The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1885-08-12
MEMORIAL SERVICES
Appropriate Cerem on1es by the Veterans
And Citizens in Honor OF the Old
Commander.

And C1tIZenS IN dOnJE III JIG 0AA
Commander.
| Saturday last was one of the most re-
markable days ever known in Fort Ben
ton, when every business place in the
city closed its doors in respect to the mem
ory of the great soldier who was buried
that day. The memo rial services at the
court house were most impressive. At 10
O'Clock the first gun was fired and at the
same time the bells on the school house
and Catholic church commenced tolling.
The veterans of the war met at the place
designated and promptly at 10: 80 O'Clock
marched, twenty-one strong, under the
command of Col. Donnelly TO the court
house where large concourse OF sorrow
ing people had gathered. The room was
appropriately draped, a large portrai1 Of
the dead general being over the stand sur
mounted by grand army badge; stand
of muskets were also on the platform.
Col. Donnelly as master ofceremones stat
ed briefly the objects of the gathering
The Rev. Jacob Mills then opened the
services with prayer. Judge Tattan was
then introduced and made the following
remarks:
JUDGE TATTAN's GRAFTON.
Mr.. Chairman, ladies and gentleman
We meet here to-day to express our grief
upon the loss of al illustrious citizen of
this nation, and to join with veterans of
the civil war-soldiers who wore the blue
and soldiers who wore the grey-in paying
a humble, yet sincere tribute TO the mem
of great soldier, Ulysses S. Grant.
After suffering for many months from
a weary and terrible malady-whose shad-
ow was perceptible to the world, and
which brought forth responses of sympa-
thy from every cline, and drew express
tons of regret and devotion from all sec
tons of our country, north as well as south
the great captain who led vast armies
to battle, and who won laurels upon fields
Of blood, died painlessly and peacefully,
in the retirement of q cottage at Mount
McGregor, surrounded by those he loved
best.
The life and career of General Grant is
peculiarly and typically American: The
history of the world does not contain any
thing similar. At the outbreak of the war
an ordinary citizen, unknown, as it is re-
corded, to any person of public promi-
u. 1s r+n %n s.1
the period of a quarter of a century he
died, one of the greatest-in some respects
the greatest parsonage OF the past centu-
rY-one, the announcement of whose
death caused the people of the civilized
world to hush their private griefs and
Join in the mournin gs for the dead pa
triot.
Others, more able and capable than I
am. will recall to you the military achieve
ments Of General Grant. Let it suffice for
me to say that he was great in war. From
the battle of Belmont to his final victory
at Appomattox, whether as subordinate
and when as ehieftain, he bore himself
with grim, dogged determination which,
after Shiloh's bloody field, even, was sug-
gestive and indicative of eventual sue
cess. It is true that he erred, and that
military critics found fault with his man
euvers and want Of strategic conception
and display, yet he needed not the criti-
cism of military experts nor permitted the
undeserYed censure of his superiors to
thwart his purpose or crush his spirit, but
using military strategy, as he himself
AYERS, to enable him ito get just as close
to the enemy as practicable with as little
loss as possible he persistantly fought
his way to success.
AS Il commander Grant was great. He
reposed abundant, at times, implicit con-
fidence in his lieutenants; he gave them
the full need of praise, not detracting
from their well earned honors to arrogate
to himself the glory of yictory-when
victory perched upon the banners of his
army-yet always assuming the full re-
sponsibility for mishaps and dangers of
defeat. What, within the range Fof our
reading, is 80 modest as the simple Ian
guage used by him few years after the
war: ssThat which I accomplished
which was able to accomplish owe to
the assistance Of able lieutenants.
But it was as conqueror that Grant
was truly great. Scan the pages of histo-
- 70 reroo+ vxyarc ,.s car1f,erios a,,d xvo,, x.,i1