DEATH AND BURIAL.
A FATAL COLD--LINGERING BETWEEN HOPE AND FEAR--THE LAST
RALLY--THE END OF LIFE'S CAMPAIGN--A SON'S SAD HOME-COMING--
PREPARATIONS FOR THE FUNERAL--PUBLIC TRIBUTES OF RESPECT--THE
MILITARY PARADE IN NEW YORK--PROGRESS OF THE FUNERAL TRAIN
ACROSS THE COUNTRY--CEREMONIES AT ST. LOUIS--THE WARRIOR'S LAST
ENCAMPMENT BY THE SIDE OF HIS LOVED ONES.
All roads lead to Rome, and end there. Many men who have acquired
greatness by their arduous achievements in various parts of the
country, toward the close of life have gravitated to New York and ended
their days there. Such was the case with Sherman's great comrade and
commander, Grant, and such was the case with Sherman himself. When he
came to New York to make his home he intended that it should be his
last in the earthly life. And so it was. His declining years were spent
in peace and comfort, surrounded by the love of kin and friends, and by
the admiration of the great Metropolis; and when the end came, after so
much marching and fighting, and so many bitter controversies, it came
at home and in profound peace.
General Sherman's last illness was of little more than a week's
duration. Following a taste, natural and cultivated, which he loved to
gratify, he attended the performance of "Poor Jonathan," at the New
York Casino, on Wednesday night, February 4, 1891. It was, in fact, a
special performance. Invitations had been sent to the military officers
of the city, and General Sherman occupied one of the proscenium boxes
with a party of friends. He seemed to be in the best of health and
spirits, and gave every evidence of keen enjoyment of the opera.
He returned to his home immediately after the performance, and,
although the weather was clear and bright, in some way he caught a
severe cold. Its first effects were noticed on the following morning.
His condition, however, did not prevent his attendance at the wedding
of Miss Shepard, daughter of Colonel Elliott F. Shepard, on that
afternoon. He coughed a little and complained of the cold while in the
church. On Friday morning his condition had become more uncomfortable,
but excited no alarm. His throat, however, had become affected in the
meantime, and he was obliged to give up a dinner with Lawrence Barrett
that evening at the Union League Club. On Saturday morning when he
began to show signs of facial erysipelas, accompanied by fever, he felt
some anxiety, and sent for Dr. C. J. Alexander, a surgeon of the army,
who had been his family physician for a number of years. On Sunday
the disease began to get a firm hold upon the old warrior. His face
and neck became much swollen and inflamed, and conversation became
difficult and painful. His condition was such that Dr. Alexander sent
for Dr. Janeway, for the purpose of holding a consultation. The General
was then confined to his bed, and it was found that the ordinary
treatment applied in cases of erysipelas would not answer the purpose,
in part owing to the General's advanced age. Sunday, by the way, was
the seventieth anniversary of his birth.
The disease had developed to such an extent on Monday that it was
decided to summon the members of the family. Telegrams were sent at
once to Senator John Sherman, his brother; his daughters, Mrs. Thackara
and Mrs. Fitch. The other children, with the exception of the Rev.
T. E. Sherman, were at home. To him, however, a cable dispatch was
sent. He was a student in the Jesuit Seminary on the Island of Jersey.
Senator Sherman arrived at his brother's home on Monday night, and
his daughters on the following day. The arrival of Senator Sherman,
with the publication of the dispatch which called him, was the first
intimation that the people of New York City had of General Sherman's
illness.
Dr. Alexander remained at the sick man's bedside on Tuesday night, and
when Dr. Janeway came to relieve him on Wednesday morning, February 11,
he found the General resting on his back in a state of semi-stupor.
His condition at that time was recognized as critical. He was in great
pain when he moved, and gave evidence of growing weaker, despite the
fact that whiskey and milk, which were used as nourishment throughout
the illness, were administered to him as often as possible. Intimate
friends of the family were then informed of his precarious condition.
