won." He had come out of the battle of San Jacinto with a shattered ankle, and the wounded limb took him to death's door. Not able to obtain the necessary medical assistance in Texas, he was obliged to be taken to New Orleans before help could be given him. He was re- ceived there with crowds and music, though they car- 224 HEROES OF THREE WARS. ried him on a litter from the pier. After his recovery, ho returned once more to his wilderness home and found the infant Republic turbulent as a wild sea, with party faction. It was universally conceded that Hous- ton was the only man in all Texas who could quell it. He allowed his name to be placed before the people as a candidate for the Presidency only twelve days before the elections, and he was accorded that high place by acclamation. The turbulence of party everywhere yielded to national enthusiasm, and the hero of San Jacinto was placed at the helm on the Ship of State. He was inaugurated October twenty-second, 1836, and his administration w^as a marvel of success. Out of chaos he brought order, and the majesty of law took the place of misrule. He conciliated the Indians and by his wise forecast prevented another Mexican invasion. In no portion of the world had civil government ever been established in so short a space of time. His term closed December twelfth, 1838, and by the pro- visions of the constitution he could not be elected for a second consecutive term. The law and order and credit which he had established, and the peaceful rela- tions which he was fast bringing about, were all ruth- lessly trampled upon by his successor. Anarchy and confusion took the place of firm rule, and the work of Houston's administration was well-nigh undone. But in December, 1841, he again took the Presidential chair and once more the people had a goverrmient. One of his first measures was to despatch a minister to Washington to open negotiations for the annexation of Texas, and it was almost entirely through his wise policy that the young Republic was at length welcomed among SAM HOUSTON. 225 the band of sister States and invited to take her seat in the councils of the Nation. England and France were looking towards a foot- hold on this continent, and it is believed that had a man less patriotic or less noble than Houston been at the head of government, Texas would never have held the place she now does in our constellation of free States. After the event of annexation, Houston was sent to the Senate at Washington to represent his State, and held that honorable position with such marked ability as to reflect honor on the nation and add glory to his own noble fame. He proved himself the states- man as well as the general. His speeches were noted for an earnest force — a clear logic and pointedness which ever won the rapt attention of the auditor. He remained in the Senate from 1846 to 1859, and was Governor of Texas from that time until 1861. He opposed the secession movement and resisted the clamor for an extra session of the Legislature. At last, he retired from office rather than take the oath required by the State convention. He went to his home at Independence, Texas, full of honors and surrounded by a halo of victory. His private character as husband and father is quite as captivating as his public career. He might have grown rich, had he gathered into his hands the vast domains which fell into the possession of others less honest than himself. He might have amassed wealth through Texas liabilities, as did many others — but he would not. Thomas H. Benton spoke of him in the Senate as "frank, generous, brave; ready to do or to suffer whatever the obligations of civil or military duty imposed, and always prompt to answer the call of honor, 226 HEROES OF THREE WARS. patriotism or friendship." He was the founder of a Kepublic and twice its President. He defeated the trained armies of an ancient empire, captured its leader and paralyzed his power. He was the champion of temperance — the hero whose blood was spilled in the cause of two Republics — a truly great man of the nation, who rose above party faction and saw only country and the liberties of a people. CHAPTER XYIII. JAMES SHIELDS. The Land of his Nativity.— First Army Experience —The Mexi- can War-cloud.— Promotion.— The March through Mexico.— At Cerro Gordo.— Brilliant Achievement.— Wounded unto Death.— The Storming of Contreras.— Aid to Smith.— A Generous Piece of Conduct.— Chapultepec.-Under a Galling Fire.— Refuses to Leave the Field thougii Wounded.— His Return to the United States.— The War of Rebellion.— The Spring of '62.— Defeat of "Stonewall" Jackson.— Leaving the Army. GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS was a son of Erin's green island— the land of the harp and the sword, of oppression and martyrdom, the land that has given to the world so many noble patriots and illustrious men. After making this country the home of his adoption in early life, we first hear of him in a military capacity during the last war with Great Britain. He entered the American army as second lieutenant of the Eleventh Infantry and served with credit throughout the contest. After the war he seems to have dropped out of sight, but suddenly merged into view again when the Mexican difficulty obscured our national horizon and operations had commenced on the Rio Grande. Here he received the appoint- ment of brigadier-general. He joined the division of General Wool and made the march through the country to Monclova, where he was detached to reinforce the army of General Scott. His bravery at Vera Cruz, exposed to the heaviest belching of the cannons' thunder, was only surpassed bv the skill he displayed (227) 228 HEROES OF THREE WARS. at Cerro Gordo, which won praises from General Scotfc and his associate officers. On the enemy's left, on the Jalapa road, he succeeded in cutting olf their retreat and engaging them in such a way as to contribute largely to the victory of that day. In this engage- ment, while attacking a battery of five pieces, sup- ported by a heavy force of cavalry and infantry, Shields fell dangerously wounded, with a ball through his lungs. He was borne from the field, and Colonel Baker, of Illinois, succeeded to the command, and led his troops forward in the successful attack. At Contreras, Shields was sent to a village near by to support Smith's brigade. In the night and the darkness he was obliged to conduct his troops througli a rugged ravine, difficult of passage. Posting a strong picket guard he ordered his main force to lie upon their arms until midnight. The pickets encountered and drove back a body of Mexican infantry who were approaching the city, and Shields reached the encamp- ment of Smith without accident. Smith had pre- viously matured his plans for the capture of the posi- tion, which afterwards proved so brilliant. Shields, however, as superior officer, arriving on the ground, could have assumed command and reaped the fame of the subsequent victory. But with a rare magnanimity he refused to do so. He intercepted and cut off the retreat of the enemy on the main road, and so effectively disposed his forces in the stubborn fight, charged the Mexican ranks with such intrepidity and success as to put them to utter rout. The flying foe was pursued to the very gates of the city. On the tenth of September, Shields was ordered to the vicinity of Cha])ultepcc, where a heavy cannonading JAMES SHIELDS. 229 was kept up for several clays until lie advanced to the assault. Although severely wounded in the arm he refused to leave the field, and fought valiantly on in the face of the most galling fire. The Mexican fortifica- tions, one after another, fell into our hands, until at length the stars and stripes waved from the gateways of Chapultepec in triumph. General Shields was carried from the field exhausted, and suffering severely from his wound. But owing to a good constitution his recovery was speedy. When his Mexican campaign terminated, he returned to the United States, and did not again appear on the stage of public life until called f )rth by the war of Rebellion. In the spring of ] 862 he distinguished himself by de- feating the famous Confederate general, Stonewall Jack- son, at the little village of Kernstown near Winchester. Shields marched his soldiers up from the Shenandoah to Fredericksburg, where General Augur was at that time stationed, and, hearing that Jackson was in the valley, he faced about and marched back again to meet the veteran rebel hero. It was Jackson's first defeat, and notwithstanding the fact that his force was double that of Shields, he was for once handsomely whipped, and went flying before our pursuing troops. But Shields followed Jackson too far and rashly placed his army in jeopardy. For this he received severe censure, and after that memorable day seems to have disap- peared almost mysteriously from the public gaze and the army. CHAPTER XIX. CHARLES MAY, Colonel May a Native of Washington.— Commissioned a Lieutenant by President Jackson.— Ordered to Florida.— Participates in the Capture of the Indian Chief Philip.— Opening of the Mexican War.— Joins General Taylor. — Co-operates with Captain Walker. -Famous Charge at Eesaca de la Palnia.— Gallant Conduct at Buena Vista.— Returns to the United States. THE name of Colonel Charles May will ever be associated with the gallant heroes who under the leadership of Scott and Taylor won undying laurels on the plains of Mexico. For courage, intrepidity and impetuosity in battle no man in the American army was superior to Colonel May. His dragoon fights along the Rio Grande, his charge at Resaca de la Palma, and his heroic conduct at Buena Vista have rarely been surpassed, and have won for him a reputa- tion as brilliant as any that adorn the pages of S])artan warfare. But little is known of May^s early life except thnt he was a native of the city of Washington, and son of Dr. May. He was commissioned second lieutenant in the Second Regiment of Dragoons by President Jack- son, and ordered to Florida. His duties were most arduous in these campaigns against the red men of the everglades, and it is recorded that he was fore- most among those who captured the famous Indian chief Philip. When General Taylor marched into Texas with his army of observatioii, and matters were wearing a (230) CHARLES MAY. 231 hostile appearance, Captain May joined him with a company of dragoons and aided in the defence of Point Isabel. Co-operating with the gallant Captain Walker, he was stationed between that place and Taylor's advance camp with instructions to keep the communi- cation open if possible. This service was perilous; but May's bravery and rapid movements overcame all obstacles. On the twenty-eighth of April, 1846, he ascertained that a large force of Mexicans intended to surround General Taylor's camp, and at once set out with his dragoons to communicate with the general. After proceeding twelve miles, he encountered fifteen hun- dred of the enemy under the immediate command of Santa Anna. Most of his men being inexperienced, fell back at the appearance of such an overwhelming opposition. The few that remained around their bold commander firmly received the attack of the Mexicans, and gave them battle for upwards of half an hour. They then retreated, and were pursued to within a mile of Point Isabel. It was reported that May was slain, but at night he came into the fort, and with that indomitable spirit for which he was distinguished, at once offered to communicate with General Taylor, provided he could have four men as his companions. This proposition, under such circumstances, with the enemy in force, and lurking in every path and thicket, was considered rash. But six Texans volunteered, and after several bold adventures, in one of which they charged through a large body of Mexican lancers, they reached the camp of General Taylor on the thirtieth. In consequence of the information thus received, General Taylor marched from camp on the first of 232 HEROES OF THREE WARS. May, and reached Point Isabel the day after. On the third, the Mexicans commenced a bombardment of the river fort. Anxious to know how Major Brown sustained this attack, the general despatched Captain May, with one hundred dragoons, assisted by Captain Walker and six rangers, for the purpose of opening communications. At two o'clock in the afternoon, May started, and just after night-fall came in sight of Arista's camp-fires. Though the whole Mexican army was before him he manoeuvred so skilfully as to escape observation, pass around its front, and find ambush in some thick chaparral a few miles from the fort. Captain Walker was then sent forward to the fort, with instructions to note particularly any force he might observe along the road. He reached his destination without accident, while May and his troops remained waiting in their saddles. Owing to several unforeseen causes. Walker was unable to rejoin May that night, and daylight approaching, the latter returned to Point Isabel. The victory achieved by General Taylor at Resaca de la Pal ma, was perhaps more largely due to the part performed by Captain May than that of any other officer. The battle had continued for some time with- out any decided advantage to the Americans, and General Taylor perceived that the enemy could not be driven from his position until his artillery was silenced. He therefore ordered Captain May, who was stationed in the rear, to report himself for duty. May soon appeared with his dragoons, and was directed to charge and capture the Mexican batteries at what- ever sacrifice. After exhorting his men to remember their regiment, the captain pointed towards the bat- CHARLES MAY. 235 teries and bade them follow. Striking spurs into his horse, he dashed forward, followed by his command in column of fours. On arriving at the post occupied by Ridgely and his brave cannoneers, May hahed to learn the position of the Mexican batteries. Knowing the danger at- tending a charge upon their pieces when loaded, Ridgely desired him to wait until he drew the fire of their batteries. He suddenly applied the match, and before the reverberation of his pieces had died away, the enemy replied, their shot sweeping like hail through his ranks. Instantly tlie squadron of dragoons sprung forward. May in the advance, with his long hair streaming behind like the rays of a comet. The earth shook beneath the iron hoofs of their chargers, and the rays of the tropical sun flashed back in flame from their burnished sabres as they swept along, cheered by a shout of exuhation from the artillerists and infantry. "Still foremost, May reached at length the batteries in the road, and upon the right of it; and as his steed rose upon the Mexican breastworks, he turned to wave on his men to the charge. Closely pressing upon him was Lieutenant Inge, who answered to the challenge with a shout, and turned in like manner to encourage his platoon, when a terrible discharge of grape and canister from the upper battery swept down upon them, and dashed to the earth, in mangled and bloody masses, eighteen horses and seven men ; among them the gallant Inge and his charger. May's steed at a bound cleared the batteries, followed by Lieutenant Stevens, and tlie survivors of the First and Second platoons* Their ini[)etus carried them through and beyond the 236 HEROES OF THREE WARS. batteries, when cluirging back, they drove the enemy from the g«ns and silenced their fire. Captain Gra- Iiani, and Lieutenants AVinship and Pleasanton, Avith the Third and Fourth platoons, in the meantime swept to the left of the road, and at the point of the sword carried the battery situated there. ^' Perceiving the small force by which they were assailed, the Mexicans recovered from their panic, and rushing back to the batteries, prepared to fire them. Gathering around him a few followers. May charged upon them w^ith irresistible force, while the terror- stricken enemy shrunk back from the blows of his sword, which descended with a flash and force like that of lightning. An intrepid officer, however, kept his place, and endeavored to rally his men. With his own hands he seized a match and was about to apply it, when he was ordered by Captain May to surrender. Finding himself without support, he acknowledged himself a prisoner, and handed his sword to his gallant captor. It was General Vega, a brave and accom- plished officer. ^* The fire of the enemy's batteries was silenced, but a terrible struggle now commenced for their possession. The Fifth Infantry, under the brave Lieutenant-Col- onel Mcintosh, though separated into detachments by the chaparral, rushed on through a sweeping fire of musketry, and at length crossed bayonets with the army over the cannon-muzzles.'^ At Buena Vista, Colonel May was associated with Captain Pike's squadron of Arkansas cavalry, and rendered good service in holding the enemy in cheek, and covering batteries at several ]>oints. Extracts from his report will show the nature of these duties. CHARLES MAY. 237: " Before the squadron of the First Dragoons could be recalled, it had gone so far up the ravine as to be in close range of the enemy's artillery. It was thus, for a short time, exposed to a severe fire, which resulted in the loss of a few men. The other two squadrons and the section of artillery were in the meantime j)laced in motion for Buena Vista, where a portion of our supplies were stored, and against which the enemy w^as directing his movements. Lieutenant Eucker joined me near the rancho, and in time to assist me in check- ing the heavy cavalry force, wdiich was then very near and immediately in our front. A portion of the enemy's cavalry, amounting, perhaps, to two hundred men, not perceiving my command, crossed the main road near to the rancho, and received a destructive fire from a number of volunteers assembled there. The remaining heavy column was immediately checked, and retired in great disorder towards the mountains on our left, before, however, I could place my command in position to charge. Being unable, from the heavy clouds of dust, to observe immediately the movements of the body of cavalry which had passed the rancho, I followed it up, and found it had crossed the deep and marshy ravine on the right of the road, and was attempting to gain the mountains on the right. I immediately ordered Lieutenant Reynolds to bring his section into battery, which he did promptly, and by a few well-directed shots, dispersed and drove the enemy in confusion over the mountains. I next directed my jittention to the annoying column which had occupied so strong a position on our left flank and rear during the whole day, and immediately moved my command to a position whence I could use my artillery on the 238 HEROES OF THREE WARS. masses crowded in the ravines and gorges of the moun- tains. As I was leaving the raneho, I was joined by about two hundred foot volunteers, under Major Gorman, and a detachment of Arkansas mounted volunteers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Roane. Believ- ing my command now sufficiently strong for any con- tingency wliich might arise, I advanced it steadily towards the foot of the mountains, and to within a few hundred yards of the position occupied by the enemy. I then directed Lieutenant Reynolds to bring his section again into battery; and in the course of half an hour, by the steady and destructive fire of his artillery, the enemy was forced to fall back. This advantage I followed up; in doing which I was joined by a section of artillery under Captain Bragg. My command still continued to advance, and the enemy to retire. We soon gained a position where we were able to deliver a destructive fire, which caused the enemy to retreat in confusion. While the artillery was thus engaged, by order of General Wool, I steadily advanced the cavalry ; but owing to the deep ravines which separated my command from the enemy, I was unable to gain ground on him. The enemy having been thus forced to abandon his position on our left and rear, I was again directed to assume a position in supporting dis- tance of Captain Sherman's battery, which occupied its former position, and against which the enemy seemed to be concentrating his forces. After having occupied this position some time, the general-in-chief directed me to move my command up the ravine towards the enemy's batteries, and to prevent any further advance on that flank. This position was occupied until the close of the battle, the enemy never again daring to CHARLES jMAY. 239 attempt any movement towards our rear. The cavalry, except Captain Pike's squadron, which was detached for picket service on the right of the road, occupied, during the night of the twenty-third, the ground near where I w^as directed last to take my position before the close of the battle. Finding on the morning of the twenty-fourth, that the enemy had retreated, I was joined by Captain Pike's squadron, and ordered in pursuit." Colonel May returned to the Uniteer the guns of the lower fort threat- ened the daring intruder, and from that point back to 300 HEROES OF THREE WARS. the city there extended a continuous chain of forts and batteries. Xear the city, a fort mounting thirteen heavy guns and boinb-proof, was so arranged as to command both the water and the only land approaches on that side. In fact, the entire area for several miles before the city, was filled with forts, earthworks, ditches, rifle-pits, and all the other mechanical api)li- ances of warfare. On the morning of the thirteenth the troops were landed at a point called Slocum's Creek, sixteen miles below Newbern. ^ Four hours of battle followed. Then a daring assault was made which swept everything before it. The contest was severe, the fighting desper- ate, the victory that followed brilliant in the extreme. It blazoned the name of Burnside far and wide, and in four days afterwards he was made major-general. The city was put under military rule at once, and order and quietness prevailed. The capture of Newbern made the final reduction of Beaufort and Fort Macon sure, and eventually placed Burnside in command of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside immediately invested Fort Macon and Beaufort, and after much skilful planning and an immense amount of labor, compelled their surrender. When McClellan retreated from the Chickahominy, he took his army to Newport News, and soon after was ordered to Fredericksburg. He took part in the battle of South Mountain, and also in bloody Antietam, where he commanded the left wing of McClellan's army, and from some unexplained cause failed in the ])art assigned him. McClellan attributed his own failure to overthrow Lee at this point to Burnside's lack of co-operation. AMBROSE EVERETT BURNSIBE. 301 Soon after the battle of Antietam, McClellan was removed and Burnside put in his place. He accepted his new position with great reluctance, unfeigned self- distrust, and only as a matter of obedience to orders. The battle of Fredericksburg was fought on the thir- teenth of December following — an action precipitated, it has been thought, by the force of public sentiment at the north, which demanded a decisive forward move- ment, the key-note of which was heard in the news- paper cry of " On to Richmond !^' But whatever in- fluence brought on the final catastrophe, it was a battle without apparent results — a grand carnival of slaughter, where the bravest of troops marched to their bloody doom, a useless sacrifice, except in the terrible lesson learned. Burnside's purpose was to get in the rear of Lee's army, but failing in this, he marched boldly up to the lion's mouth, attacking the enemy in his intrench ments. Crossing the Rappahannock, the needless butchery w^as enacted on its south bank, and the depleted Union ranks re-crossed to the northern shore without result of any kind except the sad record of twenty thousand dead and wounded left on the field. Another attempt to cross the Rappahannock in Jan- uary, met with failure on account of heavy rains which transformed the solid land into liquid mud, and rendered the transit of an army next to an im- possibility. Between these failures and the violent criticism wdiich they evoked, Burnside resigned, and Hooker succeeded him as chief in command. He next figured in the Department of the Ohio, over which he was placed, having his head-quarters at 302 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Cincinnati. Here he succeeded in calling out a storm of opposition, by prohibiting the circulation of the New York World and the Cliicago TimeSy to suppress, as he said, all open hostility to government. But excite- ment ran so high in consequence, that the order re- specting the Chicago Times was revoked. Then followed the expedition into East Tennessee, co-operating with Rosecrans. He made a brilliant entry into Knoxville, and by skilful movements and rapid marches, surprised and cut off a force of two thousand at Cumberland Gap, captured them and with them fourteen pieces of artillery. The loyal East Tennesseeans received him with the wildest demon- strations of joy. On the line of his march between Kingston and Knoxville, " sixty women and girls stood by the roadside, waving Union flags and shout- ing:, ^Hurrah for the Union !' Old ladies rushed out of their houses who wanted to see General Burnside and shake hands with him, and cried, ^Welcome! wel- come. General Burnside, to East Tennessee!