The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-16
A SOLDIER OF HEROIC CAST
Eloquent Tribute tOthe Worth and Cour-
age of a Nineteenth-C Century knight.
The Admired General Mcpherson as Depicted
by the Rev. Jenkin lloyd Jones. Who Also
Lectures on George Eliot's Novels.

Nearly all the seats III flymoutQ CnuIcn
were occupied yesterday afternoon at
o'clock by the young people of the city
schools, who were there to hear the lecture
of Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones, of Chicago, on
James B. Mcpherson, Nineteenth Gen.
fury Knight" AS preliminary to the lect-
IRE, songs that recalled the story of the
war were sung, ending with Marching
through Georgia" MIR. Jones is a very in
teresting talker, and he deeply interested
his hearers from the beginning to the close
Of his lecture. In beginning, he related
numerous historical incidents that led
up to the war. On Jan. ], 1881,
he said, printer boy II
'dingy upper room of a Bostonhouse started
a little paper, four pages, fourteen inches
long and nine inches wide. In the first
issue he said, among other things: Il will
be as harsh as truth, as incorporating as
justice. am in earnest. I will not retreat
a single inch. will be heard" Thatcame
from William Lloyd Garrison. In 1882
twelve men, meeting in school-room. or
gained the Anti-slavery Society. Five
years later printing office on the banksof
the Mississippi river was destroyed and
Owen Lovejoy, the editor, was shot dead.
In 1873 James Russell Lowell wrote the
Present Crisis" In 1851 appeared the
greatest product in American literature,
S'Uncie Toms Cabin" and In 1859 an old
man. grim and weird, like a prophet of the
olden times, marched with steady step to
the gallows at Harper's Ferry. 1t was old
Johl Brown. In 1861 Abraham Lincoln, the
noblest product of humblest antecedents,
had to be struggled through the country
and conveyed secretly to Washington city.
I'm. he 0f vii xrha ha
dent had been forty days in the chair. the
nag was lowered at Fort Sumter. Then
there was the call to arms which brought
soldiers in long lines out Of college halls.
country schoOl-h0uses, from mills, work.
shops and farms. The summer days came
and farmers talked less of crops and cattle
than was their won't. Lloyd Garrison was
at last being heard, and Owen Loveioy was
being avenged.
On the 14th of NOVEMBER, 1928. threeyear
before Garrison had started his "Liberat-
or" 2 babe was born In pioneers cabin
near the site of what is now known as the
little village of Clyde, D. The obscurity of
the pioneer home had overshadowed and
concealed the early years of the babes
life. His early years were such as pioneer
boys must know, and only such could
know. A little winters schooling, a good
deal of home-helping and bread-winning
care, and term or two at the country
academy, about told the story of his early
years. At the age of twenty-One an unex-
pected light broke through the cloud when
James b. Mcpherson, the favorite of the
village, was selected to receive the appoint
ment to West Point. The rustic boy, with
but two terms in the Newark Academy, pre-
sented himself for examination, and was adj
mitJed alongside of the city favorites, and
the polished sons of those who stood among
the wealthy and renowned. BY the second
year he stood fourth in class of tifty-two,
and he graduated in 1853 the first in class
which contained Scho6eld, Sheridan and
the dashing Hood, whom in later years he
was to meet at the head of O contending
army. After graduation he was retained
one year as assistant instructor In engineer
ing. The next three years he was engaged
upon the improvements In New York har-
Dor. In 1857 he was sent to California as
first lieutenant of engineers, to superintend
the building of the defenses on Alcatraz
island, in San Francisco bay. He was
there when be heard the shot fired on Sum-
ter. On the 18th of May he wrote to the
authorities at Washington saying he was
ready to go wherever he could be of the
most service.
AS soon as the mails, the lecturer contin-
ued, could return, "a captain's commission was
sent to him, with orders to report at Wash
was made an aid to General Halleck, then
commanding the Department of Missouri,
and he was put in charge of the railroads.
There he originated the system of block
houses at bridges which did so much to
In May, 1862, he was given the commission
of brigadier-general of volunteers and
made the superintendent of railroads in
the district of West Tennessee. The lecturer
here traced the career of Mcpherson
through the various campaigns in which he
participated. As q private under him, MIR.
Jones recalled many interesting incidents.
He said that on hot day In August, 1862.
belated squad of eighteen recruits arrived in
Corinth. Some of them had waited ten
months in order to reach the age that would
permit them to pass muster. Not q week
had yet elapsed since they left the scvthe.
the rake and the pitchfork. They had not
had time to exchange their citizens suits
for army blue. They were unloaded out of
box cars, amid q medley of freight. They
were tired, hungry, thirsty, sweaty, dirty,
and with nobody particular in charge. The
company was still sixteen or twenty miles
In front, holding the outpost of RienZi in
Mississippi. From an inner Office, where
telegraph instruments weres rafting, there
stepped out 1.-the. trim, gracious figure,
dressed in loose, dark-blue blouse and
if seen in less military. surround
ings, taken for bank cashier,
professor or a physician. Whatever he
was taken for, no one would fail to see that
he was scholar and gentleman. He
paused a moment at the sight of these civil
ians and then said, Where are you from,
menW A few words of explanation, then.
turning to an attendant, he said, "See that
these men get their supper at the Iuscum-
bia House, then adding. with a slight
twinkle in his eye, ION the other side of
the depot, on the platform, there you may
find little more room to sleep tonight"
He passed on. and somebody said that was
General Mcpherson. From that time every
member of that awkward squad revered
Mcpherson.
Whatever attractions and qualifications
other commanders had, the soldiers of the
Seventeenth Army Corps were sure
that their commander rode the
finest horse, and that he was
the handsomest man in the army. On the
morning of July - things were astir on
both sides in front of Atlanta. The general
impression seemed to prevail that Hood
was preparing to evacuate. General Nc
Pherson thought otherwise. Mcpherson
had been to Shermans headquarters and
was Fastening back TO put his line in order
The firing was growing intense. Alone
with his orderly, A. j. Thompson, he was
Fastening through by a by-path, over
which his officers had been passing all day.
Suddenly he found himself upon the
skirmish line of confederate brigade, who
cried hiatt" He stopped, saluted them by
raising his hat, and with the celebrity of
decision, which characterized him. instead
of surrendering. resolved TO take his
chances for escape. There was volley
and ball passed through him. For q few
moments he was IN the hands of the enemy,
but his body was soon rescued and re-
moved to Sherman's headquarters.
In conclusion, the lecturer said the in
fiuence of Mcpherson would be lasting.
Other generals were as bold, bur none of
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