The General rallied somewhat at noon, and his family began to hope
that the illness was only temporary. But their hopes were delusive. In
the afternoon, the attending physicians, Drs. Alexander, Janeway and
Greene, began to send out hourly bulletins as an official answer to
the hundreds of inquiries that poured in upon them. At 2.15 they made
their first announcement, which read as follows: "General Sherman was
worse this morning, and his condition is critical. During the day his
condition has improved considerably." About 5 P.M. General Ewing said
that he had called on General Sherman, and had been recognized by him.
As soon as he saw General Ewing enter the room, the patient called out,
"Hello, Ewing." He did not make any attempt to sustain conversation,
however. His enunciation was difficult, and, besides, though he could
recognize his friends, he did not seem to be able to have enough energy
or command of his faculties to talk to them.
He improved again slightly during the evening, so that two of the
physicians and Senator Sherman left the house. The Senator, however,
was recalled at two o'clock on Thursday, when the veteran again grew
worse. Thursday passed in much the same way as Wednesday, although it
was deemed advisable by the family, for their comfort, to have the last
rites of the Catholic Church administered to him, just before noon. In
the afternoon the sick man surprised his watchers by getting out of
bed and walking a few steps to an easy chair, where he sat for a few
moments. He showed the same marvellous will power again in the evening.
In his rallies he was able to clear his lungs a little. Whiskey and
milk were given to him as often as he could take nourishment. Late at
night it was said that if the General could maintain his state till
that time there would be hopes of ultimate recovery.
Friday was another day of hope and disappointment. Several times it was
reported that the General was dying, but he managed to rally despite
his weakened condition. Said General Ewing that evening: "Sherman is
perfectly conscious, and when spoken to rouses up and makes a perfectly
intelligible answer to any question that may be asked. He is deaf, you
know, and it is necessary to address him in a pretty loud voice, in
order to be heard."
"Does he recognize his friends?"
"Not until spoken to, and I doubt if he recognizes them even then. I
doubt if he has recognized me in the last two days."
"Yet he talks to them?"
"He does not talk much. The tongue is much swollen and the jaw is
stiff, and he can speak only with difficulty."
"Does he realize the serious character of the disease?"
"It is hard to say. He has given no evidence of uneasiness, except when
he called for 'Cump' (P. T. Sherman, his son), on Thursday. It then
occurred to me that he wanted to say a last word to the young man. But
I may have been mistaken. At any rate, when 'Cump' went to him he was
unable to tell him what was on his mind."
The illustrious patient grew weak again at midnight, and at an early
hour Saturday morning, February 14, it was known that his death was
only a question of a few hours. At four o'clock his family was all
summoned to his room and never left it, except for a few minutes,
until the end. The alarming attack which seized the patient soon after
six o'clock precipitated death. The doctors hurriedly held another
consultation, did what they could to relieve his distress and then
decided that hope must be abandoned.
The chloroform plasters which had been placed on Sherman's chest,
failed to help. The police officers then cleared the sidewalk and
streets of all passengers, and people began to wait for the end. At
8.35 o'clock Dr. Janeway left the house, to which he did not again
return. His face and his few words told plainly that he had no hope.
About half an hour before the General's death the watchers discerned
signs of approaching dissolution. First the old soldier's fingers began
to grow cold, then the fatal coldness crept slowly up his arms, and
over his body. As the end approached, the General's head, which had
been resting on a large pillow, was lowered gradually in the hope
that he might be enabled to breathe easier. Although he died from
suffocation, caused by the mucus from his inflamed throat filling his
lungs, there were no longer indications of suffering on his part. Those
who were nearest his head say that they heard a gentle sigh escape his
lips and then all was over. It was just 1.50 o'clock when the famous
soldier expired. There was no clergyman of any denomination in the
house during the day.
Within a minute or two after General Sherman's death one of his
men-servants stepped outside of the front door and said: "It is all
over."
Kneeling at the bedside, as the soldier's spirit left its earthly
tenement, were the General's son, P. T. Sherman, his four daughters,
the Misses Rachel and Lizzie Sherman, Mrs. Fitch and Mrs Thackara; his
brother, Senator John Sherman; his sons-in-law, Lieutenants Fitch and
Thackara; his brother-in-law, General Thomas Ewing; his physician, Dr.
