Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-09-10
SHERMAN SPEAKS,
ATTHE REUNION or THE IRMY or
THE rENNESSEE

| lfToIn MoThluE INlNlhnI
CnICAGo, Sept 9.-The reunion exercises of
the Army OF the Tennessee are progressing
| Licely. A magnificent audience assembled at
Central Music Hall tonight when the set ora
tions of the occasion were delivered. Eyer-
cses were opened with prayer by Bsh Fal-
lows, who was followed Ly Gov. Richard j.
Oglesby, who delivered glowing tribute TO
deeds of the Army Of the Tennessee He was
followed by Gen. William 7. Sherman, who
spoke in substance a. follows:
Comrades OF the Army of the Tennessee:
This s our eighteenth annual reunion,
though twenty eventtul years have transpired
since the close of the war. need not repeat
to you that trite expression, that our ranks
are growing thinner, our hair whittier, and
that the eyes which look up to me,
ard which once kindled and flashed
at the trumpets soand. now seem
sad as though envying the fate of those fine
young fellows whose JOY and gallant spirits
took their flight in glorious days the memo
ries OF which we have come tose her to cele-
| brate. Though in war death makes the battle
field his harvest, yet in peace he nsdiousy
invsdes 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 va
cation, he has stricken from our list of
members the very head aud front-Geuersl
| U. $. Grant, the same whom in the cold
winter OF ls6l-2 gathered together at CAIRO,
| H., the fragments of an army aud let them
| up the Tennessee river, the crea or and father
| of the army Of the Tennessee, took his formal
leave of earth at eight o'clock aud eight min
utes on the morning of July 3d. 1885, from
Mount McGregor, a spur of the Alegheuies,
in plain view of the historic battlefield OF
Saratoga. He finished his lite's work and
bad bequeathed to the world his
| example. The lightnings flash carried
| the sad tidings to all parts of the civilized
| earth, and doubt whether since the begin
| ming there ever arose so spontaneous a wall
| of griet to bear testimony before high heaven
| that mankind had lost kindred spirit and
his countrymen a leader. We, his first war
| comrades, concede to the family
their superior rights, but claim the
| next place in the grand procession OF
mourners. We were with him in his day OF
adversely, as well as prosperity, and ever as
true to him as the needle to the pole. We
| shared with him the trials and tribuiatiuns
| as well rs lsbors and battles OF Fort Henry,
| Donelson, Shiloh, Coriuth luka and Vicks-
| burg, when that trsnscendant and most val
| uable OF all victories turned the universal
gaze of our bewildered countrymen to the
new star" in the west, which plainly fore
| told the man who dispeled the cloud
which "LOwered o'er our house" and was to
lead US to the triumphant victories Of 1865
| and to the stable, enduring prosperity Vf 1885
Hundreds, yea, thousands Of busy brains and
| pens are now trying TO comprehend and de-
| scribe this man who did SO much ia so short
| time, to trace the mysterious causes Of his
most wonderful career and to sc-
count for known results. They
| look to us who were his daily
| associates in that critical epoch to aid them n
their commendable work, and your preside t
| must on this occasion contribute his share
General Sherman, in speaking OF Grant at
West Point, called attention to the fact that
his real name was Ulysses Hiram Grant,
| but, through inadvertence, he was en-
tered rs L. S. Grant. The speaker
| continued: His reputation in the Fourth in
fantry, in which he served through the Mexi-
| can war and until he resigned his commission
OF captain in Oregon, July 81, 1854, was tnat
OF good willing officer, always ready for duty,
and extremely social and friendly with his
fellows, but in no sense conspicuous, brilliant
| or mani.esting the wonderful qualities after
| wards developed in him. did not
meet him after 1857 until 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 Gen. Grants attack on the enemy's
| camp at Belmont on the 7th of November
1861, soon followed by the events at Column
bus, Paducah, Henry and Donelson, all So
| simple, so direct, so comprehensive, that
their effect on my mind vas 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 fol-
lowed with persistence TO achieve ultimate
success great as were his after achievements.
shall ever rate those of Henry and Douel-
son among the best, yet by one OF hose acci-
dents, so common in var he had incurred the
d'spleasure OF his superior general, Halleck,
whom | then esteemed as the master
mind, ruling and directing the several
armies subject to his orders from hi.
headquarters in St. Louis, so that when. in
March, 1862, was permitted TO take the
field from Paducsh with Il new division.
found Gen. Grant at Fort Henry, under or
ders from Gen. Halleck To remain there and
turn over the command OF his army-then
flushed with victory, under his immediate
leadership-to Gen. G. +. Smith, his mex, in
rank. 1t 80 happened that Gen. Smith
had been adjutant and commandsp,
when Grant and were cadets At West Poin.
and be WAS universally esteemed as the model
soldier Of his day, so that General Grant ac-
tually looked up TO him as the older if not
the better, sol jier Though he WAS at that
time, the senior By commission, not one word
OF complaint came from him, only Il general
expression of regret that he had been wrong
iuily and unjustly represented to General
Halleck, and he advised me TO give 10
Gen Smith my most loyal support. Gen.
Smith conducted the expedition up the Ten
nessee river 20 Savannah East Port and
Pittsburgh anding, and gave all the orders
ana instructions up TO within few da,s of
the battle OF Shiloh, when his health. sha,-
tered by the merest accident, compel ed him
to relinquish the command again 10 G.n
Grant, who quickly resumed It where Smith
had lett on, accepted the situation, made (. W or
no changes aud fought on the ground which
had been selected by Gen. Smith, the bloody
battle OF Shiloh. During this fiercely con-
tested battle, he displayed the coolness,
personal courage, forethought and deibera-
ton, which afterwards made him famous
among men, yet was he traduced, slandered
and wronPed, not only by the press unver-
sally, but by those who were in positions of
authority over him. You, however, who
were at the battles front, stood
by him true and loyal always, and to bis
dying day he loved the Army of the Ten
nessae above all others, by reason of their
loyalty to him in the darkest days OF his
eventiul life. General Sherman then went
on to describe subsequent events OF war with
which General Grant was connected. Passing
on to the march to Corntb during Nav G,p.