Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-21
rrRon A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

GFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, Sept 20-Drums and
bugles during the livelong night. Drums
and bugles with the first halo of the golden
dawn. Drums and bugles for breakfast,
and then drums and bugles to the right and
left, front and rear, every point of the CON-
pass every moment of the day, and so nu-
merous and in such close proximity that
the world would have seemed made of
drums and bugles had there not been such
a countless myriad of human beings chatter
ing, tramping, cheering and jostling as an
accompaniment to the martial music that
fairly rent the earth and air.
This, with the marching tens of thousands
of old soldiers of almost every age over As,
with hundreds of tattered battle flags, dear
to them as the apples of their ewes, the
sun shining gloriously, the breezes cool and
bracing, the streets free from dust, will in
a word afford broad 'fmpressionistc'
picture of the greatest day the Grand Army
Of the Republic has known since its organ
iZation.
The Most Inspiring of All Parades.
Every old soldier of them admits this,
and the citizens who have so enthusiastical-
ly, regardless of party or section, contrib
uted to the success and glory of the oc-
casion, will swear that of all of the inspir-
ing crowds that have lined "the avenue"
since the days of the war none has been
anything like so inspiring as this innumer-
able congregation of old and middle-sged
veterans of the war for the Union, thou
sands of them showing the scars of battle,
armless sleeves, their legless trousers,
lfnping, bending, shuffiing along, deter
mined to be in and to keep up with the
procession on this exceptional and splendid
meeting at the Capital if they never should
see another encampment, and even if they
died in the attempt, as some have already
6ied.
For nearly eight hours these grizzled
representatives. of the war of 80 years ago
marched along the great avenue of the city,
properly named in honor of the grand old
keystone State, and seeming almost enough
i'm themselves to again defend the Union
against the attack of any foe, either domes-
-Attic or foreign. -
The Audience an Exceptional One.
And never were any of the many pro-
cessions that have made Washington
'amous for such things graced by an
audience equal in numbers and apprecia-
tion to that one which swallowed up the
earth and the city, so thoroughly did it
cover every inch of available ground and
occupy every niche and coign of vantage,
from street to garret and roof. They came
to witness the most memorable parade of
them all since the days of '65, when Grant
and Sherman and Sheridan, the three most
conspicuous heroes of the war who lived to
see the time, rode down the avenue in front
of the great army of the rank and file who
had won their victories for them, made them
the admired and worshiped of the world.
and won laurels for one of them which
placed him for eight years in the chief
office of the land.
Grant and Sherman and Sheridan are
gone, and the army which marched for long
hours to-day over the same streets but of
far more brilliant city, contains only few
names so conspicuous as to be known be-
yond their own States. The enthusiasm
shown to-day, therefore, was not for some
hero as apart from the common mass, but
was emphatically for the common soldier,
who suffered the greatest hardship, whose
endurance and bravery won the battles
which resulted in the promotion and honor
of the officers, and VINO will grow in the
hearts of the people as the individual
heroes become more and more a mere MEM
ory.
a " OrtflN lTlDuIo lhe Sou1nOn SOl01er.
1t is fitting that this time, when there are
vet legions of the rank and file alive, q
tribute such as that of to-day should be paid
to the common soldier" to whom the
greatest honor belongs, here in the Capital
which but for him would have been but
capital in history.
For hours before the procession began to
move the entire region of Capitol Hill was
occupied bv the myriad posts waiting to
drop into line in their turn. For hours be-
tore there was sign of the front of the
column the avenue was packed on either
side as denselv as it could be- and far
ther back on the intersecting streets than
ever before in the history of Capital par
ades. The immense stands for spectators
were packed The little private stands
were packed. Windows in every story of
the buildings were packed, and the very
housetops covered. And still in every
direction were other crowds hurrying toward
the place OF the parade, all the suburbs and
all the city pouring their thousands of resi-
dents and visitors into the already monopo-
lized thoroughfares and buildings
The broad avenues and streets of the
Capital afford better opportunity for
observation on an occasion of this kind
than can be found in any other city Of the
world, and so every one seemed to find
some more or less satisfactory spot from
which to view the almost endless stream of
marching veterans. Moreover the time
occupied was so long that only those who
had really comfortable places to sit could
endure the fatigue of continuous watching
for hours, and the tired ones constantly
dropped to the rear and gave way to others.
The Treasury Building the Center
The Treasury building, midway between
the point of starting and breaking ranks,
was the center of interest The Fifteenth
street front of the Treasury was fairly SUBJ
merged by ar ocean of faces, and multi
tude had climbed to the roof and from that
altitude cheered the passing throng. At the
north front was the reviewing stand for the
Vice President, gorgeous with the scarlet
decorations, and its neat dome making
sort of royal canopy over the throne or
royal chair of the man who stood in the
place of the President of the United States.
From this on to the building of the War,
State and Navy Departments, the long
stretch of pretty stands, brilliant decora-
o tions, and the mass of faces, and the thou
sands packed in the parks and the grounds
of the White House formed an expanse of
color vibrating with human life that could