young, gallant boy pushing rapidly forward to almost certain death. None of us expected to see him again, as we watched him push his horse through the open fields, over fences, through ditches, while a well-directed fire from the enemy was poured upon him, with shells exploding around, about, and over him.

"Once he was completely enveloped in the smoke of an exploding shell, and we thought he had gone down, but no, he was saved for greater work for his country. Out of this smoke emerged his wiry little brown horse, with McKinley still firmly seated, and as erect as a hussar.

"McKinley gave the Colonel the orders from Hayes to fall back, saying, in addition, 'He supposed you would have gone to the rear without orders.' The Colonel's reply was, 'I was about concluding I would retire without waiting any longer for orders. I am now ready to go wherever you shall lead, but, Lieutenant, I "pintedly" believe I ought to give those fellows a volley or two before I go.' McKinley's reply was, 'Then up and at them as quickly as possible,' and as the regiment arose to its feet the enemy came on into full view. Colonel Brown's boys gave the enemy a crushing volley, following it up with a rattling fire, and then slowly retreated toward some woods directly in their rear. At this time the enemy halted all along Brown's immediate front and for some distance to his right and left, no doubt feeling he was touching a secondary line, which should be approached with all due caution. During this hesitation of the enemy McKinley led the regiment through the woods and on toward Winchester.

"As Hayes and Crook saw this regiment safely off, they turned, and, following the column, moved with it slowly to the rear, down the Winchester pike. At a point near Winchester McKinley brought the regiment to the column and to its place in the brigade. McKinley greeted us all with a happy, contented smile—no effusion, no gushing palaver of words, though all of us felt and knew one of the most gallant acts of the war had been performed.

"As McKinley drew up by the side of Hayes to make his verbal report, I heard Hayes say to him, 'I never expected to see you in life again.'

AT CEDAR CREEK.-Lieutenant McKinley distinguished himself again in the battle of Opequan Creek, Sept. 19, 1864, and in the last engagement of national importance, which practically closed the active history of the Twenty-third Ohio Regiment, the battle of Cedar Creek, which took place on Oct. 19, 1864. Toward the close of that month the regiment was ordered to Martinsburg. On the march to that point the men voted at the Presidential election. The votes were collected by the judges of election as the column was in march, from among the wagons. It was there McKinley cast his first vote. An ambulance was used as an election booth, and an empty candlebox did duty as a ballot-box. At the same time and place Generals Sheridan, Crook, and Hayes cast their ballots, and it was the first vote ever cast by Sheridan or Crook.

Early the following spring the Twenty-third returned to Camp Cumberland and on July 26, 1865, a little more than four years from the time of enlistment, the

regiment was mustered out and the scarred veterans who had experienced four years of dangers and hardships returned to their homes.

MILITARY RECORD.-The records show that William McKinley, Jr. enlisted as a private in Company E, of the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on June II, 1861; that he was promoted to commissary sergeant on April 15, 1862; that he was promoted to Second Lieutenant of Company D on Sept. 23, 1862;

that he was promoted to First Lieutenant of Company E on Feb. 7, 1863; that he was promoted to Captain of Company G on July 25, 1864; that he was detailed as Acting Assistant Adjutant General of the First Division, First Army Corps, on the staff of General Carroll; that he was brevetted Major on March 13, 1865, and that he was mustered out of service on July 26, 1865. "For gallant and meritorious services at the battles of Opequan, Cedar Creek, and Fisher's Hill," reads the document commissioning young McKinley as Brevet Major, signed "A. Lincoln."

CHAPTER IV

RETURN TO CIVIL LIFE

McKinley was 22 years old when he returned home to Ohio. For a time the young soldier hesitated whether to finish his interrupted college course or to begin at once the struggle for a livelihood. He compromised by entering the law office of Judge Charles E. Glidden, at Canton, the county seat of Stark county, the next county westward from Columbiana. From Judge Glidden's office he went to the Albany law school, at Albany, N. Y. Here he graduated, and in 1867 was admitted to the bar of Canton.

HIS FIRST CASE AT LAW.-His "shingle" was hung out forthwith at the door of a little office of his own, and he waited patiently for clients. Days passed, and a fortnight. Then, one day, in came his old preceptor, Judge Glidden.

"McKinley," said he, "here are the papers in a case of mine. It comes up to-morrow. I have got to go out of town, and I want you to take charge of it for me."

McKinley was nonplussed. He declared that he could not do justice to the case at so short a notice. "I never have tried a single case yet, judge," said he.

"Well, begin on this one, then," was the judge's reply. And it was finally settled that McKinley should do so. He sat up all night, working on the case, tried it the next day, and won it. A few days

later, Judge Glidden entered his office and handed him. $25. McKinley demurred at taking it.

"It is too much for one day's work," he said.

"Don't let that worry you,' replied Glidden, goodnaturedly, "I charged them $100 for the case, and I can well afford to give a quarter of it to you."

A year or two later McKinley found himself pitted against John McSweeney, then considered one of the

WILLIAM MCKINLEY AS A LAW STUDENT, 1865

most brilliant lawyers of the Ohio bar. The case was a suit for damages for malpractice, the plaintiff charging that a surgeon had set his broken leg in such a way as to make him bow-legged on that side. McKinley defended the surgeon. McSweeney brought his client into court and had the injured limb exposed to the view of the jury. It certainly was very crooked, and the case looked bad for the surgeon. McKinley had both his eyes wide open, however, and fixed them to good purpose upon the man's other leg. As soon as