Alexander, U. S. A., and his nurse, Miss Elizabeth Price, of the New
York Hospital. The other son, the Rev. Thomas E. Sherman, was on the
ocean, hastening homeward, but too late. Generals Slocum and Howard
were then in the room below.
General Sherman seems to have had a presentiment of his fate some weeks
before it actually befell him. One day he said to General C. H. T.
Collis, who mentioned Grant's birthday--April 27:
"Oh, well, Collis, I'll be dead and buried before then."
"I tried hard to cheer him," said General Collis, "and pretended to
believe he was joking, but he became serious and added after awhile:
'I feel it coming sometimes when I get home from an entertainment or
banquet, especially these winter nights. I feel death reaching out for
me, as it were. I suppose I'll take cold some night and go to bed,
never to get up again.' The words were prophetic."
In accordance with General Sherman's often expressed desire, the body
did not lie in state; and the public so respected the grief of the
family as not to besiege the house to gaze upon the remains of the
hero. General Howard sent over a guard from the army post on Governor's
Island, and with General Slocum, by invitation of the family, took
charge of the arrangements for the funeral obsequies. The body of the
deceased General was placed in a coffin exactly like that in which Mrs.
Sherman was buried. The General chose her's himself, and gave express
orders that his own should be like it. It was of oak, lined with
cream-colored satin, and had silver handles. On a silver plate was the
following inscription:
WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN,
GENERAL, U. S. A.
Born February 8, 1820.
Died February 14, 1891.
This coffin was inclosed for the journey to St. Louis in an outer
coffin of chestnut wood, brass bound, with a brass plate bearing the
same inscription as the inner. The General's body was dressed in the
full uniform of his rank.
The following "Special Order No. 5" was issued from the headquarters of
the Grand Army of the Republic, at Rutland, Vt.
"Grand Army of the Republic posts on the route of the funeral train
of General Sherman from New York to St. Louis will form at their
respective railroad stations and salute remains as train passes."
The President and his Cabinet were invited by General Howard to attend
the funeral exercises in New York. Committees from both Houses of
Congress were appointed to pay their tribute of respect. From the
Senate came Messrs. Evarts, Hawley, Manderson, Pierce, Cockrell and
Walthall. From the House Speaker Reed appointed Messrs. Cutcheon,
Spinola, Cogswell, Cummings, Grosvenor, Kinsey, Tarsney, Henderson, of
Illinois, and Outhwaite.
A sorrowful meeting of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion was held
on Monday, February 16, at which these resolutions were adopted:
"In common with the entire country we lament the loss of a great
military chieftain whose loyal spirit rightly placed the love of
country higher than all earthly obligations, and who was individually
a distinct and glorious element in the triumphant struggle of that
country for its own survival and for the rights of man.
"As once his fellow soldiers we mourn universally for the dead
commander, whose great heart made us all his own and made his own
virtues seem to us like personal benefactions.
"As members of this Military Order we deplore the loss of a companion
whose honors added to the value of those ties which his fellowship
helped to endear, and whose frequent and cordial visits to the New York
Commandery will be cherished in our memories as so many occasions to be
often and affectionately recalled.
"To his children and relatives, to whom his great renown, his honors
and his tenderness do but enhance their loss, we tender all that
sympathy may, and trust that a place in our regard henceforth may be
accepted by them as a little heritage from him."
General Howard made a brief address, in the course of which his
emotion was strong and interrupted his utterances.
"General Sherman," he said, "had more personal friends and could call
more men by name probably than any other man in the country.
"A few days ago, Sherman and Slocum and I met in Brooklyn and the
conversation turned on death. Some one remarked that he hoped it would
not come to Sherman for many years. I exclaimed, on the impulse of
the moment, 'General, you will never die.' He answered, sharply and
strongly, 'My body will die.' God bless General Sherman," was the
peroration of General Howard's speech.
General Slocum followed with a warm panegyric on the march to the sea.
"Sherman was to me something more than a companion," he said. "He gave
me his confidence in war and his friendship in peace. He opened to me
what is dear to every soldier, an opportunity to link my name with his.
