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TO CARE FOR HIM WHO HAS BORNE THE BATTLE, AND FOR HIS WIDOW AND ORPHANS." '
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ESTABLISHED 187
WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, OCTOBEll 1, 1881.
NTTW SEBIES. yoi.. I., no. 7,
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GEN. M'PHERSOX'S DEATH.
WHAT PRIVATE REYNOLD'S SAYS ABOUT IT
Where and By Whom ihc Dead Heme's Body Was Found.
Details of the Sad Event (iencr.il Order
'o. S. and a Medal of Honor.
A recent publication of the account of the death
of Gen. McPherson, as given by Sergt. Thompson,
and published in the Army and Navy Journal of
August 27, threw doubt on the hitherto-received
account that George Reynolds, of the Iowa Volun
teers, stumbled upon McPherson as he lay dying
at the foot of a tree. Sir. H. Seymour Hall, a
neighbor of Reynolds, has received from him, and
sends to the New York Times, this account:
"I enlisted when a. mere plow-boy on my father's
farm, at Ottunvwa, Iowa, in 1S62 ; was a private
in Company D, Fifteenth Iowa Volunteers. In
March, 1861, re-enlisted as a veteran at Vicks
burg, went home on my veteran furlough, and on
my return from furlough was detained for duty
at headquarters Third brigade, Fourth division,
Seventeenth Army Corps, remaining there till
July 22 the day Gen. McPherson was killed.
In obedience to orders, five others, with myself,
starting on the morning of the 22d to rejoin my
command. Starting out in the direction my regi
ment was supposed to be,
I SAW A LINE OF BATTLE
in the distance advancing toward us, and suppos
ing them to be our men, one of our number called
out, "What in the are you shooting this way
for ? " As we approached nearer we saw that they
were rebels, one of whom, when about ten feet
jfrom me, tired on me. his bullet grazing the upper
side of my right arm, my abdomen, and passing
through the under side of my left arm. My gun
was seised by a rebel soldier, who said, "Give me
that, and you 'git' to the rear.'' As I moved
away the rebel line continued to advance on the
flank and rear of our line, which they had broken,
and I was left to take care of myself. I was after
ward told that all but two of mv comrades were
killed. After checking the bleeding of my wound
the best I could, I started to make my way out
of there. The thought of being a prisoner was
terrible to me.
mtmfmsiimniygiomoi
and scarcely knowing which way to go, I finally
started in a northwesterly course. I struck a road
leading into Atlanta, where the rebels had cap
tured a piece of artillery, and seeing their cavalry
still in possession of this road, I went back into
the timber and come out on the road further out
1
and crossed, and some little distance after cross- 1
iug the road I saw a man in blue uniform lying ;
on tne grounu some instance uneau, anu m nearer
approach recognized our beloved commander, the
brave Gen. McPherson, without a living being
then in sight of him save myself. He was still
o
living,
but in
his death struggles, and when I
offered him water he made no reply. He seemed
unconscious, but showed signs of life for 15 or 20
minutes, his struggles during that time changing
his head to the opposite point from what it was
when I first saw him. His sword and shoulder
straps were both gone.
BALLS AND SHELLS WERE STILL FLYING
around us in all directions, and one shell burst
so close to the General's body that it swept
every leaf or loose thing from the ground. A few
minutes after the General's death I saw one of
our men passing some distance off, and called to
him, "come here!" He asked, "Is there any
danger? "' I replied, " No." He then came, and
while we were talking of what was best to do,
three rebel soldiers, one of them carrying part of
a stretcher,. came up, and talked of carrying off
the General's body, but fearing they would en
counter some of our forces, decided not to do so.
As they went away they ordered us to accompany
them, but as they were unarmed like ourselves,
we declined the invitation. I think the name of
the Union soldier who was with me was George
Farlin. He and I then started
AT A DOUBLE QUICK
to try and find our lines. In about a quarter of
a miie we came upon a train of ambulances. I
asked the driver of the first to go with me and
get the General's body, but he refused. I went
to the next one. and just as I spoke to the driver
General "William E. Strong, Assistant Inspector
General, Army of the Tennessee, of Gen. MePher
son's staff, rode up, and I told him my story. He
at once ordered the ambulance driver to follow
me. when Farlin and myself led back to General
McPherson at double quick, followed by General
Strong, his orderly, and the ambulance driver.
