Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-07
The Commander in Chief of
the Grand Army Here.
VETERANS RECEIVE HIM.
His Speech on Pensions Delivered in
the Old City Hall.
PLAN FORA HISTORY OF PRIVATES


at 2:3O o'clock yesterday afternoon. HI
came here on his general tour of inspection
of the G. A. R. posts, and was accompanied
by John A. Logan, Jr., of Youngstown, o
The gentlemen stopped at the Hotel Du
quesne.
Immediately after their arrival they wert
called upon by Department Commander
Thomas A. Stewart, Assistant Adjutant
General james Mccormick, Assistant
Quartermaster General Harry G. Williams
Colonel Chill W. Hazard, II. D. Starr, Of
the Council of Administration of Indiana,
and the Junior Vice Commander in Chief
James G. Lovett, of New Jersey. These gen.
tlemen spent pleasant half hour with Gen.
eral lAlger. After their departure the General
was visited BY c. L. Magee. who spent over
an hour in social conversation. Mr.. Msgee
was empowered to invite General Alger
to accept the hospitality of the Young Men 6
Republican Tariff Club after the banquet
at the Hotel Duquesne. General Alger de-
clined the invitation for two reasons. In
the first place, he desired to leave the city
for the West at midnight, and, in the sec
ond place, he said he would not mix politics
with the business of the Grand Army of the
Republic. The Grand Army, he said,
would suffer by any tendency Of its officers
to meddle in politics.
General Alger was able to accord q brief
interview to a reporter for THE DISPATCH.
The Commander in Chief is a handsome,
tall and erect man, with keen eyes and hair
and beard almost white. He has pleasant
and agreeable address and is ready talker.
HAS SWUNG ABOUND THE CIRCLE.
He said he had visited many of the G. A.
r. posts in Massachusetts,, New York,
Pennsylvania, Michigan and Missouri, and
had attended the reunions of the armies of
the Cumberland and of the Tennessee, held
in the South. 81 find the order" he said,
sin excellent shape, particularly in this
way: As men grow older their affections
become stronger. As our veteran comrades
appreciate the fact that the days are
growing shorterain which they can enjoy the
pleasures and benefits of the order, their
attachment to the order becomes more in
tense. Everywhere 1 go 1 find the most
cordial feeling among the old soldiers, and
the camp-fres held are alive with the fire of
comradeship."
General Alger politely declined to talk on
political subjects. He is devoting himself
now, he said, to the business of the G. A. r.
SIT takes great deal of my time" he said,
but when a man accepts such an Office he
must expect to give up his time and work
for the order"
WELCOMED BY THE BOYS.
General Alger was given a hearty well
come at Old City Hall last night The hall
was about half full of men and women.
Many veterans wore their G. A. r. uni
forms. The drum corps of the Fourteenth
Regiment played several stirring airs. The
greater part of the stage was cut off by
~ nopnrnco1 Of fha pafional no1nrc
leaving in front single row of seats for the
speakers.
General Alger entered the hall at about
o'clock in company with Major J. F. Den
niston and the Junior Vice Commander in
Chief James G. Lovett, of New Jersey.
The Commander in Chief was not recog-
nized by the audience, and so he got behind
the curtain without a singlt note of ap-
plause for his presence. In that secluded
nook he held a quiet reception ior
quarter of an hour, number of
the prominent men in the local posts
being called back to meet him.
Ex-Sheriff Gray, Major Max Klein,
Major A. P. Burchfeld, 81. n. Bengough,
and others shook hands with the General.
When the latter stepped out upon the stage
he was received with generous applause.
Having removed his heavy overcoat, he re-
vealed himself dressed in a new, neat uni
lOIm Oh O6ep Dlu6, Will SHINING ROlOen
buttons, and on his left breast the bright
badge of the Grand Army. He bowed
slightly to the applause. and sat down.
Seated with him on the stage were: Vice
Commander Lovett, Department Comman-
der Stewart, Assistant Adjutant General
Mccormick, Assistant Quartermaster Gen
eral Williams, Judges Collier, Slsgle and
Over, John A. Logan. Jr., Captain Will
lam McClelland, William D. Patterson,
John MCGOWAN, Thomas G. Jones and W.
j. Paul.
PATTERsoN's PLEASANT WORDS.
Captain McClelland was chosen Char
man of the meeting. William D. Patter-
son, OF Post No. 15S, delivered the address
of welcome very briefly to General Alger.
He said: ''The fact that Captain Nc |
Clelland, jealous and lifelong Democrat,
presides over this meeting to welcome an |
equally jealous Republican, the Comman-
der in Chief of the Grand Army, is evidence |
to my mind that there is no politics in our |
organization" That sentiment was heartily |
applauded.
General Alger was greeted with long |
clspping of hands. He said:
"As came into this hall tonight 1 turned |
back the scale of time more than 25 years. and |
remembered with the deepest gratitude that |
can come over any heart. the hospitality that L |
with others, my comrades, received in Pitts /
burg and in tins historic old hall. [Applausel |
You cannot find soldier of the West who |
passed through this goodly town during the |
dark days of the war who will not say that he /
received his warmest welcome In Pittsburg.
[Applause.l Two or three times during the |
war we stopped here, every time we were
marched to this hall, and here were fed like /
princes in royal household. The fair women /
who mlnlstered to our wants seemed to some of /
MS as If they were the last angels we should /
ever see.
PITTsBURG DURING THE WAR.
81 remember about the middle of July, 1858, /
coming through this city wounded, arriving |
in the morning. We had no sleeping accom-
modations except the ordinary day cars, and 1 |
was suffering very much. A lady from Pitts
burg happened to come aboard that train. She /
was quite tall. blonde, beautiful woman.
She had two little children with her and on
the way as far as Cleveland she had made for
me a couch of couple of seats. When we ar
rived at Cleveland she went from the train to
the boat with me- remember receiving her
card and bidding her good-by with as much
gratitude as ever said good-by to any person
an earth. / lost the card, forgot the name and
have never been able TO ascertain who that
LADY was. would be glad to learn.
Comrades we meet at these camp-fres to
renew acquRintances and talk over old battles
that we fought or think we fought The fiction
is often as pleasing as the fact"
General Alger then recounted the glow
ing description which friend in New York
had given of the manner in which Alger's
brigade had saved the day at Cedar Creek.
The story was very pretty, he said, but the
trouble was that neither Alger nor his
brigade were at Cedar Greek. He con-
tinued:
PAST GLoRIEs RECoUNTED.
"What you did do was, when the country
needed your services you left home, father,
mother, wife sister and ALL and for pittance |