The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-18
The G. A. R. ENCANPMFNT
The Department TO Assemble Here
TO-mOITOW.

The Annual Encampment to Have
Been Held in Charleston But Was
Transferred to Savannah-Mr. @. T.
Watson, of Atlanta, the Next De
partment Communications
Gleason's Address to the Encamp-
ment - Opposition to Holding the
1895 National Encampment in At
lanta-Louisville the Favored Place.
The annual encampment of the Grand
Army Of the Republic for the department
including South Carolina and Georgia,
will be held in the Knights of Pythias
hall tomorrow, commencing a 10 o'clock.
The attendance will not be, it is thought,
an unusually large one, but all of the posts
as follows viii be well represented: 0.
NJ Mitchell, Atlanta; Augusta, Augusta:
w. >. Hancock, Savannah; j. b. Stead
man, IalapOosa; Q. 5. Jones, Macon; Blue
Ridge Jasper, Ca. Maj. Robert Ander-
son. Charleston; Robert G.. Shaw, (col)
savannah David Hunter, Beaufort. S.
c; Charles Devens Columbia, S. c.;
James G. Beecher, Charleston; Abraham
Lincoln. Hilton Head
WORK BEFORE TIRE ENCAMPMENT
There will be little work before the en-
campment, and it is believed that they
will wind up everything during Mondays
session.
The principal matters to be attended to
are the election of officers and the recon-
mendatlOn of place by this department
for the holding of the national encamp-
ment next September.
The present officers of the department
are: Thomas +. Gleason, commander,
savannah, Ca. James .. Ladd, senior
vice commander, Summerville, 5. c.; A B.
Carrier, junior vice commander Atlanta,
Ga. Geo H. Stone, NJ. D., medical direc-
tor, Savannah, Ga. William Pease, chap
lain, Savannah, Ga
Official Staff.-Henry Burns, assistant
adlustant general, Macon, Ga; S. f. B.
Gillespie, assistant quartermaster gen
eral, Savannah, Ga. Il. E. Mansfield, in
spector, Charleston, s. c.; Isaac Beckett,
judge advocate, Savannah, Ga. s. Lump
Kin, chief mastering officer, Savannah,
Ga.
The head officers of the department
will come this time, it is thought, from
Atlanta. Mr.. c. T. Watson, secretary of
the Georgia Mining, Manufacturing and
Investment Company is the candidate
who will be put forward by Atlanta for
department commander, and there is lit
tie doubt about his election. The cleo
tlous II Is thought, will be merely a mat
ter of form, as there are no contests to
speak Of
The encampment this time was to have
been held at Charleston but the Charles
ton Post informed the department COM
mander that they could not entertain the
delegates, and it was called to meet here
again.
THE COMMANDERS ADDRESS.
The annual report Of Department Com
mander Thomas +. Gleason has been pre-
pared and put in type. IL refers pleasantly
to the annual encampments and their OBJ
jects, and to the exercises held on Memo
rial day.
The portion of the report, however, to
which Commander Gleason refers with
pride is as follows:
1T Is with great pleasure we announce
TO you that the property known as the
Andersonville prison pen property is Low
free of debts and stands on records as the
property of the department of Georgia,
Grand Army of the Republic. Such por-
tion of the land as is fit for cultivation is
now under lease for the sum of SOL per
year, all the historic points being ex-
cepted from the lease. The credit for the
condition of this property is largely due to
Comrade Harry Burns for his energy in
securing the contribution from the
Women's Relief Corps; to Comrade
$. Crawford, for his very
generous scaling of his debt, and
to Comrade J. W. Bryant, Super
intendent of the Andersonville national
cemetery, for his services in securing
tenant and making lease of the property
The assistant quartermast ter generals re
port will show the source from which the
money was derived to clear the property
of debt. recommend that comrade j. w
Bryant, superintendent OF the national
cemetery at Andersonvllle, be made GUS
todian Of this property, with power to col
lect rentals. | also recommend that any
surplus, after paying expenses, be used as
a memorial fund for this department"
The report then continues, showing the
general condition, growth and prosperity
of the department
The report of the Assistant Quarter
master General S. F. B. Gillespie has also
been prepared. 1t shows the total cost of
the Andersonville property to have been
about 5000. II shows furthermore that
the department is entirely free from debt,
Of which the department officers have
good reason to be proud as all the indebt-
ness has been cleared up under their ad-
ministratiOn.
OPPOSITION TO ATLANTA.
The vote of the department with regard
TO place for holding the national en-
campment for 1898 is also to be taken. In
a letter to the department commander,
Mr. Watson, who will probably be the
next commander, ridiculeS the idea of
holding the national encampment in At
lanta. He says it is farcical to think
of it.
Commander Gleason says in Washing
ton last September there were $4,000 old
soldiers in line, and that even there it
was almost impossible to take care of all
of them. Some Of them lived in tents
while there, and it was all the Capital
city could do TO provide for them. The
department generally riGicules the idea of
holding the encampment in Atlanta, a nd
1t Is believed that such move will meet
with opposition from nearly all the posts
represented here tomorrow. Mr.. Glea-
son aays Atlanta could scarcely provide
for the friends and families of the mem
bers, let alone the Old soldiers them
selves.
Commander Gleason says he will pull
for Louisville, Ky. Louisville was the
hrst place to extend an invitation TO the
Grand Army, that city having oIel cd it,
sell nearly six months before any other
The national encampment for this year
Will be held NJ Pittsburg, Pa, and it will
then be decided where the encampment
for 1888 will be held St Paul is also
candidate for the honor. Louisville, how
ever, seems TO be the most favored place,
and IL seems very likely that the oncamp-
ment Will go there.
it has not been decided yet whether the
department will have banquet or not