Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-21
OMAHA AND REGULAR ARMY
Some Personal "reminiscences Of the Fine
Relations Between Two.
DINNER TO GRttlY REEVES ntMoRlt;
First Dinner 90 omcers Given by DR..
Miller In Wooden shRnty
More Than Fifty
Years Ago.

and other citizens gave a dinner to Cen
eral A. w. Greedy. In doing this Omaha
honored itself. Omaha has mad a steady
friend in General Greedy since he was a
military citizen Of 1t as aide on the stan
Of General c. c. Augur. who commanded
this department nearly forty years ago.
Omaha and the United States army have
been warm friends through its officers and
their families since it was made headquar-
ters of the department. How much we
owe to them for giving character and
tone to our early social life 1t would be
impossible to estimate. In post-prandiaf
speeches. and in writings, 1 have often
acknowledged our great social debt to the
army.
First Dinner to omcers.
The first dinner ever given to officers of
the army was given by Mr.. Miller fifty
years ago in a wooden shanty, in which
he did the cooking and the serving; the
parlor, bedroom, sitting room, library and
hall, for greater convenience, consisting Of
one room. The kitchen was just outside
the main structure. practically outdoors.
The implanted wooden table stood on an
unexpected floor OF natural complexion.
The guests at that dinner were four young
leutenants, stationed at Kearny, who
drifted down to Omaha, perhaps on leave
or lark. These young soldiers, three of
them, at least, became famous in the civil
war, one on the confederate side, and
two the union side. They were Lieu
tenants B. II. Robertson of Virginia, who
won fame as brigadier general under ].
E. b. Stuart In the confederate cavalry;
Drum late adjutant general; gallant Fred
Steele, who was made major general, and
Marshall Polk nephew of President Polk.
who was minus leg, which he lost in the
Mexican war. OF that gallant group of
guests only Robertson, a very prince In
his own personality, and General Drum.
survive. Both live in and near Wash
ington. I recently asked Robertson IL he
remembered that dinner, and got a rich
return in the following answer, slightly
altered from the text in the omission of a
remark which he quoted from my father
about Robertson's accomplishments in the
waltz as displayed at a great ball given
in his honor at the old Herndon house
now Union Pacific headquarters in 1859
General RObertson's Letter.
The gallant general says;
Yes. my dear old lifelong friend. I re-
member very distinctly that Sunday when
Steele, Drum and Marsh" (MarshalD
Polk and myself lined in your wooden
informed us that he was convalescing, but
was powerful weakW All these are now
dead dncluding Van vlieD except Drum,
who resides in the suburbs of Washing
ton. Omaha was then in It's first infancy,
but 1t was vigorous babe And remem-
her as yesterday the ball given me at the
f1erndon house, where l danced with that
pretty Mrs Wood. Qs she living?)-This
reference is to the mother Of Mrs Judge
Redick. who passed away two or three
years ago and who was one of the most
worthy OF the pioneer women of Omaha
Now, have forgotten the names OF many
W wno T % present . on that occasion besides
! visit from Mrs. Joe paddock. 'e cen you q
rarely eve see Hd%srs
brilliant LAWYER in omaha) nowadays. He
far more vivid than the occurrences of yes
terday How plainly / can now see YOU,
and Morton. and Train. hugging that tree
"Arbor Lodge" coal Dit. (This reference is
to Mr.. Morton's discovery of coal lust
south OF Arbor Lodge. OF which I may
And dear old John Heth and Miles SeIden,
and the English clerk at Kearny I have
forgotten nothing that happened then.
Some Pleasant RecOHectIons
General Robertson paid occasional visits
to Omaha up to the outbreak of the wal
and before the hostilities began he called
on US at the Herndon house on his way tc
MS native Virginia He found me in a
situation Of personal discomfort from the
panic OF o. was trying to get to Wash.
ington. The Herndon house failure had left
me without a copper cent in the world
Mrs. Miller told him the story of my great
noAdR Rnhartann
with four glittering $40 gold pieces an6
onered me them as loan. 1 declined IL
but he forced the money upon me. and. a,
recall II, left the amount with Mrs. Mil
Ter, and l went to Washington I stoot
one day on the south steps of the canIto
after Bull Run. General Joe Johnston,
nag was waving in plain sight at Munson',
Hill. l knew that Robertson and Johnston
were both there, and both were near am
dear friends of mine. But / wanted to Sc,
ROBERTSON and tried hard to get 10 hin
under flag of truce through the late p
" webster. the old editor of the Omahs
republican, who was In the confidential
service of Mr.. Seward He did his best I,
procure pass for me, but at that partic
ular time Of anxiety and peril TO the unlo,
cause he could not do It. And It thus even
tuated: The end of the war led the gen
eral to lend me the voice of his pen from
Richmond, dellcately limiting that he wa
not rich in earthly possessions. The res
need not be told. At a later day. on a trt
down the Mississippi, knowing that he wa
, In Memphis, we traced and followed hir
into church one Sunday morning. Tn
usher pointed out the back of his head I
me as we were seated. few pews benin
him, and the renewal OF the old association
began. General Robertson presented me [
Jefferson Davis, who was then the head O
an insurance company in Memphis, an
, that incident was most interesting TO m
and ear never be forgotten while I liy,
Mr.. Davis was one of the most courtIy ger
=, temen whom 1t was ever my fortune /,
+, meet and his warm regard for Beverly +
Robertson needed no words from him I