^ ■' ■"■* ° 1// «S> WN ». kV- ><^ T/ s V ' -V "<*, *.!*», + ^4 & s A^ ^ 'o.x* A ^ \#* \%S:$ ■ <$ %. \% '♦,% ' c?%\^% -cr^A rPV cP^, <^ 0°' :% LIFE AND SERVICES OF Gen. John A. Logan AS Soldier mitt Matzsmmx GEORGE FRANCIS DAWSON Ex-Librarian of the United States Senate, etc. DURING THE WAR " I shall esteem it as the highest privilege a Just Dispenser can award, to shed the last drop of blood in my veins for the honor of that flag whose emblems are justice, liberty, and truth, and which has been and, as I humbly trust in God, ever will be, for the right." — Maj.-Gcn. Logan, 1862, declining to re-enter Congress. — p. 42. SINCE THE WAR "The people are honest, the people are brave, and the people are true. . . . While I live I will stand as their Defender. Living or dying, I shall defend the liberties of this people, making war against dictation and against aristocracy, and in favor of republicanism." — Representative Logan, 1869, on his Army Reduction Bill. — p. 214. " It is better to trust those who are tried than those who pretend." — Senator Logan, 1878, at Clinton, Ills.— p. 281. PUBLISHED BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Chicago and New York BELFORD, CLARKE & COMPANY 1887 Copyright, 1887 By GEORGE FRANCIS DAWSON [All rights reserved] trows printing and bookbinding company, NEW YORK. £?J u^i-c- 4%-4&Cc^C*£fl*-. ^T^w *?>-~&L4t~. &t^i~. ^y^c^c^t. &4 Jul i^U ^%^i rfc**-^- /fo> / iZ<^^'*tsH~V%?? ■r (?M '&*Z^. ^<*1SJ l^c £U/. (a^*~ UOTsU^-e/ Oz(SlsC)L ^U<^a^ Uf?^ ijs^fiU^tA- £y ?22^~ sO Ct+x>~i£<*7*- tv^r- 9. &&^r~z? t/j <&&*^ -v-^^Zi-O-' <5>C &&&^&^-£~ a^^-z^&c^ ft INTRODUCTION. WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF MRS. JOHN A. LOGAN. Calumet Place, Washington, D. C, January 19, 1887. In addition to his other qualifications for such a " labor of love," as he has well termed it, the fact that Mr. George Francis Dawson, of this city, has been the friend and associate of my lamented husband for many years, and was selected by General Logan as his biogra- pher, has given him peculiar advantages, of which he has admirablv availed himself, in writing a just, faithful, and vivid life of General Logan. The larger part of this biography was written by Mr. Dawson over two years ago, from data furnished by General Logan, who afterward read and gave to the work, substantially in its present shape, his unqualified indorsement ; and more than once, before his death, ex- pressed the wish that Mr. Dawson's biography of him should go to the public with the stamp of his own authorization and approbation. Having read the additions which complete the history of his in- comparable services and spotless life, I unhesitatingly give my ap- proval to this publication. Mary S. Logan. TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN ALEXANDER LOGAN THE EVER-VICTORIOUS WARRIOR AND ILLUSTRIOUS STATESMAN THIS BRIEF, AND ALL TOO INADEQUATE RECORD OF HIS GREAT SERVICES DURING FORTY YEARS IN WAR, AND IN PEACE TO HIS COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE REVERENTLr DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR PREFACE The enthusiasm kindled in the Chicago Convention of June, 1884, by the presentation of his name as the candidate of Illinois for the Presidential nomination, and the extraor- dinarily unanimous vote by which he was nominated for the Vice-Presidency, showed plainly enough the estimation in which General Logan was held by Republican men of affairs. But despite his admitted popularity and strength throughout the country — among the workingmen for whose interests he had so sturdily worked, among the Union sol- diers of the war whom he had so often led in battle, among the colored people whose champion he had been on the tented field, in the Congressional forum, and upon the stump — his life-work covered so many fields, during more than a quarter of a century, that much of it is unknown to the younger men of the present day. I have therefore thought that a biographical sketch of this remarkable man would meet a public necessity, and help to place the General in military and political history in that true light which his own modesty denied him. In preparing this work I enjoyed all the advantages which full access to the General's scrap- books, private papers, and military order-books could give me, in addition to the Rebellion Records and other official information accessible at Washington, and also freely con- sulted, and in some instances quoted from, the military works of the Comte de Paris, General Sherman's Memoirs, and Badeau's " Military History of Grant," besides securing authentic narrations of battle-scenes in which the General was engaged, from other active participants in the same. It is to these sources of information, therefore, and not to any qualities of my own, that I attribute whatever of dash x ii PREFACE. and merit there is in the succession of graphic and stirring battle-scenes, in which Logan is the hero, herewith pre- sented to the reader. But as to the General himself, rarely a word could be got descriptive of anything in which he was an actor. Partly with a view to establishing the authenti- city of certain incidents in the military part — like the story of the battle-born Shell-Anna, for instance — I submitted them to the General, and all that could be extorted from him was, "Well, that is true." Hence, I may conscien- tiously say that this work, whatever its merits or demerits otherwise, is authentic, and as such will be of value for ref- erence. Aside from this, I can also say with truth, that while the military part of it is, as it were, a panorama of the great War of the Rebellion — or of that large part of it in the West, Southwest, and South in which General Logan prominently figured — so the political part of it, before, dur- ing, and since the war, is a panorama of the Nation's politi- cal life during the past quarter-century. General Logan was so active on the stump and in the halls of National legislation, and his tongue so eloquent and impressive, that the extracts given herein from some of his many great speeches are a succession of word-pictures luminously sug- gestive of all that has occurred during that period involving the National existence and growth. They cannot fail to be instructive, entertaining, and delightful to the reader, as they have been fascinating to myself. Whatever of labor was involved in this work has been a labor of love — of love for the man, for the soldier, for the statesman, for that great Party of Progress of which he was so eminent a leader, and especially of love for those grand Anglo-Saxon principles of freedom of speech and person, liberty of action, and self-gov- ernment upon which our great Republic, through the wis- dom of that party and the heroism of our Union soldiers, now securely rests. In offering it to the public, my only regret is that it falls far short of doing full justice to the invincible soldier and illustrious citizen of whom it treats. Geo. Frs. Dawson. Washington, D. C, January 19, 1887. CONTENTS. PART I.— LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. Prelude i Logan's parentage, birth, boyhood, early surroundings, and education 2 Marked characteristics of his parents — His father's wonderful courage 3 Logan's youth — Those slow-coach days — The squirrel's story 4 A born leader — A daring feat — Story of the flat-boat — Goes to college — War with Mexico — He volunteers 6 Return from Mexico — His first public of- fice — Reads law — Graduates from Louis- ville University — Practising law — In the State Legislature 8 Elected District Attorney — His uniform success — Incident of his skill in defence — His marriage — Again in Legislat- ure 9 In Congress — At the Charleston Conven- tion — The slave-pens of the South — His efforts to avert war 10 Lovejoy threatened with violence in the House — Free-speech in peril — Logan cows the fire-eaters and secures Love- joy a hearing 12 The baseless charge that Logan was a "Secession sympathizer" — The war breaks out — Logan leaves the House, shoulders a musket, and fights at Bull Run 13 PART II.— LOGAN IN THE WAR. General McCook describes Logan at Bull Run — Logan's return to Washington and ' ' Egypt " — The sacrifices he made — Magical effect of his words on a mob — He turns secessionists into Union sol- diers-Southern Illinois saved to the Union IS Battle of Belmont -Characteristic inci- dent—Colonel Logan's bravery and "admirable tactics" — His horse shot under him 19 Logan at Fort Henry — He is the first to enter it — His intrepidity and skill at Fort Donelson — Carried wounded from the field, having earned a Brigadier- Generalship — General Grant's recom- mendation 21 General Logan in command of a brigade — His services at Corinth— Sherman's appreciation of them 25 Logan solicited to return to Congress — His grandly patriotic refusal: "I have entered the field to die, if need be, for this Government " — His only politics, " attachment for the Union " 26 Northern Mississippi Campaign — Logan leads the advance — Is made Major-Gen- eral — At Memphis — Assigned to com- mand of Third Division, Seventeenth Corps — Stirring address to his fellow- soldiers 28 From Memphis to Lake Providence— Canalling— A bold proposal— Logan's men " man " the transports that run the terrible fire of Vicksburg's guns 31 Logan at the victory of Port Gibson — His men determine the battle of the Big Black — Logan flanks the enemy and drives him again — Consequent evacua- tion of Grand Gulf—' ' The road to Vicks- burg now open " 3 2 Battle of Raymond—" One of the hardest XIV CONTENTS. small battles of the war " — Logan's di- vision wins it — The battle of Jackson . . 34 Logan outflanks the enemy at the battle of Champion Hills and secures victory to the Union arms — Retreat and rout of the enemy — " The most complete de- feat of the Confederates since the com- mencement of the war " 35 Siege of Vicksburg — "The Gibraltar of the South " — Logan at the centre — Bombardment by land and water — The two desperately bloody assaults 40 The siege-works — Logan blows up the " Malakoff " of Vicksburg — The fight in the crater — Logan's close approaches — He advises a final assault — Armistice and surrender— Logan leads the trium- phal entry — Made military governor of Vicksburg and receives a medal 44 A military interlude — Logan takes the stump for the Lincoln administration — Attacks the enemy in the rear — Elo- quent appeals to patriotism to stand by " the cause " — The good they did 46 Logan in command of the Fifteenth Corps — He orders its corps-badge to be a cartridge-box and "forty rounds" — The advance on Atlanta — The stubborn battle of Resaca — Logan's victorious attack on the enemy's flank — His untir- ing vigilance 49 Battle of Dallas — Logan's corps brilliantly repulse repeated charges of Hardee's veteran corps — Logan's gallant bearing at a critical moment — He is again wounded 53 Battle of Big Kenesavv Mountain — The desperate assault upon the impregnable face of Little Kenesaw Mountain — Won- derful discipline of our soldiers — Un- paralleled heroism of Logan and his men — Through Marietta and Decatur to Atlanta 55 The great battle of Atlanta — Death of the brave McPherson — The heroic Logan succeeds him — Taking command of a flanked army, with its idolized com- mander killed and panic impending, fighting in front and rear, Logan con- verts threatened disaster into a glorious victory — The bloodiest battle of the West — Logan's personal prowess — One of the finest battle-pictures of the war. . 