New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-16

The memoirs of W. T. General Sherman
written by himself, and just published by
the Appletons, is, considering the author
his position and experience, work OF un
usual interest. The New York Herald boilt
down the book to small space from which
is the following:
The twenty first of July. 1857, found
Sherman living at No. 100 Prince street, in
New York. and opening banking house a,
No. II Wall street The panic came, and
by October his business was at an end. He
returned to California to wind up some
other affairs connected with his old bank ug
house, remained another year and came
home in 1858. Then came a little expert
ence in Kansas with his two brothers in
law, Hugh and Thomas Ewing partly as
lawyer, partly as real estate agent, and in
August, 1859, through the influence of
he was elected superintendent of the Mill
tary Academy of Louisiana and professor
OF engineering.
Sherman's description of his life in Louis
lana is interesting. He was somewhat IN
der cloud with the rulers of the State on
account of the fact that his brother, John
Sherman. was the Republican candidate for
Speaker Of the House. He took no part in
politics, and would not even vote for Bell
and Everett. Secession came rolling upon
him, the arsenal at Baton Rouge was taken
| possession of on the tenth of January, 1861,
and on the eighteenth of the same month he
resigned his position, IN a letter coin him
great credit and honor. IF Louisiana with
draw from the federal Union," he wrote to
the Governor, Il prefer to maintain my
| allegiance to the constitution az long as a
fragment of it survives. and my longer stay
here would be wrong, III every sense OF the
world. On no earthly account would l do
| any act or think any thought hostile to or
in advance Of the old government of the
United States His resignation was ac-
| cepted with the most courteous expressions
Of esteem by those whom he served.
Sherman returned to the North, and in
March visited his brother, John Sherman,
who took him to see Mr.. Lincoln. John
| walked up" he writes, ''shoOk hands and
| took a chair near Lincoln, holding in his
hand some papers referring to MINOR ap-
pointments." He turned to me and said,
Mr.. President, my brother, Colonel Sher-
man, who is just up from Louisiana. He
| NAV give you some information you want
All! Gays Mr.. Lincoln. how are they get
| ting along down there9 / said, they think
they are getting along swimmingly, they
| are preparing for war ooh, well,' said he.
Il guess We will manage to keep house l
was silenced, said no more to him, and We
soon left. l was sadly disappointed, and
remember that broke out Oh John, damn
| ing the politicians generally, saying. You
have got things in a hell of fix, and you
may get them out as you best cam adding
| that the country was sleeping on volcano
| that might burst forth any moment, but
| that was going to St. Louis to take care of
! my family, aud would have nothing more
| to do with it."
| Back went Sherman to st. Louis and
became the president of d street railway
Shnp ~, off md ,,f4.
of the position OF chief clerk Of the War
Department. which he declined. Then, as
there was some suspicion as to his loyalty,
he wrote to Secretary Cameron, saying, Il
live now, as always, prepared to serve my
| country in the capacity in which l was
trained. l did not and will not volunteer
for three months because l can not throw
my family on the cold charity of the world.
But for the three years call made by the
President an officer can prepare his COM
mand and do good SERVICE" "Should my
services be needed, the records of the War
Department will enable you to designate
the station in which l can render
the most service Thu end of it was
that in few days he was ap-
pointed Colonel of the Thirteenth regular
infantry and reported at Washington. He
had interviews with General Scott who
seemed vexed with the clamors of the press
for immediate action and 1.-The continued
interference in details of the President.
Secretary of War and Congress-" He spoke
OF organizing grand army OF invasion, of
which the regulars were to constitute 'the
iron column" and seemed to intimate that
he himself would take the field in person,
though he was at that time Every old, very
heavy and very unwieldy." Sherman took
command of bri gade, having Corceran. of
the Sixty-ninth New York, under him. We
can understand the manner in which mill
tary forces were handled when we read that
shortly before the battle of Bull Run Gen
eral Scott wrote zone of his characteristic
letters to Corcoran, telling him that we
were about to engaRe in battle and be
knew his Irish etfo, would leave him in
such a crisis"
Bull Run was fought. Sherman's COM
ment upon this battle is characteristic. 1T
is generally admitted that that was one of
the best planned battles of the war, but
one of the worst fought. Our men had
been told so often at hope that all they
had to do was to make bold appearance
and the rebels would run, and nearly all of
us for the first time then heard the sound Of
cannon and muskets in anger and saw the
bloody scenes common to battles, with
which we were soon to be familiar. We had no
organization, good men but no Co
hesion, no real discipline, no re.
spect for authority, no real knowl-
defeated, and whichever had stood fast the
other would have run. Though the North
we're overwhelmed with modification and
shame, the South really had not much to
boast of, for in the three or four hours |
fighting their organization was SO broken |
up that they did not, and could not, follow |
our army when it was known to be in a |
state of disgraceful and causeless flight. 1t |
is easy to criticise battle after it is over,
but all now admit that none others, equally |
raw in war, could have done better than |
we did at Bull Run, and the lesson of that |
battle should not be lost on people like |
ours"
Nothing was to be done but to get to
work and reOrganize the army. There is
an account of visit of Mr.. Lincoln and |
Mr.. Seward to the Union camps, Sherman
sitting by the coachman and giving direc-
tons how to drive. "As we slowly assembled
the HILL he says, 81 discovered that Mr.
Lincoln was full of feeling and wanted to
encourage our men. l asked it he intended
to speak to them, and he said he would like
to. l asked him to please discourage all
cheering and noise or any sort of confusion;
that we had had enough Of it before Bull
Run; that what we needed were thoughtful, |
hard fighting soldiers-no more hurrahng,
no more humbug. Mr.. Lincoln reached
the camp, and, standing in his carriage,
made one Of the neatest, best and most
feeling addresses that l ever heard, refer.
ring to our late disaster at Bull Run, and
the high duties that still devolved on us
and the brighter days yet to come. At one
Or two points the soldiers began to cheer |
but he promptly checked them, saying, DO
not cheer, BOYS. confess l rather like it |
Int En1opa1 CbcrD ;p1y -, l