Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-25
RECOUNTS REVIEW
OF FIFTY YEARS AGO
Col. John McEIroy Gives
"reminiscences of Return
ing Union Army.
TROOPS IN LINE MISSED
KINDLY LINCOLN'S FACE
Historic Pageant to Be Duplicated
as Far as Possible at G. A. R.
Encampment Here This Fall.

AAtd1uP1ACAt x4V1C \ AAo = al
"reminiscences of the grand review OF
the Union soldiers fifty years ago.
which is to be duplicated, as far as
possible, during the coming Grand
Army encampment here this fall, are
given by Col. John McElroy, past senior
vice comma nd.er- in chief, G. A. r.
How the triumphant troops of the
march of 1865 missed on the review
ing stand the face of all others they
most longed to see. that of 1.-The great
hearted, kindly Lincoln who had
fbllen beneath the assassin's bullet a
w weeks before.--is told by Col. Nc
lroy. who is acting commander of the
Aepartment of the Potomac of the G.
Il.
AT the Forthcoming encampment
be remnants of that mighty army
rhich passed in grand review before
resident johnson and Gen. Grant will
gain pass in grand review, said Col.
cElroy. this time before President
Filson and members of his cabinet. 1t
lay be the last encampment which the
rand Army will ever hold. Certainly
will be the last one for many of the
Jed veterans, and there is no likeli-
Pod that another such reunion Will
er be held at the National Capital.
Worlds Most Imposing Pageant.
This strifeful old world has seen
Aany imposing military pageants since
Zlrst the sword began to devour. by
way of saying the last word in dis
sputes- But never, not even
E3ln the glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome,
not even when Napoleon marched his
eagle-bearing legions back to Paris
from the wreck of empires and the
destruction of dynastieS, did the hours
keep pace with the march of SO
mighty torrent of warlike power as
swept in unbroken tide along Pennsyl-
vania avenue for two wide-arching
May days of 1865.
In numbers it was bewildering: in
history. startling; in character, over
whelming.
Flags Showed Scars of Many Battles
more than thousand battlefields.
many of them the bloodiest in history,
and were consecrated by the lives of
half million young men who had
fallen around them since first I'M
furled. mightier army than Ma
po]eon led to the mastery of Europe
had persisted in carrying forward
those banners to victory. Each one of
the myriads of bronzed young veterans
who STROBE up the Avenue in the pride
OF trained and perfected soldiership
represented an average of nearly half
score of youthful companions who
had started in with him, but who were
gering on beds of pain or scattering
back to their homes as wreckage
drifting from the vortex Of the far
flung battle line
The first day the Army of the Po-
tomac. in a dense column which filed
the wide Avenue from curb to curb.
marched by from early morn until
late at night. No better demonstra-
ton of the marvellous efficiency which
had been attained in it's four years
schooling in war can be given than
that $4,000 men should be able to pass
in perfect military order by a given
point in single day. This would be
impossible in the best drilled legions
of Europe today.
Vivid Memories of Bloody Battles.
And with that army. what recent
and vivid memories marched, OF the
months of bloody weller on the PENN
sula. OF the battle surges over the
oft-reddened plains of Manassas. OF
that awful September day, on the
banks of the Antietan, which closed
with 1900 boys in blue lying dead or
wornded| OF that still more bitter
December day at Fredericksburg when
10000 fell in an assault foredoomed
AS hopeless. Of that wasted opportuni-
ty at Charlottesville, which cost II, 900
men and the sanguine hopes of the
close of the war. OF the momentous
three days at Gettysburg. which finally
turned back the tide of Lees great
army at the price Of 5000 Union dead
and 10000 wounded.
of those thirty days of mortal wres-
Ting between the Union and Confederate
armies from the Rapidan of the James,
which cost the Union army $4,000 men
and filed houSahpld in bo h
with mourning. OF the months of anxious
persistent. innexibie siege of Petersburg
OF that most magnifcently thrilling of
all man-hunts in history, the blood
honnd rush of Grants whole army after
Lees. for hundred miles. over Virginias
brakes and bournes until the end came
at Appomattox.
Four-Year Tramp With Army.
For four long years the people had
been walking daily with the grand, grim,
uncomfortable Army of the Potomac
through the Valley of the Shadow of
Death. with only infrequent ascents to
The mountain peaks of victory. but now
Il was fresh from tie complete over
throw of its mighty antagonist. These
were the men who had been through all
this. the survivors Of the host which had
accomplished IL all. bearing the flags
around which they had unfalteringIy
ened
AT the head Of this Mississippi OF war
like force rode its commander, George
Gordon Meade-tali. grim, specialized, his
broad shoulders bent If by the weight
of the burden ne had carried from Gettys-
burg to Appomattox.
Sheridan Missing From Cavalry.
Sheridan. the whirlwind Of battle, was
missing from the glorious cavalry corps
which he had wakaned 10 its strength
and fashioned in the forge of war into
the mightiest mounted force that ever
drew saber. He had been rushed off to
the Rio Grande. to throttle an exotic
empire planted in Mexico by Napoleon
III, who counted US of too little worth.
Sheridan was well spared. however. for
a while later the imported emperor was
taken out and shot.
THE cavalry was led by such incom-
parable lieutenants as the theatric, dash
ing George A Custer. and the quiet, gray
eyed George A Crook.