The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-11-27
Kansas City Start


Seldom in these days is that Sahara
Of monotonous procedure. the House OF
Representatives at Washington, re-
lieved by an oasis Of real elOQuence.
For the most part it is long, long
trail of dry committee reports, of read
ings from rustling papers, of set
speeches delivered to empty chairs
leading up to the objective leave to
print
But a few days ago there was an in
terlude so refreshing and thrilling in
its dramatic presentation and coming
so Unexpectedly in the midst of formal
proceedings that it swept the mem
bers off their feet and brought them
up standing in a tribute of applause.
One of the representatives was about
to call up a conference report upon e
"joint resolution to provide additional
compensation for employees Of the
postal service" when the speaker re-
minded him that. by special order. "the
gentleman from Ohio has forty min
utes."
The gentleman from Ohio" was
Gen. Isaac r. Sherwood. Democratic
member from the ninth Ohio district
a district normally Republican, which
he has represented sixteen years-a
veteran of the Civil War, with record
Of forty-three battles and 126 days
under fire, now 81 years old.
Commenting on the statement that
in the Meuse-ArgOnne battle, In which
IA million American soldiers were
engaged for forty-seven days, with d
casualty list Of 10000 killed, wounded
and missing. none Of the generals
were named among the casualties. he
suddenly rolled back the curtain from
the drama Of half century ago and
held his audience spellbound with re-
pictured scenes Of a day when the
generals paid the last full measure OF
devotion" to their cause in the fore
| front of the battle lines. Recalling
The Battle Of Franklin, Tenn. one OF
the bloodiest, for the numbers en-
gagged. in all warfare, he said:
How They Fought IN '61'6e.
! "Now, as to the question OF our style
! Of fighting in the Civil War. There
stands today, as 1t stood over hall
century ago, in front Of the town OF
Franklin, Tenn, on the highest point
] Of the ridge. large linden tree.
ut was half past in the afternoon
of November 80, 1864, when Genera
Hood, commanding $4,000 veteran sol
diers. rode Unattended to that tree
threw the stump Of a leg that mad peer
shot off at Chickamauga over the
pommel Of the saddle, drew out his
field glass. and sat looking across the
valley to the position OF the Unlor
army 1t was the silence that always
precedes a great battle. Presently the
/ silence was broken by the soft strain:
Of music which floated up from the
town below 1t was the Federal bant
playing, Just Before the Battle
Mother The men in gray on the hill
and the men in blue in the valley be
. low listened There were tears II
many eyes, as the patheuc "ords
! were we'll remembered
Just before the battle. mother,
I am thinking most Of you.
Il was at Franklin. on the Unio1
sic, and saw and heard it all from ar
advanced position near the center o
the Federal line. I saw and heard i
all-all that soldier can see and hea1
amid the glare, the thunderous roar
the sitting battle smoke, the yells o
the victors, the agoniZing groans o
the wounded and dying.
II remember the scene just before
the battle. I see It now, as l saw i
then, a lovely valley basking in lh'
mellow glory Of November sunshine
I see the little town Of Franklin, quie
yet restless, just inside the circle o
the Federal lines. These lines ex
tended from river to river. Their,
were patches Of woodland in the ricl
foliage Of the autumn leaves, in sea