The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-09-17
ARMY or rHE rEtNrssrE,

ARMv OF THE TEr1lKssEE.
Cen. Sherman Speaks Feelingiy upon His
Recolloctions and tho Character OF Con.
Grant.
The eighteenth annual reunion Of the So.
siety Of the Army OF the Tennessee was
held at Chicago Sept. ..
Gen. William T. Sherman. president OF
the society, was in the chair. On the stage
with him were Gen. Logan and Governors
OgleSby. Marshall, Sherman and Fletcher
In the body OF the audience were Generals
Belknap, John B. Sanborn, N. NJ. Bone,
Clinton B. Fiske, Hickenlooper, Force
and others. A business meeting
was held during the day, and a
magnificent audience assembled 1T Gen.
trail Music hall, when the set orations OF
the occasion were delivered. The exercises
were opened with prayer by Bishop Fellows,
who was followed by Gov. Richard ].
Oglesby, who delivered glowing tribute to
the deeds of the Army OF the Tennessee He
VAS followed by Gen. William T. Sherman,
who spoke as follows:
Comrades of the Army OF the Tennessee:
Again we are assembled in the goodly city
Of Chicago, pursuant to the resolution
e..
1884, ut Lake Minnetonka. This is our
eighteenth annual reunion. Though twen-
~ eventful years have transpired since the
close OF the war, I need not repeat to YOU
the trite expression that our ranks are
growing thinner, our hair whittier, and that
the eyes which look up to me, and which
once kindled and flushed at the trumpet's
sound, now seem sad, as though envying
the late Of those fine young fellows whose
gay and gallant spirits took their flights
In the glorious days, the memories
Though war makes the battle field har-
vest, yet in peace, industry invades
the most sacred premises, taking here the i'll.
nocent babe, there the gentle, loving wife,
again the youth in lusty manhood and the
king on his throne. During the last vaca-
tion death has stricken from our list of
members the very head and front, Gen. U.
): Grant, the same, who in the cold winter
OF 1861 and 1862, gathered together at
Calro, ILL.,, the fragments OF an army and
led them up the Tennessee river, the creator
and father OF the Tennessee. took his final
leave on earth on the morning OF July %,
1885, from Mount McGregor, in plain view
Of the historical battle field of Saratoga
He had finished his LIES work and had be-
queathed to the world his example.
You, however, were at the battles front,
stood by him true and loyal always, and
to his dying day he loved the members of
the Tennessee above all others by reason
OF their loyalty to him in the darkest DAYS
of his eventful life. Gen. Grant was sent to
command the district of Memphis. Gen.
Halleck himself being summoned to Wash
ington to
CAST ABOUT FOR NEW COMMANDER
for the army OF the Tennessee. He offered
the post to n most worthy quartermaster,
who had the good sense to decline, and
himself being compelled to leave, the CON-
mand at the West devolved on Gen. Grant,
not by selection, but by virtue of his SUI
perior commission. Thenceforward his
career was ever onward and upward, and
when, on the 4th day oil July, 1868, Vicksburg
surrendered to him, and the mighty Mis-
sissippi went unmatched to the sea; the whole
country arose and recognized in him the
agent who was destined to guard and lead
us to final victory and triumph. These
circumstances were all known to you at
the time, were little appreciated and were
in truth, the fires designed by Providence
to test the ability, courage and endurance
OF him on whom a whole epoch in history
was destined to hinge. He always asserted
the most perfect faith in the justice OF our
cause, and always claimed that sooner or
later it must prevail, because the interest
u
just such a republic as we had erected,
and that as by the concurrence OF
political causes the conflict had
fallen upon us, we had only to meet it like
brave men and conquer us a matter of
course. lie always claimed that We must
follow up the rebelarmies and compel them
to submit to the authority OF the national
government. lie believed in acts, not in
words; in IL war OF aggression, not OF ma
neuver, and from Belmont to Appomattox
his strategy and tactics were the same ever
straight to the mark, till armed resistance
had ceased and absolute submission to law
Jul authority was promised. TO compare
Grant with Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon
or Washington seems to me folly, for he was
not similar to any one OF them any more
than the period of time in which they ex-
listed resembled ours. Each epoch creates
it's own agents, and Gen. Grant more near
ly unprecedented the American character Of
1S61-G5 than any other living man. There
lore he will stand as the typical hero OF the
great civil in Ancric:. OF the nineteenth
century.
You must all recall that at our meeting at
Cleveland in October 1883, I reported to
you that Gen. Grant had told me that 10
had something special to say to us OF the
Army of the Tennessee in consequence OF
which you elected him the orator for the
next annual meeting at Minnetonka, in Au-
gust, 1854. He intended to come, but at
the last moment his health and physician
forbade, and we had to choose substitute.
Again was he chosen for our orator upon
this occasion, and by the record he is still
the orator. but he is now dead and must
speak to us by his substitute, Gen: John y.
sanborn, who has kindly consented to full
fl the office, and I am we'll assured that
the special matter he wish ed to reveal to us
will be fully elaborated, in his Forthcoming
memoirs.
Grant needs no monument to perpetu-
ate the memory OF his virtues. His weak.
nesses lie buried with his bones, but if one
or more monuments are to be erected to
crafty the living let them be like him,
strong, simple, durable, and in good taste;
better initiate his example, accept the sit
nation, and erect one good monument on
the banks Of the Hudson, where he now lies
buried in peace and at rest eternal.
Gen: John B. Sanborn OF St. Paul then
delivered the annual address, which was
very long and interesting.