Charlevoix county herald., 1907-03-23
FIFTY YEARS BACK
OUR COUNTRY AS 1T WAS HALF A
CENTURY AGO.
Never in the History Of the World
Have Such Vast Changes Been
Noted-Names on the Roll
of Fame.

much different one from that in which
we are now living; and so great have
been the changes that, could the lead
ing merchants of our cities OF so
years ago, or the farmers who settled
amid the primeval timber of the west,
return, the former would not recog-
nize one street from another, and the
latter would look in vain for the fields
and woods that met their eyes from
the doorstep, writes Morris Schaff, in
the Atlantic Monthly. The population
of the country, now rising S0,00O,OOO,
was less than 100000, not counting
the territories and of these 100000
were in the north, or free states, and
10000, 900, in the south or slave states.
The frontier was along the western
boundary of Arkansas, and thence
north to the Canadian line. The great
tide of emigration that set in with
the building of the national road was
still flowing west, while the railroads
and telegraph were just beginning to
push their way after it. Steamboats,,
called floating palaces" could be
seen at almost every bend of the
beautiful Ohio and on every long
reach of the solemnly impressive Mis-
sissippi.
The war with Mexico was still fresh
in the memories of the people, and
the majority of the officers who had
ing, as well as veterans here and
there of the war of 1872 and to en-
phasize the march of time, / may say
that frequent visitor at my fathers
house was French veteran by the
name of Genet, who had actually
fought under Napoleon at Waterloo.
Save with Mexico, our country had
been at peace with all the world for
nearly so years; it's future, save as
Swallowed now and then by slavery,
glowed warmly and pride and love
for it burned in every heart
The army consisted of 16,495 Off
GERS and men; it's organization was
made up of engineers, typographical
engineers, ordnance supply depart
ments, artillery, infantry, cavalry
dragons and mounted rifles. The
heaviest guns in the forts were ten
inch columbiads, and the small arms
were all muzzle-loading smooth-bores
and rifles.
Grant, in utter obscurity and almost
utter poverty and fronting an outlook
of utter helplessness, was clerk in
a store at Galena. Farragut was sail
IL +ha ino Of no
days to come when, dashed to the rig
ging, he would lead his squadron into
the battle of Mobile bay. Lee was
commanding a post in Texas, and
probably had never heard of the little
town of Gettysburg; Sedgwick and
Thomas and Jeb Stuart were all on
the Texas frontier, and the future
seemed TO offer only slow chance for
promotion and yet, in less than five
years they had risen to enduring
fame. Stonewall Jackson was an liz
structor at the Virginia military insti.
tute-the West Point of the south:
but he was dwelling more on the sins
of this earth, than on it's honors, eth
er military of civil, and was regard
ed by his intimateG as a queer and
uninteresting type of a belated Round
head Within five years he was to
rise to the pinnacle of fame, his star
TO the countrys zenith. Sherman was
teaching in Louisiana, little dreaming
that he would one day lead vcto-
rious army from Atlanta to the sea.
Longstreet the Johnstons, the Hills,
Hooker, Bragg and Forrest-the lat
ter a slave dealer, but the ablest cav
airy leader of the confederacy-and
the many who in blue and gray rose on
the waves of the mighty conflict were
all unknown outside of their local and
professional associations.
OF these, Reynolds, who fell at Get
tysburg; Webb, Warren, McCook,
Howard, Griffin, Schofield, Hartsuff,
SaXton, Weitzel and Hazen, of the
union; Hardee, Beauregard, Fitz Lee.
Alexander and Field, of the confed-
crate army, were on duty as officers at
West Point. In the corps of cadets
were Wilson, Upton, Hardin, Horace
Porter, Merritt, Custer and Macken-
Zie, of the north, while bound in ties
of friendship with them were RAM
seur, Wheeler, Rosser, Pelham, Young,
Semmes and Deering, of the south.
Whenever and wherever have
thought of them as officers or cadets
and it has been many and many
atime-imagination has painted them
marching unconsciously toward the
field of the high test of the soldier and
the gentleman.