^" A public meeting was also called, which he addressed. Burnside successfully resisted the desperate assault on Knoxville by Longstreet's army, which afterwards besieged the place until Sherman's too near approach alarmed them into retreat. Burnside's military record between this date and Petersburg is a record of bravery and sound judgment, and for what he did in East Tennessee he received the thanks of Congress. For a month and more he sat down before one of the principal redoubts at Petersburg, busy with the work of excavation and running a secret mine under the hostile lines. At the proper moment the mine was AMBROSE EVERETT BURNSIDE. 303 fired and the assaulting column rushed in. But not at once — nor in time. AYhen they did, it was too late to be victorious. The enemy had had time to recover, closed around the Union troops, and hacked and slew without mercy. The mine proved a success for the Confederates rather than the troops of Burnside. Of course this failure brought down on his head a storm of censure, and an investigation was ordered, in Avhich " confusion became worse confounded.'^ His resignation was immediately proffered, but the Presi- dent refused to accept it. He was, however, granted a leave of absence, and finally resigned, April fifteenth, 1865. In 1866, he was elected Governor of Rhode Island, and re-elected the succeeding two years. In 1870, he went to Europe, and while there endeavored to mediate between the German and French belligerents, though without success. He has since gained an enviable reputation in Congress as a faithful represent- ative, and in private life is a man of fine character and high social standing. Little Rhode Island has re- peatedly given him her enthusiastic endorsement as a leader of sterling qualities. CHAPTER XXV. GEORGE HENRY THOMAS. A Second Washington.— Birth and Education. — Promotion for Bravery. — In Mexico. — Prompt Kesponse at the Outbreak of Civil War.— The Battle of Mill Spring.— Declines to Supersede Buell. — At Murfreesboro'. — Chickamauga. — Position of Troops Under Thomas.— Their Firm Stand.—" The Eock of Chicka- mauga."— At Chattanooga.— The Atlanta Campaign.— Grant's Telegram.- Battle of Nashville.— Thanks of Congress and Gold Medal.— End of the War.— Goes to the Pacific Coast. rpHOMAS had so much grandeur of character, both J- in his military and private life — so much equi- poise of temperament, so much ability and so much modesty, that he has been called the Washington of the last war. He was a tower of strength on the bat- tle-field, and a tower of wisdom in council. He had immense reserve power, great repose in action, and great comprehensiveness of mind. He was endowed, also, with pronounced ability to focalize all the energies of battle upon a given point — like many streams con- verging to make a mighty river, which then sweeps everything before its resistless rush. This was illus- trated forcibly at Nashville, and at Chattanooga— if, as is claimed, the plan of action at Missionary Ridge was his. When given the responsibility of an independent command, he never went into battle until his methods were fully ripened, even though ordered to do so by his superiors in rank. The reply to such an order in' (304) GEORGE HENRY THOMAS. 305 variably was, that if dissatisfaction with his coarse existed, he would cheerfully act as subordinate to whoso- ever might be put in his place, but that if he were held responsible, he could not move until his judgment dic- tated such a step. This maturity of action was, per- haps, one of the secrets of his great success. His clear foresight and skill in direction won him the reputation of being ''the brains of the army.'' Thomas was born on July thirty-first, 1816, in Southampton County, Virginia, and through his mother came of French Huguenot blood. Reared in wealth, he was educated for the law; but his decided inclina- tion for a military life led him to seek admittance at West Point. He graduated from that school in 1840, ranking twelfth in a class of forty-five. In a few months afterwards he went to Florida as second lieu- tenant in the Third Artillery, and while there was brevetted first lieutenant for gallant conduct. ''In January, 1842, his regiment was ordered to the New Orleans barracks, but in June was transferred to Fort Moultrie, in Charleston harbor. The next December he was sent to Fort McHenry, Maryland, where, in May, he was promoted to first lieutenant of artillery. The next spring he returned to Fort Moultrie, where he remained until the war with Mexico." After joining General Taylor, he was among the brave little garrison which defended Fort Brown on the Rio Grande, against such overwhelming odds. At Monterey he was brevetted captain, and at Buena Vista mnjor, for bravery on the field. The fortunes of a soldier shifted him from Mexico to Texas in August, 1848, from thence to Fort Adams, Rhode Island, in December, then to Florida again, and 306 HEROES OF THREE WARS. then, in 1851, to Boston harbor. Three months after- ■\vards lie was occupying the post of instructor of ar- tillery and cavalry at West Point. During the four years of his life here, he met and married Miss Kel- logg, of Troy, New York. The outbreak of the last war found him in Texas, but he immediately reported for duty and was ordered to Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, to "remount his old cavalry regiment." In May, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and commanded a brigade in Northern Virginia under Patterson. Created a briga- dier-general of volunteers in August, he first distin- guished himself at the battle of Mill Spring, on the Cumberland Piver, in Kentucky, where the Confeder- ate General Zollicoffer met his death. He joined Grant's army just after the battle of Shiloh, and par- ticipated in tiie succeeding campaign, during which he held the rank of major-general of volunteers in the army of the Tennessee. Transferred to the Army of the Ohio in June, on September eighth he was placed in command of the post at Nashville. When he fell back to Louisville at the close of the month, a telegram was received from AVashington removing Buell and appointing Thomas to the vacancy. But Thomas sent a despatch in reply, declining the position and urging the claims of Buell to be retained. His earnestness prevailed for the time, with government authorities, and Buell was kept at his post. When Posecrans afterwards succeeded Buell in the chief command, his most faithful adviser and the one on whom he most relied, was Thomas. At Murfreesboro', Thomas at the head of the Four- teenth Corps, held the centre firm and fought on alone GEORGE HENRY TH03IAS. 307 when the right had been compelled to give way and the enemy were swarming on all sides of him. Kose- crans might well give him the generous praise bestowed in his official report of the battle. The next field of distinction where Thomas won immortal laurels was at Chickamauga. The battle of Chickamauga, fought on the nineteenth and twentieth of September/ 1863, was the result of an attempt by Bragg, to regain possession of Chattanooga and the roads leading to it, which he had been compelled to abandon in order to prevent his reinforcements from being hopelessly cut off. In this battle, Thomas held the left, and the slight rise of ground on which his troops were posted, af- forded the key to the position. During the night they had built a rude breastwork of logs and rails for their protection. Soon after the opening of battle on the second day, a furious fight was raging around the Union left, between the veteran troops of Thomas and the attacking lines. Again and again the Confederates ciiarged the ranks of Thomas, behind their breastwork of logs and rails, with impetuous fury : but, as often as they charged, they were hurled back, repulsed. At eleven o'clock, Longstreet brought his troops to the attack. The encounter was desperate on both sides, but Longstreet made a steady advance. The Confed- erate General Walker had ordered forward Buckner's battery of twelve pieces, which caused a fatal break in the battle line where the divisions of Van Cleve and Palmer were forced to give way in confusion, and gave deadly aid to the enemy's onset. The Union army was now cut in two, and the rout of the right and centre complete. This result was, doubtless, due largely to the terrible work of Buckner's battery. 308 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Thomas had formed his line of battle in a semi-cir- cular position, with the right at the Gap, as the arc of the circle, and a hill near its centre forming the key to the position. His left rested on the Lafayette road. At this point the troops which had hurled back the rebel right in the morning, were rallied, together with portions of Sheridan's and other divisions. Longstreet, sweeping onward with a career unchecked during the day, now hurled his battalions against this position. But Thomas, intrenched behind his earth- works, held the Ridge securely against every assault of the enemy and sent him back with terrible repulse. About mid-afternoon, the Confederate columns began pouring through a break in the Union right flank, but Granger with his reserves reaching the field at this time, succeeded in pushing them back. The storm of battle now broke over Thomas and his stalwart men on Missionary Ridge with greater fury than before. His troops, formed in two battle-lines, advanced to the crest of the Ridge and delivered their volleys in rotation. As the deadly rifle-blast of one line blazed out on the air with terrible accuracy, the men, falling back a little, dropped on the ground to re-load, while the second line marched to the crest and discharged their fire into the ranks of the enemy. With desperate valor the Confederates came forward again and again to take by assault this strong position ; but their efforts were in vain. The division of Preston succeeded in partly ascending the hill, but was swept back as the previous attacking divisions had been, with repulse and loss. At last, as twilight darkened the bloody field, the enemy retired beyond the range of our artillery, and Thomas was master of the situation. GEORGE HENRY THOMAS. 311 The grand courage here displayed, the unshaken firmness and dauntless valor, won lor the noble com- mander of the left, the title of the ^^Roch of Chicka- maugaJ^ At Chattanooga, Thomas commanded the centre, on which rested the issue of battle, and occupied Orchard Knob, overlooking the Confederate rifle-pits. Here he waited with suppressed excitement, while the thunder of battle broke on his right and left, until the signal cannon-shots told him he might bid his army move. The three conquering divisions then poured across Chattanooga Creek, swept up the steep face of Missionary Ridge and grasped victory at its top. They dealt the finishing blow in the fight. Thomas remained at Chattanooga for the winter, and when Sherman made his grand march to the sea, the brave ^^Army of the Cumberland^' and its heroic commander were his main reliance. They were con- stantly engaged during this campaign, and the battle with Hood on the Macon road, which cut oft* his sup- plies and forced him to retreat, settled the fate of Atlanta. It was previous to the battle of Nashville, December fifteenth and sixteenth, 1864, that Grant, wondering at the delay, telegraphed Thomas to move at once upon the enemy. The answer came quick from Thomas that he was not ready to move ; whereupon Grant sent back word that he had more confidence in him than any other man, and requested him to take his time. Thomas did take his time, and the result was a splendid victory. The two-days' battle at Nashville was complete, in plan, in execution, in every detail. It revealed the fine generalship possessed 19 312 HEROES OF THREE WARS. by Thomas and gave him a still higher place in the estimation of the people and their government. During these two days of battle he had taken " eight thousand prisoners, between fifty and sixty pieces of artillery, one major-general, three brigadier-generals, and more than two hundred commissioned officers/^ The grand charge of the second day was spoken of by a captured brigadier-general in the following fashion : " Why, sir, it was the most wonderful thing I ever witnessed. I saw your men coming and held my fire, a full brigade, too, until they were in close range, could almost see the whites of their eyes, and then poured my volley right into their faces. I supposed, of course, that when the smoke lifted, your line would be broken and your men gone. But it is surprising, sir, it never even staggered them. Why, they did not even come forward on a run. But right along, cool as fate, your line swung up the hill, and your men walked right up to and over my works and around my brigade before we knew that they were upon us. It was astonishing, sir, such fighting.'' This battle won Thomas the promotion of major- general in the regular army, and on March third, 1865, he received the thanks of Congress in consequence. On the first anniversary of the victory, the State of Tennessee presented him with a gold medal, in com- memoration of that brilliant day. The stroke here administered, so effectually finished the enemy that little remained to be done. The troops of Thomas participated in the closing scenes of the war, and from June, 1865, to March, 1867, he was in com- mand of the Department of the Tennessee. After- wards he was assigned to the third military district, GEORGE HENRY THOMAS. 313 comprising Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, and then to the command of the " Cumberland." In 1868 he was placed over the fourth military divi- sion, which included Alaska and the territory on the Pacific slope. He declined accepting the rank of lieutenant-general, on the ground that he had done nothing since the war to entitle him to promotion. Certainly, such modesty is rare. He died in San Francisco, March twenty-eighth, 1870, leaving behind him a glorious record, a stainless reputation, and the memory of that true nobility of character which con- fers on its possessor a rank far higher than riches or aught else on earth. CHAPTER XXVI. JOSKPH HOOKER. Lookout Mountain.— The Battle Above the Clouds,— The Splendor of Victory. — The Strange Thanksgiving Day. — Taylor's Descrip- tion. — The Old Flag at the Top. — General Howard in Lookout Valley. — Hooker at Chattanooga. — The Peninsular Campaign. — "Fighting Joe." — Wounded. — Chief in Command. — Chancellors- ville. — The Atlanta Campaign. — Promotion of Howard. — Hooker Eesigns in Consequence. — Mustered out of Service. THE "battle above the clouds," on Lookout Mountain, and the fame of Joseph Hooker are inseparably wedded. They will go down the sound- ing corridors of the Future together, each reflecting glory on the other. All the surroundings of the action imparted to it the utmost dramatic strength. It is not often that such a battle-field is out-wrought on the map of war. It is infrequent for men to take the honor of leadership from the hands of their officers in such desperate hazards. But so it was at Lookout on that Thanksgiving day. For nobody thought of or- dering a charge up the bold and rocky steep, until the enthusiasm of the men overleaped all bounds, and they attempted what seemed the impossible. Then it was that, seeing the spirit of the men, the order rang down the lines, " forward ! " It added the last drop of en- thusiasm to the souls of the valiant ranks. They rushed up that steep and wild battle-ground, over ravines, felled trees, rough boulders, and the abatis (314) I JOSEPH HOOKER. 315 of the foe, in the very teeth of the enemy's batteries planted on its top. AYrapped round with clouds, so that the straining eyes at Chattanooga could not see them, sav^e through an occasional rift in the mist, these noble sons fought on, climbed the steep, gained the summit, drove the foe before them, and unfurled the old flag: on the highest peak of Lookout Mountain, overlooking the Tennessee, fifteen hundred feet below ! Poetry and art have breathed their immortal breath upon the picture, and will transmit its living colors to the future. The ever-to-be-remembered day was November twenty-fourth, 1863. Benjamin F. Taylor has told his experience in that action, and told it so well, that it will bear repetition here. " Perhaps it was eleven o'clock on Tuesday morning when the rumble of artillery came in gusts from the valley to the west of Lookout. Climbing Signal Hill, I could see the volumes of smoke rolling to and fro, like clouds from a boiling caldron. The mad surges of the tumult lashed the hills till they cried aloud, and roared through the gorges till you might have fancied all the thunders of a long summer tumbled into that valley together, and yet the battle was unseen.'' And then is detailed " Hooker's admirable design. His force consisted of two brigades of the Fourth Corps, under the command of General Cruft; the first division of the Twelfth Corps, under General Geary ; and Osterhaus' division, Fifteenth Corps, in reserve. It was a formidable business they had in hand ; to carry a mountain and scale a precipice two thousand feet high in the teeth of a battery and force of intrenched brigades. 316 HEROES OF THREE WARS. " Hooker thundered and the enemy came down like the Assyrian, while Cruft on the right and Geary^s command on the left, having moved out from Wau- hatchie, some five miles from the mountain, at five in the morning, pushed up to Lookout Creek, threw over it a bridge, made for Lookout Point, and there formed, the right under the shelf of Lookout Mountain, the left resting on the creek. And then the play began : the enemy's camps were seized, his pickets were surprised and captured, the strong works on the point taken, and the Federal front moved on. And there they stood 'twixt heaven and — Chattanooga. But above them, grand and sullen, lifted the precipice, and they were men and not eagles. The way was strewn with natural fortifications, and from behind rocks and trees they delivered their fire, contesting inch by inch the upward way. The sound of the battle rose and fell; now fiercely renewed, and now dying away. And Hooker thundered on in the valley, and the echo of his howitzers bounded about the mountains like volleys of musketry. That curtain of cloud was hung around the mountain by the God of battles. It was the veil of the temple that could not be rent. A captured colonel declared that had the day been clear, their sharpshooters would have riddled our advance and left the command with- out a leader ; but friend and foe were wrapped in a seamless mantle. ^^And now, returning to my point of observation, I was waiting in painful suspense to see what would come out of the roaring caldron in the valley, when somethinp* was born out of the mist — I cannot better convey the idea — and appeared on the shorn side of the mountain below, and to the west of the white house. JOSEPH HOOKER. 317 It was the head of the Federal column ! And there it held, as if it were riveted to the rock, and the line of blue swung slowly around from the left like the index of a mighty dial, and swept up the brown face of the mountain. The bugles of this city of camps were sounding high noon, when in two parallel columns the troops moved up the mountain, in the rear of the enemy^s rifle-pits, which they swept at every fire. And there in the centre of the column fluttered the blessed flag ! ^ My God ! what flag is that ? ' men cried. And up steadily it moved. I could think of nothing but a gallant ship-of-the-line grandly lifting upon the bil- lows and riding out the storm. It was a scene never to fade out. Volleys of musketry and crashes of can- non, and then those lulls in a battle even more terrible than the tempest. At four o'clock an aide came straight down the mountain into the city; the first Federal by that route in many a day. Their ammu- nition ran low — they wanted powder upon the moun- tain ! He had been two hours in descending, and how much longer the return ! '^ Night was closing rapidly in and the scene was growing sublime. The battery at Moccasin Point was sweeping the road to the mountain. The brave little fort at its left was playing like a heart in a fever. The cannon on the top of Lookout were pounding away at their lowest depression. The flash of the guns fairly burned through the clouds ; there was an instance of silence here, there, yonder, and the tardy thunder leaped out after the light. For the first time, perhaps, since that mountain began to burn beneath the gold and crimson sandals of the sun, it was in eclipse. The cloud of the summit and the smoke of the battle 318 HEROES OF THREE WARS. met half way and mingled. Here was Chattanooga, but Lookout had vanished ! Then the storm ceased, and occasional dropping shots tolled oif the evening till half-past nine, and then a crashing volley and a rebel yell and a desperate charge. It was their good- night to our boys — good-night to the mountain. "At ten o'clock a glowing line of lights glittered obliquely across the breast of Lookout. It was the Federal autograph scored along the mountain. They were our camp-fires. Our wounded lay there through all the dreary nights of rain, unrepining and content. Our unharmed heroes lay there upon their arms. Oui dead lay there, * and surely they slept well.' " One thing more, and all I shall try to give of the stirring story will have been told. Just as the sun was touching up the old Department of the Cumberland, Captain Wilson and fifteen of the Eighth Kentucky, near where the guns had crouched and growled at all the land, waved the regimental flag in sight of Ten- nessee, Alabama, Georgia, the old North State, and South Carolina, w^aved it there, and the right of the Federal front, lying far beneath, caught a glimpse of its flutter, and a cheer rose to the top of the mountain and ran from regiment to regiment, through whole brigades and broad divisions, till the boys away around in the face of Mission Ridge passed it along the line of battle. ^ What is it? Our flag? Did I help to put it there?' murmured a poor wounded fel- low, and died without the sight. " The Stars and Stripes floated from Lookout on Wed- nesday at sunrise. At twelve on that day something with the cry of a loon was making its way up the river. Screaming through the mountains it emerged at last JOSEPH HOOKER. 319 into Chattanooga, and its looks were a match for its lungs— an ugly little craft, more like a backwoods cabin adrift than a steamer. It was the sweetest-voiced and prettiest piece of naval architecture that ever floated upon the Tennessee. The flag on the crest and the boat on the stream were part of the same story. . . Never did result crowd more closely on the heels of action." General O. O. Howard, in his account of the march of the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps to the relief of Chattanooga, says: ^' I shall never forget General Hooker's first visit to my camp at Bridgeport. It was, perhaps, the fourth or fifth of October. The air was damp, but sharp and penetrating. You could see every breath you exhaled. The Confederates had left be- hind plenty of camp rubbish and filth of all kinds in every direction. There were no buildings except the old mill and the rough quarter->master shanties for tem- porary messing and cover. General Hooker looked around and was not a little disgusted at the general appearance of the region, as I also had been ; but when we came to the river his whole face lighted, and he exclaimed, ' Grand ! grand ! Is it not ?' So broad, so rapid, so full was its flow at that point, that the sight filled you with those indefinable emotions which strong and active life-power is calculated to inspire." Speaking of the battle of Lookout Valley, he says : "General Hooker left Geary at Wauhatchie, probably three miles from our position — an important point for securing the valley. . . . Perhaps an hour after mid- night, in that country as yet all new to us, we were aroused by heavy artillery firing; soon the noise of musketry, with its unmistakable rattle, was mingling 320 HEROES OF THREE WARS. with the roaring cannon. Those ominous sounds seemed to come from the direction of Geary. I was liardly on my feet before Hooker's message came, ^ Hurry, or you cannot save Geary. He has been attacked.' Stein wehr was urged to hasten, but Schurz' division being nearest and first under arms, was pushed forward toward the sound, followed by the other divi- sion. As soon as the troops were in motion I went forward to General Hooker's position, at a turn of the road a half-mile nearer Geary. Hooker and General Butterfield, who was then his chief-of-staiF, were sitting on the slope of a hill with a camp-fire just starting. The night was chilly. Hooker seemed quite anxious, as might be expected. The issues of a night engage- ment under the best of circumstances are more than ordinarily uncertain, and our ignorance of the situation of the country and of the enemy's position, taken up since nightfall, added to the uncertainty. The general was of opinion that we should secure the ridge of hills that ran along on our side of Lookout Creek as we moved toward Geary's position. To this end orders were given. Then I said to General Hooker, ^With your approval, I will take the two companies of cav- alry and push through to Wauhatchie.' He replied, 'All right, Howard ; I shall be here to attend to this part of the field.' .... ''After leaving General Hooker, with the two com- panies of horsemen, skirting the Raccoon side of the rough valley, I reached General Geary at Wauhatchie by three or three and a half in the morning. There was then light enough (it may have been only starlight) to see squads of men moving about in the compara- tively open space just north of Wauhatchie. This we JOSEPH HOOKER. 