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Battles Around Atlanta
SIXTH PAPER.
The McPherson Memorial.
BY SIDNEY HERBERT.
The paper which preceded this gave a fall
and graphic account of the circumstances con
nected with the death of Major General James
Birdseye McPherson, U. S. A., who fell in the
sanguinary “Battle of Atlanta,” and the present
paper will be devoted to a sketch of his military
career, and the honors which have been paid to
his memory, especially the “McPherson Memo
rial'’ recently erected on the spot where he fell.
Gen. McPherson was born in Clyde, Ohio,
Nov. 14, 1828, and was the eldest of four chil
dren. Although never what is termed “a bril
liant youth,” he possessed rare native genius,
and quietly won his way in his educational
progress with little apparent effort. He entered
West Point Military Academy July 1, 184D, and
graduated July 1, 185:3, standing first in rank in
a class of fifty-two, including such distinguished
soldiers as Lieut. Gen. J. B Hood, Lieut. Gen.
Phil Sheridan, Gens. Schofield, (It. O.) Tyler,
Vincent,Terrill, Sweitzer, (Thos.) Wilson, Lowe,
Chambliss, Dye, (B. F.) Smith, Pelouze, Cham
bers, and others.
Gen. George Bell, Chief Commissary on Gen.
Iiuger's staff, and Col. John G. Chandler, Chief
Quartermaster, were also classmates of Gen.
McPherson, and from Col. Chandler I learn that
while a cadet he was distinguished for the same
purity and nobleness of character and sterling
qualities of mind which gave him such popu
larity and success in his later years. Quietly
pursuing his studies, and holding his place at
the head of his class, he excited no jealousies,
made no enemies, and formed no evil associa
tions, but was esteemed and loved by all for his
purity of character.
Graduating with such high distinction, Cadet j
McP herson was made Brevet Second Lieutenant j
of the Engineer Corps, and served for a time as |
Assistant Instructor of Engineering at the i
Academy. December 18th, 18:14, as Second j
Lieutenant of Engineers, he was engaged on the
defences of New York harbor, and in 1858 he i
was on duty in San Francisco, as First Lieuten- '
ant of Engineers. May 1 Ith, 1801, he declined j
a Captaincy in the 1'Jth Infantry, and in August ;
following, was made Captain in the Engineer
Corps, and in November, a Lieut-Colouel on
Gen. Halleck’s staff.
In the spring of 1802 he became Chief Engi
neer on Gen. Grant's staff, soon reaching the
rank of Colonel, and then that of Biigadier j
General of Volunteers, and Superintendent of j
Military Railroads in the District of Tennessee. |
October 8th, 1802, he was made a Major General,
and commanded the Second Division of th 13th j
Army Corps, at which time he commenced his j
active military career in the field as a com- |
mander ol troops, and won additional prestige
bv eiery forward movement of Grant’s Y’icks- I
burg campaign. For his gallant services he was 1
promoted to the command of the 17th Corps, and j
the District of Vicksburg, where he remained j
from July, 180”, till March, 18(4, having been
made a Brigadier General of the regular army j
in August, 1803.
In March, 1801 he was placed in command of
the Army of the Tennessee, which was composed
of the 15th, lOiii and 17th Corps, and joined
Sherman in his great “ March to the Sea.” No
officer iu the army rendered more valuable ser
vice to his Commanding General than did Gen.
McPherson wlriie serving with Grant and Sher- j
man, and his career from Fort Douelson to At- j
lanta was everywhere marked by brilliant ;
achievements and honorable warfare. Of his
death before Atlanta the previous paper gave an |
account, and I will only add here the testimony j
of his old commander, Lieut. Gea. Grant, as to |
his military genius and spotless character, in
recommending him for promotion : “ He has
been with me in every battle since the com
mencement of the" war, “except Belmont. At
Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, and the
siege of Corinth, as a staff officer and Engineer,
his services were conspicuous and highly meri
torious. At the second battle of Coiinth, his i
skill as a soldier was displayed in successfully 1
carrying reinforcements to the besieged garri- !
son when the enemy was between him and the 1
point to be reached. In the advance through ;
Central Mississippi, Gen. McPherson com- j
manded one wing of the army with all the abil
ity possible to show, he having the lead in the |
advance, and the rear in retiring.
