Daily globe., 1881-06-09
SHERMAN'S MARCH
ANNUAL REUNION OF THE ARMY OF
THE POTOMAC.
Gen. Tecumseh Sherman Dons His War
Paint and Goes for the Scalp of jeff: Da-
vis.--The Latter's Criticism of the March
to the Sea Reviewed and Denounced as
Especially With Reference to the
Removal from Atlanta aha tho Burning
of Columbia.

| HARTFORD, Conn. June s.-The weathe
| cleared this forenoon in season for parad
and demonstration in honor of the veteran
soldiers Of the Army of the Potomac, and tn
| streets were crowded with people to witness
| the parade. The city is gay with decorations
| Gen. Sherman arrived early in the morning
| and at 10 O'Clock reviewed the First Regimen
of Connecticut State militia. The procession
formed at the State capitol at IL O'Clock, ant
| marched in the following order: Veteran
Soldiers and Sailors; Governor Bgelow anc
Staff; Secretary of War and Gen. Sherm an
Governor Littleield, of Rhode Island, and
Staff; Governor Hoyt, of Pennsylvania, and
Staff; Governor Plaisted, of Maine, and Staff
and other guests in carriages. Great crowds
along the line of march greeted the veterans
with cheers.
AS far as possible the corps organizations
were preserved Generals Burnside, Wright,
Franklin, Devens, and others, marched in the
ranks with the boys. The several corps asso-
Citations held meetings in the forenoon. Gen.
Miles made speech to the Second corps SO.
cfety, which met in public session at the
Opera house in the afternoon. Mayor Buckly
made the speech of welcome and the oration
and poem followed. Daniel Dougherty, of
Philadelphia, was the the orator. Secretary
of War Lincoln had a seat on the stage, the
setting of which was a military camp. After
the Grafton brief speeches were made by Gen.
Sherman, Secretary Lincoln, Gems. Burnside,
Franklin, Hawley, Sickles, Devens, Slocum and
Bigelow, of Connecticut. A business meeting
was next held and officers chosen. President,
Gen. Chas. Devens; Recording Secretary, Col.
H. e. King; Corresponding Secretary, Col.
G. H. Sharp; Treasurer, Gen. N. T. McMci
hon. A committee was appointed to manage
for general reunion of the societies of the
several armies The next meeting of the
society Will be held in Detroit.
At the grand banquet in the evening Gen.
Sherman spoke to the sentiment "The Army
and Navy" In the course of his remarks he
said: believe the present army Of the United
States in physique, in intelligence, in devotion
to duty, in patriotic sentiment and the higher
heroic qualities, compares favorably with the
same body at former periods OF our history,
and you, gentlemen of the Army of the Poto-
mac, know better than I do how valuable to
our new volunteers was the knowledge and
experience of the little regular army Of
1861, which taught you how to post your SEN
tinels and pickets, how to pitch and strike
your tents, how to cook and care for the sick
and wounded, how to organize into companies,
regiments, brigades, division and army corps,
how to skirmish and how to fight, how to
protect your bodies by light earthworks and
how to attack those of your enemies at the
least cost of life, and the five thousand and one
things In which you afterwards became pro.
ficient and which you admit can only be learned
by practice.
entertain the highest possible opinion Of
army societies like this, which resulted from
our civil war. 1t is not true that they keep
alive the animosities of that war, but on the
contrary the social amenities here practiced
are calculated to smooth wars wrinkled vis-
age and develop the kindlier phases of the hui
man character, and above all value are the
observations of the living actors here spoken
and recorded before tribunal which can sep
arate pretensions from practice, and thus pre-
serve the results of experience, which may
be of inestimable value in the next war.
Isometlmes fear our people are again be-
coming so engrossed in their pursuits of
wealth, that they are liable to forget the les
sons of our civil war; To be sure we possess
most valuable records in the newspapers of the
day, official reports not yet complete, in many
histories, biographies, memories, collections,
etc., of the principal actors, and | for one
hail the last additions to our stock of knowl-
edge in Badeau's military history of Gen.
Grant, and of Mr.. Davis "Rise and Fall of the
Southern Confederacy." These are now fair
subjects of criticism and comment, and be-
lieye that the cause of truth demands that
every witness shall record his honest opinions
of such important matters.
did not have the privilege of sharing in
the operations of the army of the Potomac,
but have been over the ground, was person
ally acquainted with nearly every army corps
and division commander, and / say publicly
and emphatically that, Dawes to the contrary
notwithstanding, l approved of Gen. Grants
movement from Washington to Richmond
by land instead of water. War is an awful
game, and demands death and destruction.
certain amount of fighting and killing had
to be done, and the banks of the Rapldan and
Lattapony were as good places for it as those
of the James or Appomattox.
As to the removal of the on-combatant pop
ulation from Atlanta, Davis says that since the
atrocious cruelties in the Netherlands in the
sixteenth century there has been nothing in
comparison with this cruelty. He had right
to publish such words in 1864, when extraor-
binary language was used to arouse the sinking
energies of his people (as he called them) but
at this late date it is simply absurd.
in that removal. Major Clare, of the con-
federate army, appointed by Gen. Hood, and
Gen. Willard Warner, of my staff, now resid-
ing in Tecumseh, Cherokee county, Alabama,
certified jointly to me this fact. Gen.
Sherman here read Major Clare's
report, and said Mr.. Davis will
hear from Gen. Warner in good time.
Gen. Sherman also read from the report of
Col. VIM. G.. LeDuc, United States quarter
master of the Twentieth corps, late commits
sioner of agriculture, showing that the num-
ber of persons sent South were 705 adults, sew.
enty- mine servants, S67 children, total 1851,
all of whom were transported by United States
troops twenty miles and not single piece of
property broken or molested.
Again Mr.. Davis records that the officers
and men sent to escort and convey them to
Rough and Ready station "robbed them of
the few articles of value they had been per-
mitted to take from their homes.' This is
simply untrue, and Mr.. Davis ought
to have known it to be SO,
for Major Glare, of the confederate
army, bore public testimony to the kindness
of the escorts, and Gen. Warner, since Senator
from Alabama, well known and universally
respected, is still livingiin Alabama, was then
and is still responsible and is far better quail
fled to testify to the facts than Davis, who
was thousand miles away. I am RESPONSE
BILE for the order of removal, and it was right
it was eminently humane to remove the non
combatant population from the theater OF
war. It produced the effect intended and
hastened the conclusion of the war-the
bloody war, which Mr.. Davis, according to
| his account, would never have terminated as
| long as he could have saved bis own life.
| AS to the burning of Columbia, he intimates
l have endeavored to escape responsibility fol
that act and refers to eXceSseS of Wallen