Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-09
Of The Evening Star.

corespondence Of The Evening Star.
ALBANY, N. Y, August 9, 1891
At the state Grand Army headquarters here
much interest Is manifested in the coming ma
tional encampment in Washington. Asst. Adjt
Gen. VIM. A. Wallace told The STAR corre-
spondent today that fully 10000 or $4,000 vet
Grams from the empire state will be in line on
Pennsylvania avenue on September 20. There
may be even more than that, but the actual re-
ports received at headquarters indicate 10000
or Il, 900, OF course hundreds Of others will be
attracted later by reduced railroad fares or i'm
PEELED to go by the enthusiasm that il increas-
ing and spreading. By the way, New York is,
believe, the only state that gives the G. A. r.
official recognition and contributes to the sup
port OF the order. A handsome and spacious
room is provided in the capitol building here
Tor the state headquarters. It 10 furnished Ut
the expense Of the state and heated and
lighted from the state funds. In addi-
ton much Of the printing required in
the administration Of the affairs Of this depart
ment is done as public printing One Of the G.
A. r. officials said today that about $500 worth
Of printing was done annually for the G.. A. R.
by the state In other ways the organization
has been recognized by the laws Of the state
and the veterans here are proud Of the fact. So
1t happens that the state headquarters are 10
Gated permanently in Albany and have been
since 1887, and are not moved every year, a. In
be for the time the residence Of the department
commander
The present department commander, Theo-
dore L. Poole, a one-armed veteran with gal
liant record, resides in Syracuse. There is much
interest there in all the arrangements for the
great parade. All through the state the vet
Grams have caught the spirit that animated the
department commander when. in a recent order,
he urged all to work with q determination that
New York should now, as in 1861, send more
men 10 Washington than any other state. The
department will be brigaded in the parade in
ten brigades, one for each judicial district and
two for New York city. In each brigade the
counties will take places in line in alphabetical
order. The designations of brigade command
ers and other announcements respecting the
formation of the department in the parade will
soon be made in general orders which are now
being prepared.
DOUBLE FORMATION IN THE PARADE.
1t is thought here that it will he absolutely
necessary to carry out the idea Of doubling the
line in the parade. The calculations made by
old paraders at the New York headquarters are
that it requires one hour for 5000 men march
ing twelve abreast, half distance to pass a given
point II the figures are correct it is easy to see
that one would have to sit for nine hours to see
parade of 70 900 men marching in that order
not to speak of the length Of time the veterans
would have to be on their feet waiting to fall in.
The double formation. Assistant Adjutant Gen.
ernl Wallace says. would reduce the time to
about one-half. The great width of Pennsyl-
vania avenue, Col. Wallace believes, will easily
permit such formation.
Much satisfaction is expressed at state head
quarters with the arrangements made by the
citizens committee Of Washington. The de-
partment is kept well supplied with literature
from Washington and with maps Of the capital
city, SO printed and marked as to give much in
formation as to the points Of especial interest to
the veterans.
NEW YORK MEN IN LINE.
1t is safe to say that the great department
OF New York, with its 662 posts and 43, 900 mem
bers, will be very creditably represented at the
encampment The New York headquarters will
be located at Wizards. The headquarters
train will leave Syracuse so as to reach WASH
ington the night of the 18th Of September.
COL. PHIsTERER AND Ex-Gov. CURTIN.
Col. Phisterer, the adjutant general of the
G. A. R., speaking Of the parade said that
marching in the closest order practicable one
could not calculate on more than 5000 men an
hour. So he believes it will be necessary to
have the double formation. The parade will
be 80 long that all idea of having any other
organization but the q. A. r. in line would be
out OF the question, even IL 1t were not re-
garded at headquarters rs improper. Col.
Phisterer had not read today, when The STAR
correspondent saw him, the remarks reported
to have been made by eX-Gov Andrew Curtin
respecting a letter written by Col. Phisterer
stating that the Pennsylvania Reserve Associa-
ton could not be given place in line
Ex-Gov. Curtin said in a letter to an officer
Of the reserves:
81 do not know the writer Of the letter, and
never heard Of him in connection with the mill
hnf uord his lott
very ill-advised and verv improper in reply to a
real soldier. take it altogether as O remark
able communication, and / regret that he
should. as adjutant, feel it to be his duty to
make such q communication to you or to any
other soldier Of this state.
II have spoken to some of the survivors of
the reserve corps in this neighborhood, and who
have never been connected with it. and have
told them OF my modification at the letter
now inclose. will make some effort to correct
1t in some way if l can, and in the meantime 1
think 1t proper for you and Capt. Taylor to let
the subject Of this communication be known in
Philadelphia, as will through the interior
Col. Phisterer said it made little difference
whether ex-Gov. Curtin ever heard Of him as a
soldier or not He was at the front when bull
let's were whizzing. He may have been only
private then. while Curtin was governor Of
state, but he had not been a rene gade since
He presumed that Gov. Curtin knew that
when an adjutant general wrote in his official
capacity he expressed the sentiments and
wishes of his commander. So it made little
difference who the adjutant general was. In
his opinion the personal turn given to the mat
ter by Mr.. Curtin was in extremely bad taste.
Asa matter Of fact Col. Phisterer said it would
be impossible to comply with the request to
give place to the Pennsylvania reserves
Equal consideration could be claimed by Ohio,
Maryland or any other state. The letter writ
ten from headquarters here, and which Gov
Curtin's remarks refer to. was addressed to the
secretary of the Survivors Of Pennsylvania Re-
serves July 10 last It said:
/ have the honor to acknowledge receipt Of
yours Of yesterday and TO note contents In
reply would say that these headquarters have
nothing to do with the formation Of the parade
other than by departments. The parade of
September 20, 1892. is to be Grand Army pa
rade, pure and simple. instructions have been
sent to every department commander to allow
no one to parade in his department unless he
be q member Of the G. 4. r. Department
commanders are given reasonable latitude in
the organization Of their departments, but I
wish to state that it is the opinion Of the com.
mander-in-chief that participation by other
than Grand Army organizations in the parade
will initiate largely against its effectiveness,
and further that desire to parade a. something
else than member Of the order does not mani
fest a very strong affection for 1t. 1t 10 not the
old Armies Of the Potomac, Shenandoah, Cum
berland, Ohio or the Tennessee making this
parade. 1t is the G. A. R., and q such esery
comrade who participates at all should take