USA > Georgia > The army reunion : with reports of the meetings of the societies of the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee; the Army of the Ohio: and the Army of Georgia > Part 13
USA > Ohio > The army reunion : with reports of the meetings of the societies of the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee; the Army of the Ohio: and the Army of Georgia > Part 13
USA > Tennessee > The army reunion : with reports of the meetings of the societies of the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee; the Army of the Ohio: and the Army of Georgia > Part 13
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SONG by the Glee Club ; - " Shall Old Acquaintance be Forgot ?"
LETTERS.
THE following letter of invitation, and the replies appended, form an interesting part of the General Reunion Report :
COMMITTEE ROOMS, ARMIES TENNESSEE, CUMBERLAND, OHIO AND GEORGIA,
CHICAGO, November 30, IS6S.
SIR ;- The soldiers of the Western armies represented in the Armies of the Cumberland, the Tennessee, the Ohio, and Georgia, feeling that the best memories of their lives are con- nected with those years which they spent in the successful effort to vindicate the integrity of their government and country, and obedient, as of yore, to the call of their old leader, LIEUTENANT GENERAL SHERMAN, will assemble at Chicago on the, fifteenth and sixteenth of December next, to renew again in social inter- , course friendships formed, and to perpetuate the ties which so closely bound them together, in the hour of peril and danger to their common country.
You are respectfully and cordially invited to be present and participate in the observances of the occasion.
An immediate reply, addressed to GENERAL A. C. DUCAT, Secretary of this Committee, will be thankfully received, and
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will facilitate the necessary arrangements for the reception of those who accept this invitation.
We have the honor to be, very respectfully,
Your obedient servants,
JOHN MCARTHUR,
F. T. SHERMAN,
A. C. DUCAT,
Committee
JOHN M. CORSE, of
W. B. SCATES,
JULIUS WILITE,
Invitation.
A. C. McCLURG, WM. E. STRONG,
WASHINGTON, December 14, 1868.
GENERAL ; - Please express my thanks to your Committee for their kind invitation to be present at the Army Reunion at Chicago, and my regret that I can not avail myself of it.
The gratitude of the whole people follows the brave soldiers who saved the Republic, one and indivisible. Even the gallant men whose cause was lost will yet find, welcome to . generous rivalry in service to our common country, that their loss was not loss, but exceeding gain.
Yours, very respectfully,
S. P. CHASE.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT, Secretary of Committee.
-
NEW YORK, December 7th, 1868.
DEAR SIR ; - I am in receipt of your favor of the 2nd instant, inviting me to be present at the Reunion of our Western Army, on the 15th, and hasten to answer you that, while nothing could
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give me more pleasure than to meet with those who composed that gallant Army, -whose march was always onward, and whose movements I once watched with so much anxiety and interest, when my duties called me to the Upper Mississippi, - still the numerous engagements I have already accepted, and the very inclement state of the weather, render it impossible for me to comply with the request.
I regret this the more, inasmuch as I have always advocated the constant reunion of those of both branches of the service, as the best mode of establishing that good-fellowship and harmony which always should exist between such as have endured together the privations of war; which was particularly the case in our recent Rebellion.
As I shall not, therefore, be able to make the speech you desire, permit me to give you, in its stead, the following sen- timent :
"The Army and Navy of the United States-While each is ever ready, by its own resources, to sustain the national honor, may they always stand shoulder to shoulder, as on the Missis- sippi, in protecting the property and preserving the union of our common country."
I am very truly yours,
D. E. FARRAGUT, Admiral U. S. Navy.
W. E. STRONG, Esq.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON, D. C., December 7, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT, Chicago, Illinois :
DEAR SIR; - I have received the invitation with which you have favored me, to the Reunion of the soldiers of the Western
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Armies, to be held at Chicago on the 15th and 16th of December instant.
It ought not to be necessary for me to express, at so late a day, my exalted appreciation of the honorable and heroic services which the soldiers of the Western Armies have rendered to the Republic. It can hardly be necessary to say that it would be very inconvenient, if not impossible, for me to visit Chicago on the happy occasion referred to. I am sure that it is unnecessary to say that I sincerely regret my inability to accept the invitation, and while I earnestly hope that the meeting may be a happy and useful one,
I am very truly yours,
WILL. H. SEWARD.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON, December 12, 1868.