"In the coming time there will be no dispute about his career. It may
be in the future that some man will say that he furnished the idea of
the march to the sea to Sherman. That man must have been with him at
the time, or subsequent, when Sherman captured Atlanta, for when he did
so he had no idea of cutting aloof from his base of supplies. When he
got back from the battle of Jonesboro he took down a map and said, 'I
will make Atlanta my base of supplies.' He went so far as to throw up
intrenchments. That was before Hood pushed up toward the Tennessee and
Nashville; and then he changed his mind.
"After Sherman had taken Savannah certain persons at Washington urged
him to take his troops to City Point by sea. Had he been a timid man
he would have been content to rest upon his laurels, knowing that he
had already won an imperishable fame, but he said: 'No; I will take my
chances in South Carolina,' and he did so, and everything went like
clockwork, and success again crowned his efforts."
At the same time a meeting of representative citizens of St. Louis was
held in that city to make arrangements for the final services there;
and every city and town along the route prepared to salute the funeral
train with demonstrations of sympathy and honor. The orders for the
procession in New York were issued on February 18, as follows:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ATLANTIC,
GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, NEW YORK.
The arrangements for the funeral of the late illustrious General
of the Army, William Tecumseh Sherman, having been entrusted by
his children and other relatives to the care of the undersigned,
they have agreed upon the details so far as they relate to the
ceremony in New York, which are now furnished for the information
and guidance of all who may participate therein:
The regulation escort, under command of Loomis L. Langdon, 1st
Artillery, will consist of one regiment of United States marines,
four companies of United States engineers, and six companies foot
batteries of artillery; of a battalion of light artillery from
the Army and the National Guard of New York, and of two troops of
cavalry from the National Guard of New York.
The remains will be received by the escort at the late residence
of the General, No. 75 West Seventy-first street, at 2 o'clock,
P. M., on Thursday next, the 19th inst. The body will be borne
on a caisson, preceded by the following-named pall-bearers in
carriages: Major-General J. M. Schofield, Major-General O. O.
Howard, Rear-Admiral D. L. Braine, Rear-Admiral J. A. Greer,
Professor H. L. Kendrick, Major-General H. W. Slocum, General
Joseph E. Johnston, Major-General D. E. Sickles, Major-General G.
M. Dodge, Major-General J. M. Corse, Major-General Wager Swayne,
Major-General Stewart L. Woodford, Brigadier-General Jno. Moore,
Brigadier-General H. G. Wright. These pall-bearers will accompany
the remains as far as the train at Jersey City. Six sergeants
will proceed to St. Louis. The special escort of honor from the
Grand Army, Lafayette Post, will form on the right and left of
the caisson.
The order of column following the family and relatives will be as
follows:
(1) The President and Vice-President of the United States.
(2) The members of the Cabinet.
(3) Ex-Presidents of the United States.
(4) Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.
(5) The Governor of the State and the Mayor of the City of New
York.
These officers will follow the family and relatives as
representative mourners.
(6) The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States,
and officers of the Army and Navy.
(7) The Grand Army of the Republic.
(8) The Corps of Cadets, United States Military Academy,
Lieutenant-Colonel Hawkins commanding.
(9) The National Guard, under Brigadier-General Louis Fitzgerald.
Delegates and representatives from veterans, sons of veterans
and other organizations unassigned, under charge of General David
Morrison.
The line of march will be as follows: Eighth avenue to
Fifty-ninth street, to Fifth avenue, to Broadway, to
Fifty-seventh street, to Fifth avenue, to Washington Square:
there the column, excepting the regulation military escort, will
be dismissed.
This escort will continue its march by Waverley Place to
Macdougal street, to King street, to Hudson street, to Watts
street, at corner of Canal, through Watts street to junction with
West street.
Veteran organizations not moving with column will form across
West st. from Watts st. to the ferry landing, foot of Desbrosses
st. The carriages in the procession will be restricted to the
pall-bearers, family and relatives, and invited guests.
The column will be commanded by Major-General O. O. Howard,
United States Army.
Major-General Daniel Butterfield is designated as senior aide to
the General Commanding and as marshal.
The following aides are announced: General Horace Porter, to
accompany the President of the United States; General M. D.