We five put his body in the ambulance. Farlin
and I got in, and the driver, following the lead of
. .. Strong, drove rapidly to General Sherman's
dquarters, where Gen. McPherson's body was
on out of the ambulance, which was then
'en on with me to the Twenty-third Corps
-pital.
On the 2Gth day of July, four days after the
! ' ve events, an ambulance was sent up to the
pital, with orders to
TAKE ME TO MY REGTMENT.
it- orant of the purpose of this, on my arrival, I
-,uid my regiment drawn up on parade. I was
1 t"ken to the front and General W. W. Belknap,
u hat time Colonel of the Fifteenth Iowa, read to
ibe command an order, which was then for the
first time known to me. It read as follows :
"H'dq'rs Seventeenth Army Corps,
Dept. of the Tennessee,
Before Atlanta, Ga.. July 26. 1S64.
G. O. No. S.
"During the bloody battle of the 22d inst,, in
which the Corps was engaged, Private George J.
Reynolds, Company D, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry
Volunteers, was, while in the performance of his
duty on the skirmish line, severely wounded in
the arm. In attempting to evade capture he came
to the spot where the late beloved and gallant
Commander of this Army, Major-General McPher
son, was lying mortally wounded. Forgetting all
considerations of self, Private Reynolds clung to
his old commander, and
AMID THE ROAR OF BATTLE.
and a storm of bullets, administered to the wants
of his gallant chief, quenching his dying thirst,
and affording him such comfort as lay in his
power.
"After General McPherson breathed his last,
Private Reynolds was chiefly instrumental in re
covering his body, going with two of his staff
officers, pointing out the body, and assisting it to
an ambulance under heavy fire from the enemy,
while his wound was still uncared for. The
noble and devoted conduct of this soldier cannot
be too highly praised, and is commended to the
consideration of the officers and men of this com
mand. In consideration of this gallantry and j work at the right time and place, or strict atten
noble and unselfish devotion the gold medal of I tion to minor details. This diminutive adjunct
honor will be conferred upon Private George J. : of the milk trade and manufacturer of dressing
Reynolds, Company D, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry j for peach brandy can sing, s'tpg, and make honey
Volunteers, in front of his command. This order simultaneously: and, although, but little larger
will be read at the head of every regiment, bat
tery, and detachment in this Corps. By com
mand of . .
Major-General Frank P. Blair.
A. J. Alexander,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
"'Colonel Belknap then fastened to my breast
the gold medal of honor, which is still and Avill
remain in my possession as long as I live. "Who
gave the information to General Blair upon which
this order was issued I do not know."
Mr. Hall adds : " General Strong. General Bel
knap, and too many officers of General Sherman's
staff knew of this matter at the time to leave his
statement unsubstantiated. The order of Gen
eral Blair, issued at that time, speaks for itself.
The post-office address of George J. Reynolds is
tim&s -smw. .-j: .-,. ; -. m. I jtoZttl- LrX7,aikt .,-, i, ?-. -a
uarrorcon, Carroll county. Mo: Jliris a prosper
ous farmer and respected citizen, whose word is
not doubted by any one who knows him. I know
him to be a man of honor and truth, whose state
ment, even if not so satisfactorily proved as it is,
could be implicitly relied on."
GENERAL MEADE'S MONUMENT.
The Philadelphia Record, of September, 10 says:
"The Fairmount Park Art Association has re
ceived nine sketch models from competing art
ists for the equestrian statue of Major-General
George G. Meade. One more model from an artist
in Rome is now on its way. The cost of the statue,
placed in position, is not to exceed 25,000, and
the following premiums will be paid by the asso
ciation for sketch models: For the best sketch
model $1,000 ; for the second best, $600, and for
the third best, $400. Owing to the efforts of the
ladies more than 625,000 of the $30,000 now in
hand were collected. In recognition of their
efforts the ladies will be given a voice in the se
lection of the statue. The committee will be
called together at an early date, and as soon as it
is practicable a final decision will be arrived at.