321 observed as we emerged from the bushes. The firing was all over and quiet reigned. "I called out to the strangers so dimly seen, ^Who goes there?' ^ We are Steven's men/ was the answer. Perceiving that they belonged to the enemy I said, ^All right: have you whipped the Yankees?' The same voice replied, ^We were on their flank, but our men in front have gone, and we cannot find our way.' My men then gradually approached, revealed them- selves and took them prisoners, there being probably as many of them as of us. *' I passed into the thicket and came first upon the tent of General George S. Green, then a brigade com- mander. He was sadly wounded in the face. After a moment's delay for inquiry and sympathy, his officers conducted me to Geary, who was glad enough to see me. He had repulsed the enemy's attack handsomely, using infantry and artillery. This was the place where the mules broke loose and in terror ran in squads through the enemy's lines, and gave rise to the story told in verse, entitled ^The Charge of the Mule Bri- gade.' Geary's hand trembled, and his tall, strong frame shook with emotion, as he held me by the hand and spoke of the death of his son, during that fearful night. This son was Lieutenant Edward R. Geary, Battery F, Pennsylvania Light Artillery, killed at his battery' during the action. In this way the soldier remembers that the exhilaration of victory was very often softened, or entirely quenched, by real grief over its cost, a cost that cannot be estimated !" General George H. Thomas, in a complimentary notice directed to General Hooker, congratulated him and the troops under his command, on their brilliant 322 HEROES OF THREE WARS. success, and said that the bayonet charge of Howard's troops and the repulse by Geary's division of greatly superior numbers, who attempted to surprise him, would rank among the most distinguished feats of arms of this war. "Chattanooga sent Northward a cry of distress, For the men of the Cumberland, famished and gaunt, Worn with fighting and vigils and tattered in dress, Manned their guns in the trenches in peril and want • For the foe closely pressed them in hostile array, And their guns shrieked and thundered in demon-like glee, While Old Lookout's rock front, lined with soldiers in gray, Threw its shadows of death o'er the blue Tennessee. "But on wings of the lightning that cry for help flew. To Sherman, to Meade, and from captain to man ; And from Vicksburg marched Sherman's long columns in blue ; And grim Hooker's tried corps, from the swift Rapidan, Came with bread for the famished, with lead for the foe, Gleamed Wauhatchie's sweet vale with their bayonets bright ; Torn and bleeding, the Ferry guards reeled at their blow, And dismayed, up the mountain side fled in afiright." And so, in song and story, ^^ the Lookout Mountain fight is fought again by the ghosts of the fallen," and the "chivalrous figure of fighting Joe Hooker," sur- rounded by his staff, is the most striking portrait in the imposing spectacle. Hooker was born in Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1819, and graduated at West Point in 1837. He served in the Florida war, and during the war with Mexico was brevetted captain, for gallant services at Monterey, re- ceiving the promotion successively of major and lieu- tenant-colonel for similar conduct at the National Bridge and fanwus Chapultepec. In 1853, he resigned his commission and became a farmer in California, but JOSEPH HOOKER. 323 re-entered the service in 1861, and in May was made a brigadier-general of volunteers. A year later he commanded a division of the Army of the Potomac, and in the following May was promoted to the rank of major-general. During the Peninsular campaign, he made himself conspicuous for bravery, dash and daring at Williams- burg, Fair Oaks, Frazier's Farm, and Malvern Hill. It was during this campaign that he acquired the appellation of "Fighting Joe." At the battle of Groveton, Hooker's division especially distinguished itself. During the succeeding Maryland campaign, he was assigned to the First Army Corps and gained a splen- did victory at South Mountain. He also participated actively in the actions of Bristoe, the second Bull Run, and Chantilly. At Antietam, his great resources as a commander were exhibited in bold relief. On this field his white horse became too conspicuous a mark for the enemy, and while making a bold reconnoissance he received a wound which compelled him to retire from the field. On September twentieth he was made brigadier-gen- eral in the United States army, and at Fredericksburg commanded a grand division under Burnside. On January twenty-sixth, 1863, he superseded that general as chief in command of the Army of the Potomac, and in May the disastrous and bloody battle of Chancellors- ville blocked the wheels of fate in his upward career. It would seem, in this action, as if General Hooker had overlooked the fact that his army had but eight days' supplies at hand; that a treacherous river flowed between him and his depots ; that he was surrounded 324 HEROES OF THREE WARS. by a labyrinth of forests, traversed in every direction by narrow roads and paths, all well known to the enemy, but unknown even to most of his guides; and that many of his guns of heaviest calibre, and most needed in a deadly strife, were on the other side of the river. The congratulatory order which he issued afterwards, if not perfectly satisfactory to the country and to the authorities, was generally hailed with applause by the army, which recognized in its sagacious rendering of our difficulties and humiliations the meed of praise aw^arded where it was due. It was on this field that the famous Confederate General Stonewall Jackson met his death. On June twenty-seventh Hooker resigned his com- mand and was superseded by Meade. But in the fol- lowing September, he was placed over the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, went down to the relief of Rose- crans at Chattanooga — "that curious place, lying against a concave bend of the Tennessee and walled in by Lookout Mountain below and Missionary Ridge above" — and shortly after occurred the glorious ^'bat- tle above the clouds," which wreathed his name with fresher laurels and gave him the brevet of major-gen- eral in the regular army. In Sherman's march to the sea. Hooker's Corps became a portion of the Army of the Cumberland, under Thomas, during which his leadership lost none of its pronounced daring. At the terrible assault on Thomas by Hood, near Peach Tree Creek, July twen- tieth, "Hooker bore the brunt of the shock," — display- ing the utmost heroism. It was the last great conflict in which he participated. In August, 1864, Howard, JOSEPH HOOKER. 325 his inferior in rank, was promoted over him to the command of the Eleventh Corps, and this caused Hooker to resign. In September he was placed over the Northern De- partment, in 1865 over the Department of the East, and in 1866 over the Department of the Lakes. He was mustered out of the volunteer service in September of that year, and in October, 1868, brevetted Major- General in the United States army, after which he retired to the seclusion of a private citizen. CHAPTER XXVII. OKORGE GORDON MEADE. ^ncestry. — A Fragment of Eventful History. — Birth in Spain. — At West Point. — In the Florida War.— In the Mexican War. — His Part in the Peninsular Campaign. — At Antietam. — In Command of the Army of the Potomac. — A Kemarkable Order. — At Get- tysburg. — The Desperate Last Effort. — His Report. — Congrat- ulatory Address. — Thanks of Congress. — Advance to the Eappa- hannock. — Close Friendship between Meade and Grant. — Over the Atlantic Department. — Death in Philadelphia. GENERAL MEADE came of a family which had an eventful history. His father, having incurred the ill-will of certain members of the council of war, in Spain, was imprisoned for two years in the castle of Santa Catalina, being re- leased only at the demand of the United States Gov- ernment. In 1819, he was awarded a certificate of debt amounting to nearly two hundred thousand dol- lars, for losses incurred at that time ; but the fund was distributed before the original vouchers could be pro- cured. Such lawyers as Webster, Clay and Choate afterwards endeavored in vain to obtain it. He was reputed to have possessed the finest private gallery of paintings and statuary in th-e country, and owned the only bust of Washington taken from life. The grand- father of General Meade was a merchant in Philadel- phia and made the continental government a present of ten thousand dollars in gold. George Gordon was born in Cadiz, Spain^ in 1816. (326) GEORGE GORDON MEADE. 327 He graduated at West Point in 1839, served in the Florida war, and a year after its termination resigned his lieutenant's commission. In 1842, he re-entered the army as second lieutenant of topographical engineers. In the Mexican war he was on the staff of both General Taylor and Scott, and distinguished himself at Palo Alto, Resaca and Monterey. He was brevetted first lieutenant for his services, and on his return home, the city of Philadelphia presented him with a sword. In August, 1851, he was given a full lieutenancy, and ten years later, during the epoch of the civil war, in August, 1861, he was promoted to the rank of brig- adier-general of volunteers. This was after the battle of Bull Run. During the Peninsular campaign he fought bravely — was badly wounded at Glendale, and when McClellan went to Maryland, commanded a di- vision in Hooker's Corps. At Antietam, he held the centre and led a desperate charge against the enemy at the beginning of the action. In this engagement he had two horses shot under him, and was himself wounded. After the battle of Chancellorsville, when Hooker resigned the chief command of the Army of the Potomac, Meade — to the surprise of the country at large — was elevated to the position. His order, on assuming command, was so remarkable for modesty and a certain reserve strength, that to give it, is to illustrate his character as a general. By direction of the President of the United States, I hereby assume command of the Army of the Potomac. As a soldier in obeying this order, an order totally unexpected and unsolicited, I have no promises or pledge to make. The country looks to this array to relieve it from the devastation and disgrace of a hostile 20 328 HEROES OF THREE WARS. invasion. Whatever fatigues and sacrifices we may be called upon to undergo, let us have in view constantly the magnitude of the interests involved, and let each man determine to do his duty, leav- ing to an all-controlling Providence the decision of the contest. It is with just diffidence that I relieve in command of this army an eminent and accomplished soldier, whose name must ever be con- spicuous in the history of its achievements ; but I rely upon the hearty support of my companions in arms, to assist me in the dis- charge of the duties of the important trust which has been confided to me. The desperate, three-days' battle of Gettysburg soon followed, and here the noble commander won an en- during fame. The culminating action, on the third day, under the blaze of a hot July sun, was ushered in by one of the most terrific cannonades on record. The Confederates seemed to have gathered up all their strength to hurl it in one last, fierce, desperate effort on our resisting ranks. The flower of Lee's army swept grandly up, like a vast tidal wave, only to be crushed and torn and broken by our enfilading fires "from half a score of crests," and hurled in scattered fragments back. Thus environed by a blazing semi-circle of deadly fire, they could not escape, and especially on the centre and left an immense number of prisoners were captured, during the last half hour. But the Second Corps, under Hancock, bore the brunt of the battle-shock. There it surged most heav- ily against our lines — became almost resistless and at times threatened to break and dash in pieces the brave front opposed by Hancock and his grand Second Corps. Our rifle-pits were barricaded with fence rails, and the Confederates under Pickett, Longstreet and A. P. Hill swept up with splendid front, reserving their fire until they reached the Emmitsburg road. Then came GEORGE GORDON MEADE. 329 a crash from the rifles and a thunder blast from the artillery. Hancock was carried from the field wounded. The command then devolved upon Gibbon, who rose to the fearful crisis. He ordered the men to reserve their fire until the enemy were at short range. Then the guns belched forth in sudden flame and the enemy's advance line withered before it. The second line, un- dismayed, rushed on, over the bodies of their slain comrades, up to the barricaded pits, and were upon our gunners at their pieces. But at this fatal moment, a storm of grape from the enfilading guns on Cemetery Hill, cut down their advance, and the line "reeled back," crushed into fragments. Our troops behind the guns rushed forward and made captures by the hun- dreds and thousands. "An entire regiment threw down its arms, and Gibbon's old division took fifteen stand of colors." What was left of the broken attacking lines now fell back. They gathered themselves together "and slowly marched away. It was not a rout: it was a bitter, crushing defeat." On the evening of July third, 1863, General Meade penned the following despatch from army head- quarters : " To Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief : "The enemy opened at one o'clock in the afternoon, from about one hundred and fifty guns. They concentrated upon my left cen- tre, continuing without intermission for about three hours, at the expiration of which time he assaulted my left centre twice, being, upon both occasions, handsomely repulsed with severe loss to them, leaving in our hands nearly three thousand prisoners. Among the prisoners are Major-General Armistead, and many colonels and officers of lesser note. The enemy left many dead upon the field, and a large number of wounded in our hands. The loss upon our side has been considerable. Major-General Hancock and Brigadier- General Gibbon were wounded. 330 HEROES OF THREE WARS. "After the repelling of the assault, indications leading to the belief that the enemy might be withdrawing, an armed reconnois- Bance was pushed forward from the left, and the enemy found to be in force. At the present hour all is quiet. " The New York cavalry have been engaged all day on both flanks of the enemy, harassing and vigorously attacking him with great success, notwithstanding they encountered superior numbers, both of cavalry and artillery. The army is in fine spirits. "George G. Meade, Major- General Commanding.^* On the fourth of July morning he also issued a congratulatory address to the army, thanking them for the " glorious result of the recent operations.'^ He says : *' Our enemy, superior in numbers and flushed with the pride of a successful invasion, attempted to over- come or destroy this army. Utterly baffled and defeated, he has now withdrawn from the contest. " The privations and fatigues the army has endured, and the heroic courage and gallantry it has displayed, will be matters of history to be ever remembered. "Our task is not yet accomplished, and the com- manding general looks to the army for greater efforts to drive from our soil every vestige of the presence of the invader." President Lincoln made a brief yet comprehensive announcement to the country on the same day, in which he said that the army at Gettysburg had covered itself with the " highest honor," and requested that the day should be remembered with thanksgiving. The victories of Gettysburg and Vicksburg occurred on the same date, and the destinies of the two generals who led in these actions were afterwards, during the war, strangely mingled. In January, 18G6, General Meade received the thanks of Congress " for the skill and heroic valor with GEORGE GORDON MEADE. 331 which, at Gettysburg, he repulsed, defeated, and drove back, broken and dispirited, the veteran Army of ■Rebellion." Meade's advance to the Rappahannock afterwards was marked by the battles of Bristoe, Brandy Station, New Baltimore, Robertson's River, Kelly's Ford, and Rappahannock Bridge; but no general engagement took place until the next spring. He remained at the head of the Army of the Potomac, but acted in such close conjunction with Grant, who had been made lieutenant-general, that his movements after that period must be attributed to the united counsel of both. Grant exhibited the greatest possible confidence in him, and he always proved equal to the grand military achievements committed to his charge. At the close of the war he was placed over the entire Atlantic Department. He died in Philadelphia, on November sixth, 1872, in a house which his countrymen had presented to his wife. A fund of one hundred thousand dollars was afterwards subscribed for his family. The military as well as private character of General Meade was full of caution, full of reliability, full of goodness and rare modesty. No breath of detraction obscured his fair fame, nor envy marked him for its poisoned arrows. The heroic memories of the field of Gettysburg will enfold his noble dust in a cloud of perpetual incense, and transmit to posterity his best eulogy. CHAPTER XXyill. HENRY ^ATARNER SLOCUM. Birth and Education.— A Lawyer in Syracuse.— On the War-Path. — In the Chickahominy. — At Antietani, South Mountain and Chancellorsville.— The Field of Gettysburg.— The Repulse of Ewell's Troops. — In Tennessee. — Commanding the Vicksburg District. — The Georgia Campaign. — Marching through the Enemy's Country. — Battle of Bentonville. — A Splendid Fight. — Genius of Slocum. THIS brave and noble general must have been born under auspicious planetary combinations to have won the reputation of never failing in any enterprise he undertook, and to unite in his individual person so many rare qualifications as a man and a soldier. He was born in the Empire State, at Delphi, Onon- daga County, September twenty-fourth, 1827. Like so many others of our successful war generals, he received his military education at West Point, from whence he graduated in 1852. Then he went to Florida as second lieutenant in the First artillery, and was subsequently sent to Charleston Harbor, and promoted to first lieu- tenant. At length he grew tired of garrison life, and in 1857 resigned his commission and took up his abode in Syracuse, New York, where he began the practice . of law. But when, in 1861, the tocsin blast of war sounded through our country, and the safety of the Union was menaced, Slocum responded at once to the call and joined the great army of patriots marching to the (332) HENRY WARNER SLOCUM. 333 front. He led the "gallant Twenty-seventh Regi- ment" at Manassas, and received his first badge of honor in the cause — a wound in the thigh. In August he was made brigadier-general and placed over a brigade in Franklin's division, and afterwards, on promotion of Franklin, was put in command of the division. He took part in the seven days' battles of the Chick- ahominy, and on July fourth of that year, just after the tired army had reached the banks of the James, he was promoted to the rank of major-general. He com- manded a division under McClellan at Antietam and South Mountain, and distinguished himself in both those battles. At Chancellorsville he had charge of the Fifth, Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, and sustained his part in tliat disaster with more than heroic bravery. On the field of Gettysburg his conduct shone out with special lustre, even when heroism was the rule, and other leaders won deathless distinction for their leader- ship. On the second day of that awful fight, Slocum was in command of the right, and had under him the Twelfth Corps and a portion of the Second and Sixth. He held a strong position ; but the left wing being heavily pressed, reinforcements from his command were repeatedly sent them, leaving a very much weakened force to defend his own ground. The enemy, having failed to make an impression on the Union left, threw the whole force of his battalions on the thin opposing line of Slocum. Slocum made a splendid stand, but could not be reinforced fast enough to maintain his ground, and at last fell back a short distance. Ewell endeavored to press his advantage, and his troops came 334 HEROES OF THREE WARS. on with wild yells — in vain. The dauntless band stood firm. At dawn, on the following morning, Slocum drew his army up for an attack, determined to win back the strong position he had yielded on the previous evening. He was met half way by a reckless charge from Ewell's men. It was indeed "desperation against courage." Slocum's line held their ground without flinching. Yolley after volley flashed out from their ranks, and the firing became so rapid that a cloud of smoke enveloped them during the entire action, which raged without cessation for six hours. Ewell hurled his men against this wall of smoke and fire again and again, only to be sent back with awful repulse. The troops in gray fought like demons. " It was hard to believe such desperation voluntary. It was harder to believe that the army which withstood and defeated it was mortal." After Chickamauga, Slocum was sent to Tennessee to guard the line of communication between Nashville and Chattanooga, and when the Atlanta campaign was organized, and the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps were consolidated into the Twentieth and given to Hooker, Slocum was put in command of the Yicksburg dis- trict. From this point he destroyed the railroad bridges at Jackson, over Pearl Eiver, and while re- turning from this expedition, a heavy force of the enemy concentrated in his rear, with the object of severing him from his base. But the brave com- mander was equal to this desperate emergency, and after a severe battle, cleared his way to Yicksburg. In a few days afterwards he took a force to Port Gibson to prevent reinforcements from reaching Hood, and had a battle near Grand Gulf — a night attack by the enemy, whom he signally repulsed. HENRY WARNER S LOCUM. 