National Republican., 1881-11-19
HEADQUARTERS
OF THE GENERAL OF THE ARMY.
All About the Chief ONicer and His Aides-llis
Oficial Family Where the Business OF
the Army Is Transactcd-Somc
OF the Early Records.

Every reader of THE REPUBLICAN knows
that General william Tccumsoh Sherman is the
general Of the United States army aud command
ing IN. chief but comparatively few, even among
officers Of the army are familiar with the locality
in which the labor Of administering the command
Of the army is performed or Of the manner in
which Il is performed Headquarters Of the Army
is located at present in the east front Of the mag
nihcCnt pile known as the State, War, and Navy
Department Building, just TO the north Of the
main entrance, and on the right of the corridor
These quarters are only temporary, as the whole
Of the eastern front Is intended for the Navy De-
partmont and the wnr Department is only the
official guest of the Navy until the north and west
fronts and the central section are finished for the
army. As now located the four rooms next north
Of the entrance to the first floor arc occupied
MS the Headquarters Of the Army. The
room farthest to the north is occupied by
Colonels John L. Tourtcllotte and John NJ. Bacon,
the two senior aides. .dc-camp. The room Is n
large one, about twenty feet square, having two
long windows looking out on the White House
Park, with a huge mirror filling the space he.
tween. on the north side Of the room, near the
window. stands large, handsomely finished cabi.
net-dcsk, which is occupied by Colonel Tourtcl-
lottc, and the remaining space on that side is oc-
cupied by large mahogany book ease, reaching
half way to the LOFTY ceiling. On the west side
door, near the corner of the room leads to the
TluOf, nnu OllOtleT DDOk FnNt UenllN UilN lnc Tt-
manning space ON the south side stands n large
folding desk filed with nle.cnscs, at which
Colonel Bacon docs his share Of tho work. and this
8 ands just TO the right ofa door which leads TO
GENERAL snERNAS's ROOM.
This room Is larger than the one Just described,
and occupies q projection OF the cnst front, which
gives n view from the windows north toward Con-
nccticut avenue and Lafayette Square, south to the
yet unfinished Washington Monument and down
the Potomac, and east TO the White House. Gem
cral Shcrmnn's desk is on the east side between
the windows, and is topped with a rack extending
its whole width, which Is filed with wCl-worn
books which tell the story Of frequent use These
are the reference books most often usCd-the Army
Register Army Regulations Military Dictionaries
Digest of Military Laws, &c, while close at the
left isl revolving rack filed with more such
books. At the right OF the desk is q
small stand bearing q case containing note
and letter paper and envelopes, official and
unofficial and beside this a row of chairs for visit
ors, of whom the famous occupant Of the room
receives by no means n few, outside Of official
ones, and chairs are also ranged along the west
side of the room. On the north side Is
an open fre.placc, having very handsome
mantelpiece of gray marbles, which fills the space
between the door and window. The west side has
anotherlargc book against the wall,and thence
door leads out past the elevator lift shaft 10 the
main corridor. on the south side stands huge
ease, which must have been built where 1t stands
from its size, which has chest ofshallow drawers
ofgrcat length and width, which tell at once that
they hold maps and charts laid away in full size.
This case fills the space from the window to an
other door that leads south TO
THE THIRD ROOM
where the other four aides de camp that compose
the official family of the General of the Army are
located. The room is about twenty feet wide and
-. a. -
side by three long windows reaching to the floor,
opening out ON a pillared balcony Close by the
door leading to General shermans room Is the
plain high-topped desk Of General Orlando NJ.
Poe. In the centre OF the room are two large
hat-topped office desks, the one the north side
occupied by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, and the
other by General John c. Tidball. Colonel AL
bert p Morrow's desk is on the east side between
two windows Two doors open out into the cor
ridor on the west side and the space between is
filed by another of the large mahogany book
eases. The north side of the room is devoid of
furniture except a small iron safe, while on the
south side another book case extends along the
wall TO the southeast corner, where another door
leads to the
FOURTH ROOM,
where the clerical labor is performed and the
records kept. This room Is smaller than either Of
the others and fanks the main entrance to the
building, being situated in the principal proec.
ton of the cast front. on the west side Is a very
large book case, and u door leading to the cor
ridor; the south side has a closet built into the
thick wall, and In this corner is the telephone
which connects with one in General Sherman's
residence and the other military Offices the rest
ofthis side being filled almost to the ceiling with
huge case containing records. East two win.
dows look out on the columned portico, the space
between being filed by another book. case and or
the north side is a window 10 the floor which
opens on the balcony In front OF the aides room
In the center Hre grouped three desks, occupied
by the Chief Clerk, Henry Astel, and his assist
ants Marshall NJ. Ia Tame and Clark c. Ellis.
THE RECORDS
ofthe Headquarters Oft the Army, from the day OF
which Brevet Lieutenant General Winfield Scot
assumed command, June %, 1884, are stored in tn,
huge along the west and south walls anC
comprise many very bulky volumes.
PICTURES
are hung thickly on the walls of the various room
in the space not occupied by the cases. Along tn
cornice in each room is fixed line of handsome
brass picture rods and all pictures are hung from
these; no ds6guring, out-of-datc picture nails de
facing the walls In the room first described ham
finely-eXecuteti oil portraits of the late Genera
James B. Mcpherson. the trusty lieutenant tina
General Sherman loved so well, and who fel
on that desperate 22d of July before Atlanta
General George G. Meade, General Frank =
senator from Illinois, and President
Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor, bot
generals in the army, and the heroes re
spcctively Of the war of 1912 and Of Mexico. j
General Shermans room are half q dozen gran
paintings, representing frontier scenery and til
great buffalo ranges. In the Chief Clerks roOr
are two fine portraits--one of General Jackson !
his uniform as n major general and the other
General william Worth (who was n colonel in III
army and a general officer In Mexico) also In hi
general officers uniform. In the room occupie
by General Poe and other adcs Is hung a collec
ton Of engrayings, which are portraits OF ever
officer
WHO HAS COMMANDED THE ARMY
OF the United States, save one, Major Doughty
who was captain Of the one foot company OF artil
lery which Mt one time--back in the ninetics-
composed the entire armed land force OF the Unite
sates The portraits were collected by the lat
Colonel Joseph C. Audenred, aide. de camp VIII
died Mt his residence In this city June g. 1880 VIII
studied and cOrresponded for several years belor
he was successful in obtaining those now In tll
collection. Each portrait has ON II an origin,
autograph signature Of the officer represented
The portraits comprise the following officers, VIII
commanded In the order named: Wash
ingtOn Josiah Harmer Doughty, Arhu
81. Clair Anthony Wayne. James WilkiI
son washington AGAIN., Alexander Hamilton
(Wilkinson again. Jacob Brown, Alexander Ma
CuhlDi Nlhneiu oCotl, SeoTBe d. McNlellnl, Henr
W. llalleck, Ulysses S. Grant, and William T. Shel
man. Major Doughty succeeded Brcvet Brigadel
General Hammer lieutenant colonel) and RENAME
in command several Tsonths. Alexander Hami
ton was major.general when Washington die
az lieutenant. general and general chief, Dc
cember 4, 1879, aud was the senior officer of III
army. 1t was only recently that IL became know
as the result Of Colonel Audenried's studies an
research that HamiltoAsdid exercise commun,
but few orders and memoranda were discovers
and the portrait was added II Is general
believed that the full rank OF lieuteI