The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-02-28
GEN. SHERMAN'S LATEST.
HE SAYS FRY WAS GUILTY or
FORGERY
In Using His Letter as He Did
Another Malicious Whaek at
the Newspapers.


the letter from Gen. Sherman 10 Col.
Scot, which was the basis OF the con-
troversy with Gen. Fry, preceded by
an address, which was intended TO be
delivered before the Loyal Legion at
Cincinnati, but Gen. Sherman says
that the sudden and unexpected death
of Gen. w. S. Hancock the evening
previous changed the whole character
Of the proceedings. The following is
the address;
GEN. sHEKNAN's ADDRESS.
To My Comrades and Friends:
While | seek retirement and peace,
the newspapers take great liberties,
with me as with everybody else. they
have published that my family VIII
leave st. Louis, because we are dis
contsnted, each paper assigning its
own separate reason. There isno secret
about il. All my family connections
and all who have right TO be CON
suited understand the case perfectly.
Ever since the failure OF the Harrison
Wire Company, at st. Louis, which in
yolved my son-in-law, Capt. Fitch,
and which has resulted in the re-
moysl Of his family to PittsbuTg,
we have been disturbed. Three
OF my children and seven
grandchildren are row away
from home, and there remain TO us
only three. OF these the youngestBon,
nineteen years old, on whom the fam
ily must soon depend, will graduate
al st. Louis i University in June, 1886,
wants to 70 to Yale College, and i
want him 10 receive the best possible
education. He ia goingto New Haven
in September, and II will probably re-
suit in the few OF us left going to New
York 10 be near him. / shall, how
ever, retain all the property | possess
in st. Louis mot much, to be BuTe)i
but all that have TO leave the family
when am laid in Bellelonta'ne Gene
terry. am perfectly content with my
neighbors and friends OF ST. LouiF, to
whom ] am very much attached, aud
who have done ell they possibly can
TO make our stay with them agreeable.
The Fry matter is equally simple when
viewed Alright. Last summer, after
Gen. Grants funeral, which | attend
ed, while travelling between New York,
81. Louis, Minnetonka and Chicago, |
was collecting matter for the tribute
OF respect /, as president, WIS request
cd TO make to the memory OF Gen.
Grant, our first commander, before the
Society Of the Army Of Tennessee,
at our meeting at Chicago oil
September 9th and 10th. That address
was universally noted, copied In al
the journals OF the day, and was the
result OF that correspondence. The
special quotation OF Gen. Fry in the
December number OF the North Amert.
can Review was not made from that
public address, hut from one OF two
private letters OF inquiry addressed
10 Col. Robert N. Scott, who had been
on Gen. Haucock's staff and is now in
charge OF the war records at Washing
ton, OF whom all army officers make
frequent inquiries for scraps OF infor-
nation. Col. Scott is a personal friend
whom / have known from boyhood,
and his father before him in San Fran.
cisco, and / wrote 10 him with the
same confidence / would to my own
brother about family matters. keep
no copies Of such letters and write
mine hastily, carelessly, and Il was
only January Goth, two months after,
that obtained from Col. Scott copy
CT the correspondence from which Fry
had made his quotation. This CORE
spondence presents the whole story
better than | cap state IL anew.
As soon rs Gen. FrY's article
appeared, Gen. Grants friends
called my attention to ii, and
my letter book or memory retaining
no expression of opinion 80 positive
as that used, naturally requested the
editor to ascertain from Gen. Fry the
source OF his quotation that might
explain or ascertain who had revealed
my private letters. Gen Fry's au-
swer was evaaive, calling on Gen,
Sherman to deny the words and the
sentiment before he would sub
stantiats his statement. l again
called on him and appealed to the
War Department without success
generally explaining to correspondents
that thought it impossible l could
have used that particular form OF ex-
preston, and believed Gen. Fry had a
malicious motive. received, too
late, notice, by a roundabout way,
from gentleman OF Cincinnati, that
Fry was cunningly laying q trap to
catch me, and il was not till January
s9th that Col. Scott himself first re-
veaed to me the actual source OF the
mischievous paragraph. Detached
and used as text for q sermon, il
was as clear forgery as was ever per-
petrated. Taking my letter to Col.
SCOT in its entirety, though mani
testify never meant for publication, !
contend II is eminently consistent
with my constant friendship
for Gen. Grant from Shiloh to the day
we deposited his remains in the tomb
at Riverside. The date, September 9,
1885, is prior to the publication 4
Grants Memoirs" in which, on page
1856, he positively records that his po.
sition at Corinth in June, 1862, had
become so unbesrable" that he had
resolved TO go to the rear and was dis
suaded by Gen. Sherman; or, quoting
his own words, ~ then obtained per-
mission to leave the department, but
Gen. Sherman happened to call on me
as was about starting and urged me
40 It ougly not to think Of going that
] concluded to remain" Gen. Sher.
man, in his memoirs" $50, states
the same fact. with the further addi-
ton that he learned Of Gen. Granite
purpose to 70 ba,k ia st. Louis from
ten. HallecK himself, and rode TO
Gen. Grants camp for the very pur-
rose OF dissuading him from commit
ting this fatal mistake. Now, il ia a
matter of notoriety that from Febm.
airy to July, 1862, Gen, Grant was uu-
der clogd, bounded by the npwspa
pers and by a clique Of of
ticers, OF whom Fry was one
until, es he himself ssys, bis
position became "uEbearable," and
during al that time Gen. ShermaJ
was his steadiast friend, aud discovered
in him those pure, unselfsb. manly
qualities which atterward yielded suCl
precious fruits to our country Rnt
mankind. Can it then be wondered
at, a ter twenty.tour yearf, that Gen
Sherman should be little surprised
Al ~, Ill st,..1 Il Co. -.