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Show As I Remember Them Harry L Thornton By C. C. Goodwin HE3 WAS slight and fair, not more than twenty-four twenty-four years of age, I think, when he reached ., California, but was already an accomplished lawyer. He hailed, I believe, from Alabama, and. was of the first families. He settled in Downieville and soon made a name as an orator and lawyer, and was looked upon as one who was sure to stamp himself upon the state as one of its foremost fore-most citizens. His private life was above reproach he always carried himself as one who was above winning anything except on merit, and as though his self-respect was something which he would sooner die than stain or wound. After awhile the Sierra district sent him to the legislature and he soon made a name there as a speaker and s legislator. He was a Democrat of the Southern school and politics were fast taking on a firey form in California. The killing of Broderick by Terry, and Ferguson by Penn Johnson had inflamed northern-born men of all parties. Though they were both killed in duels, the feeling in the first case was that he was challenged by an expert duelist, not because of the reason assigned, but to get him out of the way, and in the latter case that it was little better than murder, for Ferguson Fergu-son was one of the most genial and gentle and kindliest of men. The extreme Southern-born men counted on General Albert Sidney Johnson turning over the arms and ammunition stored in Alcatraz to them. But he was a soldier, and was on his honor to perform his duty, and though all his sympathies were with the Confederacy, he would not betray his trust. When he was relieved by General Sumner, Sum-ner, then resigned from the army and started for the South, a great many southern-born men in California followed him. Thornton made a ringing speech in the legislature legis-lature giving his reasons why he could no longer serve California as one of her law-makers, then sent in his resignation, and likewise left for the South. He was at once given a commission and a place on General Pat Cleburne's staff. He fought in all the "battles that the firey Cleburne engaged in, the most furious one being at Franklin. He told me that on that afternoon Hood ordered six separate assaults upon the earthworks behind which Schofield with his seven thousand veterans played upon Hood's army in the open field. Six high officers of Hood's army were killed, among whom, if we are not mistaken, Cleburne was one. And a score of lesser officers and an appalling list of men. Franklin virtually decided the battle of Nashville. It was what Hougomont was to Waterloo, and a part of Hugo's description would apply to w Franklin, as follows. "Napoleon sent his brother Jerome aga'nst Hougomont; the divisions of Foy, Guillemont and Bacheln hurled thunders against it; nearly the entire corps of llielle was employed against it and miscarried; Killerman's brigades were exhausted ex-hausted on this heroic section of wall. Band-uin's Band-uin's brigade was not strong enough to force I Hougomont on the north, and the division of Gage could not do more than effect the beginning begin-ning of ajjreach on the south." And the result. "Banduin killed; Foy wounded; conflagration, massacre; carnage; a river of English blood; French blood; German blood, mingled in fury; a well crammed with corses; the regiment of Nassau Nas-sau and the regiment of Brunswick destroyed; Duplat killed; Blackmaun killed; the English guards mutilated; twenty French "battalions besides be-sides the forty from Reille's corps disclmat&d, three thousand men in that hovel of Hongomont cut dawn, slashed to pieces, etc." As will be remembered, when Sherman at Atlanta wired Grant, asking permission to break away from his base and go through to the sea, Grant wired back to detach Thomas to look after Hood, (who was in command of the Southern army in front of Sherman), and then go ahead. Sherman Sher-man took ninety thousand of his army and started "From Atlanta to the Sea," and the army he left Thomas was iSo much inferior to Hood's that there was nothing for Thomas to do but to fall iback until he could unite with the command at Nashville. Then began that movement of Thomas' army with Hood hanging on his rear and seeking the opportunity to overwhelm him. When Thomas reached Franklin, two days' march from Nashville, he ordered Schofield with seven thousand men to occupy the works there that had previously been constructed; to keep a lookout for Hood, and if he found that he was flanking him, to leave the works' and hurry after him, but if Hood attacked him to fight him until night and then draw out his .troops and follow him to Nashville. Evidently Thomas believed from what he knew of Hood's impetuous nature that he would try to crush Schofield and then his batt'e with Thomas would be much easier, which would have been good generalship had Schofield been in the open as he was, but not when Schofield's army was splendidly entrenched. So Hood led his army through six distinct assaults with loss so frightful fright-ful that it was only a half-hearted army that he had left. Thornton told me that in the last as-saultj as-saultj General Adams, lead his command, until his horses' fore feet were reared upon the earthworks earth-works when he and his horse were both killed. When night came down, following his orders, Schofield silently withdrew his army and hurried on to join Thomas. Next morning the Confederates Confeder-ates entered the deserted works, but found there the body of General Adams. The Federals had gone out and carried the body in, composed the limbs on a blanket and over it had laid an officer's of-ficer's costly military cloak. When the war closed Thornton prepared the necessary papers and went to Wjashington. He went to Secretary of War Stanton's office next morning and waited his turn to speak to him. When the others were disposed of Thornton went to the rail, which separated the outer from the inner office, and Stanton asked in his brusque way what he could do for him. Thornton, pushing push-ing forward his papers, replied: "I have come, Mr. Secretary, with a petition for pardon." Stanton looked down upon him for an instant and then said: "You had better go about your business. We are not spending our time in pardoning par-doning boys." I suspect that hurt Thornton more than would a blow. He had practiced law several years, been a memiber of the legislature of a great state and then had fought by the side of a general renowned