SIR ;- I have had the honor to receive the kind invitation of your Committee to be present at the Army Reunion, at Chicago, on the 15th and 16th instant.
I have the good fortune to have formed the personal acquaint- · ance of some of the celebrated soldiers who will make up your numerous and brilliant company upon this interesting occasion, and it would give me the greater pleasure to look upon the whole array of the brave defenders of our constituted liberties who shall answer to the call of their former leader, General Sherman.
So long as it is and must be easier to serve than to save the state, so long must all the professions and employments of life pay homage to the citizen soldiers who by war have maintained, that they and we in peace may obey, the laws and constitution of our country.
But necessary attendance upon my duties here will deprive mne
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of this pleasure, and I can only send my good wishes for the general joy of your whole company.
I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
WM. M. EVARTS.
WASHINGTON, December 15, 186S.
GENERAL GEORGE H. THOMAS :
Please present to the officers and soldiers of the great Union Armies my sincere congratulations on the circumstances under which they now reunite at Chicago. May the influences of this reunion tend to establish and perpetuate fraternal feeling among all who now honor and sustain the flag, however they may have been heretofore divided.
HUGH MCCULLOCH.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF TIIE MISSOURI, CAMP SUPPLY, CANADIA RIVER, INDIAN TERRITORY, December 5, 1868.
GENERAL MCCLURG, Chicago :
MY DEAR GENERAL; - I am in receipt of your note of November 15, to-day, and deeply regret my inability to attend the Reunion of the armies of the West, in your city, on the 15th instant, on account of the Indian troubles in my department. I have asked Generals Sherman and Thomas to make my regrets. I had set my heart on being present at this meeting, and feel very sad over my disappointment.
Yours truly,
P. H. SHERIDAN, Major- General.
12
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Army Reunion.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, December 8, 1868.
GENERAL; - I have to-day received the printed letter of invitation to be present at Chicago, on the 16th inst., to attend the Army Reunion to be then held ; and I regret extremely that my public duties are of such a nature as to render it imprac -. ticable for me to accept.
I regret this the more, as it would have afforded me great pleasure to meet my brother soldiers of the Western armies, and to have interchanged with them those friendly courtesies and feelings of mutual respect and kindness which I trust will ever characterize the utterance of our nation's soldiers, whether they come from the West or the East. Earnestly and sincerely hoping-indeed feeling satisfied-that your Reunion will be productive of much pleasure, and of beneficial results in the future, I remain, with great respect,
Most truly yours, GEORGE G. MEADE, Major-General U. S. Army.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee, Chicago, Illinois.
WASHINGTON, D. C., December 11, 1868. GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee, Chicago, Illinois.
MY DEAR GENERAL ; - I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of November 30, extending an invitation to me for the Army Reunion, to be held at Chicago on the 15th and 16th of December next.
I feel highly gratified by the compliment, and regret that it will not be practicable for me to attend.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. S. HANCOCK, Major-General U. S. Army.
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Letters.
U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MD., December 5, 186S. 3
DEAR SIR ; - I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your kind invitation to be present at the Army Reunion, to take place at Chicago on the 15th and 16th of December. It would afford me great pleasure to be present, but both my health and duty prevent the acceptance of your invitation. It would be a pleasant sight to me to witness the meeting of comrades who had marched and fought together for so many long years, and I should be much gratified to meet the many gallant officers of the Army of the Tennessee, with whom I was associated at Vicks- burg, Red River, etc. My connection with the different branches of the Army of the Tennessee was always most agreeable to me ; and, although I hope none of us may ever live to witness a renewal of the fraternal strife that has so marred the best inter- ests of our country, yet if any party should attempt to break up this glorious Union, -the only asylum that I know of for those disposed to be free, -I trust that the army and navy will be found fighting shoulder to shoulder, as they always have done, under the flag which the armies of your reunion so gallantly carried to victory.
. Hoping that you will have a most pleasant time, and that this will not be the last occasion when the gallant officers of the army will meet in fraternal union, I remain,
Very respectfully and truly yours,
DAVID D. PORTER, Vice-Admiral.
WILLIAM E. STRONG, Esq.,
Sec'y Executive Committee Armies of the Tennessee, etc.,
Chicago, Illinois.
