The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-22
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE DIFFER
ENT "SWELL POSTS"

Comrnde Mark Hanna's Popularity.
ADeep Religious Feeling Pervades
the Grand Army-''Dixie's" POpu-
Iarity Not Waning-At the MiIburn
House While the Cabinet Was in
Session aud During the Autopsy.
The Mortality Among Distinguish
ed Union Generals-A Committee to
settle Differences Cropping out of
school Histories Suggested-Other
Matters of General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, tia,
Sept. 21.-This letter is dated from my
home, yet much of it is written in
Cleveland and Buffalo. The Grand
Army of the Republic had its great
parade on Wednesday of last week,
and it was nearly five hours in passing
the reviewing stand. The swell
posts" like Columbia of Chicago, the
Rawlings of Minneapolis and the De-
troit, Mich, presented magnificent
appearance and were dubbed 1.-THE Mil
lionaires." The Department of Flor
ida, in which had the honor to hold
a place while passing in review only,
was small, but no department made
a better appearance. and in the mat
ter of saluting the Commander in
Chief we were excelled by no other de-
partment OF all the generals and dis
tinguished men on the reviewing stand
where / was seated as special aide to
the Communicating Chief, no one at
tracted as much attention or was as
universally popular as Comrade Mark
hn
The business meeting on Thursday
was confined to the reading of reports
and Friday morning the session opened
with bad news from the Presidents
bedside in Buffalo. The announce
ment that he was slowly dying was so
depressing that a motion was made
and unanimously adopted, to turn all
business over to the Executive Com
mittee and simply elect officer, which
was compulsory. The entire encamp-
ment stood with bowed heads and re-
peated the Lords Prayer, after which
the election took place. Past Depart
ment Commander ]. P. Averill of At
lanta, lacked only three votes of being
CHOSEN Junior vice commander.
Department Commander S. Her.
bert Lancey,> owing to the defeat
of Gen. Stewart of Pennsylvania, did
not allow himself to be nominated for
chaplain-in-chie but asked that Com
rade Boyle of Pennsylvania, be unan-
imously chosen.
The election over, after a very touch
ing address from Gen. Eli Torrance, of
Minnesota, the new COMMANDMENT
Chief, who is a devout Christian gen.
tleman, the encampment arose and
sang Nearer, My God, to Thee fol-
lowed by an earnest prayer for Presi-
dent McKinley's recovery, the encamp-
ment adjourned. Never before was
such a solemn scene witnessed in a
Grand Army encampment, and the
praying and singing was an unmistak-
able evidence of the deep piety that
prevails among the old soldiers. A few
hours after we sang Nearer, My God,
to Thee" with tender hearts and weep
ing eyes. President Mckinley, passing
down into the dark valley, himself
sang two lines of this beautiful hymn,
addressing a farewell message of trust
and resignation, and then his noble
heart was stilled in death.
Only a short time ago some South
ern newspaper, think. in New Orleans,
asked, rs Dixie's' popularity waning?"
following it up with comments lean
ing to the affirmative. Now, that ed
itor ought to have been in Cleveland
during G. A. R. week to be made to
feel that if "Dixie's" popularity is on
the wane in the South, it certainly is
on the rise in the West. At the great
public reception meeting at the Arm
DRY on Tuesday night, Dixie" was
played twice by the orchestra, and on
each occasion called forth as hearty APP
plause as the "Star Spangled Banner"
or any other patriotic melody. Again,
on Wednesday, in passing the review
ing stand, bands played Dixie" and
there was hearty applause from the
notables on the stand as well as from
the thousands of people who thronged
about it, 1t is safe to say, then, that
"Dixies" popularity is not waning.
l left Cleveland as soon as the G. A.
r. adjourned and FASTENED to Buffalo.
President Mckinley died few hours
before l reached the city, and l found
the emblems of a nations loss being
rapidly added to the gala dress in hon
or of the Pan-American Exposition. My
wife and went to Milburn house at
10 o'clock, and although the police cor
don was a full block from the house in
every direction, and only a few favored
persons were allowed to pass this
guard, through the courtesy of Maj. w.
A. Mann and Lieut.. James e. Ware,
of the Fourteenth United States 1nfan-
try, on duty at the mouse, we were
passed through the lines and favored
with every desired courtesy. We were
at the Milburn house while the cabinet
was in session, and during the autopsy.
We saw Senator Depew, Senator Han
ma and the other noted men, and Abb
ner Mckinley and Mrs. William Nc
Kinley's two sisters. 1t was a solemn
scene indeed and a sacred memory that
shall carry to my grave. We did not
leave the place until after President
Roosevelt had arrived there. and then
returned to the Wilcox residence. His
arrival created the deepest interest and
he bore himself with great dignity.
The mortality among distinguished
Union generals has been marked. The
Society of the Army of the Potomac
has had thirty-two presidents, and
more than half of them, 40 are dead
The Grand Army of the Republic has
had thirty commanders-in-chi and
fourteen are deceased. OF the noted
generals the most prominent survivors
are Gen. Schofield Gen. Howard and
Gen. Sickles. On the Confederate side
the mortality is as marked. All the
secretaries of war, all the full generals
and all but seven of the lieutenant
generals are dead. Grant and Lee,
Sherman and Johnston. Thomas and