76 HENRY HILL GOODELL 



Of him personally one of his fellow officers of higher 

 rank, Major Thomas McManus, writes: "His whole life, 

 his whole conduct during our army experience, was so con- 

 sistent and admirable that I am actually puzzled to dis- 

 sect from it any special detail to memorize as an incident or 

 saying even. You know he never was oracular. He never 

 posed. He simply did everything perfectly and easily. I 

 actually think that, if he tumbled off a roof, he would have 

 done it gracefully. He never once complained, however 

 great the hardship, on the march or in action. He never 

 adversely criticised another officer, or harshly reproved a 

 private, or murmured at a privation. He was on duty where 

 he belonged, all the while. Nothing spasmodic in his service, 

 but when an emergency did arise at Port Hudson, that 

 called for volunteers for the Forlorn Hope, he was with the 

 very first to offer himself for a service that promised nothing 

 but death as a result. Thank God, the service after all was 

 not required ! 



"He was everything good that could be desired in a sol- 

 dier and he was so all the time. You may portray in him 

 every admirable quality that man can possess and you may 

 rival Chrysostom himself in eloquence, yet you cannot 

 exaggerate, hardly equal his deserts." 



After the experience in the army he took a year to re- 

 cuperate. He did not care to study any of the professions, 

 and it is safe to say that then he had no idea what his work 

 in the world would be; but he did not merely vegetate, nor 

 was he "waiting for something to turn up." Hard work 

 was mingled with recreation. A good deal of time is given 

 to the study of German, or as he puts it, "studying high 

 Dutch, low Dutch and German, three variations of the 



