St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-30
Gen. Frye Rsfreshes Gen. Sherman's Mann
Ory BY Quoting from His Letter
to Col. Scott.
Sherman Said; Had @. F. Smith Lived
Grant Would Have Disappeared to
History after Donelson,"
And 1t Seems Strange that He Should
Deny the Statement so Soon
After Writing 1t.
The Quotation Originally Made by
Gen. Frye Because of Its Sup
posed Historical Value.

Gen. Sherman and Gen. Frye as to the
formers comparing Grant with Gen. c. f.
Smith at the time of Donelson. 1t closes
with letter written by Gen. Sherman last
September, in which the criticised phrase
is to be found.
Three Hundred East Sixty-third Street, New
York City, Jan. 20 1SS6.-To the Editor of
the North American Review, Sir: In an arti-
an article called An Acquaintance with Grant
/ published in your December number quoted
Gen. Sherman as having said since Grants
death, Had Z. +. Smith lived, Grant would
have disappeared to history after Doneson -
| cited this speculative opinion from the
| highest officer in the army, thinking it would
| illustrate and lend interest TO the general
! proposition l asserted concerning the effect
| of chance upon the soldiers case.
do not see that the speculation is injurious
| TO Gen. Grant, Gen. Sherman, or anybody
else. Gen. Sherman, however. made it by
| citation the subject OF correspondence
| with you, in consequence of which you dis
cussed my statement in your January num-
| Der, and announced that Gen. Sherman bad
| called upon you TO repudate the statement
| attributed TO him. This was followed by
| letter from Gen. Sherman TO the Rev. G.. o.
| Morrison, dated Jan. IL, and published in the
daily papers of the 10th, in which the general
| says:
''IT is UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE
that / could have written or spoken the
| words as quoted in the December number of
the North American Review. That l could
/
! Had c. +. Smith lived, Gen. Grant would
have disappeared from history, is inn
possibility" adding: II am confident in
good time we shall learn on what
| authority or hearsay this publication Is
based The issue between Gen. Sherman
and me is whether not 1 quoted him
correctly in your February number, for an
early copy of which thank you. Gen. Sher-
n says, coupled with much personal abuse
Of me, that II invented the quotation for the
purpose of questioning it, and that ''when
cornered, will dodge the issue" In view of
the foregoing facts, need make no apology
20 the pubic for feeling called upon to estab-
lish the validity of the quotation made.
Gen. Sherman himself is my authority. The
remark that ''had T.. +. Smith lived, Grant
would have disappeared to history after
Donelson," was written with the generals
hand over his signature word for word as
gave it. That there may be no ground for
misunderstanding concerning the language
used and the connection in which it was en-
ployed, L append verbatim paragraph from
n letter in Gen. Sherman's handwriting dated
Sept. q, 1855. l notice in Gen. Sherman'S
letter TO Mr.. Morrison, "there is marked diff
ference between what might have been had
Grant gone to the rear and G. 4. Smith fought
the battle of Shilo; what might have been had
Washington accepted his warrant in the EngA
lish navy, and the positive expression that
had c. F. Smith lived. Gen. Grant would
have disappeared to history" 1t is not
my province to
EXPLAIN THE RELATION
l between the two. Either, however, would
serve the purpose with which quoted Gen.
Sherman. namely to illustrate the general
4 proposition that ''chance is important
factor in the race of glory" by acting the
, implied opinion of Gen. Grants especial
friend that it was true at particular stage
of Gen. Grants career. Perhaps ought TO
add the letter from which quoted was shown
me on account of its supposed historical
value and with no reference TO the expression
: quoted. Observing the fitness of that ex-
mrs IN ia m which i
gagged, and having the consent of the person
to whom the letter was addressed to make the
citation, / did not hesitate to do so. The cor
respoadence of which the letter is part is be-
: tween two officials, Col. X. N Scott and Gen.
, Sherman, upon a popular subject, that i'm
piled no secrecy whatever and the reputation
I. of my quotation was no doubt as great
: surprise to Col. Scott as ii was to me. Please
{ publish this note in the next number of the
North American Review, and on the account
of the character and authority of denial, use
the fac simile plate herewith for printing the
: extract from Gen. Sherman's letter. Yours
4 truly, JAMES Il. FRYE.
Extract.
e 912 Garrison avenue. st. Louis, Mo-, Sept
/. 3, 1Ss5.-Col. X. N. Scott, war records, Wash
d ington. ID. C.-Dear sir: Now as to Halleck
o and Grant. had the klndest possible opinion
: of Hallecks knowledge and power and never
blamed him for mistrusting Grants ability.
Had G. F. Smith lived Grant would have dis
appeared TO history after Donelson. Smith
|
g reported to him in person at Ft. Henry.
! With great respect your friend.
W. t. SHERMAN.
WHAT SHERMAN SAYS.
The North American Review for Febru-
. airy, published to-day, contains several let
= tiers from Gen. Sherman, in which he makes
- a general denial of having uttered the words
; attributed to him, and says Gen. Frye was
> very active in spreading lies about both him
and Gen. Grant at Shiloh. To the editor OF
the Review he wrote the following:
/ approve of your comment wholly. can
u have no controversy with Gen. Frye, who in
+ my Judgment is man of words, not of deeds,
+ who when cornered will dodge the issue and
= run of into an entirely different matter.
n write hundreds of letters of which
$ have no copy. meet thous-
ands of people with whom am
compelled to converse, and with these may
le have speculsted as TO what might have been,
y had Gen. Smith lived and had Grant gone to
If the rear after the battles of Henry and Dom
In aldson or Shiloh. but that ever questioned MS
q peculiar qualities and ability Is simply
ne impossible. You know that asked
b through you of Gen. Frye to give
I'd me the source of his quotations not only
once, but twice, and he wanted the matter 10
remain as il was, when he knew that felt
aggrieved at what believed false quotati on.
2 Yet up to this date, he has withheld COM
or pliance with this simple request Oh course
- believe he invented the quotation Tor the
- purpose OF QueSLlOuiIiS ~ anu ohN''tAN A-@
lis friendship after death for the man whom In
Id life he attempted to malign-
k, The HaIleck Dispatch Forged.
$. NEW YORK., Jan. 29.-The Tribune will
rs publish tomorrow letter from Gen.
es George w. CulIOm of New York. the chief
th of Gen. Halleck's staff in 1S61-62, in which
J" he states that the recently published alleged
3 dispatch of Gen. Halleck to Gen. McClel-
%; o; Ian, charging Grant with drunkenness. Is a
III III forgery. He furnishes a letter from Mr..
VI w. G. Prime to the custodian of Gen. Nc
n n Clellan's official papers, in which
10 the writer states that, afteI
o' careful examination of McClellan's
papers, no dispatch can be found.
Gen. Cullom also shows that both Gen.
Grant in his memoirs and Col. Fred Grant
sc in his recent contribution to the North
nc American Review were in error in stating
IL that Halleck had recommended Gen. Z. r.
n Smiths promotion in preference to that oi
or Grant THE official records" says Gen.
ge Cullom, ''conclusively prove that HaliecE
M recommended Grant for major general
,e. before he proposed Smiths promotion.
as Grants commission is dated Feb. 10, 1862,
nt- while that of Smith is not until Marcn IL,
re. 1862, more than month later"
ny Natural Gas for cleveland.
PIrTsBURG. Jan 29.--Sol Sloss and
70 70 Thomas Worth, representing syndicate Of
on O Pittsburg Philadelphia, New York anC
ay Cleveland capitalists, are in this city ar