The National tribune., 1897-12-02

Slocum, and nearly every general officer
Of note was present, except Gen. Sherl-
Gan, who at the moment was fighting
the Cheyennes in southern Kansas and
the Indian country.
At that time we discussed the Army
changes which would necessarily occur
IN the following March, and it was gen.
orally understood that | was 10 succeed
Gen. Grant as General-in- Chief, but as
to nv successor, Meade, Thomas, and
Sheridan were candidates.
And here | will remark that Gen.
Grant, afterward famous as the silent
man." used to be very gossipy, and no
one was ever more fond than he of tell
ing anecdotes of our West Point and
early Army life. At the Chicago Re-
union he told me that | would have to
come to Washington; that he wanted me
10 effect a change as to the general staff,
which he had long contemplated, and
which was outlined in his letter to Mr..
Stanton of Jan. %, 1866, given here
after, which had been repeatedly pub
lished, and was we'll known to the mill
tary world; that on being inaugurated
President Oh the 4th of March he would
retain Gen. Schofeld as his Secretary of
War until the change had become habit
ual; that the modern custom Of the Sec
retary of War giving military orders to
the Adiutant- General and other staff
officers was positively wrong and should
De stopped.
GREAT MEMS HOBBIES.
Speaking of Gen. Grants personal
characteristics at that period of his life,I
recall conversation in his carriage,
when, riding down Pennsylvania Ave
nue., he inquired Of NE in a humorous
way:
Sherman, what special hobby do you
intend 10 adopt? q,
[ inquired what he meant, and he ex-
plained that all men had their special
weakness or vanity, and that it was
wiser TO choose ones own than to leave
the newspapers to afiix one less accept
able, and that for his part he had chosen
the horse, 50 that when anyone tried
to pump him he would turn the conver-
sation 10 his horse
| answered that | would stick to the
"theater and baNs," for ] was Always
fond of seeing young people happy. and
did actually acquire- reputation for
"dancing;" though | had not attempted
the waltz, or anything more than the
ordinary cotil!on, since the war.
On tie oath of February, 1869, was
summoned to Washington, arriving on
the 26th, taking along my Aids, Lieut.
Coils Dayton and Audenried.
On the 4th Of March Gen. Grant was
duly inaugurated President Of tie United
States, and | was nominated and con-
frmed as General of the Army.
Mai.-Gen. p. H. Sheridan was at the
same time nominated and confirmed as
Lieutenant General, with orders to COM
mand the Military Division of the Mis-
souri, which be did, moving the Head
quarters from St. Louis to Chicago; and
Gen. Meade was assigned to command
the Military Division of the Atlantic,
with Headquarters at Philadelphia.
At that moment Gen. Meade was in
Atlanta, Ga, commanding the Third
Military District under the "Recon-
struction Act" and Gen. Thomas, whose
post was in Nashville, was in Washington
on court Of inquiry investigating GER
tain allegations against Gen. 4. B. Dyer,
Chief Of Ordnance He occupied the
room Of the second floor in the building
Oh the corner OF II and Fifteenth streets.
afterwards hotel
| at the time was staving with nv
brother, Senator Sherman, at his resi-
dence, 1921 X street, and it was my
habit each morning TO stop at Thomas's
room on my way 10 the Office in the War
Department to tell him the military news,
and to talk orer matters Of common in
terest We had been Intimately associ-
ated as man and boy" for thirty-odd
years, and / profess to have had better
opportunities 10 know him than any man
then living. His fame as the Rock Of
thickanauga was perfect, and by the
world at large he was considered as the
embodiment Of strength, calmness, and
imperturbability.
THOMAS COMPLAINS OF INJUSTICE.
Yet of all my acquaintance Thomas
worried and fretted over what he con-
strued negle@s or acts Of favoritism more
than any other. At that time he was
worried by what he supposed was in
justice IN the promotion of Gen. Sheri-
dan, and still more that Gen. Meade
should have an Eastern station, which
compelled him TO remain at Nashville or
90 to the Pacific. Gen. Thomas claimed
that all his life be had been stationed in
the South or remote West, and had
not had a fair share of Eastern posts,
whereas that Gen. Meade had always
been there.
! tried TO get him to 90 with me to see
President Grant and talk the matter
over frankly, but he would not, and |
bad TO act as a friendly mediator. Gen.
Grant assured me at the time that he
not onl y admired and respected Gen.
'Ihnpaac ht,t H., lo,.ol 1 ----