The National tribune., 1909-12-16
ANDERSONyMLE FRIENDS.
a Log Between Thcm--S0me Reminis-
ccnccs and Endorsements.

CcnCcS ana lnuOfScInentS.
Col. John McElroy. Washington, ID. c.
Dear Sir and Comrade: 1 most sin
cereIy and heartily indorse your candi-
dacy for Commander-inC Chief of the
Grand Army of the Republic. The first
time 1 ever saw you was at Milien, Ga,
after we had been run out of Ander-
sonville to escape recapture" by Sher-
mans army: You and b. b. Andrews
were on one side of log and Charles
Grady and myself were on the other
side. You know when we first entered
Camp LawtOn there were lots OF logs
and considerable brush lying around
loose, which was not the case in An
dersonville in the Summer of '64, as it
was hard to find even twig as large
as a match. Andrews was a printer,
and | worked with him in Jacksonville,
ILL.,, along in the early '7OS. He left
there in "a, and | never knew what
became of him. l read The National
Tribune with much interest every week
Your history of the Atlanta campaign
was a mastery presentation of facts as
they occurred during those strenuous
days. i belonged to the First Brigade,
Second Division of the famous old Four
teenth Corps, and was captured in front
OF Atlanta. From Millen | was re-
turned to Andersonville, landing there
18th day Of April. 1865. From this you
may imagine l experienced some of the
horrors of that modern inferno
Just one year ago to-day | was down
there with four other members of the
Illinois AndersOnville Monument Com
mission to select site for the Illinois
memorial to perpetuate the memory OF
the Illinois soldiers who died there. The
monument is now in course of construc-
tion.-and the contract calls for its COM
pletion by May L. 1t will be built in
the National Cemetery there, and will
cost S12 900. The pedestal will be of
Montcllo granite On this will be three
bronze figures, the tailest being COlum-
bia, the smaller being q boy and girl,
representing posterity. Columbia is
pointing over toward those $4,000 white
markers, underneath which rests MANY
of WhonI were sburied while YOU were
there, andia great many afterward. AS
a member of the Illinois Association of
Union E,3-Prisorers of War | started
the movement to- build the monument
six years. ago this month, and framed
the bin that eventually became law: so,
yOu see, feut here5 in Illinois it takes a
long time 10 get what we go after in
the way of impBrtant legislation. SO
far six States have erected monuments
in the National Cemetery at Anderson
vile, as follows: Connecticut. Indiana,
ioNd' itiiIlSA iNStifid, IldiHt anu view
Jersey. There 'iafe n number on the
old stoclsade ground. altogether IA thus
far. costing all THE way from $2,500 to
$l0,0 80
There isD no question but what every
member of our Association would like
to see ye1fcriecteG CeTnmander-in-Chi
of the Gcande Army. as you richly de-
serve tho f1ighfte honora Bile position
Your services as editor of The National
Tribune in fighting the battles of the
old Veterans is, and has been for years
Of inestiinable value to the vanishing
army" and | believe the great majority
of them fuliy appreciate what you have
done and Will continue to do in the fu-
ture. The prestige the position would
give you would enable you to do still
more; therefore. | am for you heart
soul and body, and my firm hope is that
YOU may be chosen by acclamation, as
il now looks you may be. at the next
National Encampment of the grandest
organization that ever marched behind
! the starry banner that We gave the best
years of our lives to keep in the sky
which waves supreme to-day on land
and sea, even to the far-off isles of the
Pacific.
Wishing YOU success and happiness
and unbounded prosperity. and that
you may be our next Commander-in-
Chief, / am yours in T., G.. and III
NJ Swales. Co. A, 10th ILL.,, President of
the Illinois Association of Union Ex-
Prisoners of War. member of the Hi
nois AndersOnville Monument Commits
sion, and Custodian of Memorial Hall
and~Eogan Memorial Collection