The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-02-20
Cen. Sherman as a YOUNG o..

OSuceF.
General W I. Sherman is nov .
white haired veteran Of sixty four vo.,.
living in honorable retirement i s.
Louis. But he was young man one.
In the Memoirs, just published, Of Gas
E. d. Reyes, we have one or two nle..
ng glimpses of Gen. Sherman wbar !.
was a young officer fresh from We,
Point, posted with his company pas,
the southern end of Florida, ficbtino d,
great chief Osceola and his unconou.,.
able Seminoles. Lieut.. Reyes, a pet Il
Gen. Scott, and a Washington dina,.
out OF the most approved army pattern.
found Florida a rude experience afs.,
the luxurious life of the capital. On
his way down the coast from ST. Anons.
tine, his steamer touched to deliver ann.
plies for the fort at which Lieut.. sha,.
man was stationed, which was several
miles away in the interior. Sherman
came down to the landing, bringing
with him two fat turtles and some tipa
oysters as a present to the captain.
Gen. Reyes description of him as b.
was forty-three years ago shows us iusi
such young mar IS his present friend,
would naturally expect. Few men
have changed less in the time.
II had not met Sherman before.s
writes the general, though we belonged
to the same regiment. At that time hs
was thin and spare, but healthy, cheer.
full, loquaoious, active and commun.
icative to an extraordinary degree. He
gave me a good idea of the country, and
described the difficulties of campaigning
in the swamps and juugles, where the
Seminole Indians had so long evaded
pursuit. / passed on and was soon en-.
abled to verify all he had told me. y
Gen. Sherman is still, thanks to .
happy temperament, cheerful, healthy,
and, perhaps, at times, just a little
~'loquaciots," though never too much
so for the pleasure of his friends.
A year or two after, the two %lieuten.
ants met in South Carolina, where pari
Of their regiment was posted. Gen.
Reyes describes his comrade again al
ambitious without asperity, surprising.
ly active, and always attentive to duty
I'm one particular" he remarks, Gen.
Sherman has changed, AS a lieuten-
ant he was plain and brief in speech;
but as a general he is fluent, expansive
and ornate, his discourse ranging over
the whole field of human thought
Gen. Reyes tells a story in point.
II had an ill-favored yellow pup
named Carlo that would follow me ii
the parade-ground from where | lived
Wishing one day to be rid of the beast
I called my company clerk and said
Waterbury, conduct this q~uadruped
to my dwelling
Sherman thought my style too pom.
pous. / asked him what he would have
said. He replied
81 would have said, Waterbury
take this dog down to my house"
decidedly prefer Lieut.. Sherman's
formula.
Gen. Reyes has another story Of his
brother-in-arms, In which Sherman
does not figure rs conqueror. In Capt
Keyes' company-Keyes had been pro-
noted one grade-there was q cross
grained, crooked soldier named Hill,
who had long bafled all efforts to make
him stand straight on parade. HIS ugly
head would protrude six or eight inches
beyond the line.
aSherman," relates Gen. Reyes,
questioned my skill as . drill-master
and one day / asked him to drill my
company and try his hand on the
scalawag. He consented, and ! went
out to look on. Hills visage wore an
unusually perverse aspect that morning
and / was encouraged.
Sherman began upon him at once
with reproofs and adjurations, t when
the man paid no heed. AT last, his
patience being exhausted, Sherman
with angry haste proceeded to the real
of the company. and having first VIII
a tremendous thrust sunk his sword u
the sand nearly to the hilt, he tooi
hold of Hills shoulders with his knes
against his back, and tried his utmos
to rectify the individual lii question.
Hills strength was enormous, ano
instead Of yielding he strove IN . con
trary direction, and gained two inches
in crookedness, which he retained til
the drill was ended. Sherman's fac
acknowledged defeat. / wa calm"
Hill evidently had a back-E5ne