The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-04-30

rAs AusAss % t. Uaele D~aisl's story
frsa History.
The Stars publication Of Iogan's
novel Of the war has set the oldest citi-
zens Of Washington to buzzing like 20
many bees The sir Is thick with
"reminiscences and conjecture Hoary
veterans who were in their prime dur.
ing the tragic daysof 6o-6l. but who
latterly have Withdrawn from active
life and mingle with the world only at
some rare military reunion. have be.
gun TO brush up their recollcctions Of
TWENTY-FIVE years ago. They knew
John A. Logan well In those days, and
remember him wildly As rather COM
monplace man Of about forty. or per-
haps year or two less. who was bon
camarade in the social recreations Of
that time. but Of no personal or politi-
cal mark. and giving no promise what
ever Of the robust and yirile individu-
ality he has since developed.
II Is proper TO say that these men re-
member him kindly. What puzzles
them Is the attempt in :. Uncle Dam
iers' narrative to make Logan a fu-
rious Boabiil Of Union enthusiasm dur
ing the cary DAYS Of secession Many
Of these men were busy at that time
organizing for the Union cause. Many
became members Of the first company
mustered into the Federal army for the
war Company A. Washington Light
Infantry Battalion. Before that they
had known Logan intimately. and what
they do not understand now is why. il
Logan was such ferycnt Union man.
he never mentioned the suhjectt 10 them.
Il was a time when most men were
taking sides; when Congress rang with
the fiery ouibur~tS OF secession prophets
and impassioned appeals Of the loyal.
The subj ct was on every tongue.
Soufherner< were rcsigning and going
home. and from beyond the Potomac
came sounds Of hostile preparation
blown on fierce winds OF sectional
hate
Every body then knew the Sonth's
dread purpose A hundred thousand
tongues Of flame were licking az the
soldier that held the States together.
wigfall was in New York trying to So
cure an engraver's establishment to
take South and make the Confederate
currency. Iancey. SlidelI and Toombs
had declared the gloomy propaganda
of secession Ii was the time for loyal
hearts to thrill and loyal voices 10 ring
out Yet these veteran citizens at
Washington who knew Logan 50
closely can no. remember that he at
any time defined his position. directly
or Indirectly. They. his crstwhile boon
companions. were VIGOROUSLY orraniz-
ing company. but he did not APP
proach them with one word Of SYM
patty or encouragement He had OPP
portunities without number. but ne
did not embrace single one Of them.
Your correspondent visited one Of
these citizens At his house last night.
and asked him to review his memories
Of the winter OF COL 80 far as John
A. Logan formed part Of them. II
knew John very well In those days"
he said I'VE were. you may say,
close friends. certainly intimate ac-
quaintances No; l do not connect
him with the Union sentiment during
that winter. III he had declared him
self I should have known il Ifhe had
| said word in Congress should have
heard IL l am slre Of that But he
never opened his mouth Nobody
knew how h. stood. only we. his former
comp anioss and intimafes. took il for
| granted that he was a Southern SYM
| pathizer because he manifested no
sympathy with Us He knew we were
| embarked in the Union causc. but he
| never told Us his heart was with Us -
| when was this'"
| ..All through the winter He left
here after the Congress adjourned. and
| went back to Illinois. Then. when we
heard the stories Of the companies be-
1 ing raised in Egypt TO 20 South. we
| gave Logan mp for lost. His name was
associated with that movement, you
4 know"
..How did you finally hear Of his
| joining the army?'
"From himself. In Nav he returned
| to Washington. and one evening met
him af Browns Hotel. He came up to
me with his old manner. and told me
he was going with the Union army At
the head Of a regiment l remember
how delighted. and vet how surprised
/ was. for had certainly thought hs
was all wrong. But he made good
soldier-a mighty good soldier Ihave
always thought that the secession Of
John c. Breckenridge had good deal
to do with deciding the Douglas
faction They couldn't agree on any
thing. You see. n Breckenridge had
taken part on the Union side. as he
really wanted to 10. honestly believe
the Douglas crowd would have done
the other thing -at least they wouldn't
have gone with breckenridge. But
Albert Sydney Johnston persuaded
Breckenridge against his viii. against
his convictions. and hc went South.
He was q failure there. because his
heart was not in H. But have always
thought that act u his had great deal
to do with deciding the crowd Logan
was with ~. y. St0v.
The Forty-ninth Congress viii
certainly 10 remembered nv the rail.