Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-09-13
a Chat with sheridan. !.

| father still persists In calling him, wns
last on a visit to his home Mt Somerset,
in 1867, he arrived In the night by con-
veyance from Newark. He had been
spending several weeks at Washington,
and had been received with the highest
marks of respect by Congress, and
toasted and feasted by outsiders there
and on his way back to New Orleans
by way of his home, which he always
manages to take I'm his route going or
coming. During active hostilities lac
visited home but once, and then staid
but a few days; but devotion to mili-
tary life, for which he seemed To have
an inclination amounting almost to
passion, has not obliterated his love of
home and the faces which greeted him
i'm yonth. On the occasion Of his last
visit, he was Commander of his depart
ment. The riots had taken place, had
been fully discussed and grown stale In
the public prints, but the General
painted them freshly with the magic oil
his descriptive powers, until you again
beheld the conflict passing before your
amazed vision, and felt the horrors of
that cruelty practiced upon defenceless
innocence, as indignation itself flushed
from the eye and shone through the
broad, throbbing temples of the narra-
tor. nltf M
1T was reported that some fair daugh-
ter Of Louisiana had done hat all the
rebel armies failed TO do-- captured him.
Now was tho time to place tho General
on his honor under the roof of his an
cestors, the glance of his parents, and
the scrutinSing eye of his only sister,
Mrs. Wilson. The subject was accord
ingly preached by some one, and while
the General puffed his s'meershaum,n
you could not discover single fit Of
thought though his scountenance, which
betrayed the least unwelcome DISPOSE
tion to .'explain.p "Yes.' said he,
"that report was sent abroad from New
Orleans, by a newspaper correspondent,
who seeks every opportunity to injure
ME, without apparently betraying any
disposition to do so. He is shrewd
enough to carry apparent friendship OH
the point of, his pen, only that his real
malignity may seek more satisfactory
gratification.
This satisfied US all on this point, but
the General having consented to occupy
the quizzing stool and be quizzed good
naturcdly, some one remarked: awe
clenr you of that count I'm the indict-
ment, but how about Miss Wright, of
Virginia1 A glance at the intcrroga-
| tor told the General that more than u
mere Joke was Intended by this inquiry,
and that mystery was too plainly de-
| picted In the counteDance of all listen
ers to allow the question to pass lightly.
He addeda few more puffs to those
which had already clouded the atmos-
phere, aud began: Miss Wright, of
| Winchester, Virginia? 'Tis her fault
she got into the newspapers, not mine.
When | was preparing to drive Early
ont OF that place, / needed Information
of Its Notifications, strength, aud the
numbers | should have to encounter.
| Disaster had SO frequently overcome
our forces In the valley that / felt ex-
tremely anxious to share the honor Of
| reversing our fortunes In that region.
General Grant had confided this great
work to my charge. President Lincoln
regarded my success as extremely cs-
sential, and the whole country seemed
to hold Its breath as II listening for the
news from my army. 5|s
General Grant visited me, suppose,
/ for the purpose OF ascertaiiing whether
| / fairly comprehended the situation,
and, becoming satisfied with my pre-
cautions, he made use of the homely
but very significant phrase, Go i'm. ;
But before I did this learned some-
thing of Miss Wright, who is Quaker
lady, and resides with her parents I'm
| Winchester, who, like. myself, were un-
impeachably loyal. j had never seen
her; only knew Of her through spies
and scouts, but determined to obtain
some information from her, believing
4 could rely on 1t as genuine. A col
Ored man In the neighborho0d of my
headquarters held pass to go and come
from Winchester with marketing. /
/ haI l, LvA.xht A.. .,,xv
quarters, and having convinced myself
'he would do to tie to- placed small
piece of paper i'm a small piece of tin
foil, and wrapped il up SO closely that
! he could take it in his mouth while the
foil protected IL, from injury directing
him To deliver his next marketing 10
Miss Wright, not to 60 into the house,
but leave the moment he had delivered
the foil, and go as III on other business
until her answer was ready and wrap
ped up In like manner. 49,
~ thus obtained much valuable In
formation, and when made an attack
on Early's forces knew there would be
bloody and desperate conflict but my
reliance on what Miss Wright had told
me, and OH what / knew from other
sources, never failed me through the
sseverest trials Of that memorable day.
On my recent svisit TO Washington, II
made 1t convenient to go by Winches-
ter, and to present to this unaffcctedly
modest lady, some token of my graft
gold watch, which cost me seven hum
dred dollars, and would have given her
other valuable presents had my ex-
chequer warranted them, hut while /
made my visit and my token of graft
tude profound secret, she would not
resti0n her disposition to make them
both known, and ] instantly became
the victim OF another rumor implica-
ting me In making love to another
sEouthern lady, As for the colored
man, IL would be unsafe, even now, to
reward him suitably. for his devotion 10
our cause.u ~ R9i!aB ST odt
Some one Of the. company adyerted
to the fact that his name was growing
up for the Presidency of the United
States. He piquantly retorted: 81 am
about As innocent Of that as the other
repol ts about falling I'm love with.:South-
ern ladies. expect to live and die In
the army. have aspirations for civil
position. i believe can discharge the
Executive diitiesof my present position,
us I have succeeded la the command OF
bothinfantry and cavalry forces, find
ing new exigencies ever tapping new
energies commensurate with new fields
OF labor within tho army, but love
army life too well to seek its exchange
for new aud untricd labors or civil life. /"
g The next morning before daylight the
General was an Iris way to New Orleans
| by way of Columbus, Ohio, where he
halted to receive the congratulations oi
the General Assembly Of his ownrbe-
loved Ohio.
tNpfl How to do Good,
Or. johnson has wisely said ''a
| He who waits to do q great deal oI
good at once, will never do anything
life Is madesup Of little things. Itis