Identifier: menthingsisawinc00rusl (find matches)
Title: Men and things I saw in civil war days
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Rusling, James Fowler, 1834-1918
Subjects: Generals
Publisher: New York, Cincinnati, The Methodist book concern
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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xpected to be sufficient untohimself, and to make good the deficiencies of everybodyelse, I think it safe to say, were the secret history of ourgreat campaigns in the Civil War known, no great com-mander on either side succeeded without a good quarter-master. In marked instances they themselves had previ-ously been quartermasters—as Grant, Sherman, Sheridan,Joe Johnston, and others. A signal instance of such an officer, conspicuous inmany ways and for many things, was General Robert Al-len, U. S. A., whom I venture to call a great quarter-master. In vindication of the brainy staff, as against thefighting line, let us see if we can arrive at some estimateof his work and worth, and thus rescue at least one staffofficer from unmerited oblivion. A West Pointer of theclass of 36, he performed various duty until the war withMexico, when he was appointed quartermaster of the Ken-tucky Cavalry in Taylors column, that moved via Mon-terey; but subsequently was assigned to Twiggss Division 174
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Gen. Robert Allen, J864. I A Great Quartermaster in Scotts column, that moved via Vera Cruz to the City ofMexico. This was a good position for that war, and Allenmust have shown sterling qualities already, or GeneralTwiggs (himself an old quartermaster) would not haveselected him for the place. As it was, Allen—then a cap-tain only—conducted affairs with marked ability; and itwas the common remark of Twiggs that his division wasthe best supplied of any in the army there. The secret of it was that his quartermaster, thoughgifted with a wholesome respect for red tape, was yet notafraid to cut it, when the occasion demanded. With muchnative tact and sagacity, he readily adapted himself to thechanged condition of men and things in Mexico, and thusavailed himself of all the resources of the country as Scottadvanced. Scouring the haciendas far and wide, he foundno lack of transport and rations, where other officers re-ported little; and when one method failed his fertile in-tellect soon

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