The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-09-10
ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE.
Annual Meeting of the Society in
Chicago.
Gen. Sherman's EuIogy on General
Grant.

ntfiapTc mo o1Narc nf 4hn
esat ~ sr,u W. ~ ~ se
y Pfo2ono' uon, w ILL., l. ouerniaii, pleSiuollo
the STAGE With him Tyera re-. Ge1 I,ooan and
| Cows. Marshall Oglesby Sherman and
| Fletcher while in the bodv of the audience
| were Generals Belknan. iohn r. Sanborn
i M NJ Rona 9,I;n+n,, y E;I riibomino,eaI.
Force and otbaru Tha ~ ioho a,,oiad
| TOUR members had died during the year, VIZ !:
| Gen. Y. ). Grant, Col. ID. n Wesley, Capt
| Jno. E. Jones and Major Josiah Barber. A
/ committee was appointed to draft apprOpri-
/ ATE resolutions in view, Of tba daatb III Cen
G,son+ and he 1,-;d vi Nv - ui 'aI ItJ oI9 s,,bs+i
Iute memeeT OF the society, as were also she
| WIDOWS OF gems. crafts, Wright and MAJOR
| Joseph Barber. After the appointment sOf
committees to select officers and place sOf
| meeting for newt vear an adianrnmpnt ySaS
| taken Until 10 tomorrow " 4 Amsan;fcant an.
Sahel ultll ~ IolioIIQw. u l a rIIi a4
| uIeHce dsSGIlpleu at the 0entral Music tl nalI
tonight. Inc exercises were opened with
| prayer by Blshop FalloWs, who was fol-
| glowing tribute to The deeds of the Army Of
| the Tennessee. He was followed by Cen
| VIM. T. Sherman. who among other things
| said. 'n' "i'0 ''iioe o''ioi '''iis'
Sal"'
During our last vacation death has stricken
Gen. U. S. Grant-the same who in the cold win
ter OF l861-62 gathered together at Cairo, Ill tine
fragments OF the army and led them up the Ten
| nesSee river. He was the creator and father of
| the Army OF the Tennessee and we, his first war
comrades concede to his family their superior
sion OF mourners. We were with lhm in his days of
adversely as well as prosperity and were as true to
| him asthe needle to the pole, We shared with him
trials and tr1bulat1onS as well as abors and bat
ties OF Henry, DonelsOn, Shiloh Cornth and Vicks-
burg when their transcendant and most valuable
of all victors turned the universal gaze of our be-
| wlldered c0untrymen to the New Starr in the
| West which plainly foretold the man who had dis
peHed Ine cloud which lowered o'er our house and
was to lead us to the triumphant victories of 1866
andto the stable and enduring prosperity of 1885.
Huhareds, yea, thousands, OF BUSY brains and
this man who did so much in SO short time; to
trace the mysterious causes OF ms most wonder
~ NJ career ana TO account for the known results.
Ihey LOOK 70 US VINO were ms daily associates in
that crltlcal epoeh to aid them IN their commend
abe WORE a4d as your you president must on this
ocIasion Ia AZ. @ eao NY @ snafe. a.
umtea States Mlntary Academy at West Point
posltlon oI ,3A. e3xaltatlon never reached since,
tilousil ISdsondDly SucceSSIul IN iife,-and there
appeared on the walls OF the hall In the old north
DarracK llst OF new CADETS, among which was
Stafes ofa ant, a croMn 1f read Limited
Srrant 9r ana Sain y Grani ne Is To-Day IN the tra-
dtlons OF the Old 4th United States Infantry. 1t
afterwards transpired his name was actually
ulysses Hiram Grant, ana mistake had been
made by Gen. Horner. the member of Congress
who nominated him as a cadet from his
district Cadet Grant tried to correct
tnls mistake at the beginning and end
OF ms cadet life, but without success,
ana to history his name must ever be u S. Grant.
remember ms personal appearance at the time
But the gulf OF separation between a first-class
lHall dllu ploD dt VtSb Ulilb Was anu Is SLlll
deeper ana WIDER than that between the General
in-Chef and private in the army, so that hard
~ noticed hlm HIS reputation in the fourth in
tantry, In which he served through the Mexican
war ana until ne resigned his commission of Cap
TAIN in Oregon, July 81, 1854, was that of good
and faithful officer, always ready for duty, ex-
tfemely social ana friendly with his fellows, but
III no sense conspicuous, brilliant or manifeSting
tne wonderful qualities afterwards developed in
mm
recall g an Instance when met him in St Louis
III 1897, wnen he was farmer In the country, and
Is. | saw W him there at service The only impression
left on my memory Is tnat then concluded that
west Point and the regular army were not good
schools for farmers, bankers, merchants and me-
chanlcs: did not meet him again till the civil
war had broken out, and when chaos seemed let
loose ana the gates OF hell were wide open in eV
cry drecuon; Inen came the news OF Gen.
