Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-01
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
Nrxv Xnprr To-

REcEPTIoS-How HE SPENDS HIS DAYs-H1s
MAPS. LETTERS SPEECHES AND VISITORS.
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
New YORK, January 3d. 1890.
ANY one who passes through list street west
of Sth avenue, can see at 10 o'clock in the
morning the tall, erect figure of an elderly
man seated at his library window. That he has
had a military training no one who sees him
can doubt. Strange as it may seem, many per-
sons see him in the neighborhood of his home.
which is but stones throw from the west wall
of Central park, and yet do not recognize him.
| And yet he is the most famous American
| soldier now alive
He is no other than William Tecumseh Sher-
man, great member of very great family
distinguished even before the time of Roger
Sherman, signer of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. Gen. Sherman is now the only one
left of the great trio of American soldiers VIII G
won the highest honors in the greatest civil
war that the world has ever seem Gen. Grant
Is dead. Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan is dead
Gen. Sherman, who was born before either of
these men, is still alive and vigorous. He will
be seventy years of age on February 8. A va
rlety OF suggestions have been circulated as to
| the manner in which the event should be cele-
/ DAdtCus view 1OTheTS nave SHOWN Willingness
to celebrate in the most elaborate manner the
| anniversary OF the birth of the distinguished
general who is now one of her citizens. With
regard to this fact many mistakes have been
made. 1t was at first contemplated to give
magnificent reception in the Union League
club, preceded by great banquet. President
Harrison. his cabinet and five hundred distin-
guished men and women were to be invited
to do him honor. But these reports are all
wrong. There will be celebration of the old
heros birthday. 1t will not be public one
however, SO far as the old soldier is
concerned. He will celebrate the day
at his own camp fire, and about him will be
the members of his own family and the COM
manders who were with him in the many bat
ties in which he has figured from the time when
he was in Florida, in 1840-42, fighting the Semi
noles, down to date. OF course John Sher-
man, his distinguished brother, Senator from
Ohio, and the junior of the general by but a
| trifle more than three years, will be an i'm
portant figure at the quiet celebration which
will be held in Gen. Sherman's house. Gen.
Slocum, who commanded the right wing of
Gen. Shermans army in the famous march
from Atlanta to the sea, will be another figure
Maj. Gen. John NJ Schofield, now the chief
general OF the American armies and who was
one of the most brilliant of Sherman's COM
manders, will in all probability be present and
there will be others of the men who fought
under the old veteran who will be there
DEAR ONES MISSING.
But some who were very near to him will be
missing. Grant, Hancock and Sheridan are
dead. Gen. James Mcpherson who was Gen.
Shermans close friend, did not live to share in
ne OH tf1tR ,aYN1 Co.
among those who have gone to the land of
shadows. Gen. Judson Fitzpatrick wEo was
among Gen. Sherman's cavalry commanders il
at rest. In fact the general has outlived most
| OF his contemporaries.
''You may say for me-" said Gen. Sherman to
the writer, that shall have some of nv old
comrades at my house on the evening of the
anniversary of my birthday, when | will be
seventy years old. This is no rupture of any
| arrangement with the Union League club. +
made the arrangements tor my birthday cell
eoration long time ago and they have not
been changed"
Whether or not there will be toasts offered
and replied to at the dinner that will be held
III zen. Shermans house that veteran warrior
Will not say. If, however, it comes down to
| matter OF an after-dinner speech, Gen. Sher-
man can be relied upon to hold his own with
the best OF those who may be present. His
wit Is as keen as it was forty years ago, and his
memory is surprising to one who does not know
its compass
In New York today Gen Sherman is consd-
cred raconteur and man about town in the
best sense of the terms. He ranks in this re-
spect with Chauncey NJ. Depew, Gen. Horace
Porter and other famous men, There is. of
course, n difference between the men. IT, for in
stance, Gov. David Bennett Hill and Chauncey
NJ. Depew meet at some public dinner each il
very likely to throw a few darts at the other
all IN good humor. Neither DR.. Depew nor
Gov. Hill would think of taking the same lib
erty with Gen. Sherman. OF course there is
more than one reason for this. In the first
place the old general has fought his battles,
ana While holding to the views that he ALWAYS
has held he is not given in his public addresses
TO hight his battles over again. In the second
place, while Gen. Sherman is to some extent
Irascible at the first view it is well known that
he Is one OF the most approachable men in New
York and that he never refuses any one of his
old men who come to him for assistance if the
man Is at all deserving. He lis not mixed I'D in
any business schemes. He is one of the figures
pointed out when he appears at the clubs or at
one OF the hotels. In short, Gen. Sherman il
one OF the features of New York. He objects
to this, for to him ii seems that he is merely a
| curiosity, just the Bartholdi statue the ODE
lisk IN Central park and others things are OF
course no one looks at the matter in the same
night And yet the manner in which the old
soldier is pursued justities him in his desire to
escape from most of the perspns who are con-
stantly LII pursuit of him for any or reason.
HOW HE WEARS HIS SEVENTY YEARS.
Gen. Sherman does not look as he did when
he left West Point, something like half a
century ago, just at the time that the United
States had the Florida trouble on hand II
could scarcely be expected that he should
iet ne wears his seventy years well and while
ne Is not so vigorous as he appeared few years
ago ne IS still II sturdy old man, who seems
hheiy TO live To celebrate good many birth
Gays. When one considers that the veteran
general was in active service for nearly half a
century during which time he did his share OF
| the hardest sort OF lighting it is indeed sur
prislng that he continues so hale and active A
huge amount OF work the old general has done
III his tie In 1910 sent to Florida TO see his first
campaign. From this time on to 1847 at va
rlous military stations at the south where
knowledge OF the country WAS gained that
proved OF the greatest value in later years
| Ihen during the days Of the argonauts the
young soldier was on the California coast Still
later he Was stationed at ST. Louis and New Or
| leans Then We find him in command of a
brigade Tor the hrst time in the first battle of
\ Bull Hun. From that time down to the r r sent
Ills career has been such that every school bow
| Is familiar with it. The veteran has been a
| soldier, banker, diplomatist, a trader. and
| last. but by no me ans least, he has been and is
| an author. That he is an orator of a no mean
order has been pretty well demonstrated.
| Gen. sherman is quite gray now Both his
hair and beard are white. But he ia still a very
Woodworking man. He lives very QUIETLY with
his family at his house on list street west of
| Central park. He is as accessible as anv man
in New York, but ne has a most direct and posi-
| tiya NJ nf DEALING wit 4