335 Slocum took Hooker's place over the old Twentieth Corps when that general was relieved, and guarded the Chattahoochie. In Sherman's Georgia campaign, he had charge of the left wing and marched eastward along the line of the Atlanta and Augusta railroad, which he destroyed as he went. He made a successful march to Milledgeville, the capital of the State. " The mayor and officers of the city met him," as he entered it, " formally tendering its surrender, and begging that private property might be saved from destruction, and the people from violence. Slocum curtly replied that he did not command a band of desperadoes and cut- throats." At Milledgeville the two wings of the army united and marched into Savannah together. After a month's rest they were again on the march northward. Slocum, with the left wing, was sent up the Savannah River to threaten Augusta. He found the country flooded from the swollen river which had overflowed its banks, owing to a heavy rainfall. But his noble troops bravely breasted the floods, rebridged the streams and cleared the roads, which had been obstructed by felled trees and other debris. Having drawn the enemy's forces into Augusta from his near approach to that place, he turned about and crossed the upper portion of the State. The two wings then marched towards Columbia, and from Columbia Slocum made a feint in the direction of Charlotte, while his real destination was Fayetteville. When Sherman went from Fayetteville to Goldsboro', Slocum was despatched to threaten Raleigh. At Bentonville, he came unexpectedly upon the combined forces of Johnston, Hardee, and Hoke ; and with half the number to oppose them, he made a 336 HEROES OF THREE WARS. perilous but successful fight. The onset was of the most desperate character, for the enemy expected to overpower him by mere weight of numbers, and prob- ably would have done so with a less able general in command than Slocum. One after another the Con- federate columns were hurled forward and as often were sent, broken and bleeding, back. Six successive assaults were thus made within an hour, and the last desperate charge caused a momentary break in Slocum's line; but, quickly recovering, his troops repelled as before the shock of onset. The battle of Bentonville was fought on the nine- teenth of March, and proved, as every preceding action had done in which he was engaged, the great general- ship of Slocum. His entire career during the war was one of unequivocal success. Sherman's victorious marches might not have proven so victorious without the disciplined and able concert of action afforded by Thomas and Slocum, command- ing the two wings of the conquering host. The Twentieth Corps, under Slocum's effective dis- cipline, gained a splendid reputation for its invincible qualities, and never failed in an emergency. General Slocum won the reputation of coolness in danger, of being always able to meet that danger, how- ever unexpected and threatening, and of a comprehen- sive grasp of mind which could seize upon and master the complications of a battle-field at once. He never failed in anything. His war record, from beginning to end, is one of rare achievement and a glorious adhe- rence to patriotic duty. After the war, he was placed in command of the Department of the Mississippi. CHAPTER XXIX. JAMES BIRDSEYE McPHERSON. His Ability. — Ancestry and Early Life. — Superior Scholarship at West Point. — In New York Harbor. — On the Pacific Coast. — Sent to Boston Harbor. — Slow Promotion. — On Halleck's Staff. — Services at Forts Henry and Donelson. — Engineering Work at Corinth. — His First Independent Command. — Vicksbnrg. — Grant's Endorsement. — With Sherman. — In Command of the Army of the Tennessee. — Postponement of Marriage. — March to the Sea. — Battle with Hood. — His Death. — Grant's Letter. THE military genius of McPherson was of a high order. Comprehensive in his grasp of situations, he seemed always to know just the right combination necessary to achieve success. He never lost a battle. His character as a soldier and man was both noble and knightly. Perhaps no officer in the last war better exemplified the definition of a hero. He could com- mand not only the respect but the love of those around him. In order to do this a general must be endowed with something more than soldierly qualities — he must have essential goodness of heart. Grant and Sherman both cherished for McPherson a deep and warm regard, and when the news of his death reached the commander-in-chief of our armies, he burst into tears. Sherman, too, gave way to deep grief when the body of McPherson, pallid in death, was brought to his head-quarters. It was at the cost of such precious lives as these that the country struggled through its four years' baptism of war. (337) 338 HEROES OF THREE WARS. McPherson was born in Sandusky County, Ohio, on November fourteenth, 1828, and as his name indicates, was of Scotch extraction. He entered West Point when twenty-one years old and at once gained recog- nition for superior scholarship and ability. He grad- uated at the head of his class in 1853, was made second lieutenant of engineers by brevet, and appointed to the post of Assistant Instructor of Practical Engineering at the Academy — ^'a compliment never before or since awarded to so young an officer." A year afterwards he was made Assistant Engineer on the defences of New York Harbor, and in the Hudson River improvements below Albany. From the Hudson he went to Fort Delaware, and from there to California, where he had charge of the works on Alcatras Island, in San Francisco bay. While on the Pacific coast, in 1858, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, and his pronounced engineering skill received some recognition. When the war broke out he was sent to take charge of the Boston Harbor for- tifications, being created, meantime, junior captain of his company. The fairy of good luck or the presiding spirit of in- scrutable fate now touched the current of aifairs in his life, and gave him what all must have who win the silver stars of fame — opportunity. For, on the acces- sion of Halleck over the Western Department, Mc- Pherson became his aide, with the rank of lieutenant- colonel. Busy with engineering duty in Missouri, no hint of his greatness appeared until he was made chief eno-ineer in Grant's movements against Forts Henry and Donelson. For these services he received the rank of brevet-major of engineers, and after Pittsburgh Land- JAMES BIRDSEYE McPHERSOK 339 ing the promotion of brevet lieutenant-colonel was conferred on him. He did not become colonel until the following May. After his splendid engineering work against Corinth, under Halleck, he was made brigadier-general of vol- unteers, and his promotion thenceforward went on more in accord with his deserts than it had previously done. When Grant became commander in the West, McPherson was appointed superintendent of all United States military railroads in the Department of Western Tennessee; and after the repulse of the enemy at Corinth by Rosecrans, he was placed in charge of the pursuit and received the rank of major-general of vol- unteers, dating from October eighth. The first battle in which he held undisturbed com- mand was fought within a mile of Lamar, about eight miles from Lagrange, where his head-quarters had been established. Grant, under whose direction he acted, considered this reconnoissance one of especial impor- tance. At the point named, McPherson confronted a force greatly outnumbering his own, and by sending his cav- alry in a wide detour to the enemy's left, made a simul- taneous attack in the rear and flank. The ruse was eminently successful and the Confederate forces under Price fled panic-stricken to Holly Springs, spreading the report that Grant's entire army was in pursuit. The manner in which this fight was conducted gave evidence of marked genius in leadership, and won for its general, proper recognition. In the operations now inaugurated against Vicks- burg, McPherson bore a conspicuous part. He par- ticipated in the battle of Port Gibson, and the brilliant 340 HEROES OF THREE WARS. victories at Jackson and Cliampion Hill were gained under his immediate generalship. During the siege of Vicksburg, his corps, the brave and renowned Seventeenth, held the centre and made itself exceedingly effective. After the occupation of Vicksburg, the endorsement given him by Grant, in recommending him for promotion, was emphatic to an unusual degree. *'He has been with me," said that General, "in every battle since the commencement of the rebellion, except Belmont. At Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh and the siege of Corinth, as a staff officer and engineer, his services were conspicuous and highly meritorious. At the second battle of Corinth, his skill as a soldier was displayed in successfully car- rying reinforcements to the besieged garrison, when the enemy was between him and the point to be reached. In the advance through central Mississippi, General McPherson commanded one wing of the army, with all the ability possible to show, having the lead in the advance and the rear in retiring. " In the campaign and siege terminating with the fall of Vicksburg, General McPherson has filled a con- spicuous part. At the battle of Port Gibson it was under his direction that the enemy was driven late in the afternoon from a position that they had succeeded in holding all day against an obstinate attack. His corps, the advance always under his immediate eye, were the pioneers in the movements from Port Gibson to Hankinson's Ferry. From the north fork of the Bayou Pierre to Black Eiver, it was a constant skir- mish, the whole skilfully managed. The enemy was so closely pursued as to be unable to destroy their bridge of boats after them. From Hankinson's Ferry JAMES BIRDSEYE McPHERSON 34^ to Jackson, the Seventeenth Corps marched over roads not travelled by other troops, fighting the entire battle of Raymond alone ; and the bulk of Johnston's army was fought by this corps, entirely under the manage- ment of General McPherson. At Champion's Hill the Seventeenth Corps and General McPherson were conspicuous. All that could be termed a battle there was fought by the divisions of General McPherson's Corps and General Hovey's division of the Thirteenth Corps. In the assault of the twenty-second of May on the fortifications of Vicksburg, and during the entire siege, General McPherson and his command took un- fading laurels. He is one of the ablest engineers and most skilful generals. I would respectfully but ur- gently recommend his promotion to the position of brigadier-general in the regular army.'' In February, 1864, McPherson joined Sherman in his raid to Meridian, and when Sherman became com- mander of the Department of the Mississippi, he was placed over the Army of the Tennessee. The appoint- ment reached him just as he was about taking leave of absence to fulfil a marriage engagement with a young lady in Baltimore. The marriage was deferred in consequence of the approaching Atlanta campaign, and the brave commander turned from the flowery pathway of love, and heroically took up his march to the sea, amid the besetting dangers of an enemy's country. After the repulse of Hood by Thomas, near Peach Tree Creek, that Confederate general reorganized his shattered ranks and hurled them with terrible fury on McPherson, who was approaching Atlanta from the direction of Decatur. The onset of the enemy was 342 HEROES OF THREE WARS. desperate, aod at times it seemed as if they would suc- ceed iu breaking McPherson's lines. There came, at length, a lull in battle, and the general availed him- self of this opportunity to close a gap between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps— anticipating an at- tack at that point. A strip of forest, with a road run- ning through it, constituted the space which McPherson ordered closed up at once with a brigade. To give the needed direction it was necessary for him to cross this wooded strip. He halted a moment before entering the road, and then, with but one orderly, dashed boldly forward. But his hour of fate had come. All unseen, death and the foe lurked within the shadowy forest. The skirmish line of the enemy had taken possession of this road, and before he was fully aware of his posi- tion, the foe surrounded him. He reined his black charger back suddenly, for one surprised instant, lifted his cap in salute, and then with a bound cleared the road. In vain ! The volley that blazed after him had fatal aim, and he fell from his saddle, never again to rise. The well-known black horse, emerging from the woods, wounded and riderless, told the sad story to his devoted soldiers who now came up. Private George Reynolds, though wounded severely through the left arm, was among the sorrowful group which searched for the body of their beloved General and conveyed it to Sherman's head-quarters. Grant's exclamation on hearing the sad news, " The country has lost one of its best soldiers, and I have lost my best friend!" emphasized by his tears, gave evidence of a rare regard. Among his soldiers there was universal grief, and "McPherson and revenge!" became their war-cry JA3IES BIRDSEYE McPHERSOK 345 during the continuation of that bloody battle. Every- where lamented, the nation mourned his loss as of a son ; but the blow fell with withering stroke on the heart of his affianced bride — widowed ere yet a wife. A guard accompanied his remains to Sandusky County, Ohio, where they "were conducted to the very parlor," wrote his grandmother, "in which he spent a cheerful evening in 1861, with his widowed mother, two brothers, and an only sister and his aged grandmother, who is now trying to write. His funeral services were attended in his mother's orchard, where his youthful feet had often pressed the soil to gather the falling fruit, and his remains are resting in the silent grave, scarce half a mile from the place of his birth.'^ In his reply to this letter, Grant says : " Mrs. Lydia Slocum : ''My Dear Madam:— Your very welcome letter of the third in- stant has reached me. I am glad to know that the relatives of the lamented Major-General McPherson are aware of the more than friendship existing between him and myself. A nation grieves at the loss of on so dear to our nation's cause. It is a selfish grief, because the nation had more to expect from him than from almost any one living. I join in this selfish grief, and add the grief of personal love for the departed. He formed, for some time, one of my military family. I knew him well : to know him was 'to love It may be some consolation to you, his aged grandmother, to know that every officer and every soldier who served under vour grand- son felt the highest reverence for his patriotism, his zeal, his cryeat almost unequalled ability, his amiability, and all the manlv vfrtues that can adorn a commander. Your bereavement is great,'but can- not exceed mine." McPherson distinguished himself, in addition toother services, at Resaca, DMlas, Allatoona, Ivulp House and Kenesaw. He always reconnoitred in person, and his bravery was of that extreme type which verged on 346 HEROES OF THREE WARS. recklessness. He was of superb physique, and held that personal sway over the minds and hearts of his soldiers which only needed his presence to awaken their enthusiasm. His lofty courage, tireless energy, sublime patriotism and stainless private record shine like jewels in the crown of his fame, and by the strength of this light many a youth will be incited to nobler endeavor and more courageous soldiership in the long battle of life. CHAPTER XXX. W^IN FIELD SCOTT HANCOCK, The Brilliant Charge at Williamsburg.— Popular Favor.— Birth and Early Training.— In the Mexican War.— The Florida Cam- paign.— Ordered to Washington.— At Antietam.— Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. — His Stand at Gettysburg. — Cemetery- Hill.- Wounded.— In the Last Grant Campaign.— Battle at Ely's Ford.— Assault of May Twelfth.— Capture of Stuart.—" I Decline to Take Your Hand."— In Charge of the Veteran First Corps. — In the Shenandoah Valley. — Characteristics. THE brilliant charge of Hancock^s brigade at the battle of Williamsburg, first brought the name of this eminent soldier prominently before the country. It was such a charge as had not been previously made during the war, and the mode in which it was conducted reflected great credit on the skill of its commanding officer. Hancock and his "immortal brigade" in that action were on the left of the enemy's line. When he saw that by taking a certain position his guns could command the Confederate rear, he sent for reinforce- ments. But, on account of a fear of weakening the centre, they were denied him. He therefore met an overwhelming force of the enemy alone, and fought a desperate battle. As he slowly fell back, with unbroken front, the Confederates mistook the movement for a retreat and rushed on with shouts and cheers, in an endeavor to break his lines. Hancock's eagle eye was watching every movement, and when they had reached a point within forty yards of him, near the top of the (347) 348 HEROES OF THREE WARS. rising ground over which he was advancing, he halted his brigade, gave the order to "fire!^' and poured a withering musketry blaze into their ranks. Then the whole brigade swept down the slope in a grand charge which put the enemy to rout and completely turned their position. This splendid piece of skill immediately lifted Han- cock into national popularity, and his name has ever since been a synonym of valor and success. He is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in Montgomery County, on February fourteenth, 1824. He graduated at West Point when only twenty years old, and was sent to the Indian Territory as second lieutenant in the Sixth Infantry. He rendered distin- guished services in the Mexican war, and received the brevet of first lieutenant for brave conduct at Churu- busco. He was afterwards stationed in Missouri, and during the Florida war served as captain in the quar- ter-master's department. He joined the Utah expedi- tion under General Harney, and when the last war broke out, was stationed at Los Angeles, California. The War Department ordered him to report at Wash- ington, and in September, 1861, he was made brigadier- general of volunteers. After Williamsburg, he figured conspicuously at Gaines' Mill, and "fought side by side with Sedgwick" at Glendale, Malvern Hill, Fair Oaks and Savage Station. He was in the campaign under Pope, and the subse- quent one under McClellan. At Antietam, he rode in the front of battle, the very incarnation of bravery, the embodiment of noble valor. The command of Kichardson's division devolved on him, and the mar- WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK. 349 velloiis skill with which he handled his troops, exposed to a trying enfilading fire, stamped him a general of great qualities. He was with Burnside when the heights of Freder- icksburg were stormed, and like a true soldier, obeying orders unquestioned though he knew the madness of the attempt, bore his part in the useless and bloody slaughter. He also shared in the Chancellorsville dis- aster, and when Meade was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac, Hancock had charge of the Second Corps. At Gettysburg, he is given the credit of having chosen the almost impregnable position of the Union troops, which certainly entered largely into the deciding issues of that battle. After the death of Eeynolds, General Meade sent Hancock to ''represent him on the field''— surely no doubtful praise. During the first day of the momentous conflict, he commanded the left centre on Cemetery Hill, firmly holding his position, besides sending relief to the Third Corps. About one o'clock in the afternoon of the second day, a terrific cannonade was opened upon him which continued, without interruption, for two hours and more. At mid-afternoon a desperate charge was made by the enemy on Hancock's position. They came for- ward ^^" forty-five thousand strong and three columns deep." It was a tremendous shock, and superhuman efforts were required to break the devouring human wave which threatened their extinction. Hancock opened a heavy artillery fire, and then, as the enemy came up, swept them with his musketry. He rode along his lines, amid the sheeted flame, inspiring the troops to heroic attempts. And not in vain. When, 350 HEROES OF THREE WARS. at last, the enemy's advance had been repulsed and the splendid victory gained, Hancock was carried Ueeding from the field, with a bullet-wound in his thigh. Tiiis hurt disabled him for a long time. But he had proven himself a hero in the best sense of the term, and from all quarters praises and admiration were lavished upon him. In Grant's last campaign he had the left wing of the army, and at Ely's Ford, on the Rapidan, made a glo- rious fight. He crossed the Po River near Spottsyl- vania Court House, and after taking forcible possession of the Block House Road, worked on through the night with pick and spade to complete two lines of breastworks for its defence. "The lanterns of the workmen hanging to the blossoming cherry trees and picturesque groups of soldiers digging and erecting the works, while batteries stood harnessed up, their can- noniers lying on the ground around the carriages in wait for any emergency," added a dash of pleasant picturing to the dark front of war. On May twelfth, Hancock made a desperate assault on the intrenchments of the enemy on the southern bank of Po River. The battle lasted for fourteen hours, and the place became '^ a perfect Golgotha." He captured " an entire division, four thousand strong, and thirty guns." Stuart was one of the Confederate generals taken prisoner, and in the spirit of kindness which belongs to true chivalry, Hancock offered him his hand. Stuart drew himself up with hauteur, as he said, "I am General Stuart of the Confederate army, and under present circumstances I decline to take your hand!" Hancock's reply is worthy of record : "And under any other circumstances, General, I should have declined it ! " WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK. S61 In the subsequent operations of the army, Hancock played a conspicuous part, and at Petersburg, in con- junction with Baldy Smith, ^' he carried the outer works.'^ At Hatcher's Kun, the Second Corps was saved from more than a partial reverse by the skill of its commander. It now became apparent that Hancock must retire from active fighting on account of his old wound which had not entirely healed when he took the field in the Grant campaign. He was consequently relieved from the command of the Second Corps at his own re- quest, being afterwards placed in charge of the Veteran First Corps, with head-quarters at AYashington. He established recruiting-stations, and soldiers flocked around his standard. After Sheridan had made his raid to the James River and joined Grant, Hancock was placed in command of the Shenandoah Valley, "where he remained until the close of the war.'' He was after- wards appointed to take charge of the Middle Depart- ment of the Military Division of the Atlantic. The people of New York testified their love for him by presenting him with an elegant barouche, just pre- vious to his last campaign, to ride at the head of his corps ; but he preferred an army ambulance. Hancock always displayed the characteristics of a true and chivalrous manhood. Gracious to a conquered enemy, generous in all his instincts, incapable of petti- ness, never revengeful, splendid in military qualities, he was such a general as would fitly adorn the annals of any age, however glorious. The student of human nature takes courage in contemplating such a character, and believes afresh in the possibility of the loftiest types of manhood. CHAPTER XXXI. JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. The Hundred Days in Missouri. — Birth and Early Life, — On Board the "Natchez." — Beginning to be an Explorer. — Marriage with Jessie Benton. — Westward Ho ! — Discoveries. — Conquest of Cali- fornia. — Across the Continent. — Senator from California. — In Command of the Western Department. — Causes of Eemoval. — Presidential Candidate. — An Extraordinary Kide. — What He Achieved. IT is impossible to base any just estimate of Fre- mont's generalship on the one hundred days of his war career during the last civil conflict. He had but just begun his campaigning when Hunter super- seded him in command, and the advantages gained by Fremont were allowed to slip back without further result. But as having compassed heroic achievement in the field of exploration and being closely identified with the political and war history of the Union, he is entitled to the vantage ground of prominence. Fremont was born in Savannah, Georgia, January twenty-first, 1813. He is of French ancestry, having descended from one of the same name who came to the United States at the time of the French Revolution. His mother was Anne Beverly, daughter of Colonel Thomas Whiting, of Virginia — reputed to be at that time one of the most beautiful women in the State. For several years the parents of Fremont travelled with their own carriage and servants, in the Southern States, and it was during one of their temporary halts (352) JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. 353 that John Charles was born. He received his educa- tion in South Carolina, and became proficient in mathe- matics and engineering — his genius for these studies being very pronounced. In 1833, when the sloop-of-war "Natchez" entered Charleston Harbor to enforce General Jackson's procla- mation against Nullification, Fremont obtained through the Secretary of the Navy the appointment of teacher of mathematics on board that vessel, and made a cruise of between two and three years, first going to South America. He was afterwards appointed Professor of Mathematics on board the frigate "Independence." Subsequently, he was made assistant engineer and sent to explore the mountain pass between South Caro- lina and Tennessee. He then went with Captain Williams on a military survey of Georgia, North Caro- lina and Tennessee, and from thence to the Upper Mississippi under command of the Frenchman, J. N. Nicollet. The years of 1838 and 1839 were occupied with exploring the region lying between the British line and the Missouri and northern rivers. About this time he became acquainted with the family of Mr. Benton, senator from Missouri, and a strong attach- ment was formed between Jessie, the second daughter, then fifteen years old, and the young explorer. In the summer of 1841, he was ordered to make an examina- tion of the Des Moines River — Iowa at that time being a frontier region. After finishing the duty he returned to Washington, and on October nineteenth, consum- mated his marriage Avith Jessie Benton. In 1842, he made a tour of exploration to the Rocky Mountain region and penetrated the South Pass. Fol- lowing this, he planned another expedition to Oregon 354 HEROES OF THREE WARS. and went by a new route— joining the Wilkes Explora- tion party. Subsequently, he became guide to a third expedition westward, during which he discovered the Fremont Basin, the Sierra Nevada, the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, and determined much of the geography of that country. In 1845, Fremont was again on the trail towards the Pacific Slope, and the work he then performed gave California to the United States. In the conquest of Upper California he bore a conspicuous part, but owing to a quarrel with some officers, he was deprived of his command. He de- clined the President's ofiPer — which was afterwards made — to reinstate him. His next work was the survey of a route from the Mississippi to San Francisco, during which he pene- trated to the Apache country. In one hundred days after leaving Santa Fe, this bold land navigator of trackless wilds stood by the waters of the Sacramento. In 1849-51, Fremont was sent as one of the first United States Senators from California, and in 1856 was the first Republican candidate for President — running in opposition to Buchanan. It was a very close contest, and Fremont might be said to have been as much the choice of the people as the elected candidate. In 1846, Fremont had commanded a battalion in the Mexican war, and when the last war broke out, although he was in Paris at the time, he immediately purchased a large quantity of arms for government, and in June landed on his native shores. In July he received the commission of major-general, and took command of the Western Department a short time previous to the bat- tle of Wilson's Creek. After the death of Lyon, the weight of responsibility as well as of active duty in the field, rested on Fremont. JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. 