The record-union., 1891-02-23
Memorial Services by His Old
Soldier Comrades.
AN INTERESTING RECITAL OF ARMY
LIFE.
Grand Army Men Meet to Honor the
Great Soldiers Name-An Eloquent
Tribute from CongresSman-El Elect
Bowers to the Dead Hero.

evening, under the auspices OF the Grand
Army Posts of this city. The members
of Sumner, Warren and Fair Oaks Posts
and the Sons of Veterans met at their
hall early in the evening and marched in
a body to the church.
1t had been expected that Governor
Markham would preside over the assem-
blage, but his physician advised him not
to expose himself to the storm. Assem-
blyman Cargill, who is a veteran of the
war, then accepted an invitation to pre-
side. Rev. DR.. Hammond officiated as
chaplain, and several selections We're
rendered by the choir.
Congressman-elect Bowers, of San
Diego, delivered the memorial address,
as follows:
My only excuse to you for taking a
few moments Of your time is that | served
as private soldier of the Union under
General Sherman in the memorable At
lanta campaign, and as soldier, to meet
with you on this the anniversary of the
birth of the first great American General,
the chief architect under whose skillful
directions the foundations of this mighty
empire of freedom were laid broad and
deep and strong, and the superstructure
erected thereon-which our great COM
rade so wisely and stoutly defended-to
add my humble tribute to his memory.
You will not expect anything new to be
said OF him, for Is not his history, his
deeds, written on the hearts of the Amer
lean people? We can only honor our
selves by honoring the memory of him
to whom the nation owes so much, whose
comrades yesterday laid in his grave
while the nation stood uncovered, and
where we trust his ashes will rest for ages
to come under the flag he served all his
life.
L well remember the first time ever
saw Sherman. Our regiment had wan
jered away from Missouri down into
Arkansas. There at daylight one morn
ing Marmaduke with 500 men attacked
our wagon train having with it about 100
men all told, with the sick included, the
main body of the regiment having fool
iShly crossed the river and was eight miles
away when we were attacked. OF course
There could be but one result-only about
twenty of us escaped, and met the regi-
ment coming back to the field. They
lound fortychye OF our wounded and
dead on the field. The dead were buried,
and the wounded placed on a small
steamer, to be taken to Memphis, and
was one of the men detailed to care for
them on the journey. It was a sad jour-
ney for me, for among the mortally
whom / had known from infancy. On
the first night he died, and, wrapping a
sheet about his poor body, l carried it out
and laid it beside the rail on the stern
deck. We arrived at Memphis the second
day, and our wounded were taken to the
Overton Hospital. This done, L, with the
other men, was waiting in the general Of
flee for permission and directions to rejoin
my regiment. While there, an officer
with epaulets on his shoulders, attended
10y two Lieutenants, came up the stairs,
and after talking with the surgeon in
charge, went on to the upper floor. After
he had gone one of the ward physicians
asked the surgeon in charge who that
officer was. The surgeon replied: "Why,
that is crazy Sherman
1t was some days before my regiment
came up the river, so that | could join it..
and during those days | learned that that
surgeon who so fiippantly referred to the
great soldier, was good, honest, capable
and Intelligent man; man in the right
place; a patriotic man. He but gave voice
10 the thoughts Of many patriots at the
North.
For years before the outbreak, men felt
that the conflict was coming: that it could
not be avoided or compromised, as patri-
Otic citizens had labored to. Lincoln
sounded the warning. He saw that the
two diverse and antagonistic forms of
civilization that came across the sea from
England and grew side by side, the one
planted by the cavaliers upon the banks
eyed classes should govern, and labor
should be servile, and the other planted
on the rock-bound coast of New. England
by the Saxon PuritanS, under which la
Dor should be free and honorable and all
should share in the benefits and privileges
of administering the Government, could
not go on together, that the time was near
ly at hand when one form or the other
must give way and disappear, or the ma
ton go to pieces.
But when this conflict had actually be-
gun; when armies We're in the tield-eVen
after fierce battles had been fought-none
seemed to realize what mighty conflict
it was destined to be, and how far-reach-
ing its results. Perhaps no man in the
nation had clearer vision of the future
than Sherman. His associations at w est
Point and in the army gave him an in
sight into the material OF which the oppos-
ing elements were composed. And so,
when asked his opinion as TO the probable
duration of the struggle to put down the
rebellion, and the number of men re-
quired, he, with characteristic courage and
frankneSS. declared lit would take three
years and halfa million of soldiers" and
ne was Immediately pronounced crazy.
: But soon all came to realize its fearful
magnitude, and all the nations of the
earth watched the great conflict, the result
of which would touch them all. For the
first time great nation, that had taken
without a king or prince or lord of any
degree, that had successfully passed the
first and second, was now come to the
third and last ordeal which all nations
must pass by ineNorable law. 1t was now
to be demonstrated whether this nation
could withstand the assault from within.
AT last came the ppomatoX-and peace.
Again the old flag tioated from the hither
TO the thither shore, and over all the
space between the southern gulf, land the
inland northern seas; and for the first
snne no slave bent beneath its sacred
folds. The foul spot inherited from the
peglnnlng was washed away in the storm,
and the grand sentence in the Declaration
of Independence, which before was a gilt
tering lie, was made the living truth.
Thanks and eternal honor to the memory
of the man buried yesterday, who fought
to make ii true.
The next time / saw Sherman was
when his division passed by our camp in
Tennessee, on its way to Chattanooga.
Nv camp-mate called to me to come and
see s.Sherman's Bummers.'' 1t was not
n dress parade. 1t was late in the after
noon and the foragers We're there with
their accumulatcns. Some on mules
some on horses, some riding in old bug
pies. and one man had sulky and mule.
There were motley patches in the line.
but everyone was moving forward with
an alert step. There seemed no
laggards They knew only that
sherman was going somewhere, and
they were going with him. They had
faith in their leader-that made it SO
much easier for them to follow him.