58 Another flank movement of the Army of PAGK the Tennessee in a pitch-dark night — Logan all night in the saddle — His re- markable military skill 70 Howard's appointment to the command — Without a murmur Logan returns to his brave Fifteenth Corps — The desperate battle of Ezra Chapel — Logan's corps defeats the enemy's army — Six gallant charges repelled — The rebel army com- pletely repulsed by Logan 71 Logan's corps still pressing the enemy — On the right again — Destruction of West Point Railroad — On to Jonesboro' 75 Touching incident of the Atlanta cam- paign — The fatherless battle-born babe " Shell -Anna " — The christening — Logan the godfather 76 Battle of Jonesboro' — Logan whips Lee's and Hardee's corps again — Consequent evacuation of Atlanta — Logan's patri- otic address to his gallant corps 80 Another interlude — Logan on the stump again, defending the party of the Union . 86 Logan's rare magnanimity — He gives "Pap" Thomas his chance, at Nash- ville — Logan rejoins the Fifteenth Corps at Savannah 87 The campaign of the Carolinas — Its rela- tive importance greater than " the march to the sea" — The part Logan's corps contributed to it 88 Terrible sufferings and difficulties of the march — Advancing and fighting with water up to the middle — Logan working with his men night and day in the swamps — Various skirmishes and en- gagements 89 Forcing the passage of the Little Sal- kahatchie and Congaree — Charging through mud and water — The surrender of Columbia — The city in flames — Lo- gan's men stay the fire 91 Passage of Lynch's Creek Bottom and Black Creek — Logan's men " up to their armpits in water " drive the enemy — The terrible quicksands and swamps between Lumber River and Little Rock Fish Creek 92 Crossing the Cape Clear and South Rivers —The Battle of Bentonville or Mill Creek — Logan's successive gallant charges upon the enemy, driving him into his works — The enemy evacuates and retreats 93 CONTENTS. xv Striking incidents of Logan's humanity and justice 94 Fall of Richmond and Petersburg — Lo- gan's advance on Smithfield — Johnston evacuates it — The advance on Raleigh — Johnston surrenders and the war ends — Logan organizes the Society of the Army of the Tennessee 95 Assassination of Lincoln — Thrilling in- stance of Logan's personal heroism — He saves the people of Raleigh from mur- der, arson, and " worse than death "... 96 Logan again in command of the Army of the Tennessee — On the march to Washington — The grand review — He musters out his 60,000 veterans and resigns — His affecting farewell address to the Army of the Tennes- see 97 Resume of Logan's remarkable military career — A tribute to the American vol- unteer soldier — Logan the highest em- bodiment of the soldier who never for- got he was a citizen 100 PART III.— LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. Logan's personal appearance and some of his characteristics 104 Logan the statesman — The Cooper Union meeting at New York — He frustrates the attempted capture of our Union generals by the Democratic leaders . . . 105 He suggests the pressing of the Alabama claims, retirement of Maximilian, and honest payment of our national debt. . . 107 His great speech at Louisville, Ky. — On slavery, emancipation, and education — The war and its results — He beards the lion in his den 107 The political campaign of 1865 — Logan's campaign services — Appointed minister to Mexico, but declines 112 He declines appointment as minister to Japan — Nominated to Congress from the State at Large — His extraordinary canvass of Illinois in 1866 — Malignant vilification 114 His magnetic influence — Denunciation of Andrew Johnson's contemplated treason — Logan carries his State by 60,000 ma- jority 115 Congressman Logan after the war — His great speech on reconstruction — De- fence of the Republican policy — He rid- dles Andrew Johnson's policy — Peni- tence before forgiveness— A " renewed loyalty " the key-note of proper recon- struction 116 The reason why Democratic leaders hated Logan — How Logan saved to the Gov- ernment nearly one million dollars 121 Logan elected commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic — Objects of that order — He institutes Memorial or Decoration Day 123 Passages from one of his Memorial Day orations — A thrilling war-picture 125 Impeachment of Andrew Johnson — Logan one of the House-managers — His great effort before the High Court of Im- peachment — What Sumner and others said of it 128 Pensions for the War of 1812 — Logan advocates the bill, and explains the ground upon which pensions are granted 133 Logan declines to run for Governor of Illinois — "The centre of attraction" in the House — Again nominated Repre- sentative at Large — At the Chicago Convention, 1868, he nominates Grant for President 134 Logan's key-note speech in the House, 1868 — Scathing review of the "Prin- ciples of the Democratic Party" — Good reading for young men, even now 136 Logan in the campaign of 1868 — What was said of his efforts — His great speeches at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , and Morris, 111 153 He is re-elected to Congress — The Jenckes "Tenure of office " or "Civil Service " bill— Logan attacks it and shows its dangers 159 His early stand against money-subsidies to railroads — The Eastern Division Pa- cific Railroad Bill — Logan calls a halt, and defeats the bill 161 The electoral count of 1869 — Turbulent scenes in joint convention — Ben. But- XVI CONTEXTS. PAGE ler's attempt to bully Congress— Logan squelches him 165 Removal of the capital to the Mississippi Valley — A great speech — Logan's powerful appeal for the readmission of Virginia 166 He secures the branding of Whittemore by the House, for corruption — His ap- peal to the courage of the House 168 Logan's plea for struggling Cuba — He asks for belligerent rights 169 Logan's Army Reduction Bill— It effects a saving of millions annually — Its pas- sage " the greatest triumph of that Congress " 17 2 His reply to General Sherman's letter op- posing army reduction and reform — Lo- gan demolishes it— Eloquent protest against military dictation, and defence of the liberties of the people 173 Logan the author of the Fifteenth Amend- ment, as agreed to 176 His eulogy on General Thomas— A fitting and eloquent tribute to the " Rock of Chickamauga " 178 Logan elected a third time commander- in-chief of the Grand Army— His last general orders touching Decoration Day —Grand Army resolutions — A hand- some tribute to " the soldier's friend ". 181 How General Logan was at this time re- garded in " Egypt " 183 Another big debate on Cuba — Logan's prominent part in it — He handles Ben. Butler without gloves 184 Whittemore again attempts to get his seat — The House, under Logan's lead, ex- cludes him, and returns his credentials. 186 Logan renominated by acclamation in 1870 — His great services on the stump in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa — Sensation in Iowa wherever he appears — The Senatorship 188 Pen-portrait of General Logan— Analysis of his methods and manner in speech- making 19 1 Logan at Springfield — The records of the two parties contrasted — A passage of remarkable eloquence 194 Logan puts through the House a bill to abolish the offices of Admiral and Vice- Admiral of the navy — He is elected to the U. S. Senate 196 The great Chicago fire — Senator Logan's PAGB efforts for congressional relief — His vivid description of the catastrophe 198 Sumner's bitter attack on Grant — Logan's withering rejoinder — A noble defence of his old commander 200 Logan's stirring speech at El Paso — The differences between Democracy and Republicanism 203 Senator Logan secures the prohibition of the sale of arms to Indians, and defeats injurious legislation 206 General Logan's oration before the Army of the Tennessee at Toledo, O., 1873 .. 208 Logan on the stump in Indiana, 1874 — His " rousing " speech at Indianapolis 209 His remarkable oration at Clinton, 111. — Personal liberty traced to the fountain- head — Our own Government a compro- mise between such liberty and cen- tralism 211 A legal incident in Logan's career — Among the silver-mines of Colorado. . . 217 Logan talked of for President in 1876.... 218 What the old soldiers thought of Logan's efforts in their behalf in Congress 218 Logan's tilt with Confederate brigadiers in 1876 — His defence of Sheridan and Grant — The White League " banditti " — Democratic sympathizers in the Sen- ate roughly handled — The old ship 219 Proposed transfer of the Indian Bureau to the War Department — Senator Logan eloquently opposes it, and pleads for Indian civilization and good faith 223 Logan's views on finance — Non-tax- ability of bonds and notes — Necessity for upholding the national credit 227 The footprints of parties on the avenues of time— Words of living light 229 The difference between real and represen- tative money and " fiat " money— A per- tinent story 232 A coincidence — General Logan again elected to the U. S. Senate— Great re- joicings over it everywhere — A poem — His welcome to Carbondale— Grand welcome back to Washington — His great speech at the capital— His first act on returning to the Senate in behalf of the old soldiers 235 His great speech in 1879, on the Army Ap- propriation Bill— His brave words and solemn warning to the revolutionists. . . 243 One of the "Confederate brigadiers ' CONTENTS. xv a PAGE challenges him — General Logan treats his communications with contempt and tells his second to "go to hell " 253 Logan's domestic life at Washington — His wife and children 260 General Schenck attacked in the Senate — Logan promptly defends the old pa- triot 261 Logan's speech on the U. S. Marshals Appropriation Bill — The Democratic attempt at " Nullification and Anarchy " 263 On the stump again — The great demand for Logan — Characteristic incidents touching the old soldiers 268 Logan's canvass of Ohio in 1879 — At Day- ton, Springfield, Van Wert, Bellefon- taine, and elsewhere — Ovations every- where 270 His campaign in Iowa — Ovation after ovation along the whole line from Wat- erloo to Burlington — Logan excels in a new role 273 His speech in 1879, on the reciprocal duties of the citizen to the Government and the Government to the citizen 277 Logan secures the Republican National Convention of 1880 for Chicago by a flank movement 278 His able legal argument in the Senate on the five-per-cent. claims of Illinois and other States 279 The Fitz John Porter case, 1880 — Logan's wonderful four-days' speech before a lis- tening Senate and crowded galleries. . . 280 Death of Zach. Chandler — Logan's im- pressive account of his dead friend's last hours— Eulogy in the Senate 282 The Logan "boom" in 1880— Garfield moved to tears by his early and hearty support— Logan's wonderful personal campaign in 1880 — He strives to make peace between Conkling and Gar- field 285 Logan's loyalty before the war — His tri- umphant speech of vindication in 1881 — Democratic and Republican Senators follow it with their personal testimony . 288 Grant's defence of Fitz John Porter — Lo- gan shows it to be founded on a misap- prehension of the real facts 292 Logan's speech on the bill to retire Gen- eral Grant — He " rattles " the Confed- erate brigadiers again — A fine tribute to Grant's military genius 294 His speech in the Senate on arrearages of pensions — His defence of the wounded soldiers 296 Logan's bill devoting internal revenue re- ceipts to education — A great, statesman- ly, instructive speech 298 Fitz John Porter bill of 1884 — Logan again assails the obnoxious bill — He bids the Confederate brigadiers beware ! 