As yet none of the models have been seen by the
members of the committee."
SUIT AGAINST GENERAL BANKS.
Notice was issued in New York Tuesday to
General N. P. Banks that a suit brought against
him by William R. Hodges, of New Orleans,
would be placed on the calendar of the United
States Circuit Court for November. Mr. Hodges
was in business in New Orleans as a commission
merchant in 1863, when General Banks levied a
tax on various articles taken by him to New Or
leans. Under threats of having the property
seized Mr. Hodges paid a tax of $5,551 , and began
an action against General Banks in 1S75 in the
State Supreme Court. The case was transferred
to the United States Circuit Court. The plaintiff,
on the ground that the tax was illegal, asks
$20,924 damages.
THE LAKE FISHERIES.
A census bulletin just issued gives the statistics
of the fishing industry in our great northern
lakes for the year 1S79. The fisheries reported
are those of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron,
and St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario. The kinds of
fish returned are white fish, trout, herring, stur
geon, hard fish, soft fish, rough fish, coarse fish,
and mixed fish. There were employed in the
business 5,000 fishermen, with vessels, apparatus,
and accessories valued at $1,345,000. The fish
caught in 1879 weighed 68,750,000 pounds, and
were worth $1,650,000. The leading kind was
white fish, of which 21,000,000 pounds, valued at
$77S,000, were taken ; $220,000 worth of trout
were caught, and over $100,000 of each, herring
and sturgeon. Of the whole amount of fish ob
tained, $1,100,000 worth were sold fresh, $400,000
worth were salted, $120,000 frozen, and $109,000
smoked. The industry was carried on to the
oreatest extent in Lake Michigan, where the yield
amounted to $663,000 in value, and in Lake Erie,
where the value exceeded $400,000.
YELLOW JACKETS.
AN EXCEEDINGLY HOT ENGAGEMENT.
A Fine Exhibition of Bee Pluck and Tactics A Funny
Story of the War A Hanu to Tail Encoun
ter Ketrcat of the Forces.
J. S. Slater in National Republican.
Yellow-jackets are hot, peppery little fellows,
endowed by their Creator with certain inalien
able rights and a capacity fbr devilment out of
all proportion to their diminutive bodies. The
blue wasps, though exceedingly slim-waisted, are
otherwise built upon sound business principles
and provided with' a stinger-attachment capable
of fathoming the most profound depths of human
feeling and bringing pain to the surface in chunks
bigger than a man's fist. The bumble-bee is a
dull-witted, heavy-going, lumbering old winged
coach of evil a sort of stupid' Jack Falstaff among
insects, yet ordinarily good natural; but the dear
old bumble can nevertheless on occasion kick up
a pretty lively rumpus, as -.any person who has
accidentally or otherwise trodden upon his pre
serves can testify. None of; these, however, can
compare with the honey-bee, either as regards
general business capacity, ability to get in good
than a good-sized house-fly nas been known to
knock a man across a ten-aqre lot with one blow
delivered
straight
from the: tail.
It weighs
all
the way from a few ounces-up to a ton or more,
according to the spot upou.svhich it
--
-.n..
CHANCES TO SJp DOAVN;
and there are those AvhoseKioses have been tem
porarily occupied ready xOjEswear that the six
teenth of an inch of the creature's sting is twofold
heavier that Cleopatra's needle. Scientific people
who have investigated tllS; matter say that the
honey-bee has two stomach?, which fact may pos
sibly account for its unifornlly bad temper a case
of double dyspepsia, as itY.ere. But, whatever
may be the failings of the manufacturers of combs
and sweetness, they certaMy understand the art
of war. offensive and defejve, and know how to
make a purely defensive-jn..o?i
as offensive to the enemy as thous
rtn.V -.-..-
it were
planned for an aggressive movement. One of the
finest exhibitions of bee pluck and tactics ever
witnessed was upon the day preceding the battle
of Malvern Hill.
