The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-07-28
Men of War.
George Alfred Towsend.

Being in Gen. Sherman's ONCE al
Washington the past week. after the
exercises of the Army of the Potomac
was over-it was near midnight
Gen. Sl0cum, of Brooklyn, came in,
who has rented Sherman's residence
for his approaching congressional
term. Said Sherman, In reply to a
question from me:
"Ineed not have retired from active
service, but / thought it right and
fraternal to let Sheridan come in at
an age corresponding to mine when
1 took the generalcy, and let him
haye an equal term of the office"
Conversation ensuing, Slocum. said:
"For leading and inspiring an army
in battle, L do not suppose Sheridan
had his equal in this county-no. not
in the world. But, Sherman, / don't
believe he could have taken his maps
as you did at Atlanta when you got
ready to break loose, and plotted al
most mathematically the points you
meant to reach day after day. and the
acts you meant to do from point to
point"
Said / to Gen. Sherman: "How is
it that the Western armies can raise
SO much more money for monuments,
ETC., than the Eastern? / am told
they have now the money nearly
ready to put up an equestrian statue
of Garfield, as we'll as the one they
possess of Thomas"
"That's our army" said Sherman,
"the army of the Cumberland, l tell
you why it is, my lad: They all act
and work together, men and officers.
Their army reunions are attended by
the generals. The large fish and the
little fish swim together on occasions.
Here is good attendance of the
Army of the Potomac. but where
are their general officers-McClellan,
Franklin, Hancock, and the rest !?
The western army never stood on
ceremony, or wanted to know what
people would say.
L asked Gen. Schofield at the ban.
quet in Washington what town in
Illinois he spent his youth ia.
"Freeport," he said.
"Then you may have known the
Guiteau family" 2"
~ did. They were very respectable
people. The only one of feeble or
queer wits was this Charley, who
killed Garfield. went to school with
some of the older persons of that
family. Mrs. Scoyille was a very
sweet, interesting woman. Scoyille
came there and taught school, and
afterward married that girl. The
brother of Charles, the assassin, was
John, and he was a we'll balanced
man. The family was conspicuous
in churches and charitable bodies"
Said 1 to Gen. Schofield; "You
knew Gen. Nathaniel Lyon well ?"
"Yes, I was chief of staff at Will
sons Creek, where he was killed."
"Give me, if you will, an idea of
his character"
"Lyon would not have maintain
ed, l think, the remarkable prestige
he had obtained when he died, He
was very intense. He hated men
who differed with him on political
questions. Ii e was blood thirsty. The
administrative elements of character
were not we'll balanced in him,
though his zeal was extraordinary.
AS to bravery, he had it in excess. l
do not think the campaign he made
showed ability to plan campaigns
AS you intimate. Gen. Lyon came in
the class of John Brown and the mill
tary zealots rather than in the line
of sklllful commanders"
Resuming upon Gen. Schofeld, /
asked him about Gen. Frantz Sigel.
"Sigel had commanded an army at
one time in Europe" he said. the
Army of the German Republic Con-
federation and fought against disci-
plined troops. We conceded much
to him at the beginning. But he did
nothing whatever in Missouri to JUS
tify the extravgant reputation he had
gotten. The plans at Wilson's Creek,
where Lyon lost his life, were his
rather than Lyons and they were
not good. 1 suspect that he was
praised by his German friends in ex.
pectation of performances they be-
lieved him capable of, and of whose
fulfillment we saw nothing. After
we retreated from Springfield to Rol-
la, Sigel commanded in Lyons place
awhile, without such real warrant,
and finally Sturgis became indignant
at the assumption. and demanded
that Sigel be subordinate to him.
Sigel proposed to leave it to vote of
the officers. There's one objection
to that said Sturgis, with the
StranOth of pha arantor xyOu ,,,i0ht 40