“In the campaign and siege terminating will
the fall of Vicksburg, Gen. McPherson has filled
a conspicuous part. At the Battle of Port Gib-
sou it was under his direction that the enemy
was driven, late in the afternoon, from a posi
tion they had succeeded in holding all day
against an obstinate attack. * * * In the
Assault of the 22 1 of May [1863] on the fortifi
cations of Vicksburg, and during the entire
siege, Gen. McPherson and his command took
unfading laurels. He is one of the ablest engi
neers, and most skillful generals. I would
respectfully, but urgently, recommend his pro
motion to the position of Brigadier General in
the Regular Army. ”
The desired promotion was granted in Au- !
gust, and in October a medal of honor was
awarded Gen. McPherson, by the officers of the
corps he commanded, as a recognition of the
skill and courage with which he had led them
during the “Campaign and Siege of Y’ickslmrg.”
After the death of Gen. McPherson, Gen. Grant
bore additional testimojy to his rare skill and
high character, in a letter to his venerable
grandmother, in which he said: “I am glad to
know the relatives of the lamented Maj. Gen.
McPherson are aware of the more than friend
ship existing between him and myself. A
nation grieves at the loss of one so dear to our
nation’s cause. It is a selfish grief, because the
nation had more to expect from him than from
almost any one living. * * * I knew him
weii- To know him was to love him. It may
be some consolation t_> you, his aged grand
mother, to know that every officer and every
soldier who served under your grandson felt the
highest reverence for his patriotism, his zeal,
bis great, almost unequalled, ability, his amia
bility, and all the manly virtues that can adorn
a commander. Your bereavement is great, but
cannot exceed mine.”
THE MCPHERSON MEMORIAE.
Although the “Battle of Atlanta" occurred
nearly fourteen years ago, there has been little
difficulty in identifying and marking the spot
where Gen. McPuerson fell. The prompt ac
tion of Inspector General Strong and Gen. Hick-
enlooper, and the later efforts of Gen. Poe, of
the Engineer Corps, have resulted in designating
the locality beyond a doubt. With this official as
surance of its identity, backed by other proof
of an uumistakable character, the officers of
Gen. Huger's headquarters in this city, have
recently marked the spot by a “Memorial” both
durable and appropriate.
Several mouths ago, one of the officers con
nected with the Department of the South,
conceived the idea ot procuring some
kind of a suitable memorial, to mark the spot
where Gen. McPherson was killed. Consulta
tion with his brother officers, strengthened him
in this view, as they cheerfully promised to
give a liberal pecuniary support to the plan pro
posed. The land was first secured of Mr.
Brown, the owner, with a right of way for a new
street from the main road, which made all fu-
y ture operations easy and successful. The War
V? Department at Washington, promptly appro-
priated a twenty-four pound iron cannon, and
also a sufficient number of old gun-barrels to
form a fence around the proposed monument.
Gen. F. D. Callender, cf the Ordnance Depart
ment, who is at present Commandant at the Au
gusta Arsenal, kindly offered to do the necessa
ry mechanical work as his share of the expense,
the officers here paying the freight on the arti
cles from Augusta. A block of Stone Moun
tain granite (Gen. McPherson’s command ap
proached Atlanta by way of Stone Mountain)
was prepared as a base, and it is worthy of men
tion that this block of granite was put in posi
tion to receive the cannon, by Mr. Win. Rosser,
who was a confederate soldier under Gen.
