The National tribune., 1889-04-04
a GREAT BOOK.

A GREAT BOOK.
Gen. Robert B. Beath's History of the
Grand Army of the Republic is one of
those rare products of enthusiastic love for
the theme, joined with unwearied industry
and ability. Gen. Beath has all of these.
He is devoted, heart and soul, to the Grand
Army of the Republic, and no work con-
nected with it ever wearies or discourages
him. He writes clear, forcible, correct Eng
lish, and has the art of telling a fact in the
fewest possible words.
He threw himself into the work of writing
a history of the Grand Army of the Republic
with all the earnestness Of his nature, and
devoted years of painstaking research to the
collection of the materials. This abounded
in difficulties. The earlier workers in the
upbuilding of the Order were very careless
about the records of their proceedings. They
did not realize the importance of the work
they were engaged in, nor that they were
making history Then a fearful number of
them have died in the % years which have
elapsed since the Order was founded, and
more have removed from the scenes of their
earlier labors, and so lost connection with
their associates In the evil days which
came upon the Order few years after its
formation eight Departments died, and hun
dreds Of Posts surrendered their charters. In
many instances their records were lost en-
tirely; in others only found after long and
patient search.
Gen. Beath was probably the best man in
the Grand Army to undertake the work of
surmounting all the difficulties that en-
countered the historian of the Order. A
pioneer in the great work, he stood fast when
the evil days came, always maintained an I'M
tagging interest in the organization, and rose
through all the grades to the highest position
in it. He came home after four years and five
months of as gallant service as any man ever
! performed, and within few months after his
muster-out entered the GAR. as charter
member of Post No 2, Philadelphia, Pa. He
was charter member and first Commander
of Post No 5, of the same city, and the first
/ Junior Vice Commander of Pennsylvania
He was Assistant Adjutant- General of Penn
sylyania four years, Department Commander
in 1873, Inspector General Of the GAR. under
! Commander-in-Chief Burnside, and three
! years Adjutant-G General under Command
ers-in- Chief Hartranft and Wagner. He
was elected COMMUNICATIVE Chief at the
| 18Th annual Encampment held at Minneapo-
lis in 1884, and had signally successful adj
ministration He compiled the first Manual
forthe use of the Order, and is the author of
the Grand Army Blue Book, f" the accepted
Manual of the Order This sketch is given
to show his special qualifications for the
work of historian.
The History Of the Grand Army of the
Republic" is all that coald be expected from
such man. 1t is a carefully elaborated and
Trustworthy narrative of the history of the
Order from its very formation, with every
matter of Importance connected with it given
its true value The military and civil rec
ords of all the men who were and have been
prominent in the Order has been carefully
ascertained and set forth. Where possible
these have been accompanied by excellent
portraits. The proceedings of all the Ma,
tional Encampments are given in brief, with
full details of the more important acts.
In short. there can be found in the book
about everything that one interested in tht
GAR wants to know, and it is all writer
in such clear, lucid style that it can be reat
from beginning to end with all the interes
of novel.
The book is beautifully printed on fine
toned and calendered paper, made expressl,
for it, and is illustrated by profusion of ad
1nirable portraits. 1t contains over7O0 larg
octave pages. The price, bound in cloth, i
$3.50; library leather, $3.50; Turkey mo
rocco, $3.50 1t is sold only by subscription
The publishers are Bryan, Taylor & Co., Ne,
d York
|
SECTIONS 1-E2A