re-nowned for his fighting propensities, only to be called a boy and told to go about his business by a grim old secretary of war. From Washington he went to New York and watched the thousands that thronged the streets, the ships going and coming, and he told me he had never realized before what fools the southern south-ern men had been. "Why," said he, "New York city alone could have licked us, and had she found the work a little too robust, she could in a month have imported enough Irishmen and Germans to have beat us down through the sheer force of numbers." As soon as he could he sought the west. Reaching San Francisco, his friends advised ad-vised him that all the rush was for Nevada, and he went there, settling first, I think, in Austin and M going from there to Hamilton. When he arrived H in Austin he found many old Sierra county H friends. The first proposition was to all have a B drink. As they stood glasses in hand, one man H cried out, "Here's to the south, beaten, but not subdued." Thornton sat down his glass and turn- ing to the man, said: "Where in the south did M you serve?" "0, 1 was here," said the man. Then M Thornton said: "I was in the south and I am subdued." He formed a law partnership with H Judge Garber and the firm was one of the fore- H most law firms in the state for several years. He H was a fine lawyer and his bearing in court was most winsome to court and bar. H He was handling a mining case in Belmont and H the principal on the other side was a Frenchman H who had but a poor understanding of English. In his final argument, Thornton used the French- M man's name several times. A would-be funny deputy sheriff sitting near the Frenchman asked him if he understood what Thornton was saying. He replied that his understanding was M imperfect, when the other, thinking to have some M fun, told the Frenchman that he was making fun M of him and intimating that he was none too lion- M est. When the Frenchman finally understood, he grew very pale and asked the deputy if he would M carry one paper to Monsieur Thornton. The dep- M uty said he would, and the Frenchman, went to a M desk and wrote something in French and gave M it to the deputy. M When Thornton finished his argument the fl deputy carried him the paper. Thornton read fl it, his face; flushed a little and leaning forward, jH he penned an answer. A lawyer friend was watch- M ing him, and leaning over him said: "What Is it, H Harry?" Thornton passed him the Frenchman's M note. He read it and the friend said: "Are you going to notice it, Harry?" For answer he held up his acceptance. The friend read it and then H declared that it must not be; that Thornton had H said nothing to provoke a challenge, and the M man was only a boor. M To this, Thornton replied: "When a man is H willing to risk his life for the honor of his name, H his social position is not to be questioned. He is a man as good as any other man." M It required the utmost exertion of the court and ibar, coupled with the protestations of the H deputy that it was all meant as a bit of fun, to H make Thornton concede anything. Finally he H said: "Gentlemen, bring me a formal withdrawal H of tills challenge signed by Monsieur, or the fight H goes." Then the Frenchman was appealed to, H but he was as game as a ibull dog, and not until the judge of the. court assured him on his honor H that there was not a word of disrespect to him H in Thornton's speech, would he Bign the paper. H Ho finally did, grinding his teeth and swearing H low to himself in the meantime. Then he sprang H up and challenged the deputy to fight him, not H with ze sabre, not with ze gun, not with ze can- H non, not with ze bomb, but with ze fists. H Then it required another extended explanation H that the deputy was a peace officer, and while H he held the office could only fight to keep the H peace. H The Frenchman was still angry when ho H started out of town toward his mine. H Thornton and Garber were in all the litigation H In White Pino county and in all the great cases H In Pioche and Eureka. After some years they H removed to San Francisco and there maintained H their high standing as lawyers and men. But H after Mrs. Thornton died, Harry seemed to lose H his interest in his business, and a little later an H insidious disease came upon him. He had bought H a farm some miles out of Oakland and raised H horses and flowers upon it. Ho bought the place H merely as a resting place when he wanted to be H quiet, but as his feebleness increased he spent H ! I ! more and more time there, and I believe died I there. I 1 lie was a most gifted and loveable man; most K generous in his estimates of his fellow men. HO There was nothing of envy or jealousy in his HJ ' nature; not one drop of cold blood in his veins. Hj Such a nature naturally drew men to it, and the Hj grief over his death extended from cabin to H palace and took in all classes of men. Except for the great war, Harry I. Thornton's I name would have been a familiar and honored H name in every home on the west coast. H A little anecdote may make a good closing H for this sketch. When General Sherman was be-Hi be-Hi for Atlanta and Bragg was in command of the K Confederate army in his front, one day Bragg H sent a flag of truce to Sherman. Thornton heard H the order given and begged to go along. The H'' little company passed through the union lines H t and came upon Sherman's headquarters. One side H of Sherman's tent was thrown back and Sherman M- was "seen within bending over a map and talking i to a group of officers around him and gesticulates gesticulat-es ing in Sherman's impetuous way, As the flag of M truce was announced, all in the tent stood at at-HL at-HL tention. The ranking officer approached General ' Sherman. They had been friends before the war. i Sherman greeted him cordially and presented him j to the officers around him. Then the Confederal Confeder-al ate officer presented those who had accompanied j him, until it came to Thornton, when Sherman B said: "One moment." Looking intently at Thorn-B Thorn-B ton in his colonel's uniform, he said: "I had the M honor of being associated with you in the trial of H the case of Lucas Turner & Co. vs. Langston's J Express company, in Downieville, California. The M trial began on the lGth day of February, 1854, m and lasted four days. It was a hot fight but M we licked 'em. I am glad to see you, Col. Thorn-H Thorn-H ton." Then added, "Col. Harry I. Thornton." m Then he turned to his officers and introduced M Thornton as an old California friend. |
