The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-05-12
Il CRITICIZE PERIOD.
How the News Of Lincoln's Death Was
Received in the Army.


untoward circumstances OF slow and hest
tating wing, seems of accelerated speed
and the events of third of century since
appear like the incidents of yesterday. To
those who reached the stage of early man
hood and participated in the stirring
scenes of the closing days of the war it
seems almost incredible that the hapless
day when the American people were
| frenzied with horror and the civilized world
stood appalled, by that crime of the CEN
tury, the cruel and reasonable asSassina-
ton OF that great and good man. President
Lincoln, was long ago, that children then
unborn have in the intervening years adj
vanced to middle life, and the school chill
dren Of today read the story OF the tragedy
as the history OF a time long since passed.
Yet we recently passed the 33d anniver-
sary of that day.
Perhaps because of the contemporaneous
events, marking the period when all were
| looking forward to the early cessation of
hostilities, possibly because the public
mind was not suffering the tension created
by four years OF bloody, devastating war,
certain it is that the subsequent murder
of President Garfield was not looked upon
by the public with such feeling OF para
lying horror as was the assassination OF
Lincoln. Perhaps, however, it was the
apprehension for the future, the fear that
the crime which was afterward shown to be
but the deed of limited coterie of con-
spirators was the result of widespread
| conspiracy involving the leaders OF the
rebellion, and that the effect would DO the
renewal Of the war in a more terrible form,
| that created in the minds OF the people
such feeling of uncertainty and dread.
| 1t will be remembered that few, even, OF
| the public men of the country but appre-
hended an outbreak of 1awleSSnesS that
would result in the Inauguration OF an era
| approaching chaos, during which the fabric
| of our Government would be destroyed,
and. after years OF successful war to estab-
| lish the principle of popular and free Gov
! eminent our best efforts were to come to
| naught and popular sovereignty proven q
| failure 1t was indeed period when, for a
| time the future OF the American Republic
| trembled in the balance.
| The story OF the crime and the incidents
| following in civil life are familiar to those
| who passed through the ordeal and to the
student of history; but, singularly enough,
| we have read little of how the news of the
| tragedy was received by the soldiers in the
| field and it is to fill, so far as the expert
ence of one soldier may, this blank page of
history that these lines are written.
At the time of the assassination of the
President the battery of light artillery to
which | was attached was doing garrison
duty at Nashville, occupying Fort Morton,
at the apex of the hill between the Frank
lin and Granny White turnpikes, perhaps
been assigned after the battle of Nashville,
Dec 1916, 1864, when Pap" Thomas de-
feated and utterly destroyed the rebel army
of Hood.
In April, 1865, soldering in garrison, re-
mote as was Nashville from the conclud-
ing operations of the war, was largely a
perfunctory duty. All realized that the
war was practically over; that service in
the nd was but memory, and not
always pleasant one, and our attention
was largely directed toward the probably
early consummatiOn of all soldierly hopes
and am billions at that time-an order home
for muSter-out.
1t will be remembered that the murder Of
the President occurred about O'Clock in
the evening and that he fingered until 7:15
the following morning before death super
vened. Information of the tragedy did not
reach Nashville until 10 o'clock on the day
following the commission of the crime, or
nearly three hours after the Presidents
death.
At that time the garrison at Nashville,
including detached commands encamped
in and near the city, numbered about $4,000
men. Orders had been issued and ar
rangementS perfected for a parade OF these
troops in the city on the day that the infor-
nation of the murder of the President was
received, in ratification over the surrender
of Lee, an event of the previous six days.
Having no special fancy, either inherited
or acquired, for marching through dusty
streets beneath a broiling Tennessee sun,
| found urgent business at the Post Quar-
termasterS that morning, and left to others
such enjoyment as they could find in the
parade.
About $50 o'clock rode into the city,
and having a little leisure time on my
hands, hitched my horse in front OF the
office Cf the Times, on Church street, OPP
posite Zollicoffer Barracks NOW the Max
well House), and went up stairs to ex-
change gossip with some of the printers |
whose acquaintance had formed during a
prolonged stay at that station.
We had talked but a few minutes when |
the telegraph messenger boy tripped up the
stairway and handed to the foreman a
sheet of manifold paper, the hour being |
early and none of the editors present. The |
foreman ("Jim" Mcdaniel, formerly a |
Captain in the rebel army, but recon |
structed,') glanced at the sheet and in
stantly turned pale. As he read to us the
announcement that President Lincoln had |
been assaSsinated his voice and hands
trembled with agitation.
All were Mortified beyond measure, but |
scarcely had we time to exchange a few
agitated words when the door was thrown
open and IN strobe a member OF the staff OF
Gen. Miller, the commandment OF the post.
He hurriedly inquired If information of the
tragedy had been received, and when told
that it had he warned every person not to
stir from the room until given permission
My army blue, however, gave me freedom,
and left the room with the officer.
In reply to my query concerning the rea-
son for his actions in placing the printers
under arrest, he explained that there were
$4,000 soldiers drawn up for parade, and
that if the knowledge of the Presidents
assassination reached them an outbreak
that might not leave one brick upon an
other of the city of Nashville and cost the
lives of half her rebel citizens would be
one of the immediate probabilities.
After cautioning me to complete silence
concerning what knew, we separated, and
| walked across the street and took posi-
ton on the steps of the Zollicoffer to watch
the march past. The right of the line was
nearly opposite where l stood, the men in
the ranks standing at a right shoulder
shift" with bayonets fixed, ready for the
order to march. Suddenly there came the
call of attention" with the necessary
succeeding orders to bring the men to
reverse arms"
Few need to be told that reverse arms"
is the position assumed at funerals, and is
never taken for any other purpose. The
effect upon the men in the ranks would
have been almost comical under other
conditions. Every man was asking of his
nearest comrades what was the matter
All knew that something terrible had
to so suddenly change a day of
o LITIGATION into an occasion of morning
The rumor spread through the ranks that |
Gen. Miller had been killed, but that was |
soon dissipated by the General appearing {
-iding slowly down the line-but with the
suggestive knot of Grape upon his