305 Senator Logan assailed as a" land-grab- ber" — He proves the charge to be "maliciously false" — Even the Demo- cratic Senators laugh the charge to scorn 307 PART IV.— LOGAN ON THE PRESIDENTIAL TICKET. Genera! Logan again talked of for the Presidency — A train of Logan men reaches Chicago — Illinois decides to present his name to the Chicago Con- vention of 1884 309 His name presented as the candidate of Illinois— The enthusiasm with which it was received 311 The four ballots — How Logan secured the nomination of Blaine, and why he did it — His famous despatch 313 How Logan was nominated for the Vice- Presidency — On roll-call he gets 779 votes — The nomination by acclama- tion 317 How the news of Logan's nomination was received in Washington — an impromptu ovation — Logan's congratulations to Blaine — Blaine's reply — Blaine's ova- tion in Augusta — His happy reference to Logan 319 How the press and people throughout the country hailed the nomination of Logan 322 Republicans at Washington preparing to ratify — The Illinois Republican Asso- ciation call and pay their respects 328 Logan in Maine — An ovation from Port- land to Augusta — Grand reception in Augusta — His stirring speech at Mr. Blaine's residence 329 .Will CONTENTS. Blaine's speech at Bangor when present- ing General Logan to its citizens — Lo- gan's handsome tribute to James G. Blaine 33 1 Resolutions of the State Republican As- sociations at the national capital — Lo- gan's strength in Indiana, etc 333 Great ratification meeting at the national capital — Addresses of Sherman, Hawley, Frye, Harrison, Raum, Reed, Phelps, Fred. Douglass, Dingley, Miller, Milli- ken, Horr, Smalls, Pettibone, Goff, and others of note — Good things said of both Blaine and Logan 335 Grand serenade by the ex-soldiers and sailors to Logan at Washington — Ad- dress by General Green B. Raum — Lo- gan's reply — Speeches of Senator Plumb and others — " Brains and pluck, or pluck and brains " 342 The Republican National Convention Committee call upon and officially noti- fy Logan of his nomination — General Henderson's address — General Logan's response 347 The letter of acceptance — Protection — Our financial system — Interstate and foreign commerce — Foreign relations — Equal rights — Immigration — Civil Ser- vice, etc 349 General Logan's journey to Minneapolis — An enthusiastic ovation all the way from Pittsburg — Grand reception at Minneapolis — Meeting of the Grand Ar- my — The greatest demonstration of the Northwest 359 Logan's reception elsewhere — His more than royal progress through the States — His exhausting campaign labors — Re- sult of the election — How Logan bore it. 361 PART V.— LOGAN SINCE 1884. Logan's memorably gallant fight for the Illinois senatorship — Hopeless odds against him — He wins his third senato- rial term — His address to the Legisla- ture 363 Public interest in Logan's victory — Tele- grams of congratulation, etc 366 Enthusiastic ovations from Springfield to Chicago — Logan's reception at Chicago. 368 Banquet to Logan by the Chicago Union League Club— His modest speech 370 Logan's Presidential "boom" for 1888, starting strongly 371 His return to Washington — Salute of 100 guns in honor of his election 372 Logan visits Grant's sick-chamber — Old war-memories revived 373 Enthusiastic reception of Logan at the G. A. R. Encampment, Portland, Me.— His telling speeches there 374 The Logan banquet in Boston — A charac- teristic incident — His vigorous speech on " Civil Service reform " and " offen- sive partisanship" — "Fair play" de- manded 378 Fourth of July oration by Logan at Wood- stock, Conn. ,1885 381 Logan on Grant — Address to the G. A. R. in the M. E. Memorial Church, Wash- ington — Eloquent review of that great chieftain's services 385 Banqueted by the " Logan Invincibles " at Baltimore — Logan's ' ' bloody-saddle " speech — Elkins gives Grant's high es- timate of Logan 398 Logan declines the Presidency of the United States Senate— His popularity still extending 402 New Year's (1886) reception by Logan at his Washington residence — A descrip- tive poem 4°3 Logan dined by the Philadelphia " Clover Club" 406 L He again attacks the (modified) Fitz John Porter bill in the Senate 4°7 Speech on admission of Dakota — Logan riddles the Democratic opposition— He unhorses Senator Butler 408 Logan's idea of "decorations" — He de- clares against secret sessions of the Senate 4°9 The great " Republican Club" banquet in Detroit — Logan's enthusiastic recep- tion and stirring speech 4 10 His eloquent advice to the American ne- gro — The possibilities of that race 412 CONTENTS. xix Logan's grand Memorial Day oration at the tomb of Grant, Riverside Park, New York. 1886 413 The Payne senatorial election case— Hal- stead's attack on Logan — His crushing rejoinder 427 Logan goes to the G. A. R. Encampment at San Francisco — He is bombarded with flowers — Is enthusiastically re- ceived everywhere on the Pacific coast — His speech to the Mormons 430 His return — Public receptions at St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Chicago 436 I'AGE His speech at the Soldiers' Reunion, Cairo, September 30, 1886— The true theory of pensions — Eloquent passages 438 Logan's last great out door public ad- dress, at Marion, October 4, 1886 " The issues of the day ''—The Demo- cratic Party a failure— The Republican 'Party vindicated 44I His last camp-fire speech, at Youngstown, O. , November 18, 1886 443 Logan's magazine work — Book-making — " The Great Conspiracy " 444 His Presidential star waxing rapidly 445 PART VI.— LOGAN'S LAST DAYS AND DEATH. Logan's return to Washington — His last drive — Attacked by rheumatism — His last appearance in the Senate — A siege of agony 447 His graphic stories — His estimate of Lin- coln as a joker — Logan's gallop along the lines at Vicksburg — His unrecorded wound 449 His anecdotes about Hazen and others — Logan's ideas about military discipline — How Mrs. Logan " cut a man down." 454 Logan talks of Douglas and the war- About General Sherman 455 Getting worse — Bad nights — Reading Logan to sleep — His opinion of the memoirs of Lee 457 The passing away — Affecting scenes in the chamber of death 460 Calumet Place in mourning — The guard- mount — The question of final resting- P'ace 461 The Senate Committee of Arrangements and the pall-bearers— Taking the re- mains from Calumet Place — Logan ly- ing in state under the great white dome 463 Letters of condolence from notable per- sons everywhere 465 The wonderful profusion of floral offer- ings — A mound of flowers 467 The obsequies in the Senate Chamber — The Rev. Dr. Newman's eloquent fu- neral panegyric on Logan 468 The funeral procession to Rock Creek church-yard — Services at the tomb — Sounding " taps " (lights out) 475 Poem on the " Death of Logan " 478 How the press and people of the land mourned the sad loss of Logan 482 PART VII.— ADDENDA. 493 Logan's influence upon our statute-book — The impress of his thought on all important national legislation enacted since the war Secret of Logan's popularity with the farmer, the laborer, the soldier, the col- ored man , and the Irish voter 495 The charge that Logan "murdered the king's English" disposed of — His speeches " beds of pearls " — A random string of them 499 Logan's literary tastes and treasures — Ex- tent of his classical and other knowl- edge — How he prepared his speeches. . 505 Why Sherman displaced him from com- mand of the Army of the Tennessee af- ter Logan's great victory of Atlanta — The Sherman-Logan correspondence — Sherman's oral and written statements since Logan's death — Hitherto unpub- lished letters of Sherman to Halleck and to Logan himself— Hooker's letter to Logan — The real reasons for Sher- man's injustice 505 XX CONTENTS. Logan "thrice " refuses "the crown," in 1880 — His wonderful fortitude under a reverse — Frye's denial — Several bits of unwritten history 525 Logan's last Christmas-Eve souvenir — A poem 5 2 8 Logan's brave Scottish ancestry — Mean- ing of the name — Robert the Bruce's vow — Sir James Douglas and the Bruce's heart - Heroic charge against the Saracens in Spain — Valor of Sir Robert and Sir Walter Logan — The Logan estates forfeited, and the name proscribed — The Logan armorial bear- ings 531 Logan's swarthy complexion — How he probably came by it 534 Mrs. .General Logan — Her personal ap- pearance and ancestry — The stirring events of her varied life — A brave, kind, devoted, self-sacrificing, tactful, woman- ly woman 536 APPENDIX Part I. — Logan eulogies in the U. S. Senate — Tributes of Senators Cul- lom, Morgan, Edmunds, Manderson, Hampton, Allison, Hawley, Spooner, Cockrell, Frye, Plumb, Evarts, Sabin, Palmer, and Farwell 545 Part II. — Logan eulogies in House of Rep- resentatives — Tributes of Representa- tives Thomas, T. J. Henderson, McKin- ley, Randall, Cannon, Butterworth, D. B. Henderson, Holman, Springer, George E. Adams, Rogers, Rowell, Daniel, McComas, A. J. Weaver, Cutcheon, Wilson, Rice, Caswell, O'Hara, Goff, Osborne, Payson, Brady, Hitt, Symes, Lawler, Perkins, Petti- bone, Haynes, Buchanan, J. H. Ward, Gallinger, Plumb, Jackson, and C. M. Anderson 556 LIFE OF GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN. PART I. LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. PRELUDE. It has been well said that the life of General John A. Logan was one of such ceaseless activity, rapid changes, ear- nest endeavor, and impressive situations, that it is extremely difficult to do justice to the man, his motives, his character, to the masterly labors he performed, to the exalted posi- tion he won, and the lasting benefits he conferred upon his country in forensic arenas, in legislative halls, and the broader and more stirring fields of battle. For most men of genius it is enough to shine in one walk or profession of life ; but General Logan's light was prismatic, as the inci- dents of his life were kaleidoscopic. He attained eminence in many fields. As a Congressional Representative and Senator his record was brilliant, consistent, and statesmanly ; as a jurist his eminence was attested by his long service on the Judiciary Committee of the highest representative body in the land ; as a soldier he strode rapidly up from the ranks of a private to the command of an army ; as an orator he was second to none in the Republic ; as a candidate for Vice- Presidential honors on the Republican ticket he was acknowl- 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. edged to be as strong and generally popular as the great leader who headed it ; and his rapidly increasing popularity everywhere, since then, plainly pointed to his nomination and election, in 1888, to the Presidency of the Nation, until death cut off the prospect. logan's parentage, birth, boyhood, early surroundings, AND EDUCATION. Early in this century, Dr. John Logan, the father of Gen- eral Logan, came with his father from the North of Ireland to cast his fortunes with those of our young Republic. He was a physician. At first he settled in Maryland, and after- ward in Missouri, where he married a French lady,— one of the rich colonists of that early day, — by whom he had one daughter, still living. Having lost his first wife, Dr. Logan removed to Illinois, settling at what was then called " Brownsville," the county-seat of Jackson County. Here it was that he first met Miss Elizabeth Jenkins, a native of North Carolina, and sister of Lieutenant-Governor A. M. Jenkins of Illinois, and was soon