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Show VETERAN'S STORY OF WAR CAREER Had Learned to Obey, and Consequently Con-sequently Successful When He Came to Command. THE life story of a veteran, whose rise in the commercial field was from errand boy to head of the firm, and whose elevation on the battlefield bat-tlefield was that from private to captain. cap-tain. He had the old soldier's modesty mod-esty and wariness of bombast, but the character or the man shows through his whole explanation. His war record rec-ord :nd his high position in the city's responsibility speak for themselves. Before I was twelve years old I had to go to work somewhere, and, searching around, I found a one-dollar-a-week position in a wholesale clothing cloth-ing store. It was the old story of going go-ing to work early and quitting late. As I grew older and found more things to do they piled responsibility upon me. I learned at this point the things which have made me successful success-ful in later years. I developed the qualities of dispatching duties with precision and exactness. I also learned to obey orders. When one of the heads of the firm snapped out something some-thing at me I did it, and did it quick. This training was of inestimable value on the field and helped much in my promotion. All the agitation between the North and South I followed closely in the papers. I was enthusiastic for the Union, and when the fort was fired upon I enlisted. I was then seventeen. seven-teen. I was young, too young, perhaps, per-haps, but my body was strong and well knit for my age, and I suppose I was older in experience than many of my seniors. I felt at home with men older than I, mainly because I had developed a responsibility and seriousness se-riousness through hard work from an early age. While we were in camp I was made corporal. It was a minor post, but there were some duties to be performed. per-formed. I went about them quickly and directly, as I had been trained to do with all details which crossed my line of duty. I learned the discipline and conduct of the camp, to say little, and to jump when spoken to. In the Army of the Potomac. We were ordered from camp and joined the Army of the Potomac. I was not badly frightened in the first battle. I was simply nervous and afraid of being afraid. When we received re-ceived orders to charge, however, all shakiness left me, and I went into the fray concerned only with doing what I was told to do. Through those first campaigns I was just one of the rank and file. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to me. A bui:et cut through my clothes once, but did not break the skin. A queer thing about that incident inci-dent was that I had a silk handkerchief handker-chief in my breast pocket, and the Uu.Het, slicing through the folds, put 22 distinct and separate holes In It The ball ran around n.y body and dropped inside my belt. I was made captain just before Lookout mountain because the captain cap-tain and first lieutenant were killed. I had risen from corporal to sergeant and to second lieutenant in rapid order. or-der. My promotions were not the result of any dramatic denouements or grandstand heroics. It was all in the day's work. Men dropped out here and there, and I went up by degrees. It was the natural order of events, and the result of doing my duty and obeying orders. It was my lot to be in most of the Important battles fought by the Army of the Potomac. I served at Antie-tam, Antie-tam, Gettysburg, and all the rest. Then we were transferred to the West, and served in the battle of Lookout mountain. I remember that battle in particular because I came the nearest to death in that fight of any. It was just after I had been made captain, and I was, where I was supposed sup-posed to be, out in front of the troops on the climb. The Confederates were at the top of the mountain, and here and there among the fir trees, popping pop-ping at us, then volleying and cannonading. cannon-ading. The men behaved gallantly, going right up, shooting and climbing steadily. We had just got over a perpendicular per-pendicular place when a bullet hit me in the chest. It knocked me backward back-ward down the slope. I could not tell how badly I was hurt I only knew that my heart was continuing to beat despite the dull ache just over it. After the fight was over and the Confederates had gone "kiting" into the valley on the other side, I sat down and opened my clothing. There was a hole in my uniform and a dark bruise on my chest, but no blood had been lost. Searching, I found that the ball had ripped through a notebook note-book in my coat and smashed my watch into smithereens. I have the timepiece and the bullet, both flattened flat-tened and bent beyond recognition. When I came to command men I used the knowledge I had gathered froni watching the methods of my former commanders, modified by ideas of my own. I led my company after that campaign down to Sherman's army and followed him on his march to the sea. It was a great march from Atlanta to the Atlantic, full of fights and hard walks and full of fun, too. We were sure of success and of breaking the backbone of the enemy. I made several lasting friendships on this trip, and won the companionship of a lot of men who helped me when I got out. I was still young in years, but youths aged fast in those days, and slender frames toughened under the strain or wilted. My youth never handicapped handi-capped me in ordering men older than myself. It was a rather delicate situation situ-ation at first, but they saw I meant what I said and I had no trouble. Finally the war was over and I came home. I had no trade. I had ! higher ambitions than the clothing business, so for a time there was noth- ing for me to do. Then some of my i comrades recommended me. to a big mercantile house, and I went in the superintending department. After several sev-eral years I left to take the official position I now hold. Philadelphia North American. |