The National tribune., 1897-12-16

HI selling Sui!eTSh1l ~ III Tue hlH'. Ihae
he had confessed it to Representative
Blackburn, OF Kentucky; that be had
rendered his resignation, which had been
accepted by the President, and that he
was still subject TO impeachment, would
be impeaehed, and tried by the Senate.
| was surprised to learn that Gen.
Belknap was dishonest in money mat
ters. for | believed him brave soldier,
and'T surely thought him honest; but
the truth was soon revealed from Wash
ington, and very soon after ! received
from Judge Alphonso Taft, of Gncin-
matt, letter informing me that he had
been appointed Secretary Of War, and
should insist on my immediate return to
Washington.
| answered that | was ready to go TO
Washington, or anywhere, if assured Of
decent treatment.
| proceeded to Washington, when, on
the 9th of April, were published these
orders:
WAR DEPARTMENT. ADJUTANT-GEN- !
ERALS OFFICE, WASHINGTON, April 6,
1876
General Orders No 2S.
The following orders of the President of the
United States are hereby promulgated for the
information and guidance Of all concerned:
The Headquarters the Army are hereby re-
established at Washington City, and all orders
and instructions relative TO military operations
or affecting the military control and discipline
of the Army issued by the President through
the Secretary of War shall be promulgated
through the General OF the Army, and the
departments Of the Adiutant- General and the
Inspector General shall report to him and be
under his control in all matters relating
thereto.
BY order OF the Secretary of War:
T. D. TOWNSEND, Adiutant-General.
This was all | had ever asked ac-
cordingly my personal staff were brought
back to Washington, where we resumed
our old places; only | did not, for some
time, bring back the family, and then
only to a rented house Oh Fifteenth
street, which we occupied till we left
Washington for good. During the
period from 1876 to 1884 We had as
Secretaries of War in succession the
Hons. Al phonso Taft, J. d. Cameron,
George W. McCrary, Alexander Ram
sey, and T. T. Lincoln, with each and
all of whom | was on terms of the
most intimate and friendly relations.
And here will record Of Washington
that ! saw it, under the magic hand OF
Alexander II. Shepherd, grow from a
Struggling, ill-paved city to one Of the
cleanest, most beautiful, and attractive
cities Of the whole world. It's climate
lis salubrious, with as much sunshine as
any CITY of America. The country inn
mediaiely about il is naturally beauti-
ful and romantic, especially up the Poto-
mac in the region Of the Great Falls.
The social advantages cannot be sur
passed even III London, Paris, or Vienna;
and among the resident population the
members of the Supreme Court, Senate,
House Of Representatives Army, Navy,
and the several Executive Departments,
may be found an intellectual class one
cannot encounter in our commercial and
manufacturing cities.
The student may, without tax and
without price, have access, in the libra
ries Of Congress and Of the several De
partments, to books OF every nature and
kind and the museums Of natural his
tory are rapidly approaching a standard
OF comparison with the best Of the world.
Yet it is the usual and proper center
Of political intrigue, from which the
Army especially should keep aloof, be-
cause the Amy must be true and faith
ful 10 the powers that be, and not be
subjected to temptation to favor one
or other Of the great parties into which
our people have divided, and will con-
tinue TO divide, it may be, with advan-
tage to the whole.
WESTERN RfMIHIsCENCE.
1t would be labor Of love for me,
in this connection, to pay tribute Of
respect, by name, 10 the many able and
most patriotic officers with whom / was
so long associated as the commanding
Generals Of military divisions and de-
parlmen,s, as well as staff officers; but
must forego the temptation, because of
the magnitude Of the subject, certain
that each and all of them will find
biographers better posted and more
capable than myself
And / would also like to make recog-
milton of the hundreds Of acts of mcst
graceful hospitality on the part Of the
officers and families at our remote mill
tary posts In the DAYS Of the " adobe, u
the "jacal," and "dug-out," when a
board floor and shingle roof were
luxuries expected by none except the
commanding officer.
! can see, in memory. a beautiful
young cify-hred lady, who had married
a poor Second Lieutenant, and followed
him to his post on tie plains, whose
quarters were in "dug-out ten feet
by about fifteen, seven feet high, with G
dirt roof four feet of the walls were
the natural earth, the other three oi
sod, with holes for windows and corn
sacks FOR curtains.
ri - f.sla Fol.- III l.. Coa4o1.,