thereafter united to her in marriage. o Upon his second marriage Dr. Logan took up his resi- dence near Brownsville, on a large farm, on which the thriv- ing town of Murphysborough now stands. Here, in the comfortable and capacious weather-boarded log farm-house whose ruins were still standing four years ago in the out- skirts of that town, but have since been destroyed by an accidental fire, — were born to him eleven children, of whom John Alexander Logan, the subject of this sketch, who first saw light on February 9, 1826, was the eldest. The primitive condition of the country at that day was such as to make great exactions upon the time of any phy- sician, but doubly so in the case of one so skilful and suc- cessful as Dr. Logan. Hence it was only at intervals that he could spare the time from his practice and professional LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. , studies to engage in the duties incident to farm-life. Him- self a studious man, he was anxious to afford his children bet- ter educational facilities than were then in that neighborhood. He therefore employed a tutor, who resided with the family and undertook to train young John, his brothers and sisters, in branches not then taught in the schools thereabout — such as the rudiments of Greek and Latin ; and it was no doubt the acquaintance thus formed with the latter tongue that enabled young Logan at a later period, while in Mexico, to acquire the fluency in the use of the Spanish language which he possessed to the end. MARKED CHARACTERISTICS OF LOGAN'S PARENTS— AN INCIDENT OF HIS FATHER'S WONDERFUL COURAGE. Those who knew Dr. Logan well, describe him not alone as being a physician and surgeon of remarkable skill, but a man of marked characteristics. Although himself of eood family, he not only believed in but practised social democracy. He recognized no ranks in society — no such thing as aristoc- racy. He has been known to keep such local magnates as the Judge of the Circuit Court and chief officers of the Illi- nois Central Railroad waiting while attending the wants of some laboring man. It was his creed that all men who are honest and upright are equal, and deserve equal respect. He was absolutely sincere in this, as in all things — for he hated cant. He was a man of the strictest integrity, gener- ous and kind to everybody, and devoted to his friends. He was never known to swear an oath nor indulge in dissipa- tions of any sort. He took much pride and pleasure in his fine stock of horses and hounds, and, in the days when foxes were plentiful, was fond of the chase. His hospitality was unstinted, and it was at his house that the Wesleyan Method- ist ministers preached whenever, in travelling their circuit, they came near him. They recognized in him not only " A foine owld Irish gintleman, one of the rale owld kind," 4 LIFE OF LOGAN. but an honest, upright, sincerely Christian gentleman. He was, moreover, possessed of a dauntless courage. As a curious instance of that and of his surgical skill, it may be mentioned that while on his death-bed in 1851, suffering from an abscess on the liver — from which he died — he strove hard to persuade his family to rig up a mirror and allow him to perform an operation on himself ! The family, however, would not consent. His second wife — " Mother Logan," as she is still affec- tionately termed in the General's family — came of Scottish ancestry and had strong Scotch characteristics. She was tall, slender, and her deportment erect and stately to the period of her death in 1877. She was very quiet in her manner, very calm and self-possessed, and very strong in her prejudices. Her intuitive conception of the character of others was wonderful. More than once occasion arose to demonstrate her determined courage ; and no woman ever lived more remarkable for consistency — for, when once a line was marked out, with her there was no such thing as turning to right or left. She was an admirable helpmate for such a man as her husband, and was always greatly devoted to her family. She lived long enough to take pride in the Sena- torial as well as Military honors won by her gifted son. LOGAN IN HIS YOUTH AN INCIDENT OF THOSE SLOW-COACH DAYS LOGAN AND THE SQUIRRELS. Young John grew up from childhood to youth much as would other children with similar surroundings and oppor- tunities. Those were slow-coach days. One incident of his boyhood will suffice to illustrate this. It was a half-day's trip from the farm to the grist-mill. One day he started off with grain to the mill, accompanied by one of the colored boys employed by his father. He reached the mill in a ter- rible rain-storm, and all took shelter under the open shed LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. which covered the machinery. This mill, like the Mexican arastra, was worked by a horse harnessed to a horizontal shaft or pole, which was dragged round and round, as a cap- stan-bar is pushed, and revolved the millstones by means of hide-belting. The rain beat in furiously, and the beltino- stretched to such an extent that it became useless, became disconnected with the shafting, and fell down. The boys, despairing of more comfortable quarters for the night, made the best of it and went to sleep, a number of the hounds which had accompanied them, at their feet. When morning broke and the miller arrived, it was discovered that the half- famished dogs had scented out the rain-soaked hide-belting and devoured it ! The miller was in despair. He had no more belting, nor could he get any. Nothing remained for him but to make it himself; and young Logan and his col- ored companion were obliged to wait there for a couple of days while the miller killed and skinned an ox and dried its hide for a new belting ! This was one of those events in young John's life which he took philosophically — because there was nothing else that could be done. When he was about ten years old, it happened one day that the farm-hands being all busy at other work, his father, having observed that the squirrels were attacking one of his corn-fields, sent young John to drive them off. A road ran by the field, and on an adjacent tree it was customary to pin with wooden tacks certain public notices so that passers-by might read and act accordingly. The boy had observed this. Whether it was that he had "other fish to fry "just then, or whether it was that love of fair play which always pos- sessed him, the reader himself can judge ; but certain it is that a neighbor riding by at a later hour, seeing a notice pinned to the tree, rode up to it, and to his astonishment read this notice in a large, boyish hand : I give notice to all the squirrels to keep out of this cornfield. If they don't keep out they will be shot. John A. Logan. 6 LIFE OF LOGAN. And sure enough next morning he was on hand with a lot of other boys and some of the farm-hands, armed with shot- guns to exterminate them. Fifty-one years have since passed away, and to-day that corn-field is covered with the houses of Murphysborough. That "the child is father of the man" was never more evident than in comparing this notice with one which he sent to some persons in Southern Illinois, who wrote to him both coaxing and threatening letters before the war, urging him to join the Knights of the Golden Circle. It ran thus : If you fellows don't keep out of the Knights of the Golden Circle, some of you will be strung up. John A. Logan. LOGAN A BORN LEADER A DARING FEAT STORY OF THE FLAT-BOAT HE GOES TO COLLEGE THE WAR WITH MEXICO HE JOINS THE ARMY OF INVASION. From his earliest boyhood young Logan was always a leader — whether at the common-school, which for a time he attended, or at play with other youths, or in the various ex- peditions in which childhood loves to engage. His geniality and capacity for anecdote made him much sought after, even as a youth. He always liked company, and always had at- tentive auditors, whether playing the violin or indulging in narration to a crowd of listeners. But whenever study or other duties required attention he went at them with the same rapid earnestness which always distinguished whatever he undertook. It was the same with everything — work first, play afterward ; and, while he loved play and companionship as much as any youth, he always conscientiously performed the less palatable task first. When he was but fifteen or sixteen years of age young John took it into his head to build a flat-boat for the Muddy River, which ran near the paternal farm. The boat was duly constructed and launched. But the Muddy was at that time LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. y a rapid and dangerous stream, and when it came to a question of who could pilot it out, all were afraid to venture the haz- ardous feat. But as in all his subsequent life Logan never hesitated to accept responsibilities, so now the fearless boy- jumped aboard and steered her out in safety.* It was shortly after this characteristic incident that, at the age of sixteen, the youth entered Shiloh College, where he remained some three years. Thus passed the years of John A. Logan's life, from childhood to youth and to young manhood, alternating the duties of Western farm-life with its innocent amusements and sociality, and with such intervals of more or less serious study as could be spared from more pressing calls — at times, no doubt, his mind perturbed by vague questionings whether he were not intended for more stirring work in life than that, and doubtless wishing for a change. The change was near at hand. It was the year 1846. The relations between the United States and Mexico were growing strained. Then came the declaration of war, which stirred the martial blood in his veins. At the call for troops, fired with patriotic zeal, young Logan, then but twenty years of age, abandoned farm and studies and entered the American army as a lieutenant of Company H, First Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Young as he was, he served his country in Mexico with distinction from the beginning to the end of the war — which found him acting quartermaster of his regiment. His many and varied experiences in this war, — the larger knowledge gained by him of men and things, — unquestion- ably had much influence in shaping Logan's brilliant subse- quent career. * For this and other incidents of the General's boyhood, together with other valuable information, the writer is indebted to Professor Thomas, entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution, a companion of Logan's youth, who subsequently married one of the General's sisters, now deceased. 