The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-03-14
40 spLrNp1p vAcANcTEs.


not close by the statutes as l write-the Legls-
lative appropriation bill enacted that there
should be an Assistant Secretary of War and
an Assistant Secretary Of the Navy, and appro-
priations were made also for an annual COM
peusation OF $500. No appointments to the
newly-eTeated positions were made then, and
there is bitOf curious history about that neg
lcct.
The then Secretary of War was "the Son of
his Father" and Gen. Drum, the hero of ex-
President Cleyeland's rebel-fag order, had in
duced Mai. Lincoln to believe that he was the
only Secretary of War who had ever really and
truly known anything about the Army ana
how 10 administer it. Consequently Secretary
Lincoln made up his mind that be could run
theArmy himself. and, as anatural consequence
whenever he was called away by business or
for rest, lie induced the President TO name Ad-
jutant- Drum as Acting Secretary of War;
and Drum run the Army-ad interim-accord-
ing to his own ideas.
Meantime, as the year elapsed, Mr.. Secretary
Lincoln said to Congress, by his failure to es-
innate for the salary of an Assistant Secretary
! Of War, that no such official was needed, and
! thus il came about that at times Gen. Drum
was repeatedly acting as Secretary OF war and
/ giving authoritative instructions to his imme-
date military superiors.
Grim and gray old Billy" Sherman chafed
4 greatly, but retirement from active service
/ came TO relieve him, and then Sheridan came.
/ Then there was war; but Drum held the fort,
and as he got rapidly down off the political
! fence upon the Democratic side, as soon as the
result Of 1854 was known, he succeeded in get
! ting control OF Secretary Endicott also.
! Mr.. Endicott can best be described as a man
4 who admired himself immensely because he
knew, from history, that he had grandfather,
and who fully believed that he gave tone TO the
/ late Administration by becoming member of
i Mr. Cleveland's Cabinet. Mr.. Endic0tt knew
| much less of the army than Mr.. Lincoln, and
I it is doubtful whether he can to-day tell any
4 thing of the organization of a regiment, lie,
i too, had Gen. Drum called so often to admin
/ lister the War Department in his absence, that
! Gen. Sheridan is reported to have said wrath
! fully on one occasion when an order came
signed by the Acting Secretary of War;"
E" This is a - pretty state of things. Here is
my Adjutaut reyoking orders that make, and
both are over his own signature"
The annoyance that Gen. Drum caused Phil
Sheridan is unknown to the general public, but
do not doubt that It had much to with short-
/ ening his life, for worrying had more effect
upon Gen. Sheridan than on any other man
have ever known in military or civil life.
Behind this there is a story. Years ago,
when Sheridan was Lieutenant-General and
1 commanding at Chicago, he had two Colonies
on his division staff. These two Colonies that
/ specially speak of quarreled; first officially,
1 then personally, and the quarrel grew SO that
action had to be taken here. In settling the
I trouble, one was sent away to San Francisco as
Chief Qusrtermaster there, and the other came
/ here TO Washington as Chief Assistant to that
excellent gentleman, Gen. Townsend, then
Acknowledgement. The one who went to San
| Francisco is now the Quartermaster-G General of
the Army, and the one who came here managed
| to Gust his chief, and is now Adjutant- General.
When the staff quarrel occurred at Chicago
Gen. Sheridan declared when Gen. Holabird
was ordered away to the Pacific, that, in all
justice, Gen. Drum must go also. Gen. Drum is
a man who never forgets and he made Gen.
Sheridan feel it during the Iatter's command
of the Army.
A NoTALE DINNER.
The most notable social occasion since the
incoming of Gen. Harrison was dinner given
at the Arlington last week by Col Eliot F.
| Sheppard in honor of New York's representa-
tive in the Cabinet-Gen. B. F. Tracy, Secre-
tary of the Navy. All the members of the
| Cabinet, except Secretaries Blaine and Win
dom, were present, and besides these the
| following distinguished gentlemen: Hon.
! William e. Chandler, Russell Harrison, j..
L. Mckee, Hon. Joseph C. Jackson, Hon. Fran
els w. Breed, Hon. Thomas Dolan, Walker
Blaine, Hon. J. J. Belden, Gen. ]. n. Knapp,
Hon. John f. Baker, Gen. Daniel Butterfeld,
Secretary Halford, Gen. George S. Bachelor,
Justice BatchfoFd, Admiral David Porter, Gen.
Anson G. McCoolz, Rear-AdmiraI James E.
Jouett, Hon. William Walter Phelps, Col. Fred.
Grant, Hon. John Sanford, Hon. A. I. Britton,
Mavroyeni Bey, the Turkish Minister; Hon.
Henry c. Bowen, Capt. George E. Lemon, Hon.
Warner Miller. Senator John Sherman.
superb dinner was served, the tables were
artistically decorated, and bright and witty
speeches followed the repast.
GEN. PITCHER.
AS the Gossip has said so often before, the
| Capjfsl Is hncnujup mora and mora each wear
the rendezvous of those officers of the Army
and Navy whose years or disability has placed
them upon the Retired List. Just now about
the hotel that military men most frequent
there is a tall and stalwart-built man whose
white hair and wealth of gray whiskers and
mustache seem to belle his age. That is Brevet
Brighten. Thomas 6. Pitcher a Colonel now
on the Retired List of the Army, but who was
known well as dashing fighter up to the time
that he got the bullet wound in his knee that
has famed him for life. After the war Gen
Pitcher was made Colonel of one of the new regi
ments and in his subsequent service was at one
time the Governor of the Soldiers Home here
Since his retirement, some years ago, he ha!
been for the most time Governor of the New
York Soldiers Home at Bath, n. Y; but hi
g tells me he is tired of that, and feels that ht
wants rest. His eldest son is that admirable
e young officer, Lieut. Pitcher, who is an Abide
f Camp here on the staff of the General in Chic
/ 9s
saber about him, and both of them give evi
dence that if war should come in their time
9 they would make as good records as did thei
{ father long years ago.
THE 10TH IND.
. Nobody came in for larger share of atten
: ton during their stay here than the little bat
Z talon of veterans of the 10th Ind. The Presi
dent received them the day after his inaugu
: ration, and Mrs. Harrison, who knew most O
J them personally, had bright smile and kin,
word for each. One of them said afterward O
her: Her new dignity hasn't changed her il
: the slightest degree. ] made her acquaintanc
: first while lying badly wounded in the hospita
c at Chattanooga. She nursed dozen of US
= the same time. We were all privates, but sh
7 couldn't have watched US more carefully if W
: had been Aajor-Gonerals."
Il Prominent among them-and the commando
Of one of their little companies during the In
augural Parade-was the stalwart soldierl
p figure of Capt. VIM. NJ. Meredith, of Chicago
e who is q strong candidate for the Office of Pull
{, lie Printer, and has the wishes of hosts of We
s. Grams that he may get it. He is a man of gres
mechanical skill and decided executive abil
e ty.
+ OAK VIEW.
y Ex-President Cleveland having failed to Sc
his country residence" Oak View has rem
q ed it TO a man named Marcellus Bailey, WI
81 has occupied it. He also takes temporar
10 1 charge of Mrs. CleVeland's somewhat famoI