The daily gazette., 1879-07-30
New York Word, July n. ........
A WEST POINT INCIDENT.
The EARLY Lafe Of the LAte. uA10r
General r. W Sherman.

The EARLY La1e OF the Lao AAtoxs
0enernl +. W. Sherman.
My first acquaintance with General
Sherman was made at West Point In the
summer Of 1882. We had then Just re-
ceived our appointments as cadets In the
Military Academy, he having travelled
all the way to New York on foot in Or
der to appear before the examining
board. Failing here, for some cause, he
determined to continue his steps to
Washington and lay his case before the
then President, General Andrew Jack
son, who, with his Characteristic insight
into human character, sent him at once
to the Secretary War to receive his ap-
pOintment. . .......l I4 ..s.- I
1t was my good fortune to be assigned
to the same tent with him for the .'sum-
mer encampment, "wherewe soon formed
for each other = strong and lasting at-
tachment. It did not take me long to
find he was worthy Of the distinguished
Revolutionary name he bore and that
even at this early stage Of his career be
understood well the first duty Of . SOL
dier-never to disobey orders. Toflius-
trate this point allow me to relate the
following incident:
His first tour Of guard duty was per-
formed on one of the most terrible
nights ever witnessed. A storm Of
wind and rain arose soon after nightfall
that ragged during the greater part OF the
night with unabated fury, while frequent
flashes Of lightning disclosed the old
forts and other picturesque surroundings
of the Point only to render the darkness
more appalling. Add to this frequent
peals of thunder echoing among the sur
rounding peaks as II the world were
coming to an end, and you can form
some idea Of the scene that comes up s0
vividly to my memory after the lapse OF
nearly half century. In the midst oi
this terrible war of elements II occurred
to three cadets-one of them, perhsps,
the corporal of the guard-that this
would be favorable time to test the
mettle Of the young 'pleb" from New;
port. t-
1 shall never forget Sherman's appear
ance as he entered our tent the next
morning his gun cut and SCARED In W
rious places; his clothes wet and drip
ping and covered with mud. WithOfn
(also from Newport) and myself eagerly
inquired for the cause of his plight and
were informed that three men or devils
he did not know nor care which-had
approached his post in the midst Of the
storm, covered with "white Sheets" and
endeavored to pass without giving the
countersign. One Of them, armed with
a musket and fixed bayonet, attempted
to force his way, "but, ," said he, 81 stood
my ground and would have run him
through, but for his superior skfll In
using his weapon" ti ''i 'il
As soon as this trio found that young
Sherman meant business they disappear
ed under the cover of the darkness, leav-
ing him master Of the situation, and
doubt not have kept their defeat to this
day profound secret. The incident
however, Is too good to be lost, and
, now put it on record because I am prob.
ing died early, that knows anything
mistakable promise of the brilliant ca
reer now part of our national history.
cannot close this brief reference to
my lamented friend General Sherman
without adding that he was one Of the
few men of our time whose acts were
not the result of policy, his motto
through life being "Do right If the
heavens fall" In writing to me few
years ago he said: "The best thing that
could be done for humanity would be to
erase the word policy from the English
vocabulary yes, to eradicate it from the
universal tongue"
He was man of too large q heart to
be governed by sectional prejudice
though New Englander to the manner
born, the whole country was his; like
Webster, he knew no North, no South,
no East, no West. s. n. GAINES.
Morganfield, KY.