Grants attack on the enemyS camp at Belmont,
on the 7th OF November, 1861, soon followed by
the events Of Columbus Paducah, Henry and
Donelson. All so simple so direct so cOmprehen-
Slble, that their effect on my mind was magical.
They raised the dark curtain which before had
almost hidden out all hope for the future, and dis
played a policy and course of action necessary
only to be followed with persistence to achieve u-
innate success.
Great as were his after ones / shall ever rate
those of Henry and Donelson among the best
yet; BY one OF those accidents so common in war
Ge nara aa ered tne dspeSsre tsn OF MS superior
ter mnd ruling and directing the several armies
subject to his orders from his headquarters in st.
81. Louis. so that when IN March, 1862, was
permltted 10 lake the neld from Paducah with
new DIVISION found Gen. Grant at Fort Henry,
under nd r @ orders IRON ne Cen Maeck * to remain there
flushed with victory to Gen. G. F. Smith, his next
in rank. 1t so happened that Gen. Smith had been
adjutant and commandant when Grant and were
cadets at West Point and he was universally es-
teemed as q model soldier OF his day. He had al
also acquired large fame in the Utah expedition
and in the recent capture of Fort Donelson, so
that Gen. Grant actually looked up to himas to an
older if not better soldier, and though he was at
that time the senior by commission, not one word
of complaint came from him only general
expression OF regret that he had been
wrongly and uniustly represented tolGen. Halleck
loyal support. Gen. Smith conducted the expedi-
tion up the Tennessee river to Savannah and Pitts
burg Landing gave all orders and instructions up
to within few days of the battle ofsShoh when
his health. shattered by the merest accident com
PEELED him to relinquish the command again to
Grant, who quietly resumed it where Smith had
left off-"accepted the stuation'-made few OF
no changes and fought on the ground which had
been selected by Gen. Smith the bloody battle of
Shiloh. During this fercely contested battle lie
displayed the personal courage, forethought and
dellberatlon which afterwards made him famous
among men. He was slandered and wronged not
only by the press universally, but by those who
were IN the position OF authority over him. Yoa
however. who were at the battles front stood by
him true and loyal always. and to his dying day
| he loved the Army of the Tennessee above all oth
| ers by reason OF their loyalty to him in these
| darkest days OF his eyentful llfe
Nor was the end yet After this great battle,
| three armies were assembled on that bloody field
came in person from St. Louis with deelared
purpose to assume bold offensive, and these
armies were reorganlZed. BuePS army became
the centre, Pope's the left and Grants was
| broken up. One part under Gen. Geo. H. Thomas
| was styled the right" while the other under
| Gen. McClernand composed the "reserveu Gen
Grant was absolutely left out in the cold and all
| moved forth TO Corlnth, consuming the whole
| month OF May, and during Ethat month bega the
great personal friendship between us which lasted
| Till the end. Not one word OF complaint came
from him. no criticism on the acts Of his superiors
| or the government. Yet the trembling eyelid The
| silent tear and averted head told that his big
| heart was troubled. He knew that every officer
| that had followed him with such noble courage
and simple faith at Belmont, Henry, Donelson and
Shiloh felt for him, respected him, and understood
the load OF neglect II not OF positive insult, that
| he was carrying. He knew and felt he was in the
| way of the commanding General with no real
| authority no command, no positive right to order
| or even advise his former SubordinateS. But am
| sure he knew he was ever welcome to our bivouae
| and that we understood and appreciated him.
Then occurred the mostqueStonable strategic"
| OF the whole war: That magnificent army Of
| nearly 100000 of the best men on this continent
| who could if united have marched to Vicksburg or
| to Mobile was deliberately scattered. Gen. BueI
| with the army Of the Cumberland which Thomas
| mad reloined was sent eastward towards Chatta-
| nooga and the others were ddefensively
| from Passport TO Memphis Gen. Grant was
Seht 70 the c0mnana Oh the district OF Memphis
ana zen; Haileck himse1 being summoned TO
! Wasnngth cast ABOUT for new commander for
| tne army OF the tennessee. He offered the post
| to most worthy quartermaster who had the
| good sense to decline and himself being compelled
| 70 Ieave ms command at the west deyolved on
Sen 9lat, moI oy selecEon 1ut Dy virtue OF ms