MY BRIGADE HAPPENED
to take up position close down by the river, not
far from a fine, large mansion, near which stood a
bee-house of some twelve or fourteen feet square,
and about the same m height, and m which the
t -
hives, to the number of perhaps thirty or forty,
Avere arranged in three tiers upon three sides of j a saluting battery she has an armament of six
the structure. We stacked arms about three p. j teen 9"illcn DaMgrens 0n the gun deck, and four
m.. exnectimr to have a few hours for resting 80-pound breech-loading Parrott rifles, and two
(Sumner, Franklin, and Heintzelman, had relieved
us, and Avere holding the enemy in check at
White Oak SAvamp and in the vicinity of Charles
City), and upon breaking ranks Ave at once dis
persed in search of "grub," of Avhich avc stood
sadly in need. One of our foraging parties dis
covered the bee-house, and immediately the neAvs
spread abroad Ave struck a bee-line individually
and in detachment, for the depository of concen
trated SAveets.
THE 1IEES, APPRIZED OF OUR APPROACH,
strengthened the garrison by calling in their
scouts, light cavalry, and outposts generally, and
threAV out a double line of skirmishers (sharp
shooters), armed Avith needle-guns and supported
by heaA'y reserves, around their citadel. Unde
terred by the formidable array, Ave detailed a
storming party of picked men, avIio steadily ad
vanced, under a plunging, stinging discharge from
the enemy's breech-loaders, to batter doAvn the
outAvorks Avith a rail. This Avork Avas ac
complished : but the breaking doAvn of the gate
leading into the fort seemed to encourage its de
fenders and render them more desperate and dar
ing. They swarmed upon the ramparts over
head, under foot, cveryAvhere meeting us at
every point with the bayonet. It Avas
A HAND-TO-TAIL ENCOUNTER
throughout. The casualties were heavy, princi
pally upon our side. Thousands of eyes, gleam
ing Avith the light of true courage, Avere closed
never to open again until the SAvelling should
haA'e subsided and thousands of gallant hearts
Avere made to groan in agony before any appre
ciable success Avas gained. At length a man be
longing to the Second Maine Infantry seized a
hiAre Avhich contained something over a million
of the garrison, and made a dash outward, fol
loAved by a member of the Thirteenth Ncav York
Volunteers, similarly laden. This created a diver
sion, of which Ave who remained immediately took
advantage and succeeded, under many difficulties,
in filling our hands Avith spoils from the OArerfloAV
ing storehouse of the foe.
THEN REGAN A RETREAT
more disastrous to us than Napoleon's famous
retrograde movement from the Russian capital.
The hive-bearers Avere, however, the chief centres
of attraction. The Maine man Avas struck be
tAveen the eyes by a red-hot bolt, stumbled,
fell, rolled over, got upon his feet, and in a
moment's time became a living, cursing pyramid
of bellicose bees, red-hot for him and honev.
-j cj '
"With a yell of which Sitting Bull might be
proud, he made a rush for a small inlet jut
ting in from the river, into which he plunged
head first, and thus succeeded in drown imr
several hundreds of the persistent foemen. The
Thirteenth New York man followed suit, taking
his hive with him. Honey flowed like water
and the bees stung like the devil. The air was
full of curses and wings, while sting-stemmed
engines of misery were darting, dashing, wheel
ing, buzzing, humming, prodding at everybody
with two legs and a drop of honey within smell
ing distance. When the combat was apparently
AT ITS HEIGHT
the bugle sounded the assembly and Ave incon
tinently retreated from the field, glad of such
an excuse to get away with our honor, and the
bumps, knobs, and closed optics eA'idencing the
A-alor of our assailants. It Avas a mile to where
our colors Avere planted, and Ave walked, or
rather ran, beneath a canopy of bees the entire
distance. They enveloped us like a cloud
crawled up our coat-sleeves, down the backs of our
necks, up our pantaloon legs, got into our hair
well, Avhen Ave formed line the officers mistook
us for an animated apiary, and Ave took thrust
after thrust from our uncomfortable tenants
Avith becoming grace, although, as a matter of
fact, Ave had wasted the greater part of our
sweetness upon the surrounding country.
AVE WERE ORDERED UP
on the high ground to Avhere the battle of Glen
dale, or Nelson's Farms, Avas progressing; and
Avith sticky hands and honeyed smiles (the latter
made grotesque by the masks which the busy,
buzzing, bump-building bees had provided for
our use) Ave moved off with alacrity.