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. HIS RETURN FROM MEXICO TO PEACEFUL PURSUITS IS ELECTED TO AND RESIGNS HIS FIRST PUBLIC OFFICE READS LAW GRADUATES FROM LOUISVILLE UNIVERSITY COMMENCES THE PRACTICE OF LAW AN INCIDENT OF HIS PERSONAL COURAGE SERVES IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE. Returning home after the declaration of peace, our young hero determined to embrace the profession of the law, and resigning the county clerkship of Jackson County, to which the people had in 1849 elected him, he became a student in the Law Department of Louisville University. Here, by his rapid progress, he sustained, in an eminent degree, the san- guine expectations of his friends. After graduating with hon- ors, he returned to his old home at Murphysborough, formed a copartnership with his uncle, ex-Governor Jenkins, and at once began to acquire a lucrative practice, meeting at the bar some of the first lawyers of the State — men who have since made national reputations as eminent jurists. It was about this time occurred an instance of his per- sonal courage, which was then much talked of and made him many friends. The farmers of Southern Illinois had been much troubled by the incursions of a desperate gang of horse-thieves that rendezvoused in the swamps of Southeast- ern Missouri. They had recently made a new foray, and had stolen a number of horses from his neighbors. The suf- ferers held the gang in terror, and were afraid to follow and attempt the recovery of their property. Young Logan heard about this outrage, and taking two men with him, fol- lowed the outlaws into the swamps of Missouri, and soon re- turned with his neighbors' horses. Acute rheumatism — the seeds of which had doubtless been sown in his system by ex- posure during the war with Mexico — seized him on his re- turn, sixteen miles from home ; but he had accomplished his mission. In 1852, the people of the legislative district comprising MRS. GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN. LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. g the counties of Jackson and Franklin determined to run young Logan for representative in the State Legislature — a position occupied years before by his father ; and, although his competitor was well known, highly esteemed, and of great experience, Logan defeated him, and was elected by a large majority. ELECTED DISTRICT ATTORNEY HIS UNIFORM SUCCESS IN PROS- ECUTION AN INCIDENT OF HIS REMARKABLE SKILL IN DE- FENCE — HIS MARRIAGE AGAIN IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE. At the expiration of his legislative term, Mr. Logan re- sumed the active practice of his profession — one for which he was admirably fitted, and which he greatly enjoyed, his specialty being criminal jurisprudence ; and so successful was he in it that he was soon elected prosecuting attorney for the Third Judicial District. During his incumbency of that office Mr. Logan tried and convicted some of the most famous cases on the docket of that district ; and it is a re- markable fact that there is not a single instance in which he prosecuted that the guilty escaped conviction, nor was any one of his indictments ever quashed. On the other hand, an instance may be given of his skill in defence. It was while Mr. Logan was practising law at the bar of the same district. He was defending a man who with a knife had killed another in a dining-room, and who was indicted for murder. There was so strong a prejudice against the prisoner that he had taken a change of venue from Union to Polk County. The persons involved being prominent men, there was immense excitement as the time of trial arrived. The court-house, which stood in a large grass-covered square upon which some sheep stood brows- ing, was crammed with eager spectators. The evidence was all in, and the prosecution had finished its opening. As Logan arose to make his speech for the defence, a dog got among the sheep, and one of them bolted away from the io LIFE OF 10 G A IV. flock into the court-house, and up through the aisle to the very seat of justice, where it lay panting and trembling. With wonderful readiness and skill the advocate seized the incident, and, likening it to the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, made an appeal to the jury so powerful as to secure by his remarkable and effective oratory not alone the acquittal of the prisoner, but also the applause of those who had pre- viously believed him to be guilty. It was on November 27, 1855, that Mr. Logan married Miss Mary S. Cunningham, — a daughter of Captain J. M. Cunningham, his old friend and companion-in-arms of the Mexican war, — and, removing to Benton, established there his home and law-office. In 1856, the people again insisted upon his represent- ing them in the State Legislature, to which body he was elected in November during the famous " Fremont Cam- paign." During sessions of that Legislature he was con- spicuous in his advocacy of some of the most important measures devised for the best interests of the State — the in- tervals between sessions being devoted to the practice of his profession. LOGAN, THE CONGRESSMAN, BEFORE THE WAR AT THE CHARLESTON CONVENTION THE AUCTION-BLOCK AND SLAVE- PENS OF THE SOUTH HIS EFFORTS TO AVERT THE WAR. By 1858, his reputation both as lawyer and legislator had so widened that he was nominated as a Representative in the Thirty-sixth Congress, and, notwithstanding his compar- ative youth and the fact that his competitors numbered among them the most prominent men of the district (the Ninth), — which at that time comprised sixteen counties of Southern Illinois, — was triumphantly elected by the largest majority ever given to a Congressional Representative from that district. Congressman Logan took his seat December, 1858, at LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. H what will be remembered as the most exciting period prior to the outbreak of the Rebellion. Stephen A. Douglas — "The Little Giant" — was then the leading Democrat of the Northwest, and especially of Illinois. It was to be expected, therefore, that Mr. Logan would defer to him, and, so far as he could with consistency, follow his lead in all matters of public weal. But even then, his impetuous spirit with diffi- culty brooked the insults daily heaped upon every man who dared to call a halt to the rampant fire-eaters then in Con- gress, who seemed bent upon ruling or ruining the Union. He worked incessantly for the welfare of his constituents, and so well did he succeed that, in November of i860, he was unanimously renominated and re-elected by an increased majority to the Thirty-seventh Congress. Mr. Logan attended the National Convention at Charles- ton, S. C, and for the first time beheld the veritable auction- block and slave-pens of the South. His generous nature re- volted at the barbarity of slavery, thus in its very nakedness brought right beneath his eyes, and his mind foresaw the fall of that inhuman " institution " at no distant day. He saw that the spirit of tyranny and oppression manifested by the leaders of the Democratic Party toward every man north of "Mason and Dixon's line" boded ill for them. He felt, as did every free man, that very soon must cease the forbear- ance that had been shown to men who knew no bounds to their demands, and who were ready to subordinate every- thing to their lust for wealth and power and the perpetua- tion of human slavery. Hence, when the Congress assem- bled in December, i860, he was in no frame of mind to endure the intensified fanaticism and threatening manner of the Southern Representatives. His speeches made at that time, as a Democrat, are replete with patriotic fire and love of the Union. Imbued with this spirit he was most active in striving to brinpf about what was known as the " Crittenden Compromise " — believing, as did many other patriotic men, I2 LIFE OF LOGAN. that that measure would avert the horrors of a civil war. But all effort seemed powerless before Fate. The tide was too strong. Boldly and bravely Mr. Logan exerted himself to breast it, urging moderation upon his party and its older leaders while eloquently avowing his own devotion to the Union and his abhorrence of the meditated treason. THE ABOLITION LEADER LOVEJOY THREATENED WITH VIOLENCE IN THE HOUSE FREE SPEECH ABOUT TO BE CHOKED — LOGAN COWES THE BLUSTERING FIRE-EATERS AND SECURES LOVEJOY A HEARING. The Southern Democrats had at that time full sway in Congress, and choked down the opposition, or at least at- tempted to prevent those from speaking who were sure to condemn slavery. Sumner was stricken down with a blud- geon for daring to utter his scathing denunciations of the crimes which were perpetrated in the name of liberty, and other eloquent and determined champions of freedom nar- rowly escaped similar violence. Free-speech in the Halls of Congress was imperilled. It was at this time that a scene occurred in the House, in which Logan was a principal fig- ure, that not only exhibited the personal intrepidity of " the gallant Egyptian," as he was then called, but that superior quality of moral courage which enables the very few who possess it to rise above party when that party consents to in- justice or assumes a despotic spirit. " On one occasion," says the narrator, " Mr. Lovejoy rose in his place in the House and attempted to speak, when several of the ' fire-eaters ' thrust their clenched fists in his face, and dared him to utter a sentence at the peril of his life. It was one of those ex- traordinary scenes when members become excited, leave their seats, and crowd around the occupant of the floor. Lovejoy — as brave a man as ever lived — expostulated with the furi- ous bowie-knife legislators, but they grew more and more fierce under his expostulations ; in fact, it looked as though LOGAN BEFORE THE WAR. 13 free-speech were about to be absolutely and by open violence choked down in the House of Representatives of the United States of America — the model Republic of the West. Mr. Lovejoy had a seat directly under the Speaker's desk, and turned around to look for aid, when a young man at the back end of the House rose, walked through the centre of the House, pushed through the excited members, reached Love- joy's side, pointed to him, and, turning to the Southern mem- bers, said, ' He is a representative from Illinois, the State that I was born in, and also have the honor to represent ; he must be allowed to speak without interruption, otherwise I will meet the coward or cowards outside of this House, and hold them responsible for further indignities offered to Mr. Lovejoy! This, of course, ended the display of clinched fists, and the lacerated despots took their seats, and Lovejoy made an able anti-slavery speech." The young man was Logan. THE BASELESS CHARGE THAT LOGAN WAS A " SECESSION SYM- PATHIZER BREAKING " OUT OF THE WAR OF REBELLION LOGAN LEAVES THE HOUSE, SHOULDERS A MUSKET, AND FIGHTS AT BULL RUN. It may be well right here to allude briefly to the base and baseless charge made by some of his enemies, that at the outbreak of the war, and prior to it, he was a " secession sympathizer," and to his triumphant refutation of the same, which may be found in the Congressional Record of April 20, 1881. Senator Ben Hill of Georgia had the temerity to in- sinuate this charge in the United States Senate Chamber March 30, 1881. Logan instantly replied, "Any man who insinuates that I- sympathized with it at that time insinuates what is false," and Senator Hill at once retracted the cal- umny. Subsequently, April 19, 1881, a portion of the press having in the meantime insinuated further doubts, Senator Logan proved by the record, and by voluminous document- ary evidence, the utter falsity of the aspersion. That record 14 LIFE OF LOGAN. shows that January 7, 1861, — while still a Douglas Democrat, before Lincoln's inauguration and before even the first gun of war was fired upon Fort Sumter, — he declared in Con- gress, as he voted for a resolution which approved the action taken by the President in support of the laws and for the preservation of the Union, that the resolution received his "unqualified approbation." Prior to that (December 17, i860) he had voted affirmatively on a resolution offered by Morris of Illinois, which declared an " immovable attach- ment " to " our National Union," and "that it is our patriotic duty to stand by it, as our hope in peace and our defence in