Evening journal., 1913-06-16
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How General Sheridan Sue
Ceeded General Sherman
B, Holland

II is impossible to conceive a more
utterly democratic and Hnconven-
tional ceremony by which distin-
guished Office was passed from one
man TO another than that which was
associated with the giving up by Gen
eral Sherman of his Office OF general
Of the armies Of the United states
and the assumption OF that Office by
his successor, General Sheridan.
II was my good fortune to witness
the simple and unassuming cere-
mony hardly a ceremony at all, by
which General Sherman transferred
10 General Sheridan the Office Of gen
oral OF the armies of the United
States. This little ceremony took
place in November, 1888. Congress
had some months earlier passed a
law of compulsory retirement Of an
officer In the army at the age of 81
years upon a pension.
When the bill was under discussion
the members OF the Senate proposed
that General Sherman be exempted
from the provisions of the act so
that it would only apply TO his sue
cessors. Had Congress adopted an
amendment of this kind General
Sherman would have been general
of the armies during lis lifetime.
He was away from Washington at
the time the amendment was under
discussion, but as soon as he heard
of IL he communicated with his
brother, Senator Sherman. asking the
senator TO prevent the adoption of
the amendment General Sherman
said il would not be fair to others to
prevent their promotion in this way
during his lifetime His request was
Needed although the bill contained
a provision that General Sherman
should. upon his retirement, receive
as his pension the full pay of the
general of the army.
But for General Sherman's action
he need not have transferred the
command of the army TO General
Sheridan, nor would Sheridan ever
have been general. since General
Sherman outlved him by three years.
The trasfer took place i'm the Of
fice of the general Of the army in the
war department building at Wash
ineton on November I. 1883. Sheridan
came in smiling lie was not i'm
uiform. He shook hands with one
or two persons whom he appeared
To know we'll and then he looked in
quiringly about, apparently for the
purpose of discovering whether Cen
eral Sherman was there He heard
call. Come in, general" and he
went into an inner room.
Geeral Sherman was there, also
In civilians dress. The greeting was
as informal and casual. although
most cordial. as If two pleasant ac-
quaintances had met upon the street
and stopped TO chat for a minute or
two.
General Sherman had Just been
cleaning out his desk He had, a
little earlier, written his last order
one announcing his retirement and
| the succession of General Sheridan
After n few moments General
Sheridan sat az the deck in a casual
sort OF way. wrote something and
then got up and began to rearrange
some of the books, blowing the dust
| OFF his hands as he did so and strilC.
| ing hooks together for the purpose ol
removing the dust which had gath
cred upon them. He took the desk
which General Sherman had vacated
and Sherman went out Of the Office
without the slightest apparent con
ception that he had i'm this informal
unconventional way retired forever
from the command of the American
army, and in this respect his manner
differed not at all from that of. Gen.
eral Sheridan, who signalized his ac.
QUESTION of the title and responsible.
ties of general by simply seatins
himself at a desk Just as though he
had simply dropped into a chair foi
/ a moments chat
Copyright. 1913. by p J.. Edwards
All rights Reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tel
How Carl Schurz Angered Presi-
] donf Havocn