Our chief impulse Avent Avith us. In fact,
there Avas scarcely a man of us all but had a "bee
in his bonnet," or somewhere else about his per
son ; and a bee Avorking end foremost is a poAver
ful propelling force, "and don't you forget it."
Not until Ave Avere Avell under fire and en-A-eloped
in the sulphurous smoke of conflict did
our tormentors hie them back to their dismantled
fortress, and days elapsed before some of us could
take in the situation Avith both eyes. Even then
1
j our ignominious defeat clung to us, and for
j Aveeks we Avere knoAvn among the boys of our
division as the SAA-ellest lot of felloAvs in the
army in fact, a3 "'swelled heads."
-. .t.
OUR LARGEST MAN-OF-WAR.
The Tennessee is the largest man-of-Avar afloat
now flying the American flag, and, although a
wooden vessel and lacking in many of the latest
and most approved modern naA'al appliances of
offense and defense, it is yet of a type that does
not discredit the Government. She is nearly
5,000 tons in displacement, 375 feet in length OA'er
all, 45 feet breadth of beam, 31 feet depth of hold,
and 23 feet extreme draught aft. In addition to
8-inch muzzle-loading rifles on the spar deck, to
gether with the supplementary battery of field
artillery and Hotchkiss revolA-ing cannon. There
are four torpedo appliances and the usual stand
of magazine and Gatling rifle guns. The engines
are of the compound type. The screAV is four
bladed NaA'y Department plan; diameter, 19 feet;
pitch 31 feet 4 inches, and the engines have de
veloped 2,900 horse-poAver at a maximum speed
of 14 knots.
ON THE MARCH
Battery C of the 3d United States Artillery,
Captain William Sinclair commanding, reached
Lancaster, Pa., on Sept. 24th, on their march from
Fort Hamilton, Long Island, to YorktoAvn, to at
tend the Centenary. They have made the march
by order of the Government over the same route
taken by Washington to YorktoAvn. The battery
consists of 76 men, four guns, four caissons, two
ambulances, several baggage Avagons, and 74
horses. It is quite famous, being the Ring
gold Battery of the Mexican War ; that is, it has
retained the same name and dates its organization
from that time, and it has had the proud distinc
tion of having had Generals Sherman and Thomas
as first lieutenants at different times. They
Avere met at the outskirts of the city by a dele
gation of George H. Thomas Post, No. S4, G. A. R.,
accompanied by a brass baud, and also by Colonel
H. A. Hambright, of the United States Army,
noAV on the retired list and resident here. They
marched to the Lancaster Cemetery, where a
salute of thirteen guns Avas fired over the grcwe
of General John F. Reynolds, avIio fell at Gettys
burg. Marching into the city, they saluted the
Soldiers' Monument, in Center Square, after
which the band played a dirge, and then the bat
tery marched to McGrann's Park, on the suburbs
of the city, AAiiere they Avent into camp until
Monday, the 26th. . ;
K
THE FRENCH IN TUNIS.
The French are sinking deeper every day in the
Tunisian quagmire. A column of sixty thousand
men has crossed the Mediterranean AA'ithout com
pleting the conquest of the principality. Neither
the staff nor the rank and file emerge from the
campaign Avith unimpaired prestige. The drain
upon the military budget Avill be exhausting.
The operations in Tunis require the use of large
bodies of cavalry, and this is a Aery expensive
arm of the service.
THE LAST OF EARTH.
SAD AND IMPOSING FUNERAL CEREMONIES.
Rurial or tiie 3Iurdered President Decorations. Scenes,
ami Incidents of the Occasion A Sorrowing1
Multitude, and a Lons Farewell.
The last sad rites have been performed, the
fresh earth has been heaped above the quiet form,
the mourners haA-e returned to their homes, and
James A. Garfield now lives only in history, the
memory of the people, and in the hearts of those
aaTio loved him so Avell and tenderly in the days
that are past.
September 23d the funeral cortege left this
city, and upon the Saturday folloAving, after hav
ing passed along a route hung Avith the insigina
of grief upon every side, it reached Cleveland,
Avhere the last ceremonies AAiiere to be solemnized.