war." In a speech he made February 5, 1861, on the " Crit- tenden Compromise," he declared that " he had always de- nied, and did yet deny, the right of secession." And when he concluded his speech of vindication in the Senate, even the Bourbon Senator Brown of Georgia declared it to be " full, complete, and conclusive." In future, then, no truthful man will dare to say that Logan was not true to the Union and opposed to secession " before the war, at the beginning of the war, and all through the war." * At last the crisis came when every man must take his stand either for or against his country. The dreaded can- nons' roar was heard above Fort Moultrie, and, with that sound, redoubled threats of a forcible dismemberment of this Union. Logan saw that the enemy could no longer be stayed in his wicked infatuation ; that the time for action had arrived ; and hurriedly leaving unanswered a " call of the House," he crossed the Potomac and, musket in hand, fought as a private in the ranks all day long in the first battle of Bull Run — being among the last to leave the field. * For fuller evidence on this point see pp. 288-292. PART II. LOGAN IN THE WAR. GENERAL MCCOOK DESCRIBES LOGAN AT BULL RUN — LOGAN RE- TURNS TO WASHINGTON AND TO " EGYPT " THE SACRIFICES HE MADE FOR THE UNION CAUSE THE MAGICAL EFFECT OF HIS PATRIOTIC ELOQUENCE UPON A HOWLING MOB HOW HE TURNED SECESSION SYMPATHIZERS INTO UNION SOLDIERS HOW SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WAS SAVED TO THE UNION — THE EFFECT OF HIS GREAT INFLUENCE THERE. Touching the first Bull Run, General Anson G. McCook, now Secretary of the United States Senate, himself a gallant soldier in the war and a participant, as captain of the Second Ohio, in that battle, narrated to the writer the following characteristic incident. Said he : It was, I think, on July 18th, three clays before the battle proper. We were making a reconnoissance at Blackburn's Ford, when I heard artillery-firing, and went to the front to see what was going on. Shortly after, musketry-firing began in the valley, and our men commenced to fall back, when I noticed two men in citizen's dress among the soldiers. One was my uncle, Daniel McCook ; the other, a man I had never be- fore seen, but whose striking personal appearance and actions at once arrested my attention. He wore a silk hat, which seemed strangely in- congruous on a battlefield in a crowd of soldiers. He was a man of alert and vigorous frame, swarthy complexion, long and heavy black mustache and black eyes. His hands were bloody, a rifle was on his shoulder, and while at one moment he was helping to carry off some wounded man, at another, with blazing eyes and language more forci- ble than polite, he strove to rally the men. I afterward asked my uncle who that man was, and he told me it was John A. Logan, the Illinois Congressman. 16 LIFE OF LOGAN. Returning to Washington, Mr. Logan telegraphed and wrote home to Colonel White and others to raise troops in defence of the Union, and hurried back to his district at the close of the session to tell his people of his intention to fol- low the flag of his country, and, if need be, " hew his way to the Gulf."* No man in the nation made greater sacrifices at this su- preme moment than did Logan. Resolutions favoring seces- sion had already been adopted by his constituents. At his own home, excitement ran high, and all one way. Almost every tie he had, save that of his patriotic wife, was arrayed against him. He had been the pride and the idol of his peo- ple, but now they spurned him, and heaped upon him the bitterest denunciation. Party ties were rent asunder, and persecution and abuse followed him everywhere. Threats of personal violence were made. So inflamed indeed was the public mind, that deeds of open defiance to the Govern- ment were imminent. There are persons now living who witnessed and will never forget the wonderful magnetic influ- ence of Mr. Logan over men as exhibited at that stormy time, when,f mounting a wagon in the public square at * It was upon the occasion of a presentation of a flag to his regiment, the Thirty-first Illinois, by the citizens of his native county, that Colonel Logan made use of the following emphatic language : " Should the free navigation of the Mississippi River be obstructed by force, the men of the West will hew their way through human gore to the Gulf of Mexico." + Another instance of the remarkable effect of Mr. Logan's patriotic fervor, which oc- curred shortly before this, is narrated by General Grant in his Personal Memoirs. It seems that when Grant " was appointed colonel " of the Twenty-first Illinois Regiment, it was "still in the State service," and in camp, at " Camp Dick Yates,'' near Springfield. The time arrived for such of his "ninety days" regiment as would volunteer "for three years or the war" to be mustered into the service of the United States. Congressmen McClernand and Logan being at Springfield, 111., met Grant, and then addressed his doubt- ful regiment. Says Grant: "McClernand spoke first; and Logan followed in a speech which he has hardly equalled since for force and eloquence. It breathed a loyalty and de- votion to the Union which inspired my men to such a point that they would have volun- teered to remain in the army as long as an enemy of the country continued to bear arms against it. They entered the United States service almost to a man." Grant adds this fur- ther tribute : " General Logan went to his part of the State and gave his attention to rais- ing troops. The very men who at first made it necessary to guard the roads in South- 1. GENERAL LOGAN'S BIRTHPLACE. 2. CALUMET PLACE— GENERAL LOGAN'S WASHINGTON RESIDENCE. 8. VIEW OF HALL AND GRAND STAIRWAY 4. LIBRARY. LOGAN IN THE WAR. jy Marion, Williamson County, — which was now his place of residence, — he addressed a vast multitude of infuriated peo- ple, who, strongly sympathizing with the South, were little less than a turbulent, howling mob. When Logan com- menced to speak, it was with difficulty the mob-spirit could be restrained so that he could gain a hearing ; but before he had finished the vivid picture he painted, in words of living light, of the inevitable consequences of treason and disunion to them, their children, and their country, they stood abso- lutely spellbound, and many were even ready to enlist in defence of that very flag which but a few moments before they would have stamped upon. And when he closed his glowing periods and told them he was going to enlist for the war ("as a private, or in any capacity in which he could serve his country best in defending the old blood-stained flag over every foot of soil in the United States"), they swarmed about him, and sent up such a shout as has rarely been heard. A friend and fellow-comrade of Logan's in the Mexi- can War, having in the meantime hurriedly hunted up an old fifer and drummer, was the first to shout, " Come on, boys ! Let's go with Logan. Where he leads, we can fol- low ! " Suiting action to the words, the fife and drum struck up the familiar tune of "Yankee Doodle," and before they had marched half-way around the square, one hundred gal- lant fellows were in line, " keeping step to the music of the Union," each pledged to serve his country for three years, unless sooner discharged by peace being declared. The midnight travelling and daily speaking and enlisting of soldiers for the war, during the ensuing ten days, can era Illinois became the defenders of the Union. Logan entered the service himself as colonel of a regiment, and rapidly rose to the rank of major-general. His district, which had promised at first to give much trouble to the Government, filled every call made upon it for troops, without resorting to the draft. There was no call made when there were not more volunteers than were asked for. That Congressional District stands credited at the War Department to-day with furnishing more men for the army than it was called on to supply." 2 1 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. scarcely be described. The conversion of an entire people from sympathy for their kindred and friends in the South into patriotic soldiers ready to fight against them, was little short of miraculous. The sharp struggle between duty and incli- nation ; the actual taking up of arms, and leaving loved ones behind while on the way to fight other loved ones in front ; the sacrifice of all other ties for the sake of patriotic principle and the maintenance and preservation of the unity of the States — how trying an ordeal ! And yet, despite all these heart-bursting difficulties and struggles, from which none but the noblest of men could find the true course, in ten days the grand old Thirty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, with Lo^an at its head, was en route for Cairo, the rendez- vous of the first soldiers enlisted in Southern Illinois. From that hour the whole surrounding country seemed to catch the infection of patriotism, and Colonel Logan's regiment, the Thirty-first Illinois Infantry, — which was quickly fol- lowed by the Twenty-second, Twenty-seventh, and Thir- tieth Regiments, — was at once organized with others into McClernand's First Brigade under Grant. Thus South- ern Illinois was saved to the Union, and the indescrib- able calamity of guerilla warfare averted from the soil of Logan's native State. What might have happened, had any portion of Illinois lying south of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad joined in an attempt at secession, we care not now to contemplate. That Cairo, as a base for our armies, when they embarked for the Tennessee, Mississippi, and the whole Southern field, was of inestimable importance, none can deny. Nor can it be disputed that to Logan, more than to any other one man, is due the gallant and patriotic stand the Southern Illinoisans took ; nor that its influence was felt in a very marked degree in Indiana and other adjacent States, and nerved the hearts of Union men everywhere, giving fresh im- pulse to Northern courage. LOGAN IN THE WAR. lg COLONEL LOGAN AT BELMONT A CHARACTERISTIC DESCRIPTION OF HIM DURING THAT BATTLE HIS BRAVERY AND "ADMIRA- BLE TACTICS " HIS HORSE SHOT UNDER HIM. As a soldier, Colonel Logan brought into play all the en- thusiasm, energy, and indomitable will which always char- acterized him. He drilled and disciplined his regiment him- self, and six weeks after the enlistment of his men led them into battle at Belmont, Mo. There, the force of General Grant being landed from the transports convoyed by the gun- boats Tyler and Lexington, the line of battle was formed, with Logan and his Thirty-first Illinois Infantry Regiment on the left. The Hon. Lewis Hauback, now a member of the House of Representatives from Kansas, narrated* in the presence of the writer an interesting characteristic incident of Loo-an at this fight. Said he : " It was at Belmont that I first saw John A. Logan. There were five regiments of us there — among them the Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry, to which I belonged, and the Thirty-first Illinois — Logan's regi- ment. I remember the Twenty-seventh — my regiment — held the right of the line of battle. I was orderly-sergeant, and accordingly was on the left of my regiment. On our imme- diate left, and joining it, was the Thirty-first. Logan sat his big black horse, therefore, nearly in front of me. Our colonel — a brave and gallant man too he was — rode up to Logan and said, rather pompously ' Colonel Logan, remem- ber, if you please, that /have the position of honor ! ' With- out turning to right or left, Logan instantly replied, ' I don't care a d — n where I am, so long as I get into this fight ! ' And ' get into ' it he soon did, as he fought his way up to * Dimng his eloquent speech at the ex- soldiers' and sailors' serenade to General Logan at Washington, June 21, 1S84, after the nomination of the latter for Vice-President of the United States. 