The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
SHERMAN AND THE PASSES.
A Mystery Of Signatures ut the Breaking Out
OF the Civil war.

A Mystery OF Signatures ut the Breaking Out
OF the Civil War.
ROCHESTER,, Juno 1s.-In tho back part Of
John Cawthra's desk at the county Jail in this
city is a photograph that has all the appear
ances of age. but the features arc easily recog-
nizable as those of Gen. william T. Sherman.
Below the picture is the Generals signature.
and on the back. in a plain hand, is written:
ITO the association of the old Thirteenth
Now York Volunteers. With best compliments
Of w. T. Sherman, General. Washington. D. c..
Oct. IL. 1873"
Gen. Sherman always had a warm place in
his heart for the members Of the old Thirteenth"
said Mr.. Cawthra, as he picked tho portrait up
and turned back an edge that had been bent
out Of place by coming in contact with q pair
of handouts. land the boys of the Thirteenth
have some pleasant recollections Of the days
when they were fighting under him. They say,
though. that first impressions are the strongest,
and l think that the incident that happened
near Washington before the fighting had actu-
ally begun is one of the most vivid I remember
OF Sherman.
1T was in June OF 81, and the First Brigade
under Sherman-hc was a Colonel then. with
the rank of Acting Observation-Disclosures the
Seventy-ninth Highland Regiment Of New York
city, the Sixty-ninth New York, and Second
Wisconsin Regiment were drawn up along the
Potomac. Our regiment was encamped near
Arlington Heights, Oh the west bank Of the
Potomac, md we had strict orders TO guard
| the bridge over the river. and allow nobody who
didn't have a pass to get by. 1t was terribly
hot. just about tho kind of weather the boys Mt
Camp Alger are getting now. The temptation
to go over to Georgetown for n little relaxation
at night time led n great many fellows from our
regiment to apply for passes early, the result
The Colonel had started In by allowing each
regiment fifty passes, which gave each company
happened, though. that soma OF the men abused
the privilege n little bv their ACTIONS while away
on leave, and when the Colono, heard OF this he
would stop that business. and proceeded to do
so by cutting down the passes of every blesse |
company from five to one for each night. That
came pretty hard on the men In our regiment.
well. the Colonel was hopping mad the next
passes from our regiment. upward OF sixty were
presented, and what made him madder than
anything else was the fact that although al,
impossible to tell which were the bad ones. Each
one had the signature of Col; sherman. Co, l.
ssiteSS"tMmrss We're almost fHc-simiiss. When the
officer of tho guard came around to Sherman to
get him to sign that nights passes the latter
What in thunder do you want me to sign
NO passes would sherman sign that night,
nor the next, nor the next; but the passes were
presented Just the same. In tho same mysteri.
Colonel n rood deal. but 1t was finally decided
TO have Divisional encral Porter sign them,
which he did with q fine bold hand and with red
ink, which the others could not counterfeit, al
though they tried it hard enough, The battle
OF Bull Run came up then and knocked al
thought OF II from our minds.
at was found out. though. that there wat
one man IN our regiment who knew Sherman
hand writing. another who knew Quinby's. and
another who knew Schoeffels, and that they
had practiced them until they could initiate the
proceeded TO flood the camp with tho passes"