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Army Reunion.
HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, December 9, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT :
GENERAL ;- I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of the very courteous invitation to be present at the Army Reunion to take place at Chicago on the 15th and 16th December.
It is with sincere regret that I find myself prevented, by busi- ness engagements, from accepting the invitation of the Com- mittee, for I should no doubt find among the soldiers of the Western Armies many of my comrades of the Armies of West- ern Virginia, and of the Army of the Potomac, and I should be only too glad to embrace the opportunity of extending my acquaintance among the soldiers of the gallant Armies of the West.
With my sincere wishes that the reunion may, in every respect, be a most pleasant one, and that it may tend to strengthen still more the close ties of fellowship uniting the soldiers of all the Federal Armies,
I am, most respectfully, your obedient servant,
GEO. B. MCCLELLAN.
NEW YORK, December 8, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
, Secretary, etc .:
DEAR GENERAL ; - I have been honored with your invitation for the 15th and 16th of December, and regret extremely that my health will prevent my participating in your rejoicings at Chicago. I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant, J. HOOKER,
Major-General U. S. Army.
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Letters.
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, December 11, IS6S.
GENERAL ; - I have received the invitation to attend the meet- ing of the soldiers of the Western Armies who belonged to Gen- eral Sherman's command. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to meet these soldiers, among whom are many of my old companions in arms, and to witness the greeting of their old commander by them.
But my engagements will not permit me to leave here now, and with thanks for your invitation, and best wishes for the entire success of the Reunion,
I am, respectfully yours, W. B. FRANKLIN,
Former Major-General U. S. Volunteers.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary, etc., etc.
UTICA, December 12, 1868.
GENTLEMEN ; - I am sorry I can not accept your invitation to attend the Reunion of the soldiers of the Western Armies, - · Cumberland, Tennessee, Ohio, and Georgia,-at Chicago, on the 16th instant. As many of the regiments sent out from New York, while I was Governor of that State, served in these armies, I feel a personal as well as a national pride and interest in this gathering.
It is not necessary to speak of the respect and admiration in which the soldiers of the Republic are held by its citizens ; and foremost among you will be the distinguished General, now at the head of our armies, who won his first laurels as one of the leaders of the Armies of the West.
His election to the office of President of the United States, bears witness to the fact that, in addition to regard for his other
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merits, the patriotic services of the soldier are held in honorable and grateful remembrance by the American people.
I have the honor to be,
Truly yours,
HORATIO SEYMOUR.
To the COMMITTEE OF INVITATION.
- -
WASHINGTON CITY, December 10, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Chicago, Illinois :
DEAR GENERAL ;- The beautiful circular issued from your committee rooms, is just received by me. I would gladly obey the call of my old leader, General Sherman, and be present with you at Chicago on the 15th and 16th inst., to renew in social intercourse friendships formed, and to perpetuate the ties which so closely bound us together in the hour of peril and danger to our common country, but an engagement entered into some time since will prevent me from going. The most cordial greetings I receive are from soldiers, now civilians, who have served with us during the war; and I know that my own heart goes out towards a soldier, wounded or crippled by bullets from the enemy, or towards a family left helpless by the loss of a father upon the battle field, with more genuine sympathy, and a more earnest desire to assist, than it does towards others.
A short time ago, a young man who had lost his right arm and right leg in the service, came to my house late at night utterly destitute ; his family were comparatively helpless, and dependent upon him for support ; he had pawned every thing he possessed that was valuable ; had earnestly sought employment up and down the streets of New York; had petitioned politi- cians ; and, having failed in all his efforts, finally come to me utterly crestfallen and discouraged. The Secretary of War
.
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Letters.
and others were able to assist him, and did so, and he went back to his home with a happy heart.
I believe, if the sympathies of the multitude for poor soldiers who have been crippled, or rendered useless for employment requiring physical effort, shall ever grow cold, that at least their old companions and officers who may be in good circumstances, with health and strength, will never fail to labor earnestly and actively in their behalf.