20 LIFE OF LOGAN. and into the camp and tore down the ensign of treason and planted in its stead the flag of beauty and of glory." An account of this early battle says : The advance was a continuous running fight. Every inch of ground was hotly contested. The scene became terrific : men grappled with men, column charged upon column, musketry rattled, cannon thundered and tore frightful gaps in the contending forces. But unable to win against such formidable odds, the command to fall back was given (to avoid being cut off from the gunboats), and the soldiers of the North fought their way back even as they had forward. Of Colonel Logan in this engagement the official report says: Colonel Logan's admirable tactics not only foiled the frequent at- tempts of the enemy to flank him, but secured a steady advance toward the enemy's camp. It was on this occasion that, in a moment of victory, Mc- Clernand's command, being given over to rejoicing, was much demoralized, and exposed to danger should the enemy rein- force and return. This the enemy was doing when Colonel Logan discovered him, instantly formed his command, and re- pulsing the attack, succeeded in getting the entire command on board. It was during a successful bayonet-charge at this battle that Logan's horse was shot under him and his pistol at his side shattered to pieces by the fire of the enemy. Gen- eral McClernand complimented the regiment upon its unex- ampled bravery, and Colonel Logan for having cut his way three times through an overwhelming force of the enemy, thus opening the way for the return of the army. The design of the expedition was the breaking up of the enemy's encampment at Belmont. Having accomplished it, the Union troops returned to Cairo with many prisoners. The discomforts of the raw troops in Cairo at that time were very great, and much harder to bear than the greater hardships which they subsequently bore as veterans. They LOGAN IN THE WAR. 2I had left their homes and comfortable surroundings quite un- prepared for the life of a soldier. Their equipage was poor, as neither quartermasters nor purveyors had yet learned how to properly prepare for the needs of troops. Colonel Logan, with that solicitude for the well-being of his men which always distinguished him, and for which, together with his military skill and daring, they idolized him, finally went to Washing- ton and arranged for arms and clothing suitable for his com- mand, although, owing to the confusion incident to the hurried preparations for war, it was almost impossible to obtain much- needed supplies of any character. LOGAN AT FORT HENRY HE IS THE FIRST TO ENTER IT HIS INTREPIDITY AND SKILL AT FORT DONELSON HE IS WOUNDED AND CARRIED FROM THE FIELD, HAVING EARNED A BRIGADIER-GENERALSHIP. The plan for the campaign in the Southwest having been perfected, the troops were embarked upon ordinary Western river steamboats to go up the Ohio to the Tennessee River, to strike and dislodge the enemy at Fort Henry — a work quickly done. Logan commanded his regiment through the most trying circumstances in the rear of Fort Henry. He was the first of the army to enter the captured fort, and, in command of two hundred cavalry, pursued and captured eight of the enemy's guns. This was the first decisive triumph of the Union arms upon Western waters, and "on to Donelson !" was the cry of every tongue. Colonel Logan made several reconnoissances around Fort Donelson preparatory to the movement of our forces on that point. In the fiercest storms of a severe winter, after the fall of Fort Henry, the Union cavalry, infantry, and artillery were landed and marched across the country to Fort Donelson, a much more formidable forti- fication on the Cumberland River, which had been erected for the defence of Nashville and the whole section of country thereabout. The gunboats pushed up the river to shell the 22 LIFE OF LOGAN. fort in front, while the command marched rapidly to the rear of the works, despite sleet, rain, almost impassable mud, and bitter cold. For three days the Union forces besieged Fort Donelson, doing some gallant fighting all along the line, in which Colonel Logan's regiment was constantly engaged. The lamented Ransom and Logan, respectively with the Eleventh and Thirty-first Illinois Infantry, with inflexible courage held their positions notwithstanding they received the heaviest fire of the enemy and sustained the sudden and simultaneous attack of an immense mass of Confederate in- fantry which had been hurled on McClernand's crumbling di- vision at the rieht of Grant's line of investment. It was in the afternoon of the third day, after the naval attack by Foote's gunboats had been repulsed, when the Eleventh and Thirty- first Illinois, the latter commanded by the intrepid Logan, stood like a wall of belching fire against the enemy, until both had nearly exhausted their cartridges and had suffered greatly in killed and wounded,* — among the killed in the Thirty-first Illinois being their lieutenant-colonel (White) and the senior captain (Williamson), and among the wounded Colonel Logan himself, — that Logan, regardless of a severe wound in his left arm and shoulder and a flesh wound in the thigh, his left side streaming with blood, maintained his seat on his horse, and by his bravery and daring and influence over them, rallied his men to fresh exertion and held them in position f until from ex- haustion and loss of blood he was carried from the field. The wounds were so severe that for weeks his life was despaired of. * Of the 606 men of Logan's regiment who went into the fight, but 303 answered to their names the next morning. f It was about this time, when Lieutenant-Colonel White had been killed, and officers and men were falling, killed or wounded, by scores and hundreds, there came a moment when even the wonderful courage of the gallant Thirty-first Illinois seemed to waver. Its colonel, Logan, saw the momentary hesitation, and, with trumpet voice, on the instant, came the words from his lips : "Boys! give us death, but not dishonor!" These words, and the inspiration of Lis flashing eye and martial bearing, steadied his lines at once, and the brave fellows fought better than ever. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 2 ~ In his official reports of the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, General McClernand, commanding the First Division, speaks highly of Colonel Logan's conduct in them. Touching Fort Donelson, McClernand says : Schwartz's battery being left unsupported, by the retirement of the Twenty-ninth, the Thirty-first boldly rushed to its defence, and at the same moment received the combined attack of the forces on the right [under Polk] and of others in front, supposed to have been led by Gen- eral Buckner, The danger was imminent, and calling for a change of disposition adapted to meet it, which Colonel Logan made by forming the right wing of his battalion at an angle with the left. In this order he supported the battery, which continued to play upon the enemy and held him in check until his regiment's supply of ammunition was en- tirely exhausted. The report of Colonel Oglesby of the eighth Illinois, com- manding the First Brigade, also says : Turning to the Thirty-first, which yet held its place in line, I or- dered Colonel Logan to throw back his right, so as to form a crotchet on the right of the Eleventh Illinois. In this way Colonel Logan held in check the advancing foe for some time, under the most destructive fire, while I endeavored to assist Colonel Cruft with his brigade in finding a position on the right of the Thirty-first. It was now four hours since fighting began in the morning. The cartridge-boxes of the Thirty-first were nearly empty. The colonel had been severely wounded, and the lieutenant-colonel, John H. White, had, with some thirty others, fallen dead on the field, and a large number wounded. In this condition Colonel Logan brought off the remainder of his regiment in good order. Says another writer : The annals of the war speak of General Logan as being where dan- ger was the greatest and the blows of death the thickest and most heavy, and no name is inscribed more brightly upon the roll of honor of Donelson. The " unconditional surrender " of Fort Donelson, Feb- ruary 16, 1862, was a heavy shock to the South, and corre- spondingly swelled with joy the Northern heart. 24 LIFE OF LOGAN. At this distance of time it is hard to realize what was en- dured by our Union soldiers at Donelson. The cold was of such intensity that the hands and feet of many of them were frozen. Everything was covered with a thick crust of ice, and the sleet continued to fall heavily and ceaselessly day and night during the siege. The besiegers were, moreover, so close to the fortifications that no fires could be lighted, and neither officers nor men had anything to eat save the insuffi- cient, cold cooked rations in their haversacks. Nor had they anything to protect them from the pitiless driving storm ; and to keep their powder dry taxed their vigilance to the utmost. The following letter exhibits the fact that Colonel Logan's conduct at this siege had attracted the personal attention of General Grant: Headquarters District West Tennessee, Fort Henry, March 14, 1862. Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. : I have been waiting for reports of sub-commanders at the battle of Fort Donelson to make some recommendations of officers for advance- ment for meritorious services. These reports are not yet in, and as the troops under my command are actively engaged, may not be for some time. I therefore take this occasion to make some recommendations of officers who in my opinion should not be neglected. I would particu- larly mention the names of Colonel J. D. Webster, First Illinois Artil- lery ; Morgan L. Smith, Eighth Missouri Volunteers ; W. H. L. Wal- lace, Eleventh Illinois Volunteers ; and John A. Logan, Thirty-first Illinois Volunteers. The two former are old soldiers, and men of de- cided merit. The two latter are from civil pursuits, but I have no hesitation in fully indorsing them as in every way qualified for the po- sition of brigadier-general, and think they have fully earned the posi- tion on the field of battle. There are others who may be equally meritorious, but I do not happen to know so well their services. U. S. Grant, Major- General. For his gallantry in the reduction of Donelson, Colonel Logan was accordingly promoted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers. For some time he was confined by his wounds LOGAN IN THE WAR. 2 c to his bed ; but so impatient was he to return to his com- mand, that, with his wounds still unhealed, he essayed to do so, although unable to wear a coat, as soon as he was able to sit up. He reached his command on the evening of the bat- tle of Shiloh, April 7, 1862, just too late to participate in the engagement — much to his disappointment. GENERAL LOGAN IN COMMAND OF A BRIGADE HIS SERVICES AT AND ABOUT CORINTH GENERAL SHERMAN^ APPRECIATION OF THEM. Being assigned to the command of the First Brigade, Third Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps, General Logan took a distinguished part in the movement against Corinth ; and, had his suggestions been acted upon, that vast fortified encampment, with the enemy encamped therein, would have been captured, instead of being merely occupied after the enemy had evacuated it.