‘Stonewall” Jackson. In due time the work
kindly remembering her. We all feel extreme- } (since deceased) that when the Confederates
ly gratified at the mark of honor and respect I evacuated Vicksburg, he went to Gen. McPher-
reccntly shown our beloved General in Atlanta. *’ | son, then in command of the District, and stated
Shortly after this I received a letter from Mrs. j to him that they did not have enough wagons
F. A. Tnttle, who for seventeen years has been I to move their effects. “Major Orme,” replied
a near neighbor of Mrs. McPherson, in which i the General, with a cordial sincerity in his
she acknowledged the receipt of the paper and j manner, “you shall have all the wagons you
letter, and enclosed me a formal expression of j need from our supply; don’t be uneasy about
thanks from Mrs. McPherson, which is pnb-j that matter.” I refer to this incident, Dim
lished below, and gave me some interesting
facts about the family (which are also published
with the letter), of which I then knew nothing.
Writing of a photograph of the “Memorial” which
I sent to her, Mrs. Tuttle says: “I took it over
to the old lady, and heard her thanks for your
kindness, as she wept over the treasured gift.
was completed, McPherson’s Avenue opened to | Anything that has reference to ‘James’ is of
the main road, and the public iuvited to visit the 1 great value to her, as he washer cherished idol.
■ I can see that she is failirg daily, and will no
doubt soon join those dear ones gone before, for
the circle of her once happy home has been
rudely desolated—many good and noble ones
spot.
Recently, in company with Rev. J. T. Left-
wich, D. ])., pastor of the Central Presbyterian
Church, I paid a visit to this once battle-scar
red locality. Along the main road, as we near
ed the place, could still be seen the earthworks
used by the Confederate forces, iu defense of
Atlanta, in July, 18(4. The numerous wood-
crowned ridges in that vicinity, suggested to a
military man, that contending armies meeting
there, would be likely to do bloody work for
connection, as it shows the humane manner in
which Gen. McPherson treated his prisoners of
war, and conducted his millitary opeations,
thereby securing the tributes of respect that
have been so freely laid upon his grave by
Southern soldiers.
In calling attention to the thoughtless action
of some ignorant persons who had removed
several of the gun-barrels from the fence around j
the “Memorial,” the Atlanta Duly Tribune of!
Dec. 11, 1877, said: “Some thoughtless persons, j
with the idea that these barrels cau be used :
again, have taken a few out of the fence and j
having passed from it up to a higher life and a carried them oft’. This action is likely to create
— .— .. j. . . i—l . , i i > „ . > '/at , 1. / ' . .. .. .. ,, ., 1 , , . , . ** i • , .. r. ,, n 1 . ,.' u n T. i, n /l 1 □ , I , , ( / 1 \ fit
more enduring home in heaven. Of the Gener
al, words of ours are almost needless, as every
one, North and South, gives him the same high
character, and his memory will ever live in his
brave and gallant deeds. Thanks to you for
vour interest in his aged mother, from one who
each other. When we reached the spot, the i has known the family for the past seventeen
morning sun was shining with genial warmth,
and it was near;the hour at which Gen. Mc
Pherson fell. Nature has made it a lovely place,
and now that art has placed there its memorial
to chivalry, its attractions will draw many vis
itors in that direction. Mingledwith an under
growth of oak and maple, many waving pine
trees throw th'ir shade over the open space
years." Tne following are the facts sent me by
Mrs. Tuttle, and the letter of .Mrs. McPherson,
which form an editorial in the Sunday Herald,
(United Service Edition), of Washington, D. C.,
Nov. 4, 1877:
“General McPherson’s venerable mother,
now residing at the old homestead in Clyde,
Ohio, is ia. her seventy-third year, and has long
within which the ‘Memorial’ stands. The en- j been a widow. All her children except a daugh-
closed lot is about ten ieei square, and is sur-
rouuded by a neatly ornamented iron fence,
the pickets being single gun-barrels with spear
head tops, and the corner-posts composed of a
cluster of gun-barrels surmounted with a coni
cal-shaped ornament. This fence is placed up
on a solid stone foundation, and is painted
black, as is also the cannon and presents a ve
ry handsome appearance. In the center of the
lot is a granite b .se, ss in > fi • feet squ re an 1
eighteen inches high, from the center of which
rises the grim ‘twenty-four-pounder,’. in the
mouth of which is a cannon ball. The hill-side
road, along which Gen. McPherson was riding
ter, Mrs. Frederick Vandercook, of Angola, In
diana, have died within the past thirteen years,
leaving her quite lonely in her old age. Gon.