355 A proclamation which he issued about this time cre- ated some excitement. He declared Missouri under martial law, and ordered every one found with arms to be tried by court-martial. This step was certainly justified by the exigencies of the times. Fremont arrived in Springfield on the twenty-sev- enth of October, and the succeeding hundred days em- braced his last military record. Just after the Lex- ington affair, when he was about to put in operation some well-laid plans, orders for his removal arrived and he was superseded by Hunter, who let slip the sheaves of victorious work harvested by his predecessor. Fremont was afterwards exonerated from all blame for not keeping Price out of Lexington. It was shown that as soon as he fitted his men for the field, they were ordered to the Army of the Potomac. "Five thou- sand men ready to support Mulligan in his defence of Lexington were, at the very moment of their depar- ture, counter-ordered to the East." Fremont's removal from command just at that crisis was afterwards con- ceded to have been a great military blunder. It broke up his famous "Body Guard," under command of Major Zagonyi — an organization whose personal at- tachment to their leader was so strong, that when he was suspended and after their brilliant and wonderful charge into Springfield through the enemy's lines, they resolved they would not come together again until they could fight under their old commander. Notwithstanding the Lexington defeat and Fre- mont's consequent removal, he had set in motion a current of enthusiasm in the west which would not subside. In 1864 his name was again placed in nomi- nation for the presidency, but he withdrew from the contest. 356 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Since the war he has been associated with a trans- continental railroad. Fremont's fourth expedition in 1848 was under- taken at his own expense, in quest of a home in the " new State which he had emancipated/' It was during the month of March in the previous year that he made his extraordinary ride of nine hundred and sixty miles in seven days, through a rough and dangerous country, from Los Angeles to Monterey and back. He under- took this desperate mission to carry the news to General Kearney of an impending insurrection in Lower Cali- fornia. The name of Fremont is imperishably written in the ^* historical, geographical, scientific and political history" of this country. What greater fame need any ambition crave? That he " missed world's honors and world's plaudits" when his voice was ever quick with its "Oh, list!" when the angel of duty spake, is far better than to have won those honors at the sacrifice of an untarnished conscience. Though he missed the presidential chair, his name crowns the loftiest peak of the longest chain of mountains in North America, as its first explorer. He is canonized as the savior of California from Mexican misrule, and as a geographer his fine genius received recognition from Humboldt and the scientific world at large. The court-martial which he underwent in 1848, was so palpably the re- sult of rivalry between Commodore Stockton and Gen- eral Kearney, that the testimony, only served to reveal Fremont in a higher light than ever, as the fearless server of duty in preference to any lesser bidding. The verdict given was one of pure technique. It did not pluck one laurel from his well-earned chaplet, nor Uke from him the loving esteem of his fellow-citizens. CHAPTER XXXII. OLIVKR OTIS HOWARD. The Christian Soldier.— Early Life.— Off to the Wars.— Bravery in Battle.— Loss of an Arm.— Antietam.— Fredericksburg.— Chan- cellorsville.— Gettysburg.— The Atlanta Campaign.— Chief of the Army of the Tennessee.— Convaleseence.—His Religious Con- victions.— Story of a Wagon-Master.- In Charge of the Freed- man's Bureau. — Sherman's Letter. OLIVER OTIS HOWARD— distinguished as the "Christian Soldier *' — was born on Xovember eighth, 1830, in Leeds, Maine. When he was ten years old his father died, and he was taken in charge by an uncle who sent him to Bowdoin College. After grad- uating at that school he went to West Point, and com- pleted the military course in 1854. In 1856, he acted as chief-of-ord nance officer in the Florida campaign. The opening of the last war found him installed as professor of mathematics at West Point. In May, 1861, he was appointed colonel of the Third Maine Volunteers, by the governor of that State. On the field of Bull Run he led a brigade into the thick battle action with so much bravery and good general- ship, that, in September, he was promoted to brigadier- general of volunteers. In December, he occupied a place in General Sumner's command. In September, 1863, in charge of the Eleventh Army Corps, he went with Slocum to reinforce the army at Chattanooga. At Fair Oaks, he lost his right arm, and in the bat- tles of Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancel lorsville (357) 358 HEROES OF THREE WARS. his gallant conduct and well-directed fighting won golden opinions. In the Gettysburg conflict, his position was on Cem- etery Hill — the key to the battle-field. Here he dis- played such coolness under fire and exposed himself to the hurtling shot and shell so freely, that it might be taken for rashness if one did not know it sprang from the highest kind of bravery. During the Atlanta campaign, Howard commanded the Fourth Army Corps, and succeeded to McPherson^s position as commander of the Army of the Tennessee, after that heroic general's death. In the " great march " from Atlanta to the sea, he held the right wing ; and Sherman's confidence in him was absolute. After the loss of his arm, he went back to his native State, and, during convalescence, the pale and wounded soldier became a recruiting officer and addressed crowds of his fellow-citizens in various parts of the State, ap- pealing to their patriotism in sustaining the war power at Washington. As a result of these efforts, recruits by the hundred responded to his earnest appeals. "Modesty, sincerity and earnestness characterized his addresses," and gave evidence of his strong devotion to duty. Howard's religious convictions were well known and universally respected by brother officers from highest to lowest ; and whoever shared his mess, or partook of the hospitality of his table, always waited for a blessing to be invoked. General Grant said of him : "In Gen- eral Howard throughout, I found a polished and Chris- tian gentleman, exhibiting the highest and most chiv- alrous traits of the soldier." The kind way in which he administered rebuke is OLIVER OTIS HOWARD. 359 well illustrated in the following story : "On one occa- sion, a wagon-master, whose teams were floundering through the bottomless mud of a Georgia swamp, be- came exasperated at the unavoidable delay, and indulged in such a torrent of profanity as can only be heard in the army or among men of his class. General Howard quietly approached, unperceived by the offender, and was an unwilling listener to the blasphemous words. The wagon-master, on turning around, saw his general in close proximity and made haste to apologize for his profane outburst by saying, * Excuse me. General, I did not know you were here.' The General, looking a reprimand, replied, 'I would prefer that you abstain from swearing from a higher and better motive than because of my presence.' '' After the war, in 1865, General Howard was placed at the head of the Freedman's Bureau — a position which abounded in difficulties, but which he filled most acceptably. There was not, probably, another man in the entire country whose nature and noble purposes and aims were so much in harmony with the peculiar and benevolent work of the Freedman's Bureau as How- ard's. On his acceptance of this new post of honor. General Sherman wrote him as follows: "I hardly know whether to congratulate you or not, but of one thing you may rest assured, that you possess my entire confidence, and I cannot imagine that matters that may involve the future of four millions of souls could be put in more charitable and more conscientious hands. So far as man can do, I believe you will, but I fear you have a Herculean task; . . . though in the kindness of your heart you would alleviate all the ills of hu- manity, it is not in your power. ... Yet you can and 360 HEROES OF THREE WARS. will do all the good one man may, and that is all you are called on as a man and a Christian to do; and to that extent count on me as a friend and fellow-soldier for counsel and assistance." The traits of General Howard's character always shone conspicuous in the loftiest range of human mo- tive. As a general, he was not great, like Grant, nor brilliant, like Sherman. But, without being a colossus in military genius, he performed his duty as a soldier and citizen faithfully, won golden approval from Presi- dent, press and people, and deserves an especial niche in the temple of Memory as one who endeavored to soften the rigors of war with the balm of a gentle nature and the outstretched hand of humanitarian kindness. CHAPTER XXXIII. DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. The Power of the Navy. — Early Years of Farragut. — Eemarkable Instance of Boyish Bravery. — Forty-eight Years of Quiet Life. — Union Sentiments. — Extract from Private Letter. — Castilian Ancestry. — Naval Combats on the Mississippi. — Capture of New Orleans. — The Bay Fight at Mobile. — Lashed to the Mast in the "Hartford."— Oflacial Tour of European Ports.— Personal Habits of Farragut. DURING our last war, the United States Navy became a powerful instrumentality in upholding the glory and unity of the Republic. It maintained the most difficult and stupendous blockade known to history. Six hundred ships garrisoned the coast of the United States, and fifty-one thousand soldiers of the sea garrisoned the ships. This fleet on the sea, dazzled, with its splendor of action, nations afar off and com- pelled not only the admiration, but the respect of Old- AYorld principalities and powers. In the midst of that invincible New-World armada we can see, even yet, the stalwart figure of Admiral Farragut, shining in bold prominence, as King of the Fleet, by the divine legacy of genius. This remarkable soldier was born in 1801, at Camp- bell's Station, in East Tennessee. His first baptism of warfare was received when only nine years old, on board Commodore Porter's ship, the "Essex,^' in its combat with the English sloop-of-war ^'Alert," April thirteenth, 1812. It took just eight minutes for the 22 (361) 362 HEROES OF THREE WARS. "Alert" to strike her colors, with seven feet of water in her hold. Porter was a friend of Farragut's father and had given the boy a midshipman's berth. The brave lad was wounded in this first, brief but bloody battle, and bore himself so nobly, that in Porter's re- port he was honorably mentioned, with the added regret that he was "too young for promotion.'' After 1812, Farragut received a general education, added to some instructions in military tactics, and then, in obedience to a pronounced inclination, followed the . sea. For forty-eight years his record ran from lieu- tenant in 1825, to commander in 1841, and captain in 1851. He had voyaged up and down the world, in quiet seas, hither and thither, unknown to fortune and to fame. But the last civil war gave him the key to both — golden opportunity. On account of Farragut's southern nativity and southern family ties, it w^as supposed he would go with the seceding South. His residence was at Norfolk, and when he boldly avowed his Union sentiments, it was intimated that a further residence among the people there might not be pleasant. "Very well," he replied, "I will go where I can live, wdth such sentiments." He moved to Tarrytown, on the Hudson River, and received his first appointment as commander of the naval expedition to New Orleans, January twentieth, 1862. On February third he set out from Hampton Roads, in the flag-ship "Hartford." ... In a private letter from Farragut, written in response to an inquiry as to his ancestry by one who had discovered that the French Charlemagne's physi- cian bore the name Farraguth, the Admiral said : " My own name is probably Castilian. My grand- DAVID GLASCOE FAERAGUT. 363 father came from Ciiidadela, in the island of Minorca. I know nothing of the history of my family before they came to this country and settled in Florida. You may remember that in the seventeenth century, a colony settled there, and among them, I believe, was my grandfather. My father served through the war of Independence, and was at the battle of the Cow- pens. Judge Anderson, formerly Comptroller of the Treasury, has frequently told me that my father re- ceived his majority from George Washington on the same day with himself; and his children have always supposed that this promotion was for his good conduct in that fight. Notwithstanding this statement . . . I have never been able to find my father's name in any list of the officers of the Revolution. "With two men, Ogden and McKee, he was after- wards one of the early settlers of Tennessee. Mr. McKee was a member of Congress from Alabama, and once stopped in Norfolk, where I was then residing, on purpose, as he said, to see me, as the son of his early friend. He said he had heard that I was ^a chip of the old block' — what sort of a block it was I know not. This was thirty years ago. My father settled twelve miles from Knoxville, at a place called Camp- bell's Station, on the river where BLirnside had his fio-ht. Thence we moved to the South, about the time of the Wilkinson and Blennerhassett trouble. My father was then appointed a master in the navy, and sent to New Orleans in command of one of the gun- boats. Hence the impression that I am a native of New Orleans. But all my father's children were born in Tennessee, and as I have said in answer to inquiries on this subject, we only moved South to crush out a couple of rebellions. 364 HEROES OF THREE WARS. ^'My mother died of yellow fever the first summer in New Orleans, and my father settled at Pascagoula, in Mississippi. He continued to serve throughout the 'last war/ and was at the battle of New Orleans, under Commodore Patterson, though very infirm at that time. He died the following year, and my brothers and sisters married in and about New Orleans, where their descend- ants still remain. "As to the name, General Goicouria, a Spanish hidalgo from Cuba, tells me it is Castilian, and is spelled in the same way as the old physician's — Far- raguth.'' The wonderful series of movements and naval com- bats on the Mississippi, in which the gauntlet of miles of forts was run, resulting in the capture of New Or- leans and the opening of the river, is a feat unparal- leled in history. Genius, generalship, patience — a hundred rare qualifications were needed to bring such an attempt to successful fruition. Wise forecast, quickness of inventive faculty to meet sudden crises, untiring labor, and the highest kind of courage were required ; but Farragut showed himself royal in the possession of all kingly qualities of resource and com- mand. '^Tlie 'Bay Fight' at Mobile, and the resulting cap- ture of Forts Powell and Gaines, was another scene as terrible as New Orleans, and still more splendidly illuminated by the perfect personal courage of the Admiral, ... as he stood lashed in the rigging of the old 'Hartford,' clear above the smoke of the battle, and, even when he saw the monitor 'Tecumseh' sunk — the ship he had been waiting for, for months — yet ordered his wooden fleet straight forward, despite forts, FAIiKAGUT AT MOBILE. JDAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 367 gunboats, ram and torpedoes, and won a second victorjj of that most glorious sort only possible to the high, clear and intelligent courage of a leader who is both truly heroic and truly wise/^ After the war, while in Europe as a representative of the United States navy, he received enthusiastic testimonials to his genius and his individual standing as a man of lofty character and aims, aside from the mere deference paid to his official position. Farragut's personal habits were ever strictly tem- perate, and as a consequence, he enjoyed vigorous health. A story is told regarding him, of a bishop with whom he once dined, who, after the repast was concluded, offered him a cigar. "No, Bishop," said the Admiral, with a quizzical glance, "I don't smoke — I swear a little, sometimes.'^ Not only has the muse of History baptized Farragut, and the breath of Art breathed upon him as he swung aloft in the "Hartford," lashed to the mast, but he has gone into poetry, in whose immortal music he will live forever. Few heroes as grand have ever been illumined by the blaze of Fame — few types of manhood as noble, have thrilled to strains as lofty the harp of human life. CHAPTER XXXiy. FRANZ SIGEL, Early Military Education and Career. — Espousal of the Cause of the Revolutionists. — Exiled. — Arrival in the United States. — Life Previous to the War, — A Volunteer in the Union Army. — His Military Ability.— At Wilson's Creek.— The Battle of Pea Ridge.— Fighting Against Enormous Odds. — Splendid Skill Ex- hibited by Sigel.— Difficulties with Halleck.— New York Indig- nation Meeting.— In Command at Harper's Ferry. — Battle of Newmarket. — Close of Military Career. THE German general — Franz Sigel — was born at ZInsheim, Baden, November eighteenth, 1824. He was educated for the military profession and at- tained distinction in his native country. But during the German revolution of 1848, his sympathies were so thoroughly and strongly republican, that he resigned his adjutant-general's commission and became a leader in the liberal movement. After the defeat of the revo- lutionists he was exiled from his country on account of the dangerous influence he exerted as a liberalist. He came to the United States in 1850, and between that period and 1858 he taught school in New York and St. Louis. On the outbreak of civil war he entered the volun- teer service and was placed at the head of the Third Missouri Regiment, as its colonel. He went to Spring- field, Missouri, in June, and from that point was sent to hold Price and Jackson in check. He came upon their united forces near Carthage, July sixth, where a (368) FRANZ SIGEL. 369 severe battle ensued. When he discovered that the enemy, greatly outnumbering him, were trying to get between him and his trains, he ordered a retreat. The ability which he displayed in cutting his way through Carthage and back to his trains, lifted him at once into fame, and the name of Sigel became a war cry among his countrymen. At Wilson's Creek he made a tremendous blunder by mistaking the enemy's troops for Lyon's men, and therefore failed to bring on a concerted attack in the Confederate rear while Lyon assaulted their front. Owing to the gloom of the morning and the absence of all uniform, this mistake is easily accounted for. AVhen the soldiers of Sigel's command waved their flags in welcome to their supposed comrades in arms, a destructive fire burst upon them which covered the ground with the dead and the dying, and at the same moment a Confederate battery opened upon them from the hill. Utter confusion and rout resulted. Colonel Sigel, in his efforts to arrest the disorderly retreat, nar- rowly escaped capture. In this action he lost about one thousand men and five guns. In August, he was made brigadier-general and placed over a division in Fremont's army, and in the following October was sent in search of Price. At the battle of Pea Kidge, Sigel showed himself so conspicuously capable and exhibited such a high order of warlike skill, that his name at once blazed into national repute and gave promise of shining bright among the brightest. This famous action occurred on the seventh and eighth of March, 1862, and was fought under the shadow of the Boston Mountains, in northwestern Ar- 370 HEROES OF THREE WARS. kansas. Price and McCulloch had been driven to this point from Sugar Creek, fifty miles away, and were there reinforced by Earl Van Dorn^s troops, which included a large band of Indians. The hostile array, confronting the Union generals, was made up of nine thousand Missouri troops, six Arkansas regiments, five Texan regiments and three thousand dusky Indians, making an aggregate of twenty-five thousand men. General Curtis awaited the onset of this force a short distance south of Pea Ridge, preparing himself for the coming battle. Meantime, on March fifth, Sigel, then at Benton- ville, ten miles away, received orders to join Curtis at Pea Ridge, and on the next day the command was promptly executed. But it was a hazardous and difficult achievement. Four Confederate regiments attacked his rear-guard, which consisted of the Thirty- sixth Illinois and Second Missouri. But the attack was useless, for these brave men cut their way through the solid living wall of rebel soldiery, and rejoined their comrades, though with a loss of twenty-eight killed and wounded, and a number of prisoners. For the entire distance of ten miles Sigel contested every step of his advance. Supported by the infantry, his guns were halted, and the advancing rebel ranks, un- able to stand before the discharges of grape and shell from the effective aim of our artillerymen, broke and fled in confusion. Before the scattered ranks of the enemy could reform, the guns of Sigel were limbered and the troops fell back into position behind another battery planted at the next turn in the road. This programme was continuously enacted for the entire distance of ten miles between Bentonville and Pea FRANZ SIGEL. 371 Ridge. At last Sigel arrived at the west end of Pea Ridge, where he formed a junction with the divisions of Generals Carr and Davis. The Union position was on the main road leading from Springfield to Fayetteville. The first two divi- sions of the Union troops were commanded by Sigel, and when the intention of the enemy to attack his right and rear became apparent, General Curtis changed front and Sigel had the left wing. The line stretched across Pea Ridge. The battle opened on the morning of the seventh, and soon raged with fury along the whole line. During the afternoon, McCulloch, on the left wing, endeavored to form a junction with the troops of Van Dorn and Price, thus surrounding the Union army on three sides, and cutting off their retreat. But the quick eyes of Sigel detecting the movement, he or- dered forward three pieces of flying artillery and a force of cavalry to take a commanding position and delay the movements of the enemy until our infantry could be brought up in position for an attack. But these pieces had hardly been placed in position when an overwhelming force of the enemy's cavalry swept down upon them, capturing their artillery and driving the horsemen. A desperate fight at this point then took place, and just as the ranks of the Union cavalry were broken and victory seemed to hover on the enemy's banners, Osterhaus and his Indiana regiments came up on the double-quick, and sending a murderous fire into the enemy's ranks, charged immediately after with the bayonet. This bold charge put to rout the Indians and Texans, and the three captured field- pieces were recovered. The command was then re- 372 HEROES OF THREE WARS. inforced by General Sigel, and the action re-com- menced with greater fury than before. The heavy guns of the enemy were brought into position, and an artillery battle took place which re- sulted in the retirement of the enemy in confusion, leaving the Union troops masters of this part of the bloody field. Night let fall her intervening curtain of darkness between the contending armies, with Union success on the left, defeat on the right, and the battle yet unfinished. At dark the firing ceased from all quarters, and the exhausted soldiers slept upon their arms. Carr's division now occupied the centre, with Davis on the right, and Sigel still holding the left. Near the position occupied by our forces a hill rose abruptly to the height of two hundred feet, very pre- cipitous in our front, but sloping gradually to the northward. On this eminence the enemy during the night had planted batteries which commanded our forces, and also at the right base of this hill, batteries and large bodies of infantry were posted. At the edge of some timber to the left, supports of infantry were disposed, while beyond the road, to the extreme left, were posted their cavalry and infantry. At sunrise our right and centre, with their batteries, opened fire upon the enemy, while Sigel, having learned the exact position of the enemy's batteries, advanced with the left wing to take the hill, forming his line of battle by changing front so as to face the right flank of the enemy. Sigel then ordered the Twenty-fifth Illinois into position along a fence in open view of the Confeder- ate batteries, which immediately opened fire upon them. One of our batteries, consisting of six or seven FRANZ SIOEL. 