The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-03
GENERAL W. I. SHERMAN.
"reminiscences of the Early Life of
the General of the Army.
How Tie Came by His Name, and why He
Was Brought Up by MIR. Ewing
His Opinion of JEFF Davis.
Cath, in San rranciseo Chronicle.

IL o'clock, and seeing light in the base
ment, a connection of the General said to
me, Let us go in and have a few words
with the Old Chief" Entering hall we
were soon before Sherman, who had just
come back from the theater and was writing
private letters, according to his wont at
night. He had dry cigar and wore an old
blouse, and wheeled around, saying "Hello"
at once Said L:
General, have just been up in that part
OF the Miami valley and in the Wabash val
ley where Tecunlseh, for whom you are
named figured"
Yes, was named for Tecumseh," said
General Sherman; my father always had an
admiration for some comprehensive Indians
men native to the country where mis- chill
dren were born. and recumseh was perhaps
the most celebrated of them all. His pre-
precursor, Pontiac, had passed away before
any large number of Americans were settled
in the West. Tccumseh's idea of uniting all
the Indians. without regard to their past dis
putes or wars. to hold their common country
against the Anglo-Saxon made him seem
TO my father l suppose a patriot and
a Union man. So he had thought of
naming previous children Tecumseh but the
thing being deferred the name fell on me.
Tecumseh had been dead when 1 was born
about six or seven years"
General Sherman" said /, twas your ia
Their the first settler of his name III Ohio?"
"My fathers father went out there first"
said the General, Ito locate the Connecticut
fire lands, so called because the British had
burned, during the revolution, Fairfield and
Norwalk, in Connecticut and some compen-
sation was to be made in bounty lands be-
tween Cleveland and Toledo. Ny grand
father and my father, too, came from Fair
field. My father was an early member of
the bar in Ohio and settled at Lancaster,
which was one of the few conspicuous towns
in early Ohio for legal influence, some other
places being Circleville Marietta and Chilli
Gothic"
How came you to be taken and raised by
Thomas Ewing ST."
at was because my father left large fam
lily and very slender income. l think my
mothers income to support eleven children
was about 5000 year. Small as that was
she might manage TO live upon it in the
prices of those times. but it would be too
hard pinchiug. Mr. Ewing was a man of
much more ability than my father Ny
father had fair capacity, but Mr. Ewing was
really great man-one of the ablest men
the West has ever produced. He had been
friend OF my father, who, perhaps threw
some cases to him when he was fresh at the
bar and nobody could help perceving the
native strength of the man. Mr. Ewing came
over TO see my mother, and said: 1 will
take one of these bows and bring him up as
my own My mother was rather averse to
it, She wanted to keep all her children
around her. But it was thought by some
others that she would be unjust perhaps, to
her boy, whoever he might be, not to give
him the chance of such a rearing. l be-
lieve.' said General Sherman, that Ewing
wanted to take two other bays-ttat is, ne
picked out one of two Others, but'-here
the General began to laugh-'they told him
/ was the smartest boy. So he took me-
though guess 1 was not his first choice"
Was he man, General, who blended
with the children much?"
No; he was a just man. What he wanted
in this world was justice He was very
much pre-occupied, and had to work and
think without much intermission. So he
did not have time to observe what we were
about and pay us much attention. But he
treated me Just exactly as he did his own, no
better, no worse. There were times when
he would drop his work and come in socially
among the family, and then he was de.
lightful character He could tell stories of
frontier life that he had lived very agreeably
You see he had made himself; had been born
in West Virginia of New Jersey revolu-
tionary family. His father was an officer
He had worked at the salt wells on the Ka-
nawha, had been hunter, farmers boy, and
had mastered the law through obstacles that
were only overcome by his abundant health
and magnificent will ard BRAIN"
HARRISON AND JACKSON
"Did you ever see General Harrison, Cen
eral Sherman"
"You mean President Harrison? Yes; 1
have seen him. He was tall thin man,
who had been in his youth considerable of
a soldier and public man, but at the time
they ran him for president he was more
name for other men to use, and among
those men was Mr.. Ewing, who became his
Secretary of the Treasury. Harrison did not
reach the presidential dignity while his
faculties were the brightest, and l think he
was hardly the man to seize from original
observation the great views of statesman
ship, though he was patriotic. He was to
some extent a rival of General Jackson, and
Jackson's strong physical nature and Irish
will rather made him the more commanding
figure
Did you ever see General Jackson Gen
eral Sherman"
Il did. When l first came to Washington
City as boy l went up to sort of paling
and hedge in the rear of the White House
and peeped through, with n good deal OF awe,
to see General Jackson taking his walk, with
staff in his hand, in the grounds. and | can
recall yet his very lean, slender figure, bony
chest and long face and big broad brinmed
hat, as he walked up and down"
You consider General Jackson a man of
military ability, 1 SUPPOSE"
"Oh, yes, undoubtedly, said General sher-
man. He seized on the military art with
the quickness and versatility Of a positive
man to whom was presented immediate
problems, first in savage warfare and next in
regular warfare. He imbued with his de-
termination everything and everybody"
JEFF DAVIS.
/ viii now return to the little chat we were
holding and which | nave no business, per-
haps, to be telling here, since General Sher-
man was merely bounced upon in the mid
die Of the night and started up. Said l,
General sherman, did you ever come in con-
tact with JEFF Davis?'
"Yes; have seen him. / saw Davis after
the close Of the war, when he came to a
DlaCe-the General mentioned it-whare |