J. B. McPherson was her oldest child, and was
killed in the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864.
The second son. Colonel Russell B. McPherson,
who died in February last, was well known in
Washington, having held important positions
during the war on the military railroads, and
since that time was in the detective service.
L iter still he was post-master at Clyde.
William H. McPherson, the youngest son,
who married a Miss Mattie Andrews, of New
York, was kicked by it horse in 1871, and died
The McPherson Memorial, Atlanta, Ga.
when killed, passes within two or three feet of
the enclosure, while the more traveled road,
which crosses it at this point, is some twenty or
thirty feet distant. On the side of the granite
base, fronting this latter road are the raised let
ters— ‘McPherson’— no other inscription being
deemed necessary.
The sloping nature of the ground upon which
the ‘Memorial’ is erected (it being on the side
of a hill) somewhat mars the perfection of the
work, but iu other respects the tribute is one
soon after. This gentleman left a son named
after General McPherson, who is the only male
representative of the McPhersons now living,
and around this child the hopes and affections
of the venerable and stricken grandmother are
tenderly centered. It is to he hoped that he
will grow up a useful and honored youth and
attain a manhood that shall add even additional
honor and fame to the revered name which has
been bestowed upon him.
Mrs. F. A. Tuttle, of Clyde, writes that Gen.
that reflects great credit upon the officers, who , McPuerson was the idol of his mother's heart,
have so appropriately, and iu such an enduring
manner marked the spot where one of their
most trusted and beloved comrades fell. While
Major J. li. McGiuness Chief Ordnance Officer,
has superintended the work, he was generous
ly aided by Gen. Thomas H. Huger, command
ing the Department; Gen. Chauncey McK ;e-
ver, Adjutant General; Gen. George Bell, Chief
for in him were all the elements of a noble
youth and a true manhood. Since his death
i false impression, unless an end is put to it at
once. The barrels are useless for shooting pur- ;
poses, and it is au act of desecration to remove ,
them for any purpose whatever. Gen. McPher
son was a Federal officer, it is true, and this !
•Memorial’ was erected by his brother officers
of lien. Roger's headquarters in this city, yet j
there is not, we believe, a Confederate officer in j
the South who does not honor the name of this I
gallant and lamented knightly soldier. * * * |
No thoughtless person should remove any more j
of the gun-barrels from the fence surrounding
the monument, as there are not wanting those !
who, should this practice continue, will put a
wrong and base construction upon the act.”
Iu copying the article on the “McPuerson
Memorial,” the Fremont, Ohio, Journal, said: j
“Gen. McPuerson was one of the men that made
the world better for having lived in it.” The
Macon, Ga., Telegraph and Messenger concludes a
sketch of the “Memorial ” thus tenderly: “ This
is all. On that hill-side, shut in on every hand
! by tall pines and sombre oaks, but open to the
blue sky, is the spot where fell one of the brav- i
! est and most chivalrous men who fought in the ;
| late war. Though, not of our sunny clime, he j
j was, notwithstanding, an American; and as
j such, whether he wore the blue or the gray, we j
must still feel proud of his valor, and mourn his j
| untimely death.” The Savannah Morning Sews ;
| closes a similar sketch with this complimentary
1 paragraph: “ The whole design of the • Memori- |
i al ’ is appropriate, and reflects great credit upon
the officers who have thus honored one of their j
| most deserving and gallant fallen comrades, j
Throughout all the land, wherever McPherson’s
name and fame are known, this act wilt be ten
derly appreciated, for he was a knightly soldier,
without fear and without reproach.”
