The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-05
THE TWO SHERMAN BOYS
JOHN ALWAYS FIGHTING, BUT "CUM-
Ply" WON THE BATTLES.
Citizens of His Native Town Now Pre-
pairing to Erect n Monument in
Honor of the General.
st. Louis GIobe-Democrat.


st. Louis GIobe-Democrat.
The efforts of citizens Of Lancaster, o.,
for the past three years to erect a monu-
ment to the memory of the late General
w. T. Sherman have been so far successful
that work may now be commenced at any
time The movement inaugurateG by some
Of the leading business men of the place
has received the hearty cooperation from
the old soldiers especially in Ohio, and the
work of receiving subscriptions win go
right along until enough money has been
secured to erect a magnificent memorial to
General Sherman where he first saw the
light of day on Feb. 8. 1920
Every hill and vale river and lake of
Fairfield county, Of which Lancaster is the
capital, is associated with the memory Of
men whose lives have been interviewer with
the great events of American history and
made for this city a niche in history of
which her citizens are very proud. The
tract upon which Lancaster was originally
built was acquired from the government by
Ebenezer Zane, after whom the city Of
GAINESVILLE was named, and was given him
In compensation for opening tract
through the forest from Limestone (now
Maysville). XIV, to Wheeling, W. Va. the
WOrk D6iI& commenced ana competed III
1897 and called for many years ''Zane's
Trace" The city received It's name COM
plimentary to Lancaster, Pa, many of its
first citizens being former residents of that
town and county. and a singular coinci-
dence in connection with the subject OF this
sketch may be referred to by stating that
the first Sherman mentioned in the family
annals of England is that Of Sir Henry
Sherman, whose name appears in the will
of Lord Stanley Earl Of Derby, said will
being dated May 49, 1921. and the residence
of Sir Henry given in the document as Lam
caster county, England.
The population of Lancaster is about TO-
600, and ranks high in the social and in
telligent standard of the people. 1t is the
home of the Ewings, Shermans, Hunters
Broughs and Schofelds names which are
familiar in the civil and military history
of the country, and 1T was here that the
late James G. Blaine attended school when
young man at the Greenfield Academy,
a short distance west of tne town, under
the watchful care and admirable instruc-
ton Of Dr. John Williams, and when not
At scnool, looked 3iter by the eioer Ihonas
Ewing, at whose house he made his home.
Many of the old homesteads are yet stand
ing, and are objects of interest to strangers.
LEFT A LARGE FAMILY.
The death of Judge Charles Sherman the
father of the general, in 1929, and the strug-
gfes of his sorrowing wife to keep her
large family of children together, are mat
tiers already familiar to the American peo-
pie, but it has been my good fortune to
pass an evening recently with the venera-
BILE Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Reese the widow
of Gen. VIM Reese, and sister of the gener-
aland of Secretary of State John Sherman.
airs. Reese, now at the advanced age of
eighty-four years, is livinp ruietly with her
son. Major II. y. Reese, a retired paymas-
ter of the army, in her comfortable home
on East Wheeling street, and when | made
known the object of my call, talk with
her about the proposed monument to her
brother, cordial welcome followed, and
dghtful old lady. Mrs. Reese possesses a
remarkable memory, and being seven years
older than her brother, the general, she
readily went back to the bovhood days of
"Cumpy," as she called him, and related
some of her experiences in assisting her
mother in caring for the younger children,
her remarks having peculiar reference to
"Cumpy and john AT first she spoke OF
the old homestead which stands on the
western slope of Main-Street hill. A por-
ton of the original building Is still stand
ing, forming the rear OF pretentious
Mrs. Reese remarked with a look of great
pride that her fathers house was noted
far and wide for the bountiful hospitality
dispensed during his lifetime She recalled
with pleasure the visit Of Henry Clay to
her home and his hearty welcome to all
the good people who came from the town
~@iiN .~T~esAASAS ~ RNNJ $1,000 -
spects to him.
The visit and entertainment of General
Jackson at her home was also recalled
with interesting detail, and also the fact
that the Duke of Saxe-Weimar was the
guest over night of her father. Then the
dear old face seemed to grow young again
while she told of how she was impressed
with the magnificent personality. of De
Witt Clinton who came to her home in
1895 while Governor of New York and made
one of party of picnickers who went on
horseback to Millersport. twelve miles
from rI,nrrA Tho .
a large number OF people, he threw out the
first shoyelful OF earth from the surveyed
route of a canal from Cleveland to the
Ohio river at Portsmouth the beginning
OF the great canal system of Ohio.
"CUAtPY" AND JOHN CONTRASTED.
Then she went back to the boyhood of her
brother and said that "Cumpy" was always
q good boy and very tender hearted; that
he was always a quiet boy about the house
and very kind to all Of them, listening re-
spectfully to their admonitions and needing
the same. Then presumably for the pur-
pose of contrasting the temperament and
dispositions of the brothers. she spoke of
John and said he was continually in
trouble. That he was all the time cutting
up pranlxs and in a constant broil with the
boys in the street, where fights were an
everyday occurrence. That "Cumpy' looked
on, but kept clear of the trouble unless he
saw his brother getting worsted, and then
he went in all over
At this time the boys were attending
school at Howe's Academy, on Mulberry
street, taught by a Yankee named Samuel
Howe, a most excellent teacher but a very
strict disciplinarian, and Mrs. Reese stated
that he thrashed the boys so much the
lower portion of their Jackets behind was
all frayed and in tatterS most of the time,
and Johns was the worst of ALL" One
day "Cumpy" came home with tears in his
eyes and told herself and mother that John
had whipped the schoolmaster. She in
qsired OF 'Cumpy'' If John did a good job
and was told that he did, and she then said
that she was glad of II, as Howe was al
the master had kept up his thrashing of
John for several years and there came a
time y len the boy grew strong enough to
turn the tables and thrash the master.
On one occasion "Cumpy' was riding be-
hind neighbor on horseback, and. falling
and doctor sent for, who set the broken
arm, and the little fellow never once WINGED
through the painful operation. His father
standing by, remarked that his boy was
well named "Tecumseh, as he endured
pain with the stoicism of the old Indian
warrior for whom he was named.
After speaking briefly of the great am
bition of her brother TO enter West Point
and his great joy at receiving an appoint
nent TO that institution through Senator
Thomas Ewing Mrs. Reese spoke at length
OF his army service. and then said that at
one critical period Of her brothers career
he yielded to her solicitations, and after
listening to the circumstances as she re-
lated them one could not refrain from
specializing on the results of his after life
had he not been guided by this ssterly adj
vice. The circumstances are already IA
miliar 1T was I'm October, 1861. General
Sherman was with the Army of the Cum