Leggett, to accompany the Cabinet; the Hon. Joseph H. Choate,
to accompany ex-President Hayes; the Hon. Chauncey M. Depew,
to accompany ex-President Cleveland; General Floyd Clarkson,
in charge of the Grand Army; Major-General H. A. Barnum, to
accompany the Superintendent of the Military Academy; General
Robert Nugent, formerly of General Sherman's regiment, to take
charge of the veterans at Desbrosses st. David Morrison, 79th
Veterans, in charge of veteran organizations in columns other
than the Grand Army; Mr. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, to accompany
carriages of relatives.
Mr. Loyall Farragut.
Captain H. P. Kingsbury, 6th Cavalry.
Captain A. M. Wetherill, 6th Infantry.
First Lieutenant L. A. Craig, 6th Cavalry.
First Lieutenant Guy Howard, 12th Infantry, Aide-de-Camp.
First Lieutenant Harry C. Benson, 4th Cavalry.
First Lieutenant Charles G. Treat, 5th Artillery, Aide-de-Camp.
First Lieutenant W. W. Forsyth, 6th Cavalry; Second Lieutenant
Samuel Rodman, 1st Artillery, Aides-de-Camp.
The churches of New York City are requested to have their bells
tolled at half-minute intervals during the movement of the
columns, from 2 until 4 P. M.; and the churches of Jersey City
are requested to toll their bells in like manner from 5 to 6 P.
M., on Thursday.
The headquarters of the General commanding the column and
the Marshal, will be announced to-morrow. The details of
the formation in line of the respective divisions will be
communicated to the commander or chiefs from headquarters.
H. W. SLOCUM.
OLIVER O. HOWARD.
Late on Wednesday night the steamship Majestic arrived at New York,
with the Rev. Thomas E. Sherman among its passengers. When the pilot
boarded her, Mr. Sherman eagerly asked him about the General.
"I'm unable to say," replied the pilot, adding that, he only knew of
General Sherman's sickness, as he had been out at sea for some days.
When the mail steamer came alongside, Mr. Sherman repeated his anxious
inquiry. The answer came back, "General Sherman's funeral takes place
to-morrow."
[Illustration: ARMY AND CORP COMMANDERS OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE.
Sherman. Logan. Grant. Dodge. Blair. McPherson. Howard.
From painting by J. E. Taylor.]
The day before the funeral the house was opened for a few hours,
and the public were allowed to enter and view the face of the dead.
Thousands availed themselves of the privilege. "It was an interesting
crowd of people. There were white-haired veterans of the war; there
were people in the clothing of luxury, people clad like beggars, and
mothers with babies in their arms leading children by the hand. There
were schoolboys come to look at the man about whom their histories tell
them, come to see if the face they had seen in the pictures was indeed
the face of the great General. There were young girls there, and young
men also. It was a crowd representative of the whole American people.
Hebrews came out of the depths of the east side and Germans came from
Hoboken. All passed in review before the man who will review armies no
more. Their uncovered heads were bowed. Some of the very old women who
had given their sons to this leader for their country's sake sobbed as
they passed on."
It was on a glorious winter day, February 19, that the dust of the
great soldier was carried from his former home to make the journey
to its final resting place at St. Louis. As the funeral procession
started, bells of the City were tolled; buildings everywhere displayed
tokens of honor and signs of mourning; the streets were thronged with
sympathetic spectators; and thirty thousand men marched with measured
tread behind the coffin that contained the earthly remains of their
loved and honored leader. Conspicuous in the company were General
Schofield, the head of the army; General Howard and General Slocum,
Sherman's lieutenants on the march through Georgia; General Corse,
of Kenesaw fame; General Johnston, Sherman's old antagonist; and
Professor Kendrick, one of those who taught Sherman the art of war. The
President, the Vice-President, the two living ex-Presidents, and the
members of the Cabinet were also in the company.
There was a large contingent from the regular army, with General
Howard in command. Then came the Military Order of the Loyal Legion;
long columns of the Grand Army of the Republic; West Point Cadets;
the Sons of Veterans; and delegations from various clubs, commercial
organizations, and the municipal government.
