Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-15

disobeyed an order; though many and many
time have l risked my life. health and
| reputation in obeying orders or even hints
and executing plans and purposes not to
| my liking"
How many of you recall the fact that
| after General Sherman commanded a de-
| partment in Kentucky he was sent to com
| mand Benton barracks at St. Louis? 1t was
| simply part of a post. From there he was
sent to Paducah. When Grant started up
the Tennessee for the Donelson campaign
General Sherman had dropped from the
command or an army to that of a post and
| later a division
In February. 1852. he wrote to Grant:
i II should like to hear from you and
Will 90 anything in my power to hurry for
| ward to you reinforcements and supplies
| ana II L could be OF any service would
| siaoiy come without making any question
| or rank with you and General Smith. whose
COMMISSIONS are under the same date"
| On the same day he wrote again:
| command me in any way: 1 feel anxious
| apout you as l know the great facilities
| they the enemy have for concentration by
| means OF rivers and railroads, but have
| faith in vou.'
And this faith of Sherman in Grant, and
! may say of Grant in Sherman, never
| weakened for a single moment, and they
J iouGht IKE brothers from, the beginning to
the glorious ending stimulated by the sole
| motive of saving their country.
| he was strong n his utterances we must
ADMIT. but 1t was because he felt so in-
| tensely for the safety of his country. Writ
| ing on December 21 1Sfs3 from Nashville
| he said to Lincoln:
! TO secure the safety of the Mississippi
| river l would slay millions"
| This was not uttered because he was
| bloodthirsty. for he was not. But he felt
that at any cost the country must be
, saved.
Again, writing to General Halleck he
| said:
| Received commission as brigadier gen.
tn c,r> nd
| the 10Th Army Corps. but will accept any
command General Grant desires"
And mark his letter of July 80, 1863, to
| General Parke:
| when you see Burnside give him my
| love. and tell him for that we are ar
| rayed against all the enemies of law ana
government-that we fire upon secessionists
of the south. the autocrats of the north
and the anarchists everywhere. Our gov
eminent must govern and not be ruled by
an agitator of the hour"
He executed all orders given to him. and
he expected the execution of all orders
given by him.
He held deep in his heart the old Army
OF the Tennessee, but he loved devotedly.
loyalty. every officer and every soldier of
the whole Union army.
He came of good stock.
He tasted poverty in his childhood.
His life was full Of activity-intense ac-
tivity
Conscientious honest work was the rule
Of his life.
His death touched US all gently, heroical-
ly, but when he had gone we felt that we
had lost William Tecumseh Sherman. Lost,
1T is true. but still now and evermore re-
naming and deathless part of the great
civil war.
He was the truest type of comrade. To
him "comrade' was holy name
He was president of the Society of the
Army of the Tennessee. How tenderly we
loved him. What an interest he took in
all the work of the society.
10 hat6 ha and of
He held the respect and love of the peo-
pie. There was a tenderness about him
that endeared him to all. But, more than
this, there was frank rugged honesty
in the man that bound all hearts to him.
He was not afraid Of battle. Why? Be
cause he was fighting for his country and
not for his own glory.
Could the living and the dead Of the civil
war unite in one voice they would say of
Sherman: He was a great man: he was
| great soldier: he was pure patriot"
May this statue ever stand in our capital
as monument TO American courage; as
monument to military education: as a
| monument to Americanism, combining the
citizen and the soldier; as an inspiration to
the ambitious young American; as proof
that the heroes of the revolution and their
deeds will never be forgotten or neglected
by their descenda nts.
Let 1t ever stand as peace monument
for all of our people. and. therefore, it
must stand the monument of William
Tecumseh Sherman.
The historian cannot record all of the
deeds of Sherman The sculptor is fettered
at his task. The painters coIors cannot
reveal the whole man. The poet can only
sing a little of the story of his life. The
story of General Shermans life is above
oratory. 1t is beyond art. The hearts of
his countrymen alone can tell the story.
There is an heroic patriotism in his fare
well address to his army. This much in
closing. ! must give:
How far the operations Of this army
contributed to the final of tbo
confederacy and the peace which now
dawns upon US, must be judged by others,
not by US; but that you have done all that
men could do has been admitted by those
in authority and we have n right to ioin
in the universal joy that fills our land be-
cause the war is over and our government
stands vindicated before the world by the
joint action of the volunteer armies and
navies of the United States'
Your general now bids you farewell.
with the full belief that, as in war YOU
have been good soldiers, so In peace YOU
will make good citizens"
Gen Dodge called upon Gen. Daniel z.
Sickles, as the representative of the Society
or the Army of the Potomac as the next
speaker. Gen. Sickles was vociferouslv
cheered as he rose to speak. His remarks
follow:
Gen. Sickles' Speech.
The Army of the Potomac, which I
have the honor to represent here TODAY.
contributed something to the fame of
General Sherman. We gave to Sher-
man our Hooker, Slocum and Howard
and the 18th and 18th Corps, afterward
consolidated into the Goth Army Corps.
thus creating a tie of friendship between
the great armies of the east and west No
warmer appreciation of Shermans genius
and achievements was heard, even in the
ranks of the armies he commanded than
was voiced in the Army of the Potomac.
1t was the task of the Army of the
Potomac to defend this capital and to
destroy and capture the superb army of
Lee, which SO often menaced Washington
1t was Shermans mission with the armies
of the Tennessee, Cumberland and Ohio to
drain the life blood of the confederacy by
the conquest of Georgia and the Caro-
linas, in his marvellous campaign of GA and
60
Sherman fills a conspicuous page in the
history of great commanders. He will al
ways hold high rank in the estimation Of