The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-06-25
General Sherman at Seventy.

General Sherman is quite gray now.
Both his hair and his beard are white.
But he is still very hard working
man. lie lives very quietly with his
family at his house on Seventy-irst
street, west of Central Park. He is as
accessible as any man in New York,
but he has a most direct and positive
way of dealing with bores. 1t has been
stated that the general is irascible, and
so he is to persons who annoy him. To
persons who have some real reason for
calling on him he is always courteous.
A ring at the door-bell of the generals
handsome brown-stone residence brings
a pleasant-faced servant girl to answer
the call. The old fighter is peculiar in
one respect. The girl who opens his
door for visitors never has to 90 and
ask if he is in. At the first she tells
one that " the general is in ~ or he is
not. That settles it, If he is in he
will see you. If you are bore, as a
good many of his callers are, look out
for squalls, and under any circumstances
it is not well to prolix. General Sherman
likes one to get to the point at once. If
the visitor is not able to do this he is
likely to be interrupted. There is one
sort of caller that is always received
with warmth, and that is one of General
Sherman's old soldiers, or his " boys"
as he calls them. Just how much as
sistance General Sherman gives to old
and unfortunate soldiers it would be
hard TO saw. No one but himself
knows, and he won't tell. But these,
are among the more numerous of the
visitors at his house. Beside these
there are all sorts and conditions of
callers at the house. General Sherman
is methodical in his habits and in his
work. He is an early riser. He eats
an early and light breakfast, and after
ward is TO be seen in his library at the
end of the hall on the parlor floor of his
house. He has a comparatively large
library, and not entirely made up of
military books either. He had always
had keen literary taste, and there are
few men who are better posted on the
literary and historical records of this
and other lands. A large amount of
the space in his library is taken up by
the maps which were drawn by him
self and his generals during the civil
war. He has the original copies of
the maps, and there is scarcely
day when he is not called upon to set
tie by reference some dispute as to
military maneuver made by himself or
some other general. These maps are
his hobby, and very valuable they are,
too, viewed from any standpoint. To
call man of seventy man about town
may seem lippant. And yet General
Sherman is a man about town in the
best sense of the word. He is to be
seen at the clubs and the big dinners,
such as that of the New England So
ciety, for instance; he shares the ora
torical hOnors with such stars as
Chauncey M. Depew and General Hor
ace Porter. AT most of the big social
events the tall form and grizzled face
of the famous soldier is to he seen, and
he is favorite with all. In short, the
old general is passing through the even
ing of his life in calm and quiet man
ner, liked by all. He is happy in his
home, is admired in public, and as one
of the most unique of our historical
characters, as well as one of the last, he
is figure that stands out prominently
in the crowded, hustling metropolis.
Neoo York Letter.