The Portland daily press., 1894-11-24
HOW SHERMAN SUSTAINED BECK
WITH.
An Interesting Renaissance of the
March to the Sea.

Wanted Union Soldiers to Unload q
Steamer for Them-The Answers
which They Got from General Sherman
and Beckwith.
Major-General Amos. Beckwith, U. s. A.,
died at st. Louis on the morning of October
q. His brief obituary in the newspapers
has excited some "reminiscences in my own
memory which may be interesting to Ameri-
can boys, and possibly to their fathers,
writes L.. E. Chittenden, the veteran Yer
mont Republican, to the New York Trib-
une.
Slowly, resistlessly. gigantic
machine-drill boring it's way through sue
cessive masses of plutonic rock, the West
ern army drove it's continuous way through
the body of the Con federacy from Nash
vile to Atlanta, from Atlanta to the sea.
That met and shook the rough hands of
many of its grizzled veterans at Savannah
is one of the grandest memories of my life.
How came to be there is not material
here. 1t was in January, 1866. and at his
quarters in the city of Savannah that I
next met Beckwith. He WAS then Major
General Beckwith, chief commissary of
Sherman's army.
entered his quarters in the house of a
"
Hardee. Beckwith and his large corps of
subordiuates all had the rugged look COM
mon to Sherman's army. Their uniforms
were faded, their faces bronzed by long ex-
posture TO all kinds of weather, but their
eyes were clear and the ring Of healthful
courage was in their voices. We met as
Vermonters are accustomed to meet, and he
held both my hands. while he inquired after
our common friends. / saw that every one
in the office was busy in his work and was
about to withdraw, when an orderly az
nounced that a committee of citizens
wished to see the General.
'Show them inn was the sharp, military
order. Then. turning to me as was about
taking my leave, he said
do not go! Wait and I think you Will
see one of the annoyances with which We
have to deal. The plaques of Egypt would
be a comfort compared with some of them"
Enter the committee. Its chairman was
a person of great rotundity of speech and
person. Hat in hand he desired to be in
formed whether he had the distinguished
honor of addressing Major-General Beck
with, of the Commissary Department OF the
Army of General Sherman.
Eyes, I'm he,'' was the Incl sive reply.
''Then. sir, in behalf of the constituency
we have the honor to represent, we desire
to make an application TO you in matter
of very considerable Importance. The fact
may not be unknown to you that when the
Confederate Army evacuated this city
What do you want?" interrupted the
General. ''This is an office for business.
Come to the point and leave off the trim
mings!''
Il will do SO, General but some explana-
ton is very necessary. When General
Hardee left the city on the approach of
your army he took with him every horse.
mule and wheeled vehicle. The colored
men now absolutely refuse to work unless
they are paid in Federal money. and We
have no Federal money"
We'll. what of it?''
81 will explain. Our good friends in New
York City have sent to us a steamship
laden with cargo of meats and other fresh
provisions. She has arrived and has lain
at the dock for several days. Her captain
has given us notice that the must have her
cargo discharged at once. think he said
within twenty-fcur hours
You wish, then,to turn the cargo over to
my department.? All right, I will take
charge of it at once.''
mo, General The purpose of our visit is
to request that in view of our restitution
of labor and beasts of burden, you would
send a party of men from your department
to unload the cargo of the steamer. and
three or four army wagons to transport the
provisions to the establishments prepared
for their distribution. # you will do this
to-day we shall be under great
breaking off in the middle of the sentence.
The easy flow of his speech ceased as sud-
denly as though he had been stricken dumb.
The room was so still that pin-fall would
have been audible. Every one present
knew that something was about to happen,
for
THE BLACK EYES OF THE GENERAL
SNAPPED.
with electric fire. Wrath, contempt and
indignation found plain expression in his
compressed lips and bronzed face. Then
The answer came as if it had been shot out
OF a cannon:
.You lazy, shiftless, worthless libels on
the human racer' he exclaimed. .'Have
you become SO degenerate that you need
lackey to pull your eyes open in the morn
ing2 You must have lost the little sense
you ever had, or you would never have
como to me on such an errand. DO you
ur white men. with arm and legs ard mus
cles of your own, come here to ask that
soldiers wearing our uniform and shedding
their blood for the flag you have tramp]ed
under foot shah unload and transport the
pro visions donated to you by a mistaken
charity o: loyal Northern men! Your APP
pMcation is an insult to the soldiers of this
army, which should make every man of you
blush if there is any shame left in your
soulsi"
The chairman was somewhat contounded
When he again found his voice it was to say
that they had not come there to be insulted,
and if they were to understand that their
application was refused. they would imme-
diateIy lay their case before General Sher-
man.
THAT is matter that does not interest
me-" said General Beckwith. but before
you go have something further to say
l have had my eye on that steamer for
some days. ] may want her tomorrow. I
certainly shall want her when this army
moves. Now, take notice! If her cargo
ia moi all out of her by IL O'Clock tomorrow