The services in Cleveland Avere unusually im
pressive. Upon its arrival the body Avas esccrted
from the depot by a A-ast concourse of military and
civic societies, and citizens generally, to the pub
lic square in which the catafalque for its reception
had been erected.
THE CATAFALQUE
itself Avas superior in attractive design and
drapings to anything of the kind ever before
knoAvn. A platform had been erected fiA'e feet
and six inches above the leA'el of the ground, ap
proached by a gentle incline from the east and
the Avest. Upon the platform A'as the paAilion,
square in plan, coA-ered by a curved canopy. At
the apex of the canopy Avas a large globe, upon
Avhich stood the figure of an angel with AA'ings
extended, the snowy tips approaching aboA-e the
head. The dimensions of the pavilion Avere as
follows: The main part forty-five feet square;
on each of the four sides an open arch tAventy
four feet AAide and thirty feet high ; the canopy
tapering to an apex seventy-trwo feet above the
ground, upon Avhich rested the globe, a ball
nearly fiA-e feet in diameter; the statue above,
tAventy-four feet in height, its wing tips thus
being at a total altitude of ninety-six feet aboA-e
the ground. As to the adornment, everything
Avas done Avhich could contribute to the effective
ness of theAAork.
THE FLORAL DECORATIONS
f
Avere the finest eAer seen or conceiAed of. One
piece, "The Gates Ajar," Avas especially beautiful,
and consisted of a double gate, partly opened,
constructed of the richest flowers.
Another lovely piece Avas a lyre of balsam and.
rosebuds which leans against a column of green,
over which hovered the birds of gentleness and
rest. Near this beautiful piece aais another, rep
resenting "The last sheaf gathered home" a
dreary stubble field, all brown and bare saA'e the
garnered sheaf and a sickle.
THE FUNERAL SERVICES
were most inipressiA-e. Thousands upon thous
ands of people were congregated in a dense mass
covering acres of territory, and the appearance of
grief manifested upon every side showed Iioav
dear to the hearts of the people the dead Presi
dent had been. Members of the Cabinet, the
most eminent officers of the Army and Navy,
Governors of States, and many other persons of
note Avere present, besides a vast array of mili
tary, including the Veteran Association of the
Forty-second Ohio, Gen. Garfield's old regiment.
THE JOURNEY TO THE TOMB
was the saddest journey ever made from the beau
tiful city of Cleveland, and Avill be long remem
bered by those who took part therein. The
funeral car consisted of a platform 8 by 16 feet,
supported on four heaAy truck Avheels. From
the edge of the platform to Avithin one inch from
the ground heaA-y black drapery, bordered with
silver fringe, was suspended. Immediately below
and contiguous to the platform hung folds of
heaA-y white silk, caught up A-ith black silk
cords. Tavo terrace steps led up to the pall. Be
tAveen the steps i'Oavs of immortelles ran around
the Avhole car. On each corner wf the platform
Avas a stand of flags draped in black. The arched
canopy Avas supported by three columns on each
side, covered with black broadcloth and coiled
garlands of immortelles, and Avith capitals of
Egyptian designs. Immediately above the col
ums on a projecting cornice, Avith black and
Avhite rosettes in the frieze, under ATiich Avere
hung festoons of broadcloth and silver fringe.
On the four corners above the canopy were black
ostrich plumes. The dome of the canopy, six
feet above the cornice, AA'as covered Avith black
cloth and surmounted by immortelles. On the
corners of the dome Avere beautiful black plumes,
and the Avhole Avas croAvned by a large urn Avreath
Avith immortelles. The hearse Avas drawn by
twelve . black horses, four abreast, and led by six
colored grooms. The horses were caparisoned
Avith heaAy black cloth covers braided AAith silver
fringe, and carried black Avhite-tipped plumes.
Behind the car folloAved the mourners whose
numbers Avere almost beyond estimate. After
the last impressive rites had been performed the
crowds slowly dispersed and the second President
of the United States to fall beneath the assassin's
bullet was left in the SAveet repose of his last rest
ing place. Long may the grass grow green and
flourish above his grave.
f
