The National tribune., 1903-05-21

and died some eight years ago. In 1891
he prepared very complete, discriminat-
ing ard appreciatiYe paper on the life apd
services of Gen, Rawlins. which he read
before the Minnesota Commandery of the
Loyal Legion, which was printed in the
third volume Of the Commandery's his
torical collections, and from which l have
gained many facts for use in writing this
sketch. In that paper he quoted the fol-
lowing letter from Rawlins to Grant, a
copy of which,, with the Endorsement in
Rawlins's handwriting. Judge Shaw after,
ward showed me, and no doubt it is still
in the possession Of his family:
Before Vicksburg, Miss,
June d, 1868, o'clock a. m.
Dear General: The great solicitude 1
feel for the safety of this army leads me
to mention. what 1 had hoped never again
to do-the subject of your drinking. This
may surprise you, for may be, and trust
am, doing you an injustice by an un-
founded suspicion; but if an error, it bet
ter he on the side of his country's safety
than in fear of offending friend. l have
heard that Doctor -, at Gen. Sher-
mans. a few days ago. induced you. not
withstanding your pledge to me, to take
a glass of wine. and to-day when l found
box of wine in front of your tent. and
proposed to move it, which l did, I was
told you had forbid its being taken away,
for YOU intended to keep it until you en,
tered Vicksburg, that you might have it
for your friends; and tonight, when you
should. because of the condition of your
health. if nothing else, have been in bed,
| find you where the wine bottle has just
been emptied, in company with those who
drink and urge you to do likewise; and the
lack of your usual promptness and decis.
| ion, and clearness in expressing yourself
in writing. conduces to confirm my sus-
picion. You have the full control over
your appetite, and can let drinking alone.
Had you not pledged me the sincerity of
your honor early hast March, that you
would drink no more during the war, and
kept that pledge during your recent CAM
paign, you would not to-day have stood
first in the worlds history as a successful
military leader. Your only salvation de-
pends upon your strict adherence to that
pledge. You cannot succeed in any other
! way. AS l have before stated, l may be
wrong in my suspicious, but if one sees
that which leads him to suppose sentinel
is falling asleep on his post, it is his duty
70 arouse him; and if anyone sees that
which leads him to fear the General COM
manding great army is being seduced to
that step. which he knows will bring dis
grace upon that General, and defeat TO his
command, if he fails to sound the proper
note of warning. the friends, wives and
children of those brave men whose lives
he permits to remain thus in peril, will
accuse him while he lives, and stand swift
witnesses of wrath against him in the day
when all shall be tried. If my suspicious
are unfOunded, let my friendship for you
and my zeal for my country be my excuse
for this letter; and"if they are correctly
founded, and you determine not to heed
the admonitiOns and prayers OF this nasty
note, by Immediately ceasing to touch
single drop of any kind of liquor, no mat
ter by whom asked or under what circum-
l &c .Itrtr-
| in this Department be the result.
/ am, General, your friend,
81: 1s4 JOHN A. RAwLINs.
Upon this lettgL,d in the handwriting Of
Rawlins. was the following Endorsement:
''This is an exact COPY Of a letter given to
the person to whom it is addressed at its
date, about four miles from our headquar-
ters to the rear;;pf .Vicksburg Its admo-
nitions were needed and all went WE'LL
John A. Rawihs"
A MUTUALLY HONORABLE EPISODE.
This letter and Endorsement tell their
own story-a story honorable to both. 1t
is document af priceless historic value:
since without i0nd complete estimate of
the character of either Grant or Rawlins
can possibly benmade. No apologies are
needed. then, for giving it due publicity.
Commenting onIi ID, Judge Shaw truth
/ fully SAYS: D 81 -,-si-' '-
..CertainIy thiH revelation is now no i'm
peacbneHt Of tIfp PERSON to whom the let
ter was addresset,. for it indubitably
proves that, among Ills other great quail
| ties, greater than, except in rare in
stances, have fallen to the lot of any man,
| he possessed two sublime -graces. than
which nothing can possibly be more noble
or exalted.
First. The patience and humility of
man invested in the place and under the
circumstances with almost absolute pow
er, willing to listen to and heed the ad-
monitions of a subordinate officer upon 4
matter concerning which smaller mind
and more ignoble character would have
been almost sure to take Offcnse.
"Second. The power to conquer him.
self as effectively as he conquered his en-
emies: the faculty of subduing and putting
under his feet the raging devil within
| him, which, in the pride of his glory. made
deadly assault upon his manhood and
threatened to destroy him. He also sub
dued this enemy, which had for the mo-
ment gained entrance to, and entrenched
itself within, the citadel of his own
breast; an enemy before whose assault
the brightest and most powerful minds in
all ages have been brought low.
"And what shall we say of this other
man. who had the courage to put into the
hands of his Commanding General. who
above all others he knew to be masterful
and self-reliant, those timely words? Is
it possible to imagine anything more inn
pressive than this warning? The heart
and mind that could prompt and frame
that warning were those of a great man;
and the spirit in which it was done chal
lenges comparison with any deed Of chiy-
airy in any age"
TIE TRIBUTE OF CoMPANIoNsHIP.
A spontaneous tribute paid to Rawlins
by his companions-n-arms at the close
of the war was significant and character
istic On April %, 1860, at Raleigh, N.
c., the officers who had served with the
Army of the Tennessee, then about to dis
band, met to organize n s. iety which
should preserve the friendsh and men,
cries of their war service. resolution
offered by Gen. +. =. Blair, Brig. Gen.
John A. Rawlins. u. S. A., Chief of Staff
to the Lieutenant General, in considera-
ton Of his eminent services to our coun-
try in connection with this army, and also
his ability for the position" was unani-
mously elected President. No more con-
elusive expression of regard was ever paid
to an absent comrade. Rawlins had been
separated from these officers for more
than year, by service with his chieftain
on distant field, but their hearts turned
to him with undimiaished yearning. They
paid him the highest honor within their
gift; from among the scores of noble
names before themethey chose him as the