Trusting you may have a pleasant and profitable reunion, and one never to be forgotton, I remain, with great regard,
Your faithful friend,
O. O. HOWARD, Brevet Major-General, U. S. Army.
-
WASHINGTON, December 11, 1868. . ]
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee Invitation :
GENERAL ; - I have had the honor of receiving the invitation of the Committee to the Army Reunion at Chicago on the 15th and 16th inst. The associations of the field gave rise to friend- ships far different from those formed under the usual conditions of life, and it would be a source of very great gratification to me to meet the gallant soldiers of the Western armies, and I regret sincerely that it is not in my power to be present and participate in the enjoyments of the reunion.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, A. A. HUMPHREYS, Brevet Major-General.
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Army Reunion.
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, December 17, IS68.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT :
SIR ;- On my return to this place, after an absence of two months, I found awaiting me the entirely unexpected honor of an invitation to attend the meeting of the soldiers of the Western armies at Chicago on the 15th and 16th inst.
I was at Chicago on my way to this place on the 15th, wholly unaware that an invitation had been sent me, and, although my duties did not permit my stopping to participate in the observ- ances of the occasion, I should not have failed to express my regrets (had I known of the invitation,) that my time was not at my disposal, so that I might accept the courtesy extended.
I take this my first opportunity to acknowledge the honor of being invited, and to express my thanks for having been remembered on such an occasion.
Yours, respectfully, G. K. WARREN.
NEW YORK, December 9, IS68.
1 GENERAL ; - I regret that ill health deprives me of the pleasure I anticipated in attending the reunion at Chicago on the 15th and 16th inst. Let us ever cherish the associations of our glorious struggle. I trust it may not be long before we shall see a grand reunion of the societies of all the armies.
With grateful acknowledgements to the Committee of Invita- tion, and to yourself,
I remain, General, Very sincerely yours, D. E. SICKLES.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee Invitation, Chicago, Ill.
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Letters.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY, NEW YORK, December 12, 1868.
GENERAL WM. E. STRONG,
Secretary Executive Committee, Army Reunion :
Gratefully appreciating the honor, I regret to state that ill health prevents my undertaking the journey, and compels me to decline the distinguished part at the banquet assigned me in your kind letter of the Sth inst. All honor to the heroic armies of the West, and their illustrious leaders !
Very respectfully, D. E. SICKLES, Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
WASHINGTON, D. C., December 9, 1868.
GENERAL ; - Please accept my sincere thanks for the invitation · to be present and participate on the occasion of the reunion of the societies of the armies of the Cumberland, Tennessee, Ohio, and Georgia, and my regrets that I will be unable to avail myself · of your kindness.
Most respectfully, Your obedient servant, W. N. BARNES, Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee, Chicago, Ill.
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Army Reunion.
WASHINGTON, December 11, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Corresponding Secretary, Chicago:
GENERAL ;- I deeply regret that circumstances over which I have no control will prevent me from participating in the observ- ances connected with your glorious Army Reunion.
Please accept my warm thanks for your cordial invitation.
I have the honor to be, General,
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. P. HINTZELMAN,
Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
NEW YORK, December 12, 1868.
GENERAL ;- I had the honor to receive, yesterday, the invita- tion of the Committee to be present at the reunion of the armies of the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, and Georgia, at Chicago, on the 15th and 16th inst.
It would give me sincere pleasure to take part in the reunion of soldiers of the war; to meet again the many with whom I have been more or less intimately associated in the service ; and to make the acquaintance of many more whom I know only through their reputations acquired during the war ; but I am compelled by circumstances to deny myself the gratification of greeting them in person on the occasion.
Very respectfully and truly yours, A. G. WRIGHT,
Brevet Major General U. S. Army.
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Letters.
PRINCETON, W. VA., December 20, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT :
DEAR SIR ;- I beg to acknowledge the receipt of the invita- tion to be present at the assembling of my companions of the Western Armies at Chicago. The invitation only came to hand by last mail, thus utterly putting it out of my power to have been present.
I am assured that the reunion was full of stirring reminis- cences, and have a sad regret that I could not have been with you, and enjoyed my small share of them.
Thanking the Committee for their kindness, and yourself, personally,
I am, very truly yours, D. N. COUCH, Major-General late U. S. Army.
WASHINGTON, D. C., December 12, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Chicago, Illinois .
GENERAL ;- Many thanks for your kind invitation to be pres- ent at the reunion, in Chicago, of the Western Armies, on the 15th and 16th of this month. I regret extremely that my duties are such as will render it impracticable for me to be absent from Washington at that time. I shall ever retain the most agreeable reminiscences of my service in the West, and feel sure that the friendships formed while in the field will be permanent and lasting.
