The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-09-02
WITH HIS OLD REGIMENT.
General Sherman Spends an Evening wit
the Thirteenth Infantry.


Milwaukee Sentinel.
1t was like old times. In the dim light
of Japanese lanterns, in the middle of the
lawn adjoining the residence of Henry
Hase, on Third avenue, near Lapham street,
man.. and around him squatted his old
guard, the surviving members of the
Thirteenth United States Infantry. A
more brotherly reunion is unknown to his
tory. 1t was twenty-five years since Gen.
Sherman and the men who sat around him
had been constantly together facing death
and sharing in the joys and sorrows of the
war, and twenty-three years since they
had last seen one another. General
Sherman did not kiss nor embrace his old
comrades, but In the manner in which
he shook their hands. in which he addressed
to them. there was the boundless love of q
father meeting his sons after many years.
The old soldiers, on the other hand, felt
like loving children. There was both love
the General. For three hours they sat
chatting in the open air, the veterans ask
ing questions and General Sherman giving
answers. Among those present there were
berg. of Galesburg. Mich; Sergt. White, of
Rush City, Mimi; Sergt. Richards, Of
| Omaha; Sergt. Kaephart, of Iowa; Sergt.
Lawrence Kirk. of st; Paul; the Rev. Daniel
the Thirteenth Regiment; i. Huyk, of Lib
erty. Neb.; John Sullivan. of Chicago; e. A.
| Nelson, of DEBORAH, Ia; II. A. Oliver, of
Cincinnati, and many others, accompanied
by their wives.
''These very boys that you see around
| me-" the General said, were with me on q
train that left Memphis for Chattanooga.
about twenty-five years ago. We had only
$50 men, 800 regulars and 150 volunteers.
Shortly before reaching Collierville we
were overtaken by $500 rebels, in command
| of General Chalmers. Well, we did not give
In. We showed fight, and defended our
4 aalvao nc haat wa could WbcA mazda ma
leave Memphis with such a stall number
of men was the fact that two detachments
that went ahead of me had met with no ac-
cidents. The boys fought bravely. In the
camping about fifteen miles from Collier
vile, for achievements. When they came
the enemy retired. We lost over 100 men
during that engagement"
Captain Pabst offered him a glass of beer,
and he accepted it with the remark: II
have heard of the Milwaukee beer for the
last twenty-five years. Captain Pabst babe
the General long life.
Don't you think my life will be short
ened if l drink thisf" General Sherman in
Mop replied the Captain, emphatically.
Then Pi drink it" said the old warrior.
emptyIng the glass.
General Sherman. in sitting down, told
his old comrades to make themselves com
Portable, and they sat down, forming a
circle around him.. He became talkative,
and recited to his attentive listeners the
whole history of the Thirteenth United
States Infantry.
"Of all the officers of the regiment" he
said, Colonel Ferdinand de Courcey is the
only one whom i met several years ago and
most of the officers that served with us are
gone"
One of the soldiers recalled how the Gen.
eral had instructed him to call while on
guard on the Mississippi river. ship ahoy.!'
If a vessel should come in view.
Yes" said the General Il was some,
thing of a sailor myself. l had gone around
sea, and that is where 1 got my knowledge
of the marine signals and expressions"
Continuing in a rambling manner, Gen.
Sherman informed his Listeners that he was
the one who saved their lives.
."Fifty-three per cent. of your battalion
were gone" he said. Il was afraid you
would get slaughtered entirely. and that is
Why, after the battle OF nlcksburg, or
General Sherman recalled how the bat
talon to which the boys around him be-
longed were once frightened by ten rebels,
his command, the rebels surrendered. al
though they were separated from the Union
soldiers by a river.
Il have a picture at home representing
inst this incident" he said. land / often
think of it,"
In reply to a remark of one of the vet
Grams. he said: You fellows had better
food than we in the officers tent. An old
uiHkci uScu. W udhc apple uufnpllDRS lOT U.s.
but the apple dumplings. after the many
meals he knew how to prepare. always tasted
to me as If laden with lead. One day 1
told the Niger that / was tired; that 1
could not eat the apple-dumplings after the
many other things. and that he should let
us know whenever there were apple-dump-
lings in order that we might eat less of the
other food and save up room for them.
The niger took a board and wrote upon 1t.
in large letters, Apple Dumlins.' When
ever he had baked them the board warned
usin advance of their presence. and we ate
less of the other dishes. Whenever there
were no ap~ple-dumplings the board was re-
versed, and we were at liberty to eat more
of the other things
In the course of his further conversation
General Sherman dropped the remark that
the war was of great moral effect upon the
character of the Nation and had produced
great men; Senators. United States supreme
Court Justices. Presidents and so on. Three
of the officers in his staff bad become mem
bers of the United States Supreme Bench.
President Harrison was also an offer of his
staff, and Judge Helm. OF the supreme
Court of Colorado, was one OF the drummer
bows in the Thirteenth Regiment. Shortly
before midnight the veterans babe the Gen
eral a hearty farewell, and he assured them
that he would never forget the evening.
Not So Popular Now.
Iowa state Register; =.