373 guns, several of which were rifled twelve-pounders, was at once thrown into line one hundred paces to the rear of our advanced infantry, on a rise of ground. The Twelfth Missouri then wheeled into line with the Twenty-fifth Illinois on their left, and another battery of guns similarly arranged a short distance behind them. But the crushing array was not yet complete, for still another regiment and another bat- tery wheeled into position, until thirty pieces of artillery, fifteen or twenty paces distant from each other, formed one unbroken line, with the infantry lying down in front. As each piece circled into posi- tion, its fire was discharged at the enemy, and the fire of the entire line was so effective as to silence every Confederate battery, one by one. For two hours and over this terrible rain of fire continued. It would have required 7iiore than human bravery to withstand it. The ranks of the foe withered under it by the hundreds, yet they stood fast. Sigel and his awful guns drew nearer and nearer, until the shortness of range grew more deadly. " No charge of theirs could face that iron hail or dare to venture on that compact line of bayonets. They turned and fled. The centre and right were ordered forward, the right turning the left of the enemy, and cross-firing on his centre. This final position of the enemy was in the arc of a circle. A charge of infantry by the whole line completely routed them, and they retreated through the deep, impassable defiles of Cross Timber, towards the Boston Mountains, closely pursued by the cavalry.'^ Not long after the battle of Pea Ridge, Sigel re- signed his commission on account of alleged ill-treat- 374 HEROES OF THREE WARS. ment from Halleck. An indignation meeting was called in New York, " to express dissatisfaction with the course pursued towards him," and when brought to the notice of the President, he promised to see that justice was accorded him. Sigel was, therefore, pro- moted to major-general in the following summer, and put in command of Harper's Ferry, He subsequently commanded the division of Fremont on Fremont's resignation. At the battle of Manassas or the Second Bull Eun, General Sigel figured boldly and well. During the first day of action until mid-afternoon, he fought the battle alone, and succeeded in driving the enemy. On the day following, also, he bore his part gallantly, re- tiring afterwards with the army to the vicinity of Washington. On the fourteenth of September he was placed over the Eleventh Corps, and in November was stationed in the gaps of the Blue Ridge. Soon after, he again marched towards Washington, and established his head-quarters at Fairfax Court-House. In the Richmond campaign Grant gave him a sepa- rate command in the Valley of the Shenandoah, "to protect his flank." But in a battle near Newmarket he was overwhelmingly defeated by Breckenridge, losing five guns and nearly seven hundred men. On account of the dissatisfaction which this defeat caused at government head-quarters, he was relieved of his command and superseded by Hunter. His war career ended during the last invasion of Early. At this time he was in Harper's Ferry, which he evacuated. He subsequently resigned his commis- sion, and became the editor of a German paper in Baltimore. CHAPTER XXXV. HUGH JUDSON KILPATRICK. Born for the Cavalry— Romance of Early Life.— Married on the Eve of Going to the Front.— Her Name on his Banner.— Big Bethel.— Wounded.— To the Front again.— Falmouth Heights.— Kilpatrick's First Famous Eaid.— Brandy Station.—" Men of Maine, Follow Me ! "—Aldie.— Gettysburg.— Night Battle at Monterey.— New Baltimore.— Attempt to Rescue Prisoners.— Atlanta Campaign.— Resaca.— Wounded.— Georgia Campaign.— Waynesboro'.— At Savannah.— Sherman's Letter.— Promotion. —In the Carolinas.— Close of the War. LIKE the French Murat, Kilpatrick seems to have been born to become a very demi-god of cavalry. Daringly heroic on the field, he displayed a supreme genius for war, especially for that department of the service whose alarum cry is " To horse ! " and whose sweeping squadrons, with wild clatter of hoofs, seem to the fervid imagination to be making a race for glory, even though it be through the gates of death. It is quite in keeping with everything about Kil- patrick that he should choose the cavalry as a vehicle for his high ambition and noble patriotism. Such energies as his could scarcely be content with less dash or less brilliance of action. The beginning of his war career was one of romance, and his previous life indicated an unusual range of abilities. He first figures as the boy orator, speaking in favor of a congressional candidate, with all the fresh warmth and enthusiasm of his young nature. Then we see him (375) 376 HEROES OF THREE WARS. as cadet at West Point, from which he graduates fifteenth in his class, and is given the honor of valedic- torian. The day of graduation is hastened a few months by the startling guns of Sumter, which pro- claim treason rampant and fire all loyal breasts with a desire to rush to the rescue of their country's be- loved flag. The impatience and enthusiasm of Kil* patrick could not be restrained, and through his influ- ence a petition was signed by thirty-seven of his class to be allowed to graduate at once and go to the front. The request was granted, and that day was one of especial significance at West Point. It was also one of equal significance in his life; for the little chapel where had rung out the words of his farewell address, also witnessed the sacred ceremony of his marriage with the lady of his love, and on that evening the young soldier and his bride took the train for Wash- ino^ton and the front. We know little of the bride except that she was enshrined in her husband's love, and that her name — "Alice" — was inscribed on the silken banner under which he fought and so gloriously led his troopers to victory and renown. No one can tell how much that name may have had to do with his future marvellous success. To natures like his, the magic of a name thus loved, fluttering aloft in the smoke of battle, becomes talismanic, and. inspires almost supernatural heroism. Kilpatrick's first battle was fought at Big Bethel on June eleventh, 1861, where, in command of a portion of Duryea's Zouaves, he led the advance, and in the first charge received a grape-shot .wound in his thigh ; but though covered with blood, he led his men ii\ several subsequent charges, and was finally borne from HUGH JUDSON KILPATBICK. 377 the field fainting from exhaustion. After this engage- ment he returned to New York, and was not able to take the field again before September. During^that month he went to Washington, received the rank of lieutenant-colonel m the Harris Light Cav- alry, and began preparations for the front. He had also received the promotion of first lieutenant in the First Artillery in the regular army. In addition to this he became inspector-general of McDowell's division, and was also on the board for examining cavalry officers of the volunteer service. In the grand movement on Manassas, March eighth, 1862, Kilpatrick's cavalry had the advance, and drove the rear-guard of Lee's army from that place. He advanced to Catlett's Station on the next day, where he remained until April. When McDowell marched to Falmouth, he was once more at the front, and in conjunction with Colonel Bayard and the First Pennsylvania Cavalry, made a brilliant night attack on Falmouth Heights, routing Lee's cavalry and capturing the place. For this dash- ing achievement Kilpatrick received the thanks of the commanding general. Afterwards, under Pope's com- mand, he made his first famous raid in breaking up Stonewall Jackson's line of communication with Rich- mond from GordonsviUe in the Shenandoah Valley, over the Virginia Central Railroad. At Beaver Dam, Frederick's Hall and flfcover Junction, he burned the stations, destroyed the tracks, and daringly attacked the enemy wherever he could find him. These events took place during July and August, 1862, and the boldness of the operations in the very heart of the enemy's country, filled the north with Kilpatrick's fame. 378 HEROES OF THREE WARS. In Pope's disastrous campaigning, Kilj)atrick'6 regi- ment was with Bayard's cavalry protecting the rear of the army on its march to Washington. When Hooker was placed at the liead of the Army of the Potomac, the cavalry was reorganized iiiider Stoneman as chief, and that general, in the following campaign, assigned to Kilpatrick the work of destroying the rail- road and bridges over the Chickahominy. Four hun- dred and fifty men were given him for the work ; but with this small force he brought to the difficult mis- sion his usual skill, and, avoiding large forces of the enemy, raided to within two miles of Richmond, where he captured "Lieutenant Brown, aide-de-camp to General Winder, and eleven men within the fortifi- cations." He says : " I then passed down to the left to the Meadow Bridge on the Chickahominy, which I burned, ran a train of cars into the river, retired to Hanovertown on the Peninsula, crossed just in time to check the advance of a pursuing cavalry force, burned a train of thirty wagons loaded with bacon, captured thirteen prisoners, and encamped for the night five miles from the river." This was the manner of his conquering quest, until on the seventh, he again struck the Union lines at Gloucester Point, having made a march of about " two hundred miles in less than five days, and captured and paroled over eight hundred prisoners." In the accomplishment of this splendid feat he lost only one officer and thirty-seven men. After Chancellorsville, when Lee came into Mary- land and massed his cavalry at Beverly Ford, Pleasan- ton was sent forward on a reconnoissance and met the enemy in battle at Brandy Station. This is renowned as the greatest cavalry battle of the war. General HUGH JUDSON KJLPATRICK. 379 Gregg arrived upon the field at half-past ten in the morning, and though his noble squadrons fought well and bravely, their columns were rolled back, and for a moment all seemed lost and overwhelmed by the supe- rior numbers of the foe. But at this crisis, Kilpatrick, posted on "a slight rise of ground, unrolled his battle- flag to the breeze, and his bugles sounded the charge. He had under his command the Harris Light, Tenth New York, and First Maine. The formation for an onset was quickly made, and the disciplined squadrons of these three regiments were hurled upon the enemy. But the Tenth New York recoiled before the murder- ous fire of the enemy's carbines. So did the Harris Light. Kilpatrick was maddened at the sight. He rushed to the head of the First Maine Regiment, shouting, ^' Men of Maine, you must save the day ! Follow me!" Under the impulse of this enthusiasm, they became altogether resistless, and in conjunction with the reformed squadrons of the other two regi- ments, swept the enemy before them, and plucked vic- tory with glorious valor from the very jaws of defeat. On the next day Kilpatrick was made brigadier- general, and the battle of Aldie was fought soon after. At Aldie he came upon the advance guard of Fitz- hugh Lee. This place is in a gap of the Bull E-un Mountains, and lay in the direct line of Kilpatrick's reconnoissance southward. The encounter here was unexpected, but Kilpatrick, equal to the moment, dashed to the front, made a rapid survey of the situa- tion, and then sounded the charge. Fitzhugh Lee was at first taken by surprise, and did not oppose the head- long advance, but afterwards rallied and fought des- perately for two hours. He occupied a strong position 23 380 HEROES OF THREE WARS. on the crest of a hill behind a barricade of rails and haystacks, and made a bold stand. Kilpatrick ordered forward a battalion of the Harris Light, pointed to the field of haystacks, and said to Major Irvin command- ing, " Major, there is the opportunity you have asked for. Go, take that position." This was an allusion to a request made by the regi- ment on the morning of that day to " retrieve their reputation," knowing that they had failed to meet Kil- patrick\s expectations at Brandy Station. It is almost needless to say that the position was gallantly taken. But the enemy rallied again for a last desperate at- tempt, and success for the Union arms now seemed wa- vering. Kilpatrick rushed to the rescue, and at the head of the First Maine swept down upon the advan- cing Confederate ranks with such fury that they reeled and broke in confusion. They were driven as far as Middleburg, and night alone saved the remnant of the command. An incident occurred during this fight, which is worth mentioning: "Colonel Cesnola, of the Fourth New York Cavalry, had that morning, through mis- take, been placed under arrest, and his sword being taken from him was without arms. But in one of these wild charges, made early in the contest, his regiment hesitated. Forgetting that he was under arrest, and without command, he flew to the head of his regiment, reassured his men, and, without a weapon to give or ward a blow, led them to the charge. This gallant act was seen by his general, who, meeting him on his return, said: 'Colonel, you are a brave man ; you are released from arrest;' and, taking his own sword from his side, handed it to the colonel, saying: ^Here is my sword ; HUGH JUnSON KILPATRICK. 381 wear it in honor of this clay ! ' In the next charge Colonel Cesnola fell, desperately wounded, and was taken prisoner/' On June twenty-first, Kilpatrick charged the town of Upperville — with sabres alone — and drove the enemy through Ashby's Gap. Soon after this he was placed in charge of over five thousand cavalrymen — vice Major-General Stahel, re- liev^ed — the entire cavalry force now consisting of three grand divisions, commanded by Buford, Gregg, and Kilpatrick. Just previous to the Gettysburg battle, Kilpatrick had a desperate engagement with Stuart's cavalry at the town of Hanover. For hours the fight raged fu- riously, but at four o'clock in the afternoon the Fifth and Seventh Michigan regiments came on the field fresh, and their weight in the scales gave victory to the Union arms. While at the little town of Abbottsville, where the worn-out battalions were resting after their severe fighting, Kilpatrick heard, on the morning of July second, the thunder of guns at Gettysburg. At once his bugles sounded "To horse!" and the splendid command dashed away towards the scene of conflict. Arrived on the field, he saw at once where he was most needed, and without waiting for orders, moved to the right and engaged the left of Lee's line — at Hunterstown. Late that evening, long after the clangor of contest had ceased between the infantry lines, the shout of Kilpatrick's galloping squadrons on the right, told that the battle there went well. At daybreak, on the third, Kilpatrick having marched most of the night, occupied a position near 382 HEROES OF THREE WARS. Little Round Top, on the extreme left. Skirmishing had begun at about ten o'clock in the morning, and by afternoon Kilpatrick was *^far in upon the enemy's flank and rear." At four o'clock a heavy force of Con- federate infantry endeavored to turn the position at Little Round Toj), by a grand charge of Longstreet's entire corps. If they succeeded, the day was lost. But Kilpatrick comprehended the situation, and having under him the Regular Brigade and General Farns- worth with the First Virginia, Eighteenth Pennsyl- vania and Fifth New York regiments, a counter-charge on the enemy's flank and left was ordered which broke their lines, and, with the aid of the artillery fire that now rained upon them, produced terrible confusion. It was a grand but dearly bought victory when such generals as Farnsworth baptized the soil with their precious blood. But the country rung with well- deserved plaudits for the cavalry. At daybreak, on the fourth, Kilpatrick's columns were in motion, marching for the nearest point on the Gettysburg and Hagerstown road, crossing the moun- tains at Monterey, w^ith orders to intercept the enemy and harass his retreat in all possible ways. When near the mountain top, in a long, narrow, winding road, with bluffs on one side and a ravine on the other, the enemy's artillery and musketry sud- denly blazed out upon them in the midnight gloom. It was raining in torrents and the darkness was so great that friend and foe were alike indistinguishable. It did, indeed, require more than ordinary courage and generalship to prevent panic and compass victory. But as on many a previous occasion, Kilpatrick was equal to this. The recoil of his troops was only mo- HUan JUDSON kilpatrick. ■ 383 mentary. Riding at their head, he led the attack with such skill and impetuous onset that the enemy fled, leaving in the victorious raider's hands ^^ their guns, a battle flag and four hundred prisoners." He was now in advance of the retreating Confederate army, and on the following day ^^ captured eighteen hundred and sixty prisoners, including many officers of rank, and destroyed Ewell's immense wagon train nine miles long." At four o'clock he met and defeated Stuart in an engagement at Smithburg, and then moved to Boons- boro'. The battle at that place followed on July eighth. It was a brilliant affair in which Kilpatrick and Buford shared equal glory. On the thirteenth, Kilpatrick came upon the enemy's infantry, under Gen- eral Pettigrew, one mile from Falling Waters, and brought on an engagement in which that general was killed in a sabre charge by the Sixth Michigan Regi- ment. From the battle at Hanover Farm until this period, Kilpatrick had conquered fifteen splendid victories in as many days, had driven the enemy from northern soil and was almost constantly in the saddle — riding hundreds of miles. "His division at the outset con- sisted of five thousand men, and at the end of the cam- paign he reported the capture of four thousand five hundred prisoners, nine guns and eleven battle-flags." Unable longer to hold out against this terrible strain on his energies, he obtained leave of absence and went to his home on the Hudson, where he remained until September. During that month he rejoined his command at War- renton, and was received with unbounded joy. In the general advance of the army which followed, Kilpatrick 384 HEROES OF THREE WARS. crossed the Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford, and on the old battle-ground of Brandy Station, where Gregg and Buford were hard pressed, again decided the issues of conflict. The last fight during October, on these famous plains, in which the great cavalry chiefs of the war distin- guished themselves — the severe engagement at New Baltimore — the noble attempt made by Kilpatrick to rescue the Belle Isle and Libby prisoners in February of 1864 — the death of his wife "Alice" — these events marked his record until he was needed in the great Atlanta campaign and summoned to join Sherman at Nashville, Tennessee. When the grand armies moved, Kilpatrick led the advance, and in the wild and victorious charge at E,e- saca, reeled from the saddle and was borne from the field desperately wounded by a rifle ball. Through the long months of illness which followed, he was nursed into convalescence at his home on the Hudson, and when the news came that Atlanta must fall in a few days, nothing could restrain him from going at once to the front. He joined his command at Carters- ville, and, not yet able to ride on horseback, went to the front in a carriage. In the daring raid now performed by Kilpatrick on the enemy's flank, by means of which Sherman was enabled to get in rear of the Confederate army and take Atlanta, some of the most brilliant movements were executed, and no peril of any kind seemed too great to baflle his genius. Then followed his ride through the heart of Georgia. On the fourteenth day of November, 1864, the long march from Marietta to Savannah began — Kilpatrick's HUGH JUDSON KILPATRICK. 385 command consisting of two brigades of twenty-five liundred men each. The plan of march was to sweep across the country in seven days by way of Atlanta to Milledgeville, thence to Millen and Waynesboro' — then to the sea. At \yaynesboro' a hard battle was fought, and the enemy under Wheeler routed. On December twenty-first, a triumphant entry into Savannah was made. Since November fourteenth they had "three times crossed from left to right, and right to left, in front of the army, and had marched over five hundred and forty-one miles." A letter from Sherman, December twenty-ninth, in the field before Savannah, shows the high value he placed upon Kil- patrick's services : " But the fact that to you, in a great measure, we owe the march of four strong infantry columns, with heavy trains and wagons, over three hundred miles through an enemy's country, without the loss of a single wagon and without the annoyance of cavalry dashes on our flanks, is honor enough for any cavalry commander." The valiant chief was promoted to the rank of major-general at Savannah, on January fourteenth, « 1865. In the great campaign in the Carolinas, rapid marches, feints and fighting were the order of the day, which at last resulted in the fall of Columbia, in the occupancy of Fayetteville, and the fight at Averys- boro', where Kilpatrick made a stand on a battle- ground with a ravine in his rear to prevent the enemy from securing it. In this action, which occurred on March sixteenth, the cavalry and infantry fought side by side, mounted and dismounted, and behaved most 386 HEROES OF THREE WARS. gallantly. This action ended, the cavalry command went into camp at Mount Olive, on the Wilmington military road, and rested from its labors, after having endured marvellous hardships and rendered invaluable services. In a circular issued to his troops on March twenty-second, Kilpatrick said : " Soldiers, be proud ! Of all the brave men of this great army, you have a right to be. You have won the admiration of our infantry, fighting on foot and mounted, and you will receive the outspoken words of praise from the great Sherman himself. .... With the old laurels of Georgia, entwine those won in the Carolinas, and proudly wear them ! " General Kilpatrick was born in New Jersey in 1838, and since the war has been appointed to high civic positions. Of him and the brave troopers with whom he nobly battled for country and the freedom of its in- stitutions, let it be said : " Honor the brave and bold ! Long shall the tale be told, — Yea, when our babes are old, How they rode onward ! '* CHAPTER XXXVI. PHILIP KEARNY. Birthplace.— Where Educated.— In Europe.— Fighting Abroad.— Honors.— Participates in the Mexican War.— Loss of an Arm.-- In Europe Again.— At Magenta and Solferino.— At the Front in our Last War.— Bravery at Williamsburg.— Promotion.— Kear- ny's Power over his Men.— The Battle of Chantilly.— Death's Sad Eclipse.—" Lay Him Low." THIS gallant, impetuous, headlong fighter— a veri- table son of Mars— was born in New York on June second, 1815. He received his education at Co- lumbia College, and afterwards studied law. In 1837, he became a lieutenant in the First Dragoons, of which his uncle, Stephen Watts Kearny, was colonel. Soon after receiving this appointment, he was ordered by Gov- ernment to visit Europe, to report upon the tactics of the French cavalry service. While there, he made himself proficient in the Polytechnic School at Saumur, and subsequently joined the Chasseurs d'Afrique in Algeria, in which his gallantry won him the decora- tion of the " Cross of the Legion of Honor." In 1840, Kearny came back to his native shores, and when the Mexican war broke out, served on the stair of General Scott. In 1846, he was made a captain of dragoons, and * received the brevet of major for bravery at Contreras and Churubusco. At the San Antonia Gate of the ancient city of Mex- ico, during the last assault, he lost an arm. (387) 388 HEROES OF THREE WARS. After the return of peace to that chaotic country, he was again on the war path in tlie far west, against the Indians on the Columbia River and in California. In 1851, he went to Europe to continue his military studies, and during this sojourn in foreign parts he became volunteer aide to General Maurier, of the French array, who was engaged in the Italian war of 1859. For bravery at Magenta and Solferino, Kearny re- ceived a second time the decoration of the " Cross of the Legion of Honor." The outbreak of our last war brought him quickly home, and his patriot blade was soon unsheathed at the front. Government at once gave him the appointment of brigadier-general of volunteers. During the Pen- insular campaign he commanded a division, and dis- tinguished himself especially at Williamsburg and Fair Oaks. At Williamsburg, when he came to the relief of Hooker, Kearny performed a feat of daring which made him the idol of his division. Wishing to dis- close the enemy's concealed position to his command, he called the officers of his staff together, dashed out into the open field and rode leisurely along the entire line. Five thousand guns belched forth their death- dealing missiles, bullets fell around them like hail, two of his aids and three orderlies fell dead at his side, and before he reached the end of his perilous ride, he found himself almost alone. By this exploit he was enabled to accomplish his object of discovering the strength of the enemy ; then riding back to his division, he shouted, "You see, my boys, where to fire !" Kearny now held his own until General Hancock came up and by a flank movement forced the enemy to retire to his fortifications. PHILIP KEARNY. 