The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-10
THE VETERANS IN COUNCIL.
Eighteenth Annual Meetingof the Army
of the Tennessee at Chicago.
General Sherman Pays an Eloquent and Loyal
Tribute to the Memory of His Old Com
mander-His Trials and Triumph.

reunion of the Society of the Army of the
Tennessee began here day. A business meet
ing occurred this forenoon, when about 200
officers, members of the order, were present.
Gen. VIM. L. Sherman, president of the society,
was in the chair. On the stage with him were
General Logan and Governors Oglesby. Mar
SHALL Sherman and Fletcher In the body of the
audience were Generals Belknap, John b. San
born, NJ. NJ, Bone Clinton B. Fiske A j.
Hickenlooper, M. F. Force and others
The secretary reported that four members
had died during the year. viz:
Gen. U. s. Grant. Col. D. N. WEIGH,
Capt John E. Jones and Mai. Josiah
Barber. A resolution was adopted authorizing
the secretary to sell copies of the printed reports
of the society, comprised in four volumes, to
public libraries and other persons applying
through members of the society. A committee
of five was appointed to draft appropriate reso-
lutions in view of the death of General Grant,
and his widow was elected a substitute member
of the society. The widows of General Crafts
J. Wright and Maj. Josiah Barber were also
elected substitute members.
After the appointment of committees to
select officers and place for meeting next year,
the session adjourned until 10 o'clock tomorrow.
magnificent audience assembled at Central
Music Hall to night, when the orations of the
occasion were delivered Governor Oglesby
delivered a glowing tribute to the deeds of the
Army of the Tennessee. He was followed by
Gen. W. L. Sherman, who spoke as follows:
GENERAL sHERMAN's SPEECH
Comrades of the Army of the Tennessee
Again are we assembled in this goodly city of
Chicago pursuant to the resolution made at our
last annual reunion of Aug. Is, 1884, at Lake Min
netonka. This is our eighteenth annual reupion,
though twenty eventful years have transpired
since the close of the war. / need not repeat to
you the tr:te expression that our ranks are
growing thinner our hair whittier. and that the
eyes which look up to me. and which once
kindled and flashed at the trumpets sound now
seem sad, as though envying the fate of those
line young fellows whose gay and gallant spirits
took their fight in the glorious days the memo
RES OF which we have come together to ceIe
brate. Though in war, death makes the
battlefield his harvest, yet in peace he
insidiously invades the most sacred premises,
taking here the innocent babe, there the gentle,
loving wife, again the youth in lusty manhood,
and the king on his throne During our last
vacation he has stricken from our list Of mem
bers the very head and front-Gen. Ulysses S.
Grant, the same whom in the cold winter of
1862. gathered together at Cairo ILL.,, the frag
ments OF n an army, and led them
ator and father of the Army of
the Tennessee took his final leave of earth at s
o'clock and minutes, on tho morning of July
%, 1885, from Mt. McGregor, a spur of the Allie
ghenies, in plain view of the historic battlefield
of Saratoga. He had finished his life's work
and had bequeathed to the world his example.
The lightnings flash carried the sad tidings to
all parts Of the civilized earth, and l doubt
whether, since the beginning there ever
arose so spontaneous wall Of
pria RI test haay hot
mankind had lost a kindred spirit and his coun-
trymen a leader. We, his first war comrades,
conceded to the family their superior rights, but
claim the next place in the grand procession Of
mourners. We were with him in his days of
adversely as we'll as prosperity, and were as
true to him as the needle to the pole We shared
with him the trials and tribulations as we'll as
labors and battles of Henry, Donelson, Shiloh.
Corinth, 1uka and Vicksburg, where that
transcendent and most valuable of ell victories
turned the universal gaze of our bewidered
countrymen to the new star IN the West. which
plainly foretold the man who had dispelled the
cloud which lowered over our house ard was to
lead us to the triumphant victories of 1866, and
to the stable, enduring prosperity of 1886
Hundreds yea thousands, of busy brains and
pens are now trying to comprehend and
describe this man, who did so much
in so short a time to trace the
mysterious causes Of his most wonderful career
and to account for known results they look to
US who were his daily associates in that critical
epoch to aiG them in their commendable work
and as your president, must on this occasion con-
tribute share In the year 1889 was first
class man in the United States Military Acad-
envy at West Point, a position of exaltation
never reached since, though reasonably success
full in life, and there appeared on the
walls of the hall in ''old north
barrack'a list of new cadets among which was ~.
S. Grant" A crowd of lookers-on read United
States Grant," Uncle Sam Grant Sam
Grant" and Sam Grant he is to-day in the ira
ditions of the old Fourth United States Infantry
It afterwards transpired that his name was actu-
ally Ulysses Hiram Grant, and the mistake had
been made by General Hamer, the member of
Congress who nominated him as the cadet from
his district Cadet Grant tried to correct this
mistake at the beginning and end of his cadet
life without success and to history his name
must ever be u. S. Grant. I remember his per
sonal appearance at the time but the gulf of
separation between IA first-class man and pleba
at West Point was, and still IS, deeper and wider
than that between the generalin-chief and a
private soldier in the army, so that hardly no.
ticed him. His reputation i'll the Fourth In
fantry, in which he served through the Mexican
war; and until he resigned his commission as
of good, willing officer, always ready for duty.
extremely social and friendly with his fellows,
but in no sense conspicuous. brilliant Or mani
Testing the wonderful qualities afterwards de-
veioped in him. / recall an instance when met
him i'll St Louis, in 1857, when he was farmer
in the country, and TOO was out of the military
service The only impression left on my
memory is that | then concluded
that West Point and the regular
army were not good schools for farmers bankers,
merchants and mechanics. ] did not meet him
again till the civil war had broken out, when
chaos seemed let loose, and the gates of hell
wide open in every direction. Then came the
news of General Grants attack on the enemy's
camp at Belmont. on the 7th of November, 1861,
soon followed by the events at Columbus,
Paducah Henry and Donelson all so simple so
direct, SO comprehensive that their effect
my mind was magical. They raised the
dark curtain which before had almost
hidden out all hope for the future. and displayed
the policy and course of action necessary only to
be followed with persistence to achieve ultimate
success Great were his after achievements shall
ever rate those of Henry and Donelson among
the BEST yet by one of those accidents go com
mon in war he had incurred the displeasure of
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