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, the great Confeder-
! ate commander, in a recent letter to me, lays
: this graceful tribute upon the grave of the Fed-
| eral officer whose rare military skill had so suc-
! cessfuily matched his own superb genius on j
closely contested fields: “I had no personal ac- j
quaintance with Gen. McPherson, but regard :
; him as an able and gallant soldier, who had few j
! equals in the service to which he belonged. I
believe, also, from the testimony of friends who
knew him well, that he was a gentleman of very
estimable personal character.” Gen. John M.
\ Schofield, now commanding the Department of
1 West Point, New York -including the Military
Academy—closes his letter to me with these pa-
1 triotic and noble sentiments: “The officers of
• Gen. Huger‘a Headquarters have done a most
! praiseworthy act in so appropriately marking
the spot where fell one of the most gallant and
noble of American soldiers. Even the passions
of civil strife could not conceal the chivalrous
character of McPherson from those who were
iiicu. hit. enemies, many of whom shared ju. re
grets at his untimely loss. Now that we are all
friends and brothers again, I am sure that all
will alike hold sacred the spot where Mcl’uer-
son died.”
But the most appropriate and tender tribute
(and one that fully confirms Gen. Schofield’s
statement that the Confederates shared the
regrets of the Federals at the death of McPher
son), comes from an old ante helium comrade.
Gen. E. P. Alexander, who was Chief of Artil-
j lery on Longstreet staff, and one of the most
i valued officers in the Confederate service, writes
I me in this deeply impressive manner:
| “I have been greatly interested and pleased in
reading your account of the ‘ Memorial’ erected
to the gallant McPherson on the spot where he
fell. Though so far from his home, and in the
heart of what was then an enemy’s country,
there are not wanting either those who knew of
him and admired and respected him, or those
who knew of him and loved him. While the
Confederate Army recognized him as perhaps
their most dangerous foe, yet his nobility and
purity of character were so well known and
admired that there was no little regret in out
ranks at his sad fate. I knew him well and
loved him very warmly. He was my last com
manding officer in the old army before the war.
We were stationed at that time in San Fran-
this aged widowed parent has had many be- j cisco, and when, in April, ,1861, I felt called on to
reavements, but not all combined have weighed
so heavily upon her sorrowing heart as the loss
of this promising and loving son, who died on
the field of battle, honored alike by friend and
by foe. It is not strange, therefore, that she
ute recently paid to the memory of her gallant-
son by the officers of General Roger’s staff iu
Atlanta, Georgia, as shown by the following let
ter from her :
Clyde, Ohio, October 3, 1877.
Major Sidney Herbert, Kimball House, Atlanta, Ga.:
Dear Sir Your letter and papers were duly
received, and in return be pleased to accept my
Commissary; Oil J. G. Chandler,iChief Quarter- . should appreciate and l»o grateful for the trib-
rnaster; Lieut. Col. J. F. Head, Medical Direc- 1 ’’ ' ’ ‘ * ’ 11 i
tor; Maj. W. B. Rochester, Chief Paymaster;
Maj. N. Vedder, Paymaster; and Lieut. W. B.
Wheeler, Aid-de-Camp. To Mr. Brown, the
owner of the land, is also due credit for his lib
eral action in promoting this tribute to a gallant
Federal soldier. And I am sure that no true
Confederate soldier will ever visit the spot with
out a feeliug of respect for the brave and chival
rous‘fallen hero’ whose bright military career
ended so suddenly within the seclusion and
quiet of those woods. Like the late Gen. Al
bert Sidney Johnston, be was ‘a knightly sol
dier, without fear and without reproach.’ Now
that Peace has spread her gentle wings over
all the land, and the true soldiers and patriotic
people of both sections meet again in cordial and
hearty fellowship, it is safe to predict that the
‘McPherson Memorial’ will be visited by thou
sands of persons, whose object will be a higher
and purer one, than mere idle curiosity. With
in rifle and cannon shot of this now quiet and
secluded rural retreat, on 22d of July, 1864,
thousands of the bravest and best soldiers of
both armies tell, in attacking or defending At
lanta. With Gen. Hood and Gen. Hardee in
front, and Gen. Wheeler and his dashing cav
alry in the rear, the Army of the Tennessee,
with its gallant commander dead ere the blood-
dy conflict had fairly commenced, fought with
terrible desperation and great loss, and against
an enemy resolute and determined and pre
pared to defend their city at all hazards.