389 At Harrison's Landing he was promoted to major- general of volunteers, dating from July fourth, 1862, and in the second battle of Bull Run he was again conspicuous for gallant conduct. An eye-witness, who saw Kearny in the last action which preceded Malvern Hill, said that besides seem- ing to be omnipresent on the field, he gave "electric strength to his men wherever he appeared. Waving his brave one arm, more to be dreaded than two, and saying, with a smile into the eyes of every man, ^Gayly, my boys, go in gayly !' he drew them on into the thickest fight with an abandon which must have been seen to be realized. "General Kearny possessed that rarest gift of intuitive anticipation of the enemy's plans — that sure instinct of the nearest danger which is almost a battle second sight and which would have made him, had he lived, one of our most famous generals." On the first of September, 1862, at sunset, Stonewall Jackson made a sudden descent on the Union forces at Chantilly, under Reno. A furious thunder storm was raging in the sky above, while the battle raged on the plain below. The enemy was driven back at all points. But when General Stevens fell at the head of his com- mand while leading a charge, confusion ensued and the first division of Reno, which it uncovered, also became demoralized. It was at this critical juncture of affairs that General Kearny, leading one of Heintzleman's divisions, advanced to the rescue and with a terrific charge drove the Confederates from the field. The victory was complete, but Kearny's life paid the forfeit. Amid the clash of battle and the crash of warring elements his life went out in a blaze of glory, leaving only the bleeding and inanimate clay behind. 390 HEROES OF THREE WARS. "Flowers of red shot, red lightnings strewed his bier, And night, black night, the mourner." His soldierly impetuosity, never outdone in deeds of bravery, won him the admiration, the respect, the love of all ; and that peculiar homage is his which we give to leaders who fall in the brunt of battle, while fight- ing in a glorious cause. "Close his eyes, his work is done, What to him is friend or foeman, Kise of morn or set of sun, Hand of man or kiss of woman ? Lay him low, lay him low, In the clover or the snow, What cares he ? he cannot know- Lay him low. "Fold him in his country's stars, KoU the drum and fire the volley, What to him are all our wars, What but death bemocking folly? Lay him low, lay him low, In the clover or the snow, What cares he ? he cannot know*-* Lay him low." CHAPTER XXXVII. NATHANIEL LYON. Df Soldier Ancestry.— Early Childhood.— Graduates at West Point, — In the Mexican War. — On the Frontier. — Rescue of the St. Louis Arsenal! — Given the Chief Command in Missouri. — At Wilson's Creek.— Fighting Against Terrible Odds.— Twice Wounded.— The Last Charge.— Lyon's Fall.— Plis Civilian's Dress.— Funeral Honors.— The Sorrowful Multitudes.— Funeral Oration at Eastford. — Resolutions of Respect. BY the red torch of battle, h'ghted at Wilson's Creek, the warrior soul of Lyon was sent on its unre- turning journey across the Stygian river, to the misty land of the Hereafter. He fell, deeply lamented by his country, sincerely mourned by thousands. No officer had been killed in battle previous to that date whose loss was felt to be so personal a sorrow. The shrouded form of the dead hero, touched by the strange magic of death, was borne from the field to his home in the east, amid a spon- taneous outburst of sorrow from gathered multitudes all along the route. And in that last tearful incense of public bereavement his name still burns — "a name immortal, won by deeds immortal." Lyon was born in 1821, at Eastford, Windham County, Connecticut, and from childhood listened with rapt interest to the recital of deeds of daring per- formed by brave ancestors in the Revolutionary war. It is not strange that his young and enthusiastic heart was fired by these oft-repeated tales, or that his choice (3911 392 HEROES OF THREE WARS. of vocation was thereby the more strongly drawn to* wards a military life. His paternal grandfather served in both the French and Revolutionary wars, and his mother's father ren- dered himself prominent and fought the fight of liberty at White Plains and Bunker Hill. Young Lyon graduated from West Point in 1841, with the rank of second lieutenant of the Second In- fantry, and performed his maiden service in Florida. Subsequently, he went on duty in the frontier terri- tories. In the Mexican war, he participated in every battle under Scott, from Vera Cruz to the City of the Mon- tezumas, receiving promotions for gallant conduct. In June, 1851, he was given a captain's commission. "After the conclusion of peace with Mexico, he was ordered to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, preparatory to a contemplated march overland to California. By a change of orders from the War Department, his regi- ment w^as despatched by ship via Cape Horn, and reached California soon after its acquisition by the United States. His stay in California was prolonged beyond that of most of his fellow-officers, and his time unceasingly employed in operating among the Indians, subjected to long and tedious marches, constant alarms, and frequent skirmishes, living a large portion of the time in tents, and subject to the fatigues and privations incident to a campaign in that new and hitherto un- known country, so far removed from the comforts of civilization.'' At the end of his California service, Lyon went again to the frontier, doing duty principally in Kansas and Nebraska. On the outbreak of the Kansas NATHANIEL LYON. 393 troubles, he was sent to tlie head-quarters of the De- partment of the West, at St. Louis. Here, by a bold and dashing stroke of genius, he rescued the St. Louis arsenal from the hands of his country's enemies. When General Harney relinquished the chief com- mand of this department, Captain Lyon, after having been chosen general by the Missouri volunteers, re- ceived the appointment of brigadier-general, and was given the chief command in Missouri. This he re- tained until Fremont was placed at the head of the Department of the Mississippi, on July ninth. The sword, instead of the pen, has written at Wil- son's Creek the remaining chapter of Lyon's life. The fatal engagement was the result of his choice between dishonorable retreat and an encounter with overwhelm- ing numbers of the enemy. He did not for an in- stant hesitate in that choice, though fully realizing the dangers to be met. His plan of action was mas- terly, and if Sigel's forces had not mistaken the foe for Lyon's troops, it seems probable that the entire Confederate army under Price would have been routed. Lyon, with intrepid leadership, fought in the thickest of the fray, inspiring his men by voice and example. A short time previous to his fall, he " had received two wounds, and had his fine dappled gray shot under him, which is sufficient evidence that he had sought no place of safety for himself while he placed his men in dan- ger. Indeed, he had already unwisely exposed him- self. Seeing blood upon his hat, one who was with him inquired, ^ General, are you badly hurt ?' to which he replied, ^ I think not seriously.' He had mounted another horse and was as busily engaged as ever." Lyon was filled with admiration at the bravery of 394 HEROES OF THREE WARS. his men, and " praised their behavior in glowing terms with almost his last breath." He wanted a bayonet charge made, and three companies of lowans at once offered to go. They asked for a leader. No time could be lost to select one, for the enemy was rushing to a fresh attack. At this juncture Lyon exclaimed ; " I will lead you ! Come on, brave men ! " The charge was made, and the Confederates recoiled before their wild onset ; but when the smoke lifted a little, the fearless lowans were without their great leader. The noble heart had throbbed its last — Lyon was dead. He had gone into battle in civilian's dress, with the exception of a military coat. " He wore a soft hat of an ashen hue, with long fur and a very broad brim, turned up on three sides. He had been wearing it for a month ; there was only one like it in the command, and it would have individualized the wearer among fifty thousand men. His peculiar dress and personal ap- pearance were well known through the enemy's camps. He received a new and elegant uniform just before the battle, but never wore it until his remains were arrayed in it, after his brave spirit had fled." There is no doubt that Lyon made this attack fully comprehending that the ^'odds Avere fearfully against him, and that little short of a miracle could enable him to come off victorious. But he felt that the cause demanded it; that for him to abandon Springfield with- out a battle would demoralize and dishearten the Union men of southwest Missouri, and pain every loyal breast in the nation. . . . He had no alternative but to fall back to Kolla, or to attack the enemy. He obeyed the voice of patriotism and went out to danger and to death on that summer morning, as a man goes to his bridal. NATHANIEL LYON. 395 Twice wounded, he was still undaunted, and refused to . . . seek a less exposed position. Even after he believed the day lost, he sprang eagerly from his dead horse into a fresh saddle, at the head of a forlorn hope, dashed into the thick of the fight, and died like a true soldier/^ A guard of honor, chosen from among his brother officers and the St. Louis Home-Guards, escorted the loved remains to his home in Connecticut. After arriving at the village of Eastford, the body was con- signed to its last resting-place, and the funeral oration pronounced by the Honorable Galusha A. Grow. One of the resolutions adopted at a meeting of the citizens of Eastford, convened at that time, was as follows : ^'Resolved, That as his fellow-townsmen, while we mourn our loss, we rejoice that we have his birth-spot among us to cheer us in steadfast devotion to our coun- try ; and we trust his grave among us will be the spot where future generations will gather, and be inspired with a noble emulation of his virtues, and the virtues of Sherman, Trumbull, Putnam, and others who have arisen in this State, defenders of their country's flag, and supporters of its government." A great historian has said of Lyon : " His military services were beyond all praise ; his character was beau- tifully earnest; and his sad death reflects infinite honor on his own memory, and I fear shame on those who let him fall a martyr to his duty, his patriotism, his zeal and the natural self-sacrificing element of his character." *' Koll, stirring drum, still roll, Not a sign, not a sound of woe, That a grand and a glorious soul Hath gone where the br^ve must go." 24 CHAPTER XXXVIII. ELMER EPHRAIM ELLSViTORTM. " How Knightly looked he as he rode to Hounds ! " — Character.— An Enthusiast in Military Science. — The French Zouave Tac- tics. — A Noble Ambition. — Early Struggles. — The Chicago Zouaves. — Their Perfection of Drill and Character. — A Tour of Triumph. — In New York.— A Favorite of Lincoln. — The War Clarion. — New York Fire Zouaves. — Sword Presentations. — In the South. — Last Night at Alexandria. — Letter Home. — Tiie Dread Tragedy. — Universal Grief. — Lincoln's Sorrow. — The Genius of Ellsworth. WE love the memory of Ellsworth as that of our most chivalrous ideal of the young and glorious and knightly soldier. His pictured face wears a look prophetic of some high and unusual destiny. The eyes contain much of soul, and are of that kind which Emerson would designate as " full of fate." He is described as having been strikingly prepossessing in appearance, and his voice, which was ^' deep and musical, and instantly attracted attention," chorded well with so splendid a presence. " His form, though slight, was very compact and commanding: the head statuesquely poised and crowned with a luxuriance of curling black hair ; a hazel eye, bright though serene, the eye of a gentleman as well as a soldier; a nose such as you see on Roman medals ; a light moustache just shading the lips that were continually curving into the sunniest smiles." His tread was full of elastic grace, and gave to his figure its commanding ease oi (396) ELMER EPHRAIM ELLSWORTH. 397 attitude. "ISTo one ever possessed greater power of enforcing the respect and fastening the affections of men. Strangers soon recognized and acknowledged this power ; while to his friends he always seemed like a Paladin or Cavalier of the dead days of romance and beauty." Every one with whom he came in contact was impressed with his intense vitality and the strength and warmth of his nature. All this graciousness of physique did not belie the man. He was the soul of honor, the embodiment of high desires, and " amiable words and courtliness and love of truth, and all that makes a man." He might have belonged to Arthur's court, the stainless English king, and been numbered among those ancient and proud knights of the Round Table, " who reverenced their conscience as their king ; whose glory was redress- ing human wrong; who spoke no slander, no, nor listened to it ; who loved one only and who clave to her, and worshipped her by years of noble deeds," and worthily lived, '' wearing the white flower of a blame- less life." By some prophetic forecast or singular chance, he had, for several years previous to the opening of our last war, been an enthusiast in military science, and was the first one who introduced into this country the French Zouave system of tactics. He amended both the French and Hardee, so that the movements in his manual of arms were each natural sequences of the others. " He studied the science of fence so that he could hold a rapier with De Yilliers, the most dashing of the Algerine swordsmen. He always had a hand as true as steel and an eye like a ger-falcon. He used to amuse himself by shooting ventilation holes through 398 HEROES OF THREE WARS. his window panes. Standing ten paces from the win- dow, he could fire the seven shots from his revolver and not shiver the glass beyond the circumference of a half dollar." "A photograph of his arm taken at this time shows a knotted coil of sinews like a magnificent exaggeration of antique sculpture." His great aim was to reorganize the United States militia, which his keen eye saw to be full of defects. He went about this work in a clear and practical way, which won admiration from those in authority. There was to be an initial experiment — an operative demon- stration of his theories ; and consequently, on the fourth of May, 1859, he organized the United States Zouave Cadets of Chicago. Previous to this date his life had been full of the tonic of untoward circumstance. Born at Mechanics- ville. New York, April twenty-third, 1836, he acquired readily the common school education afforded by his native place, and thirsted for more. The limited means of his parents did not permit an outlay in that direction. The successive steps of his effort during this emerging period were from a printing office to New York city, from New York to Boston, from Bos- ton a year after to Chicago, in 1857. Here he em- barked in business only to be wrecked by the dishonesty of an agent. This rude blast of fortune he met un- complainingly. The next year was occupied in read- ing law with determined application. He earned a meagre living, meantime, by copying outside of study hours. With delicate sensitiveness he concealed from every one his struggle Avith poverty. "During all that time he never slept in a bed — never ate with friends at a ELMER EPHRAIM ELLSWORTH. 399 social board. So acute was his sense of honor, and his ideas of propriety, that, although the most generous of men, he never would accept from acquaintances the slightest favors or courtesies which he might be unable to return/' On one occasion, he accompanied a friend to a restau- rant for conversation, but refused to dine with him, though the aroma of the repast was well-nigh madden- ing to his half-famished stomach. "His hearty good humor never gave way. His sense of honor, which was sometimes even fantastic in its delicacy, freed him from the very temptation to wrong. He knew there was a better time coming for him. Conscious of great mental and bodily strength, with that bright lookout that industry and honor always give a man, he was perfectly secure of ultimate success." One of his dreams was the intellectual and commer- cial conquest of Mexico, with a grand centre of opera- tions at Guaymas, from whence the tonic influence of American progress was to arrest and rejuvenate the decay of Mexican nationality. He saw "annexation" as the end of this scheme, but not through warfare and bloodshed. It was rather the vision of one who should bear "the standard of the peoples, plunging through the thunder storms, till the war-drums throbbed no longer and the battle-flags were furled," and the seas should "fill with commerce — argosies of magic saila>— pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales." And thus, under the warm rays of a genius like this, the Chicago Zouaves sprang into existence. Ellsworth threw aside together, old uniforms and old ideas. He taught his men a simpler manual of arms. The new 400 HEROES OF THREE WARS. uniform was his invention and left the wearer per^ fectly free in every movement. "He drilled these young men for about a year, at short intervals. His discipline was very severe and rigid. . . . The slightest exhibition of intemperance or licentiousness was punished by instant degradation and expulsion. He struck from the rolls at one time twelve of his best men, for breaking the rule of total abstinence. His moral power over them was perfect and absolute. . . . Any one of them would have died for him!" In several other towns in Illinois and Wisconsin he had companies under drill. In Springfield and Rock- ford he was especially appreciated. At Rockford he formed an acquaintance with a young lady, which re- sulted in betrothal and gave to the tragedy of subse- quent events a touch of subdued romance. "His company took the premium colors at the United States Agricultural Fair, and Ellsworth thought it was time to show the people some fruit of his drill. They issued their soldierly deji and started on their march of triumph. . . . Hardly had they left the sub- urbs of Chicago, when the murmur of applause began. New York, secure in the championship of half a cen- tury, listened with quiet, metropolitan scorn to the noise of the shouting provinces; but when the crimson phantasms marched out of the Park on the evening of the fifteenth of July, New York, with metropolitan magnanimity, confessed herself utterly vanquished. . . . There was no resisting the Zouaves." At an exhibition given at the Academy of Music, that hall was filled to overflowing, by the elite of the city, and on their departure, they were "magnificently ELMER EPRRAIM ELLSWORTH. 401 entertained at the St. Nicholas Hotel, by the Second Company, National Guard." ^^At Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and the other cities visited they were re- ceived with marked favor," and the Ellsworth Zouaves were rapidly acquiring an enviable repute. After the completion of their journey, Ellsworth entered the law office of Lincoln, at Springfield, Illi- nois, and in the ensuing campaign became a popular partisan of that presidential candidate. In the heat of the canvass, his law studies could not receive undi- vided attention, and when the newly-elected President went to the capitol for inauguration, Ellsworth was one of the chosen few forming the presidential escort. "On that journey he was the life and spirit of the party." Encouraged by Lincoln, he endeavored to perfect his schemes for military reform through the War De- partment; but jubo as he became disgusted with the office-hunting and abasement of principle rife at Washington, Sumter was attacked and at once he sprang to action. That action thrilled the nation. The lieutenant's commission, which he had received from Lincoln in the hope of forwarding his plans, he now returned to the War Department, and was soon en route for New York to raise a regiment among the New York firemen. This was accomplished with mar- vellous celerity. In two days after he went to the chief of the fire department and issued his call for vol- unteers, twelve hundred recruits ,had enrolled their names. Selecting ten companies, he went to Fort Hamilton to drill. He labored there with enthusiasm, night and day, and in less than three weeks took his regiment to Washington. New York was enthusiastic 402 HEROES OF THREE WARS. over her Fire Zouaves, and three stands of colors were presented to them. The first was the gift of the city; the second was from Mrs. Augusta Astor, presented by Hon. John A. Dix, and the third was presented by Mr. Stetson in the name of the ladies of the Astor House. Ellsworth "divided his regiment, according to his own original idea, into groups of four comrades each, for the campaign. He exercised a personal supervision over the most important and most trivial minutiae of the regimental business. The quick sympathy of the public still followed him. He became the idol of the Bowery and the pet of the Avenue. Yet not one in- stant did he waste in recreation or lionizing. Indulgent to all others, he was merciless to himself. He worked day and night, like an incarnation of energy. Wheu he arrived with his men in Washington, he was thin, hoarse, flushed, but entirely contented and happy, be- cause busy and useful." The succeeding weeks were filled with continued and unceasing industry. Everything went well in the hopeful, brave-spirited Zouave camp. On the fateful night of the twenty-third of May, Ellsworth called his men together and addressed them in a brief, stir- ring speech — announcing their orders to advance on Alexandria. When silence again hovered over the camp, he completed the business arrangements of the regiment, and at midnight, in his tent by the Potomac, wrote two letters ; one to his parents, in which he com- municated the impending advance and the possibilities of personal injury. "Whatever may happen," he con- cludes, "cherish the consolation that I was engaged in the performance of a sacred duty; and to-night, think- ELMER EPHRAIM ELLSWORTH. 403 ing over the probabilities of to-morrow, and the occur- rences of the past, I am perfectly content to accept whatever my fortune may be, confident that He who noteth even the fall of a sparrow, will have some pur- pose, even in the fate of one like me. *^My darling and ever-loved parents, good-bye. God bless, protect and care for you. " Elmer." The other letter was written to his beloved, and the tender message is forever veiled from all eyes save those for whom it was written. The dread tragedy that followed was sad without relief. Ellsworth's regiment crossed the river in steam- boats that night, and on learning that the place had surrendered without resistance to the terms proposed by the Pawnee^ then anchored in the Potomac off Alex- andria, Ellsworth proceeded, with a detachment of the first company, to take possession of the telegraph and stop railroad communication. While on this mission, the flag floating from the Marshall House arrested his attention. He entered with his party and asked what flag it was of a man whom he met in his shirt and pantaloons. This was James T. Jackson, the pro- prietor. The man professed to know nothing of it. Ellsworth ran up-stairs to the roof, cut down the flag, and was descending the narrow stairway again, when some one — it proved to be Jackson — sprang from a dark corner and discharged a double-barrelled fowling- piece full into his breast. The shot drove into his heart a gold circlet — one of his presentations — inscribed with the legend, " Non nobis, sed pro patria.^' One who was with him at that fatal moment says : " The first thing to be done was to look to our dead 404 HEROES OF THREE WARS. leader. . . . The chaplain turned him gently over, and I stooped and called his name aloud, at which I thought that he murmured inarticulately. I presume I was mistaken, and I am not sure that he spoke a word after being struck. Winser and I lifted the body with all care, and laid it upon a bed in a room near by. The rebel flag, stained with his blood, we laid about his feet. . . . His expression in death was beautifully natural. . . . Excepting the pallor, there was nothing different in his countenance now from what all his friends had so lately been accustomed to gladly recog- nize.^' His assassin met almost instant death at the hands of private Brownell, who was coming down the stairway in front of Ellsworth. When the remainder of the party came up, a litter of muskets was made, and the soldiers bore their beloved leader sorrowfully to the steamer. After reaching the Navy Yard, his body was taken to the engine-house, which was draped in mourning. But President Lincoln had him removed to the East Room of the White House, and there, on the twenty-fifth of May, the funeral obsequies were pronounced. The remains were borne to the depot, followed by the President and his cabinet, amid the tolling of bells and universal grief. At New York he lay in state in the governor's room, jmd a funeral procession of immense length threaded its way through crowds that almost defied computa- tion, to the steamer that was to bear him to his early home. At Albany, a similar testimonial of grief took expression, and while he lay within the shadow of the Capitol, an organization called ^^The Ellsworth Aven- gers/' rapidly formed itself. Arrived at Mechanics- ELMER EPHBAIM ELLSWORTH. 405 ville, at last, tlie martyred dead was given to hia agonized parents, and, amid the fury of a raging storm which beat into his open grave— as if the very element^ wept their wild sorrow — the body was committed to its long resting-place. The excitement which followed the tragedy was very great throughout the country, and his name became a rallying cry for thousands. The grief of the Presi- dent, who was tenderly attached to Ellsworth, was touching in the extreme. A gentleman, in company with Senator Wilson, who called to see Lincoln on the morning of the shooting, found him " standing before a window, looking out across the Potomac. He did not move till they approached very closely, when he turned round abruptly and advanced towards them, extending his hand. 