The long procession wound its way through the streets of New York
to the Jersey City ferry. There the coffin and its immediate escort
were taken across the river and placed on the funeral train. General
Sherman's horse, which with empty saddle had followed the funeral
caisson, was led up to the train and the saddle and boots were placed
by the coffin in the funeral car. The train consisted of an engine and
eight cars. Generals Howard and Slocum, and Surgeon Alexander, besides
six sergeants of the regular army, acted as a guard of honor. The
Governor of New Jersey through his staff acted as an escort through
Jersey City; and the Governor of Pennsylvania and his staff in a
special car went through to Harrisburg.
It was early in the evening when the train left Jersey City. At almost
every station that it passed vast throngs assembled and bands of music
played solemn dirges. It was midnight when it reached Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, yet a multitude stood in the darkness in the open air to
do it honor. In the morning it passed through Pittsburg in the midst
of a heavy rain storm. Later in the day the sky was clear and the sun
shone brilliantly. At Steubenville, Ohio, seventy-five veterans of the
army stood on the platform as the train went by, nearly all of them
old comrades of Sherman. At Columbus, Ohio, the train paused for a
few minutes while Grand Army veterans were allowed to gaze upon the
casket. At Indianapolis another stop was made while many distinguished
people paid their tribute of honor to the mighty dead.
It was Saturday morning when the train reached St. Louis. For several
days the weather there had been stormy, but this morning the skies were
clear and the sunshine bright. Thousands of people thronged about the
station, waiting there for hours before the arrival of the train. At
last, at a little before nine o'clock, the funeral cars slowly rolled
into the station, the engine bell solemnly tolling.
Elaborate preparations had been made at St. Louis for a military
funeral befitting the great soldier whose dust was to be returned to
the dust from which it came. Two hours after the arrival of the train
the procession was formed, under the lead of General Wesley Merritt,
and it solemnly wound its way through the city which for many years
was Sherman's favorite home, to Calvary Cemetery. The first division
consisted of detachments of the Regular Army, escorting the casket,
which was borne on a caisson drawn by four black horses and covered
with the stars and stripes. Ransom Post, No. 131, Department of
Missouri, G. A. R., acted as the immediate guard of honor. Following
closely were the members of the President's Cabinet and the committees
from the two houses of Congress. The second division was made up of the
Loyal Legion and the Society of the Army of the Tennessee. In it were
ex-President Hayes, Judge Gresham and General Lew Wallace. The third
division was composed of Posts of the Grand Army of the Republic and
Sons of Veterans. In the fourth division were militia regiments from
various States and many civil officials. Civic societies made up the
fifth division, and various city delegations and the general public the
sixth and last division.
As the long procession wound its way up the slope to Calvary Cemetery
it presented a view of solemn but inspiring splendor. The arms of the
troops flashed in the sun-light, a multitude of flags fluttered on the
breeze, and the subdued strains of funeral music made the air tremulous.
At last, six miles from the railroad station, the plot was reached
where were the graves of the wife and two children of the departed
hero. The flag covered casket was borne upon the shoulders of eight
sturdy soldiers to the open grave. Then came the command, "Present
Arms!" And every soldier stood motionless as a graven statue. Then the
Rev. Thomas E. Sherman, clad in slight vestments, stepped forward and
began the service for the dead over his father's dust, standing, as he
did so, in the shadow of his mother's monument. He repeated the words
of the Litany, translating prayer and scripture into English, in a
clear, manly voice, and offered a touching extemporaneous prayer. After
the last solemn words a company of troops stepped forward. Three times
were given the commands, "Load!" "Ready!" "Aim!" "Fire!" and three
times the rifles spoke their loud farewell salute. Then the artillery
posted near by thundered forth their echoing responses. When the last
reverberations died away a solitary trumpeter stepped forward to the
foot of the soldier's grave and sounded "Taps."
Thus ended the last impressive scene.
In his life Sherman had left with his friends full instructions
concerning his funeral, his grave and his monument. He directed that
the only inscription above his dust should be his name, his rank, the
date of his birth, the date of his death, and the simple words, "True
and Honest." A fitting epitaph for one who was truly, as was written of
another great soldier, "In his simplicity sublime."