The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
By Rene Bache
General William T. Sherman sur
rounded by staff generals

REMEMBER General George G. Meade
very well. Nor is that at all surprising,
lnasmuch as he was my grandmother's
brother
When I was a very little boy. he used
often to come to my grandfather's house
in Philadelphia, at 1893 Spruce street; and
particularly recall one occasion when he
was guest there, at a dinner party. Being
so small, 1 was not expected to take part
in the entertainment; and deeming this a
social slight, 1 sought revenge by going
cunning for the persons invited / hid in
the vestibule, behind the door, and made
fairly accurate practice with popgun which
discharged small disks of raw potato One
of them hit General Meade on the nose
Doubtless General Meade was often shot
at, but, so far as am aware, this was the
only occasion on which he was hit.
His nose, however, was a very conspicu-
Gus feature. When he was a youngster at
West Point, some of the other boys made
fun of it. But, in response, he merely
tapped it significantly with his finger and
said, Great soldierI''
What he meant, Of course, was that most
great soldiers have had big noses.
General James A. Garfield once furnished
target for a projectile which, though not
lethal in character, was much more un-
pleasant than a piece Of potato.
1t was only a short time after the Civil
War. and he was making a speech at Ches-
tertcwn-s place where he had fought the
Confederates at an earlier date. A man in
the crowd threw a rotten egg at him, He
responded by saying, ~ have met hostility
hpfOra hnf
me carried more dangerous weapons then.
l did not run, and it is not likely that /
shall run now.'
The crowd, tickle like all such GATHERINGS.
was shifted by this remark to a sudden
sympathy with the speaker, and turned
to punish the g-thrower-grabbing the
wrong man, however, and beating him ND
severely.
GARFIELD found himself in command of
" four regiments of infantry and eight COM
panies of cavalry before he had ever seen a
gun fred in action. On one occasion he
attacked and defeated a superior force near
Prestonburg, forcing the enemy to retreat.
In later years he said: 'It was a very rash
and imprudent move on my part. If had
had more military experience, probably 1
should not have made the attack. As 1t
was, having gone into the army with the
notion that 1t was my business to fight, /
didn't know any better"
Not long after the Battle of Shiloh a run
away slave sought refuge in the camp Of
Garfeld's command; and the next day q
white man rode into the camp and demanded
''his niger" He was rather truculent, his
demand being backed by an order from the
division commander to hunt out and deliver
the Negro.
Garfield took the order, and on the back
of it wrote, 81 respectfully but positively
decline TO allow my command to search for
or deliver up any fugitive slave. / conceive
that it is tere for quite another purpose"
When a fellow officer suggested to him
that such a refusal to obey orders might get
him into trouble, Garfield replied: "The
matter may as well be tested now as later.
Ny people out in Ohio did not send my boys
and myself down here to chase Negroes, and
they will back me up"
As it turned out, nothing was done about
the matter, and soon afterward the War
Department issued a general order to the
effect that Union officers from that time on
would not be expected to assist slave -owners
In the recovery Of runaway human chattels.
GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT did
" great service in organizing the Union
forces at the beginning Of the Civil War.
He was at that time, however, an old man,
having been born In 17s6, and his age and
infrmities prevented him from going into the
deld.
When news came Of the disaster at Bull
Run much alarm was felt. and all sorts Of
panicky rumors were circulated. It was