With great respect, I remain Your obedient servant,
JOHN G. PARKE, Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
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Army Reunion.
WASHINGTON CITY, December 11, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee Invitation :
GENERAL ;- I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of an invitation to be present and to participate in the observances of the Reunion of the Western Armies, at Chicago, on the 15th and 16th instant. Not having been personally a participant in any of the great field struggles of the West, under Grant, Sher- man, or Thomas, names immortal now, I am especially thankful for the invitation, which, however, my current duties will not allow me to accept. Permit me to propose to the Army Reunion the following sentiment : The grand fraternity of the great Generals of the Western Armies.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. B. EATON, Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
-
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, December 7, 1868.
GENERAL ;- Yours of the 30th ultimo, conveying the polite invitation of the Committee on Army Reunion at Chicago on the 15th and 16th instant, is just received.
I regret that my duties will prevent my attendance. Many acts were performed by the Western Armies, in the late conflict, which the pen of history will render immortal, and which have sunk deep into the grateful hearts of loyal people of the whole country.
Very respectfully, SILAS CASEY,
Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Chicago, Illinois.
1
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Letters.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, December 9, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee Invitation, Chicago, Illinois :
GENERAL ; - I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, to-day, of the invitation to attend the Army Reunion.
I greatly regret that circumstances will prevent me from having the honor and pleasure of attending.
With high respect, your obedient servant,
ST. GEORGE COOKE, Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
WEST POINT, NEW YORK, December 8, 1868. GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Chicago, Illinois :
MY DEAR GENERAL ;- Your very kind invitation to be pres- ent and participate in the Army Reunion, at Chicago, on the 15th and 16th instant, is duly received. Although I can not claim to have belonged to either of the glorious organizations which are to assemble in your city on the 15th and 16th, to fight their bat- tles over again, yet I do claim to have organized and sent forward . to them, more troops from Illinois and Indiana than any other one officer, and should not, therefore, feel like a stranger in a strange land amongst them, in your great city, for doubtless some of them would recognize in me the individual who first made them hold up their right hands and " solemnly swear to bear true faith and allegiance," etc., and would be willing to accord me the honor of having performed the initiatory step of making them great men. I wish I could be with you, but I regret to say I can not. I have just returned from a leave of absence, and have not the conscience to ask for another leave so soon ; so will have to content myself with the newspaper reports of the speeches and good things which will be said upon the occasion.
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Army Reunion.
And with my best wishes that you may have a glorious good time,
I am, General, very truly, Your obedient servant,
L. G. PITCHER, Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
FORT SULLIVAN, EAST PORT, MAINE, December 18, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee of Invitation,
Armies Cumberland, Tennessee, Ohio, and Georgia.
GENERAL ; - I have just received your invitation, dated 30th November, to be present at the meeting of the soldiers of the Western armies represented by the societies of the Armies of the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, and Georgia, in Chicago on the 15th and 16th of this month, and to participate in the observances of the occasion.
I feel sensible of the high honor conferred upon me, and deeply regret that even had I received the invitation in time it would have been out of my power to accept it. It would have been very gratifying to me as one who, although a Western man, served throughout the war in the Army of the Potomac, to meet as comrades in a great cause our fellow soldiers of the Western armies in social intercourse, and to unite with them in doing honor to their illustrious comrade, and in recalling the memory of the great deeds they performed under his leadership ; but my engagements would have made it impossible for me to go to Chicago at this time.
Very truly yours, HENRY T. HUNT,
Brevet Major-General U. S. Army.
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Letters.
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, December 12, 1868.
DEAR SIR ;- With many thanks for the flattering and cordial invitation to participate in the observances on the occasion of the Army Reunion at Chicago. I regret very much that my duties oblige me to decline the great pleasure.
Your obedient servant,
R. BREESE, Commander U. S. Navy.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT, Chicago.
WASHINGTON, D. C., December 10, 1868.
GENERAL A. C. DUCAT,
Secretary Committee Invitation, Chicago, Ill.
GENERAL ;- Cordially approving of the perpetuation of the fellowship and friendship which grew up among the officers and soldiers of our patriotic armies, I should delight in participating in the intercourse of your annual meeting.
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