GENERAL m’i'HEBSON’s MOTHER.
Soon after the publication of my first article
in regard to the “McPherson Memorial,” I
learned that the venerable mother of the Gen
eral was still living in the old family mansion
at Clyde, Sandusky county, Ohio, a small but
thriving town, seventeen miles from Sandusky,
seventy-five from Cleveland, and thirty-eight
from Toledo.
I immediately forwarded a copy of the Sunny
South containing the article, and a letter ex
plaining the matter more fully to her, to the
post-master of Clyde, with a request to deliver
them to Mrs. McPherson, if she was in Clyde.
A reply came in a few days from Mrs. F. A. Per-
in, post-mistress, who wrote : “Mrs. McPherson
is still living, and your letter and paper were
delivered to her. Although I have not yet seen
her, I know she feels grateful to you, for thus
resign and cast my fortunes ovith my native
State, I remember very vividly the interview in
which I gave him my resignation. He fully
appreciated the long and desperate war which
was about to ensue, and the terrible fighting j
and slaughter which must result, and he also !
predicted the eventual crushing of the South ;
under the overwhelming forces and resources ot‘ j
the North. He urged me strongly, as a personal '
friend, to take advantage of the rare opportun
ity that I had to keep out of the whole contest,
saying that I could not be called on to fight my '
own people, but would be left, probably the ■
ranking Engineer officer on the Pacific coast,
heartfelt thanks for your kind remembrance of with an excellent opportunity to make a reputa
me. I also desire, through you, to assure Gen.
linger and ihe officers of his stall' (especially
Major McGinness) who have so generously
erected a “Memorial” to my much-loved son,
James Birdseye McPherson, who was killed on
the spot where the “Memorial” stands, that a
mother’s prayers and blessing attend them in
acknowledgment of the discharge of this »acred
duty. James was a noble and good boy, and
his death, although occurring in the service of
his country, has made my declining years lone
ly and sad; still, at all times, I am ready to say
“God’s will, not mine, be done.” This recent
testimonial to my gallant son affords me sincere
gratification, and I trust that the lives of the
comrades who have thus remembered him—so
long after he has passed away from earth—may
be to the close eminently noble and honored.
This tribute of their regard for a brother officer
tells me they are worthy the distinguished po
sition, which they already occupy in the service.
Very respectfully, yours,
Mrs. Cynthia McPherson.
TRIBUTES OF RESPECT.
The “McPherson Memorial” has attracted much
attention throughout the entire country, and
called forth the highest commendation from
the official millitary journals of New York and
Washington. The Daily Graphic of New York,
of Oct. 24, 1877 contained a very fine illustra
tion of the “Memorial,” taken from a photo
graph, and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Xewspaper,
of Jan. 26, 1878, published a picture of it, taken
from an excellent pencil sketch made by Mr.
Horace Bradley of this city.
Gen. McPherson was possessed of a high
sense of honor, and scorned to stoop to petty
revenges, or to assert his conquering power by
harsh treatment of those whom the misfortunes
of war brought under his control. Captain J.
Wilson Ballard, of this city, who was himself a
gallant and trusty Confederate soldier, informs
me that he was told by Major Richard Orme,
tion and gain promotion, while he and all the
older officers would be called to the East to bear
their parts iu the war. I little imagined at the
time that the very friend who warned me so
calmly and soberly, would himself be a victim
of the terrible struggle which he predicted; but
in recalling the conversation since, I have often
thought that, in picturing the risks and chances
of a long and bitter war, some presentment of
his own sad fate may have arisen in his mind.
