Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-01-11

Mn. EwiNs's BENEvoLgScE-Itis Is well
known that the late Thomas Ewing of Ohio
was the father Of Gen. Sherman by adop-
,ion before he became his father-iu-law -
The history Of Ohio in the War" tells
how il came to be: The members Of the
bar in Lancaster knew that Judge She--
man had left no adequate provision for
his large family, and it was agreed among
them that some of the chrildrcn should b.
educated and supported by the legal breth-
rcn ofthe deceased parent. In accordance
with this arrangement. Thomas Ewing.
then in the prime of his reputation a.
great lawyer and statesman, decided I,
adopt one Of the boys. Il must have thc
smartest of them" SO the stories of III,
times tell us that Mr.. Ewing said to tt
widow and on the same authority w
have it that. after consultation betwe-r
the mother and the eldest sister. .'Cump
at that important period of his life at PLAY
in neighboing sand bank, was selected
The next seven years were passed in school
boy life in Lancaster. Young Sherman
was fairly adopted into the Ewing family.
and he soon made his way to all their
hearts. He was sent to the English de-
partment of the village academy. where
he stood we'll in his classes. and came to be
a promising boy. There was nothing
specially remarkable about him." so writes
his ter-father. Mr. Ewing. excepting
that never knew SO young boy who
would do an errand SO correctly and
promptly as he did" And again. che was
transparently honest. faithful and trust
worthy" Studious and correct in his ha
bits, his progress in education was steady
and substantial
And so the boz reached his seventeenth
year. Mr.. Ewing had now a vacancy At
West Point in his gift. and he bestowed
il upon the child of his old friend
Young Sherman was admitted to the Acad-
cmy in June. 1886, and with the exccp-
ton Of two months furlough in the Sum
mer of ls:}S, which he spent in visit TO
his home at Lancaster. he remained there
continuously until his graduation in June.
1910. Starting with good preliminary
| education. he had maintained fair, though
not first-class standing. to the close.
Mr.. Ewing desired that he should gradu-
ate in the engineer corps. This, as he
himself wrote some months before, he was
unable to do, but his rank was such as 10
permit him to enter the artillery. He
was the sixth in his class The pleasant
est glimpse we get of the four years Of ca
dct life are in the letters Of the future
general to the fair companion and play
mate of his Lancaster home.
These letters are sprightly. vivacious.
and trifle eccen'ric.-not at all unlike in
style those graver epistles, which at . Ia
ter period, were to draw from the uncom-
plimentary Secretary Of War tho compE-
ment that Sherman wrote as he fought"
In 1850 he returned to "the States" and
on the 1st of May his long engagement
was closed by his marriage to Miss Ellen
Ewing. at the residence Of her father,
then Secretary Of the Interior Among
the guests who graced the wedding were
Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and Zacha-
ry Taylor lie vas soon sent to garrison
duty at jefferson Barracks. Missouri. and
shortly afterwards. with the brevet Of
captain. for meritorious services in Califor-
MA during the war with Mexico. was made
commissary. and sen. first to St. Louis and
then to New Orleans"