The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-08-08
THE CLOSING CEREMONIES.
Beautiful and Impressive Services al
the Tomb.

the Tomb.
Amid bugle calls and the rapid shouting of
ORDERS the rattle of musketry. the roll of
drums, the prancing of horses, immense bod
unns, long rows of bayonets glistening like
streals of FURNISHED silver, the boom and
smoke of cannon rising from the river, great
display of uniformed soldiery was soon
massed around the tomb. It was
never forget. The various regiments and
bands, moving here and hating there, formed
! a kaleidoscope of the most brilliant colors
The Seventh regiment skirted the bluff
facing the tomb, and the Twenty second con-
tinued in an even line beyond them. The
marines fringed the drive and crept up the
filled up bend in the plain to the
right. The regular infantry got behind
the trees on the highest point Of land in the
park, where there is some talk of putting the
permanent tomb. The veterans filed in va
cant places as close as they could conveniently
distinguished civilians and mournerS. Cen
eral Shaer and his staff, General Hancock's
aides, and numerous others on horseback drew
up within easy hearing of the vault and adj
ded by their soldierly bearing to the magni6-
cent spectacle
Meanwhile the catafalque bad come to a
halt close by the tomb, and the most promi-
nent men in the country were getting out Of
carriages to bid great hero farewell Drs.
Douglas, Snrady and Sands stood within
twenty feet of the bier of him over whom
they had watched so many anxious hours
The Rev. Dr. Newman and the little group of
clergymen OF various ceeeds who had been
invited to participate by their presence
waited, with uncovered heads, close at hand
President Cleveland and the members of his
ca binet, ex-Presidents and ex-cabinet officers,
distinguished generals, judges and diplo-
Of IF IT.
ments, and mayors of great cities, were all
dividing off into groups and drawing closer
and closer around the tomb.
Soon after the black horses somewhat dusty
from their long journey came to halt some
members of the U. S. Grant Post assembled
the cloth covered steps to the top of the cata-
falque and reverently lifted down the purple
coffin, while the immense crowd looked
silently on with heads uncovered. A path
was voluntarily opened through the groups
Immediately surrounding the vault, while
the pail bearers stood reverently around the
red cedar casket in this order:
General William T. Sherman, United
States army.
Lieut.. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, United
States Army.
Admiral David D. Porter, United States
Navy.
Vice Admiral Stephen c. Rowan, United
States Navy.
| Gen Joseph E. Johnston, of Virginia
| Gen. Simon B. Buckner, of Kentucky.
Joseph W. Drexel, of New York.
George S. Boutwell,, of Massachusetts,.
George W. Childs, of Pennsylvania.
John A. Logan, of Illinois.
George Jones, of New York.
Oliver Hoyt of New York.
| There was hardly sound, except the roll
of drums in The distance aud the tread Of APP
preaching troops, while the coffin was lowered
| into the case and the undertaken screwed on
/ %}o1 f|,o foI- 1a,x f1,ot
! the dead generals grandchild Julia and Dr.
Douglas little dau5 hter made in the woods at
| Mount McGregor was placed upon it. This
wreath with others put on afterward by the
Meade Post. went into the tomb with the
body.
ing in the groups a minute later when the
members of General Grants family walked
very slowly from their carriages and halted
near the pail bearers at the head of the coffin.
Very few expected that the ladies of the
family would be present, and their manifest,
the hour of final parting touched the hearts
Of thousands who witnessed it.
A cluster of clouds tempered the fierce rays
of the sun from the barred heads of those
gathered around the coffin as the Meade Post
Of Philadelphia, joined the group near the
coffin and began the beautiful ritual of the
Grand Army of the Republic. The entire
Post had expected to participate in this and
there was great disappointment whet
General Hancock decided to allow only
twenty members to come near the grave
Forming in open order around the body. the
post took position, with the commander al
the head of the coffin, the chaplain at the
foot, the officers and past commanders il
the rear Of the commander, and the post il
the rear of the chaplain, and the colors were
brought to the front. After prayer by tn,
chaplain and dirge by the band, Com
mander Reed said:
Zone by one, as the years roll on, we are
called together to fulfill the last sad rites o
respect to our comrades of the war
The present, full of the cares and pleasures o
civil life, fades away, and we look back t.
the time when, shoulder to shoulder, on man,
battle fields or around the guns of our men
of-war, we fought for our dear old hag. w
may indulge the hope that the spirit witt
which on land and sea hardship, privation
and danger were encountered by our dea'
heroes may never be biotted out from tn