The warning was lost upon me, for at that time
my sole apprehension was that the war might be
ever before I could get home; but he, poor
fellow, fell while bravely meeting the very
perils and dangers which he urged me to avoid.”
THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE.
In the “Clyde News” department of the Fre
mont, Ohio, Journal, December 28, 1877, the
following reference was made to the “McPherson
Memorial,” and to the proposed monument in
Clyde : “Since our last, we have seen a beauti
ful photograph finished in India ink [by Mrs.
M. S. Oliver,] of the ‘Memorial’ erected at At
lanta, Georgia, in honor of General James B.
McPuerson, by the officers of General Iiuger’s
staff. The picture was sent to Mrs. Cynthia
McPherson, his mother, by Major Sidney Her
bert, whose able article [copied from the Sunny
South] appeared a few numbers back in the
Journal, and, no doubt, was read with pleasure
by the many friends of McPherson, as it was a
high and worthy tribute to our own brave fallen
hero, whose body lies here in our cemetery with
only the base of a monument erected over the
spot.
“Surely, something should bo done in the
matter. The money contributed some years
ago went to the “Society of the Army of the Ten
nessee,” or their agent, with the understanding
that a monnment was to be erected on the base,
placed there by the Directors for that purpose ;
but it has gone to Washington, D. C. Strangers
coming here, ask where is the McPherson Mon
ument, and stand and look at the bare founda
tion, on the elevation near his old home, with
surprise. In the Atlanta Daily Tribune we have
seen some very high testimonials to General
McPherson's skill and ability as an officer, from
distinguished Southern Generals, whose cause
was not his cause, but who houored and loved
him.”
On receiving the paper containing the above
complaint, I addressed a letter to a distinguish
ed officer ot the Lotted States Army, whose
high official position enables him to speak ad
visedly and intelligently in regard to the matter,
and this is his reply, so far as it refers to a pub
lic discussion :
“I feel sure of one thing, that the change to
which you refer in vour letter, was judiciously
made, aside from the fact that without aid from
Congress to the extent of $25, 000 upon the un
derstanding that the statue should be erected in
Washington, D. C., it would have been many
years before it could have been erected any
where. The people of Clyde have a foundation
laid for a monument which represents the en
tire amount of all the money they ever sub
scribed, and can, if they wish, pr.t a statue, or
any other style of monument, upon that foun
dation. In time, I think, the Society of the
Army of the Tennessee will probably help
them.”
At the meeting of the S icietv of the Army of
the Tennessee, held at Des Moines, Iowa, in
1875, General A. Hickenlooper, in behalf of the
McPherson monument committee, of which
he was chairman, made a report, from which I
have taken the following extracts that bear upon
this subject and explain the action of the Soci
ety in changing the location of the monument:
“It will be observed that the sum of $1, 500,
pledged by the Clyde Association, has been
dropped from our report, for the reason that af
ter making every eff >rt in our power, we have
utterly failed in having this sum paid over, or
placed in any available shape.
“While this failure still left us enough to
complete the statue as originally contemplated,
it seemed to render hopeless the task of raising
the additional sum necessary for the base,
which, to be in keeping with the character of
the statue, should beof granite, costing between
$15, 000 and $20, 000.
“At this juncture, General W. W. Belknap,
S 'cretary ot War, expressed the opinion that
upon a proper presentation of the facts, Con
gress might be induced to set aside a public
square aud erect a suitable base, providing we
would place the statue thereon.
“The extensive changes and improvements
made in Washington during the past few years,
have undoubtedly made it the most beautiful
city in the country, and it stands to-day, as it
properly should, the representative city of
America, and as such, appears to be the most
appropriate place for a monument to McPherson.
“While this is a radical change in our origi
nal programme, it is one which appeared to be
fully justified by the facts above recited, and
which we hope will meet with the hearty approv
al of the Members of the Society.