'Excuse me,' he said, 'but I cannot talk.' He burst into tears and concealed his face in his handkerchief Then, for some moments, he walked up and down the room, and they stepped aside in silence, not a little moved at such an unusual spec- tacle, in such a man, in such a place." A New York city paper spoke of him as follows : — • " It is about a month since a young man of soldierly bearing, of an unusually fine physique, of frank and attractive manners, and of great intelligence, called on us on the day of his arrival from Washington, to state his wishes and purposes in relation to raising a regi- ment among the New York firemen. A fortnight later we saw him on his way to embark for Washing- ton at the head of his men, and escorted by the most imposing procession this city has ever witnessed. This man was Colonel Ellsworth, of the Firemen Zouaves. * I want/ he said, ' the New York firemen ; for there 406 HEROES OF THREE WARS. are no more effective men in the country, and none with whom I can do so much. They are sleeping on a volcano at Washington/ he added, ^ and I want men who can go into a fight now.^ The impression he made upon us was that of a fearless, gallant and energetic man, one of those possessed of . . . powers that es- pecially fit them to be leaders among men. In him we think the country has lost a very valuable life." Ellsworth was, in all respects, remarkable; not only in his genius as a soldier and reformer of military ethics, but in his beautiful symmetry of character. The light which he transmits is not merely the burning halo surrounding the brow of the hero, but that of a pure and complete manhood in which are clustered all the virtues, added to a sublime scorn of everything ignoble. We approach the unforgotten altar of his memory as would those who draw near a sacred shrine to lay upon it the mute worship of their odorous flow- ers ; and we accord him the chivalrous love due a true knight of truth — a love akin to that which women lavish upon their bravest ideals. To us he can never grow old, nor change. The same radiant face will always be looking down on us from its white aura of clouds, and though gallant ones innumerable come to claim our admiration and affection, in all the long roll of honor given by the clarion of war, there will be but one Ellsworth ! CHAPTER XXXrX. ED^?VrARD DICKINSON BAKER. The English Boy on American Shores. — Early Struggles. — Oflf for the West. — Efforts as a Young Lawyer in Springfield. — Congres- sional Honors. — Leadership on the Forura. — In the Mexican War. — Kemoval to the Pacific Coast. — Popularity as an Advocate. — Oration over Broderick. — Sent to the United States Senate from Oregon. — Union Square Speech. — Organization of the California Kegiment— To the Front.— Ball's Bluff.— Last Scenes. COLONEL BAKER began life as an humble English boy, and was a marked illustration of that class of men who create their own destinies. His type radiates a full-orbed splendor. The obstacles which beset him in his early career only further demonstrated the force of a genius which pushed aside every difficulty in its upward path. Only five years old — a mere infant — when he first set foot on these American shores ; his father — himself a Quaker — settled in the Quaker City of Philadelphia, and then, in a few years, died. Edward and a younger brother were thrown upon their own resources, penni- less and alone, among strangers. The brave young lad managed to obtain work as a weaver's apprentice, in a small shop in South Street, and on the meagre earnings from this source, supported himself and his brother. Passionately fond of reading, he delved into litera- ture of all kinds, not passing by the alluring pages of romantic fiction. Through these slow years of for- (407) 408 HEROES OF THREE WARS. mative growth, he worked faithfully, never tiring, ever patient. But no one dreamed that under that quiet exterior of modest endeavor, a volcano of genius burned in silence, throbbing with a wild longing to break through the crust of its monotonous existence into wider and more native fields of action. The two young brothers became drawn in their desires towards the land of the wild west, and after some consultations and boyish but strong resolves, set out on foot over the Alleghanies. They took nothing with them but packs upon their shoulders and staffs in their hands; and thus equipped, jjerseveringly jour- neyed towards the setting sun. At last they reached, what was then known as the Far West, the prairie State of Illinois. Springfield was the chosen spot for their residence, and it was not long before the boy-weaver, who had read law as well as romance in the Quaker City, was quite able to make a living under the shield of that profession. His ready gift of silvery eloquence aided him so well that he rose rapidly, and as rapidly became known as a pop- ular advocate. He entered the arena of politics, ardently espoused the Whig faction, and soon his star was seen glim- mering and flashing in the halls of Congress. The honor which he reflected on his constituency in the legislative assemblies of the nation was of that lustre which might well make the wearer proud. When the surges of war in Mexico touched our shores. Baker raised a regiment in Illinois and took it to the banks of the Rio Grande. From Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico his glorious valor shone at the head of his command, and when EDWABD DICKINSON BAKER. 409 Shields fell at Cerro Gordo, Baker became the leader of the New York regiments through that bloody baptism On his return from the wars, battle-scarred and glorious, he was once more sent to Congress, where he remained until 1850. His oration on the death of President Taylor was one of the finest given at that time of universal grief. After a return from Panama, where he had tarried a while, the fascinations of the Californian coast drew him to the charmed land of the Pacific slope, where, in San Francisco, he at once took a high position as an advocate. Here, through years of successful pleading and an active life as a public man, especially a public speaker, he won the hearts of the populace. His name was on everybody's lips, and everybody hung with delight on the honied eloquence which dropped from his own. He was reckoned a latter-day Demos- thenes, and acquired the cognomen of the "Gray Eagle." But it was over the coffin of Broderick, who fell a victim to his anti-slavery sentiments, that Baker reached an almost unparalleled climax of eloquence, and thrilled the listening crowds as it is given to few men to do. The gathered multitude was swayed like the innumerable leaves of a mighty forest by a strong and mournful wind. It was the wail of a noble soul for a brother, dead. All business on the streets was sus- pended. Everywhere an ominous stillness prevailed, save for the slow tolling of the church bells which seemed to pulsate in space like the despairing throbs of a great heart. The people assembled in the main square, and with sad faces were silent or conversed in 410 HEROES OF THREE WARS. undertones. The shrouded coffin was there ; at its foot a priest ; at its head the tall form of the pale orator. For minutes after the audience became quite still, Baker did not speak. His look was not in the coffin of his friend, but his eyes were streaming with tears. At length when the silence was almost painful in its intensity his voice rose like a wail, and then an uninterrupted torrent of burning words of lofty pathos was poured forth with such all-powerful effect on the hearts of the sorrowing assembly, that every cheek was wet with responsive tears. " For an hour he held them as with a spell," and when with outstretched hands he leaned over the coffined body of the dead and pronounced the closing words : " Good friend ! true hero ! hail and farewell ! " the vast audience sobbed aloud. This event and the mockery of a trial which followed, fell with such sad effect on Baker that he resolved to leave the coast. The progressive political element in Oregon at this crisis wanted a champion, and the choice of that faction at once fell on Baker. He went to Oregon, settled there, and with heart and soul worked against the Breckenridge Democracy. He was defeated in sending his man to Congress, but the legislature of Oregon was so strongly anti-administration that Baker was sent to the United States Senate to represent that State. His record here, though brief, was one of power and splendor. When the struggle with Secession arose, " the Union at all hazards," became his motto. His reply to Benjamin of Louisiana, the delivery of which occupied two afternoon sessions, was memorable for its exhaust- EDWARD DICKINSON BAKER. 411 ive arguments against Secession, and its forcible expo- sition of Union principles. Great occasions always called out in him an immense reserve force that swept his audiences with resistless power. At such times he shone like a mighty star with fierce and burning strength. At the great meeting in New York, which filled Union Square with thousands of people, in April, 1861, Baker's passionate eloquence, which echoed a far deeper patri- otism, held the audience with the touch of a master hand. The dense crowd shook visibly when the closing words of this great speech rang out upon the air : "And if from the far Pacific a voice, feebler than the feeblest murmur upon its shore, may be heard to give you courage and hope in the contest, that voice is yours to-day ; and if a man whose hair is gray, who is well-nigh worn out in the battle and toil of life, may pledge himself on such an occasion, and in such an audience, let me say — as my last word — that, as when, amidst sheeted fire and flame, I saw and led the hosts of New York, as they charged in contest upon a foreign soil, for the honor of your flag— so again, if Providence shall will it, this feeble hand shall draw a sword never yet dishonored, not to fight for distant honor in a foreign land, but to fight for country, for home, for law, for Government, for Constitution, for night, for freedom, for humanity, and in the hope that the banner of my country may advance, and where- soever that banner waves, there glory may pursue and freedom be established ! '' Baker immediately recruited the California Eegi- ment, and was offered an appointment as brigadier- 25 412 HEROES OF THREE WARS. general. This and the rank of major-general, which was also offered him, he declined, preferring to go with his regiment as its Colonel. His final effort in the Senate, previous to the last tragic scenes at the front, was made when he replied to Breckenridge in a Secession speech. Baker had entered the Senate chamber from his drill camp, two miles out, while the southern disuuionist was in the midst of a partisan harangue. His reply was im- promptu, but it finished his antagonist, and was accounted one of the most " thrilling speeches heard in the chamber for years." The cloud of his overhanging fate seemed to make its shadow visibly felt to him before it came. This impression was so strong that it amounted to positive conviction. In August he said to a friend : " I am certain I shall not live through this war, and if my troops should show any want of resolution, I shall fall in the first battle. I cannot afford, after my career in Mexico and as a Senator of the United States, to turn my face from the enemy.'' During his last visit to Washington, a few days previous to the battle of BalFs Bluff, a lady presented him with some flowers. "Very beautiful," he remarked, on taking them ; " these flowers and my memory will wither together." He put his papers in order and gave special directions to his friend. Colonel Webb, concerning final arrangements in case he did not return. Then came, on October twenty-first, 1861, the terrible tragedy of Ball's Bluff, when the Potomac became gory with heroic blood, and the overwhelming numbers of the enemy crowded the brave remnant of EDWABD DICKINSON BAKER 413 Baker's and other regiments down upon the river's bank, there to make a last desperate stand or a more desperate and fruitless attempt to cross the river with- out means of transpoitation. Some one had blun- dered. But theirs was not to reason why. It was theirs only to meet doath like dauntless patriots unquestioning to the end. A demonstration looking to the capture of Leesburg had been determined upon, a general reconnoissance was taking place, and the point of crossing for the California Regiment was at Conrad's Ferry. Once on the south bank of the river, Baker put his men in line awaiting attack, and the first onset was met with spirited determination. The battle had been raging for an hour and over when Colonel Baker fell at the head of his command while cheering on his troops. A few minutes previous he had been surrounded by a body of Confederate cavalry and taken prisoner, only to be recaptured by his own men in a bayonet charge made by the right wing of the battalion. The fatal ball which sped him on his eternal exit was fired by a "tall, ferocious Virginian with red hair and whiskers," who rushed from behind a tree with a huge revolver in his hand, and "placing the weapon almost against the Colonel's head inflicted a mortal wound. Not satisfied with his deadly work he fired the second ball, while simultan- eously the body was pierced with four bullets from the tops of trees, and the brave leader fell lifeless from his horse." The assassin, like the murderer of Ellsworth, was instantly shot dead. A flank movement had been made by tlie enemy to turn the Union line, just previous to the death scene. / 414 HEROES OF THREE WARS, and Baker at once ordered the freshly arrived Tam- many Regiment to meet it. It was while leading this charge that he fell — ten feet in advance of his column. And thus went out in blood and battle, another noble life— a victim to the merciless Juggernaut of war. If one could arise to pronounce his eulogy as silvery- tongued as that voice whose music is forever mute, a fit apostrophe might be made to a hero whom we love to honor. His own passionate farewell over the body of Broderick, pallid in death, can be spoken with reverent affection here. If lives like his, altogether noble, or sacrifices like his, altogether glorious, are not lost on a world too grasping in its greed of gain, then surely the human soil which felt his influence must be fruitful indeed in all that is good I TESTIMONIALS. EXTRACTS FROM NOTICES OF THE PRESS. Boston Traveller. "Heroes of Three Wars," by the author of "Battles for the Union," and other works, is an iutensely interesting volume, and will be welcomed by the reading public as a most valuable contribution to the military history of our country. Philadelphia Times. The Boldier-author does his work in an artless, patriotic, beautiful style, and gives to his readers a real and not an imaginary idea of army life in all its lights and shades. Captain Glazier has laid his countrymen under lasting obligations to him, especially in his now book, " Heroes of Three Wars." Washington Chronicle. "Heroes of Three Wars" is written in a graphic style, and its thrilling delinea- tions of many of the most important events of the Revolution, and our great strug- gle for the preservation of the Union, cannot fail to interest those who love their country, and glory in the achievements of its brave and victorious defenders. Norristown Herald. It is just the book for a winter evening. It inspires a spirit of patriotism, and gives a duo appreciation of the labors and sufferings — and sometimes the more cheerful and fun-provoking experiences — of those who engaged in the great strug- gles for the nation's life and honor. New York Herald. Captain Glazier is one of the most pleasing writers who has added a contribution to our war literature. He takes you through the vividness of his descriptions into the very scenes which he portrays. " Heroes of Three Wars" cannot fail to inter- est every reader, and we predict for its sale a success unprecedented in the book trade. Pittsburgh Gazette. The nature of this book is very forcibly expressed in the title page. The writer wields a graphic pen. In the statement of facts he is painstaking and conscientious. Commencing with Washington, forty subjects are presented. The writer has the vivacity which is so essential in the composition of a work of this character. On» Is oftea thrilled aa the panorama of war passes before his mind. (415) 416 TESTIMONIALS. Harrisburg Patriot. In his now book the soldier-author introduces forty of the most illustrious names in the history of our country. The work is in fact a record of the privations, heroic deeds and glorious triumphs of the soldiers of the Union, and contains a fund of information not found in any other volume. Captain Glazier was a good soldier, and in the presentation of his subjects wields a graceful pen. Syracuse Courier. The book is perfectly reliable as history, with none of the dullness incident tn most history. Dates and data are given, but they are not marched before you in Blow and solemn procession, like the animals from Noah's ark, nor piled up in monumental array for you to laboriously master. On the contrary, the sketches are 80 si)irited as to hold the attention of the reader from the opening to the cloning chapter. Toledo Blade. This is a book which will never lose its interest so long as principle is considered worthy of human sacrifice, and men and women continue to admire deeds of hero- ism performed in their defense. It is a work of special interest at the present time to all who took part in the stirring scenes of the late war, and to the friends and relatives of those who suffered and endured for the cause of the Union, and so many of whom laid down their lives in its behalf. Troy Times. Captain Glazier writes with a full and accurate knowledge of the subjects intro- duced, and his thrilling sketches have all the vividness wliich none but a soldier and a participant in such scenes could give them. Simple in style, compact in rQat< ter, and vigorous in treatment, the book just meets the want of a large class of peo pie who have no time for consulting the ponderous volumes which are too often imposed upon the indulgence of a generous public. Buffalo Courier. The author, himself a gallant soldier, writes of the exciting contests and the perils of the brave men who took part in them with the ardor of a genuine participant The scenes of the bloody field are each so vividly described that we seem in reading of them to see the great conflicts of our three wars as in a panorama, and there is not a page which is not intensely interesting from the opening to the closing chapter. Cincinnati Enquirer, Captain Glazier rises above the conventional "war writer's" idioms, and gives his woik a place in literature and history. Here is found the stern actuality of war's fearful tug ; here the beautiful pathos of pure manly sentiment flowing from the heart of many a bravo soul on the battle's eve; here the scenes of sad and solemn burial where warriors weep. The din of battle on one page, and the jest at peril past upon the next — the life test and the comedy of camp — these alternatingly checker the work over and give the reader a truer insight into the perils and priva- tions of our brave defenders than any book we have read. Ballimore Sun. "Heroes of Three Wars" is written by the masterly hand of one who has evi- dently enjoyed a personal acquaintance with many of the subjects introduced, and TESTIMONIALS. 417 is not only thoroughly imbued with the spirit of his work, but as thoroughly inspires his readers. Captain Glazier has familiarized himself with all of the details of interest in the lives of a grand galaxy of heroes, and has put on paper in a con- densed and graphic form a clear picture of what he haa treasured up in his own mind. We know of no book that contains so faithful a presentation of our brav« defenders in so condensed and satisfactory a form. Albany Argus. The clearness and vigor of its style, together with its graphic and truthful sketches of the renowned soldiers presented, will render it famous from the Atlan- tic to the Pacific. The writer was one of the first to enlist and served to the close of the war of the great Rebellion, being promoted to a captaincy for gallant and heroic conduct on the battle-fields of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. The book should be in every household in thff land, for the occasional perusal of its pages will serve to keep green in recollection those momentous and bloody strug- gles which are too soon buried in the oblivion of the past. Boston Transcript, The bivouac, the march, the hand-to-hand^conflict with bristling steel, the head- long charge, the ignominious retreat, and the battle-field after the bloody assault, with its dead and wounded heioes, are all excellently portrayed, and with an ease and vigor of style that lend a peculiar charm to the book and riwt the attention of the reader from cover to cover. It is really refreshing to meet with such a work as this in these ^legenerate days of namby-pamby novels, so enervating to mind and morals. Captain Glazier's work elevates the ideas, and infuses a spirit of commend- able patriotism into the young mind, by showing the youth of the country how nobly men could die for the principles they cherished and the land they loved. Worcester Spy. "Heroes of Three Wars" is a graphically written volume by no new candidate for public favor, but one who has already won the appreciative admiration of thou- sands of readers. An air of truth which is of romantic interest pervades the work, in the depiction of the terribly interesting events in the lives of his famous subjects. Captain Glazier was an active participant in the War for the Union, and followed the lead of Bayard, Stoneman, Pleasaiiton, Giegg. Custer and Kilpatrick. He por- traj's the daring deeds and glorious achievements of his heroes with an enthusiasm w hich fairly enchains the reader, and makes him feel for the time that he is either fighting his battles over again, or standing an awe-bound spectator of the clash of armor and fall of noble steeds and their brave riders. Chicago Inter-Ocean. It is correct in facts, graphic in its delineations, and in all its make-up is a most admirable vohime. It will do the young men, and even those older, good to glance at these pages and read anew the perils and hardships and sacrifices which have been made by the loyal men who met and overthrew in battle the nation's enemies. The book is of absorbing interest as a record of brave deeds by as brave and heroic men as ever answered a bugle's call. The author writes no fancy sketch. He has the smoke and scars of battle in every sentence. He answered roll-call and mingled amid the exciting events he relates. No writer, even the most praised correspond- ents of the foreign journals, have given more vivid descriptions, soul-stirring in their simple truthfulness, than Captain Glazier in his " Heroes of Three Wars." / 418 TESTIMONIALS. Philadelphia Enquirer. In Part Third of " Heroes of Three Wars," every man who participated in tue Rebellion can live over again the days of his soldier life; can fight side by side with his old comrades; can charge again at the command of his old commander And here it may be said that the way in which the old familiar names ring out tliroughout the book is truly inspiring. The work will doubtless be warmly greeted by one and all, but more especially will it be welcomed by the thousands of isolated farm-houses, scattered all over the land, from whom went out a son to fight for his country. It will make delightful reading for the long wiiiter.even- ings so soon to be here. Moreover, it is a work that will not grow old. It will m>t change, like the majority of books, with the fashion. Its subject is one that cannot bo encroached upon. New York Tribune. Captain Glazier's preceding works have gained him a wide fame, and in the present volume he has certainly lost none of the vigor, strength and power which characterizes his former writings. His style is easy and natural, and yet thrilling and graphic in the extreme. As he writes in Part Third of the new work, he wit- nesses again the scenes through which he passed with his famous subjects during the Rebellion, and his facile pen at once and with peculiar fidelity transfers the mental picture to the page before him. It is a wonderful power, and one which few men posses% to be able to carry with them through life the scenes of former years, and reproduce them at will for the pleasure of their readers. Captain Glazier demonstrates this fine gift with admirable force, and the fascinating pages before us are a moving, breathing panorama of the great struggles and heroic sacrifices for the preservation of the Union. AGENTS WANTED ! ^es^-Tliis book is sold principally by Subscription ! And we want an Agent in every town and county in the United States and British Provinces. Our terms are liberal, and the profit of the business sure. Teachers, ladies, energetic young men, and especially returned and disabled oflS* cers and soldiers, in want of profitable employment, will find this work particularly adapted to their condition. For full particulars, terms, etc., address HUBBAKD BROTHERS, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati or St. Louis. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 0068357508 m m