Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-09-11
isHeamaN,s EuLoGY.

Meeting GeneraI Shermen Bey.ewa
the Ca eer OfGeneral Grant.
The eighteenth annual meeting OF the
society OF the Army of the Tennessee
was held at Chicago on the 9th inst
General Sherman addressed the society
as follows:
Comrades of the Army of the Tennes
see: Again are We assembled in thu
goodly city OF Chicago pursuant to the
resolution made at our last annual re.
union of August 18th and 14tb, 1884, al
Lake Minnetonks. ibis is our eigh
teenth annual reunion, though twenty
even full years have transpired since the
close of the war. need not repeat tc
you the trite expression that our ranks
are growing thinner, our hair winter
and that eyes that look up to me, and
which once kiudled and flashed at the
trumpets sound, now seem sad, al
though elvying the fate of those fine
young fellows whose gay and gallant
splits took their flight in glorious day
the memoI .als Of which we have come
together to celebrate. Though in wal
death makes the battlefield his harvest
yet i'll peace he insidiouslv lnvades the
most sacred precincts, taking the inno-
cent babe, thee the gentle, Low.
ing wife, again youth in lusty man.
r hood, kings on their thrones.
Du1iug our last vacation he has
stricken from our list of members oul
very head and :ront-Gen. q. s. Grant
In The cold winter of 1861 he gathered
together at Cairo. Ill. the fragments o
an army and led them up the Tennessee
river. The creator and father of the
army of the Tennessee took his fna
leave of earth at 8 o'clock and eight
minutes on the morning of July %, 1885
from Mount McGregor, q spur of tn.
Alleghenies. In plain view of the bis
toric battlefield of Saratoga he fnishe:
his life's work and had bequeathed tt
the world his example. The lightningi
flash carried the sad tidings to all part.
of the civilized earth, and I doub
whether since the beginning there evel
arose such spontaneous grief to bee
testimony before high heaven that man
kind had lost kindred spirit and hi
couutrymen leader. His first war COM
rades concede 10 his family their superio
rights, but claim the next place In tn
grand procession of mouruers. w
were with him in the days of adversit,
as well as prosperity, and were as tru
TO him as the needle to the pole. w
shared With him the trials and tribula
| tions, as we'll as the labors and battle
| OF Fort HeLry, Done'son, Shiloh, Coz
inth, Iuka and Vicksburg. When tia
transcendent and most valuable OF oil
victories turned universal gaze to on
beloved countrymen-to new star i,
the west which plainly foretold the maj
who had dispeIled the cloud which low
cred Ger our house, and who it was LEAF
US TO the triumphant victories of 1866
and to the stable, en- lurIng prosperity
Of 1885,
| Huudreis-yes thousands-of bus,
brains and pens are now trying to com
prehend ana describe this man who di,
SO much in SO short time to trace th
mysterious causes Of his most wonder
tul career, and to account for its know
results. They look to Us, who were b.
daily associates in that critical epoch, &
aid them III their commendable work
aud as your president, l must on thi
occasion contribute my share.
In the year 1889, l was a first .clas
man in the United States military acade
my st West Point-a position of exaita
tion never reached since, though reason
ably successful in llfe-and there an
peared on the walls OF the hall in "oii
north barrack" list Of new cadets
among which was 81. s. Grant" th,
crowd OF lockers on read United State
Grant Uncle Sam Grant," "San
Grant," and "Sam Grant he is to-day il
the traditions OF the old fourth Unite,
States infantry. 1t afterward trans
pired his name was actually Ulysse
Hiram Grant, and mistake had beel
made by Gen. Hamer, member of con
gress who nominated him cadet from hi
district. Cadet Grant tried to ccrrec
this mistake at the beginning and en-,
of his cadets life without success, an,
| to history his name must ever be U. s
Grant.
remember his personal appearance o
the time-but the gulf of separation be
tween first class man and pleblan o
West Point was and still Is deeper an,
wider than between gereral.in chic
and private soldier in the army, s
that hardly noticed him. His reputa
tion IN the fourth infantry in which h
served through the Mexican war, and un
tain in Oregon, July 81, 1854, was of
good willing officer, always ready fo
duty, extremely social and friendly Wit
his fellows, but in no sense consplcuou.
brilliant or manifesting the wonderful
Qualities afterwards DEVELOPED in him.
recall an instance of when met hlr
at st. Louis in 1857, when he wac
farmer in the country, and oat of militar
service. The only impression left on M
memory is that then concluded tha
West Point and the regular army wer
good schools for farmers. bankers, mel
chants and mechanics. did not NEE
him again till the civil war had broke
out, when chaos seemed let loose and th
gates OF hell wide open in every diret
tion. Then came the news of Ger
Grants attack on the enemy's camp q
Belmont of the 7th of November, 1856
soon followed by events at Coiumbu!
Paducal, Henry and Donelson, all s
simple, SO direct, so COMPREHENSIVE, tha
their effect on my mind was magics
They raised the dark curtain whic
bsfore had almost hidden out all hope {
the future, and displayed the policy an
course of action, nee cessary to be followe
only by persistence, to achieve ultimat
lsuccess Great as were his after achieve
ments, shall ever hate those OF Henr
and Donelson among the best. Yet b
one of those accidents SO common in wa
he had incurred the displensure of hi
superior, General Halleck, whom the
esteemed as the master mind ruling an
directing the several armies subject t
| his orders from his headquarters IN s
Louis, so that when IN March, 1862,
was permitted to take the field fror
Paducah with q new division, I foun
Gen. Grant at Fort Henry under order
from Gen. Halleck to remain there an
to turn over the command of his arm,