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Show Old Masters WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK Up C. C. G. T I E WAS born in Montgomery county, Pa., Feb-.uary Feb-.uary 4, 1824. lie was two years younger than Grant, four younger than Sherman. He was as gallant a soldier as Henry of Navarre. Nav-arre. He was as unselfish a soldier as ever drew sword for native land. From tne time he graduated from West Point he served in all the schools of war on the frontier; in the department of the east and south; ho was at homo in the highest society; in the camp his soldiers looked up to him as one of superior clay to common com-mon mortals. Ho made his great fame in the army of the Potomac. We believe that he was in every battle of that superb army after Bull Run up to and through Gettysburg. His fame culminated on that field. In all the battles in which that gallant army suffered defeat, Hancock never was defeated. Divisions and corps broke on either side of him and because of that he was many times forced to fall back, but his individual command was never successfully assailed and when, because of the misfortunes of other commanders he was forced to fall back, with him it was always an orderly retreat, never a rout. The story of Gettysburg has often been told. Lee's advance met the divisions of Reynolds and Howard early on the first day. The Confederates pressed on and General Reynolds was killed about noon. Then Howard succeeded to the command and stood the whole shock of the southern battle until sundown. There the Confederates made their first mistake. Instead of the ha'ting advance that they made, half waiting until the remainder of their forces arrived, they should have noted that it was only an advance force they were fighting fight-ing and by a fierce onset should have sought to take and hold the obviously fine position in plain sight. At about sunset Hancock came upon the field. Howard, who had been fighting great odds all the afternoon, was about spent, but Hancock, after one swift glance at the situation, said: "This is the place to fight' and hurried messages to Meade to hurry up the main army. They arrived and took up their positions during dur-ing the night, as did Lee's main army. The hard fighting of the second day was against Sickles' corps. On the third day Lee, against the advice of some of his foremost corps commanders, determined de-termined to stake the result on a charge against the federal center, where Hancock was in command. com-mand. Had Stonewall Jackson been there we do not bolieve that charge would ever have been attempted, attempt-ed, but the others had not influence enough to per- aunrlrt T ne ncrolnof If So the fearful cannonade was opened and shook the field with its thunders for two hours and then Pickett was given the order to charge. It was directly against the centor, where Hancock, with his corps, made the wall which must be broken down before Pickett could win. Of course, the destruction was fearful. It is said a few Confederates pierced the line, but they never returned save as paroled prisoners. In that assault Hancock was grievously wounded, but when the remnant of the assaulting column turned and fled, Hancock took one long look over the-fie'd the-fie'd and then wrote and dispatched a notn to Meade, giving it as his respectful opinion that the proper thing to do would be to order a charge along the whole line. The chances were more than even that if that advice had been followed Lee would have been forced to surrender, for his army was as tired as HB was the army of the Potomac; the Potomac was H uncroBsable because of high water, and then the H statement is pretty well authenticated that Lee B had left only enough ammunition to make a brief H It is easy enough, looking back over; the years H for even a layman to tell what should have been H done, but many soldiers who were on that field H have given; it as their opinion that, after the fail- H urc of Pickett's charge had the main army been H ordered to advance and a fierce charge by the IH freshest troops been ordered against Lee's right, H he would have been forced to surrender. But H those are probabilities only. Hancock's part in H the tremendous struggle is a fact, and the mem- H ory of it will make a halo around his statue in' H the Temple of Fame forever. H He never recovered from his wound. After 1 that he drooped, and so in 1880 was persuaded to accept a nomination for the presidency. It was a great mistake. He was simply a heroic and skill- H ful soldier, and had he but reflected, he would H have known that no great soldier save Washing- H ton and Jackson have ever added to their fame by being president. True it is a great temptation. General Tecum- M se Sherman is the only one whom we can re- H call who was big enough to decline it. M General Hancock died February 9, 188G, seven M months after the death of Grant. H No more faithful or brave and few more bril- liant soldiers ever devoted their lives to the M service of their country than did Winfiold Scott BR Hancock. wtM |