“One of the public squares, to be designated
‘McPuerson Square,’ has been set aside, and an
appropriation of $25, 000 secured with which
to erect the base,”
The report, of which these extracts were a
part, was received and spread upon the Min
utes of the Society, by a vote of the members
present, at that meeting. At a subsequent
meeting of the S icietv, held in Washington, D.
C., October 18'.k, 1876, soma criticisms were
made upon the action of the monument com
mittee ia selecting that city as the place in
which to to locate the statue, and the records
show the following defensG of the committee .
“General Hickenlooper, replying, explained
the position of his committee, and its various
actions in the premises, and read an extract
from the report of his committee, made to the
Society last year, in which it was stated, that
being unable to get from the Clyde Association
what it had pledged to his committee, the orig
inal plan had to be abandoned, for want of
means to carry it out. The money needed for
a proper base for the statue, was provided by
the government, as heretofore expl lined, and
these causes compelled the change. Iu making
a foundation at Clyde, before the change was
deci led upon, about as much money had been
expended there as had been received from their
Association. ”
The records also show that Col. Bush, in view
of the criticisms above referred to, said : “Any
money contributed by the Clyde people, and
used elsewhere, ought to be refunded to them.”
To this, General Hickenlooper, for his commit
tee, answered that they not only intended to
do so, but to go farther iu aiding the Clyde As
sociation, iu case it should build a monument
upon the foundation now laid in that city, and
the committee had so notified the Association.”
There does not seem to be any j ust cause for
complaint on the part of the people of Clyde, if
the above records be true. Iu due time, no
doubt, a handsome monument will be placed
upon the base already laid near the grave of
Gen. McPherson, and the home of his vener
able and honored mother. The ‘Equestrian
Statute’ in McPherson Square, at Washington
will stand a Nation’s tribute to one of her grand
est and truest soldiers -grand in that nobility
of soul and purity of purpose that challenged
the full admiration and esteem eveu of the brave
and chivalrous foemen with whom he so often
crossed swords in deadly conflict. The ‘Memo
rial’ near Atlanta marks the spot where the he
ro fell, and the ‘McPherson Barracks,’ the mili
tary post in the city, will tver keep in remem
brance here the name and fame of one who,
although he came with an invading host, was
•sans fear, sans reproach, unsheathing iu all his
conflicts an unstained sword. Nor are the above
named all the high honors which have been be
stowed upon Gen. McPherson’s memory. One
of the forts on the Yurginia side of the Potomac
River, opposite Washington City, is called ‘Fort
McPherson,’ while in far off Nebraska Territory
there is still another ‘Fort McPherson.’ A
steamer plying on the Pacific coast, between
military stations where he served before the
war, also bears his honored name. Truly
can the poet say, of this lamented soldier, that
he sleeps in death
•With all his country's honors blest.’
Kimball House, Jan., 1878.
A case of hydrophobia was cured in Defianoe
Ohio by the use of chloroform.
Justice T. C. Bay ton of Gloucester County, Va.,
sentences rogues to thirty lashes—fifteen on the
spot and the balance several days afterwards
After the first dose they leave the country.
In King G urge County, Va., a widower and
an old bachelor each obtained a license to marry
the same lady. As usual the lady elected the
widower.
The Chesapeake and Ohio R. R. will be sold
in Richmond V i.. about the first of April.
Hon. W. H. N. Smith of Raleigh N. C. has
been appointed chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, vice R M. Pearson deceased.
20.000 young salmon have been placed iu
Cape Fear River, near Greensboro, N. C.
7.000 acres ot land have been purchased on
the Richmond and Danville R. R. by a Philadel
phia Emigntion society.
James Mi. Quistley, near Greensboro. N. C.
aged 80 years killed three turkeys at one shot
recently.
R v. G orge Mullen of Bristol England is
preaching in Salem Va.
The S ate Grange of South Carolina meets in
Charleston ou the 5.h. of February.