* After the occupation of Corinth, General Logan guarded with his brigade the rail- road communications with Jackson, Tenn., of which place he was subsequently given the command, and engaged in re- building the railroad to Jackson and Columbus. General Sherman, in his official report of the siege of Corinth, dated " Camp near Corinth, May 30, 1862," says: Colonel John A. Logan's brigade, of General Judah's division of McClernand's reserve corps, and General Veatch's brigade, of Hurlbut's division, were placed subject to my orders, and took an important part * The over-cautious Halleck, and others of his generals, believed that the noise of in- coming and departing trains within the enemy's lines at Corinth, coupled with the occasional loud cheering of Beauregard's men, indicated the arrival of heavy reinforcements of the enemy, and expected him to come out and offer battle outside his lines. Logan, however, whose troops were on the railroad, was satisfied that an evacuation was going on, because, by listening close to the rails, the difference in the sound caused by the incoming unloaded cars and the outgoing loaded ones was quite distinguishable, and Beauregard's ruse of heavy cheers when the unloaded cars steamed in did not deceive him. Logan therefore suggested an immediate attack on the enemy's position, and asked permission to himself make it with his command. That permission was refused, and the enemy escaped, to the intense chagrin of the "Grand Army" of the Union. 2 6 LIFE OF LOGAN. with my own division in the operations of the two following days, viz., May 2S and May 29, 1862 ; and I now thank the officers and men of those brigades, for the zeal and enthusiasm they manifested and the alacrity they displayed in the execution of every order given. . . . And further, I feel under special obligations to this officer, General Logan, who, during the two days he served under me, held critical ground on my right, extending down to the railroad. All that time he had in his front a large force of the enemy, but so dense was the foliage that he could not reckon their strength save from what he could see in the railroad track. LOGAN SOLICITED TO RETURN TO CONGRESS HIS GRANDLY PATRIOTIC REFUSAL — " I HAVE ENTERED THE FIELD TO DIE, IF NEED BE, FOR THIS GOVERNMENT" HIS ONLY POLITICS, HIS "ATTACHMENT FOR THE UNION." In the summer of 1862, General Logan was warmly urged by his numerous friends and admirers in Illinois to become a candidate for re-election to Congress as a Representative-at- Large, but in a letter addressed to the Secretary of State of Illinois, glowing with the fires of true patriotism, General Lo^an answered : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your complimentary letter of the 18th inst., asking permission to use my name in connection with that of Representative for the Fourteenth Congressional District of the State of Illinois. In reply I would most respectfully remind you that a compliance with your request on my part would be a departure from the settled resolution with which I resumed my sword in defence and for the per- petuity of a Government, the like and blessings of which no other na- tion or age shall enjoy if once suffered to be weakened or destroyed. In making this reply, I feel that it is unnecessary to enlarge as to what were, are, or may hereafter be, my political views, but would sim- ply state that politics of every grade and character whatsoever are now ignored by me, since I am convinced that the Constitution and life of this Republic, which I shall never cease to adore, are in danger. I express all my views and politics when I assert my attachment for the Union. I have no other politics now, and consequently no aspira- tions for civil place and power. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 2 y No ! I am to-day a soldier of this Republic, so to remain, change- less and immutable, until her last and weakest enemy shall have expired and passed away. Ambitious men, who have not a true love for their country at heart, may bring forth crude and bootless questions to agitate the pulse of our troubled nation, and thwart the preservation of this Union ; but for none of such am I. I have entered the field — to die if need be — for this Government, and never expect to return to peaceful pursuits until the object of this war of preservation has become a fact estab- lished. Whatever means it may be necessary to adopt, whatever local inter- est it may affect or destroy, is no longer an affair of mine. If any lo- cality or section suffers or is wronged in the prosecution of the war, I am sorry for it ; but I say that it must not be heeded now, for we are at war for the preservation of the Union. Let the evil be rectified when the present breach has been cemented forever. If the South by her malignant treachery has imperiled all that made her great and wealthy, and it has to be lost, I would not stretch forth my hand to save her from destruction, if she will not be saved by a restoration of the Union. Since the die of her wretchedness has been cast by her own hands, let the coin of her misery circulate alone in her own dominions, until the peace of union ameliorates her forlorn con- dition. By these few words you may readily discern that my political as- pirations are things of the past, and I am not the character of man you seek. No legislation in which I might be suffered to take a feeble part will in my opinion suffice to amend the injury already inflicted upon our country by these remorseless traitors. Their policy for the disso- lution of the Government was initiated in blood, and their seditious blood only can suffice to make amends for the evil done. This Govern- ment must be preserved for future generations in the same mould in which it was transmitted to us, if it takes the last man and the last dollar of the present generation within its borders to accomplish it. For the flattering manner in which you have seen fit to allude to my past services, I return you my sincere thanks ; but if it has been my fortune to bleed and suffer for my dear country, it is all but too little compared to what I am willing again and again to endure : and should fate so ordain it, I will esteem it as the highest privilege a Just Dispenser can award, to shed the last drop of blood in my veins for the honor of that flag whose emblems are justice, liberty, and truth, and which has been, and as I humbly trust in God ever will be, for the risfht. 2 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. In conclusion, let me request that your desire to associate my name with the high and honorable position you would confer upon me be at once dismissed, and some more suitable and worthy person substituted. Meanwhile I shall continue to look with unfeigned pride and admira- tion on the continuance of the present able conduct of our State affairs, and feel that I am sufficiently honored while acknowledged as an hum- ble soldier of our own peerless State. GENERAL LOGAN LEADS THE ADVANCE IN THE NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI CAMPAIGN THE RETURN TO MEMPHIS, TENN. THE CAMPAIGN TO, AND BEFORE, VICKSBURG LOGAN IN COM- MAND OF THE THIRD DIVISION OF M c PHERSON's CORPS PATRIOTIC ADDRESS TO HIS SOLDIERS AT MEMPHIS. From Corinth, General Logan with his matchless men pressed forward, under Grant, to Vicksburg — that " Gibraltar of the Confederacy." It was during Grant's Northern Mis- sissippi Campaign (1862-63) that Logan was promoted to be a Major-General of Volunteers (his commission dating from November 29, 1862). Those who are familiar with the story of that campaign will remember that General Logan's com- mand led the advance all the way, in the toilsome marches and skirmishes, from Corinth down through Holly Springs and Oxford, to the Yocnapatanfa, where the campaign ended. In the attempt to take Vicksburg in the rear, made by General Grant in the fall of 1862, General Logan commanded the First Division of the right wing of the Seventeenth Corps, so denominated, which was organized at Bolivar, Tenn. The command of General Logan in this campaign was the main reliance of the commanding General (U. S. Grant), and to him was he indebted for the discipline and good order in which the troops finally reached Memphis on their return, December 31, 1862. Upon arrival at Memphis, Tenn., the Seventeenth Corps, under orders from the War Department, was organized, Gen- eral Logan being assigned, January 11, 1863, to the command LOGAN IN THE WAR. 2g of its Third Division — which command he continued to hold until after the fall of Vicksburg. Here it was that he issued the following patriotic address to his fellow-soldiers, urging them in a most stirring and spirited manner to fresh exertions for their country, and nerving them for the deeds of desperate daring that were before them : Headquarters Third Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, Memphis, Tenn., February 12, 1863. My Fellow-Soldiers : Debility from recent illness has prevented and still prevents me from appearing among you, as has been my custom and is my desire. It is for this cause I deem it my duty to com- municate with you now, and give you the assurance that your general still maintains unshaken confidence in your patriotism, devotion, and in the ultimate success of our glorious cause. I am aware that influences of the most discouraging and treasonable character, well calculated and designed to render you dissatisfied, have recently been brought to bear upon some of you by professed friends. Newspapers, containing treasonable articles, artfully falsifying the public sentiment at your homes, have been circulated in your camps. Intriguing political tricksters, demagogues, and time-servers, whose cor- rupt deeds are but a faint reflex of their more corrupt hearts, seem determined to drive our people on to anarchy and destruction. They have hoped, by magnifying the reverses of our arms, basely misrepre- senting the conduct and slandering the character of our soldiers in the field, and boldly denouncing the acts of the constituted authorities of the Government as unconstitutional usurpations, to produce general demoralization in the army, and thereby reap their political reward, weaken the cause we have espoused, and aid those arch-traitors of the South to dismember our mighty Republic, and trail in the dust the em- blem of our national unity, greatness, and glory. Let me remind you, my countrymen, that we are Soldiers of the Federal Union, armed for the preservation of the Federal Constitution and the maintenance of its laws and authority. Upon your faithfulness and devotion, heroism and gallantry, depend its perpetuity. To us has been committed this sacred inheritance, baptized in the blood of our fathers. We are sol- diers of a Government that has always blessed us with prosperity and happiness. It has given to every American citizen the largest freedom and the most perfect equality of rights and privileges. It has afforded us se- 3 o LIFE OF IOGAN. curity in person and property, and blessed us until, under its beneficial influence, we were the proudest nation on earth. We should be united in our efforts to put down a rebellion that now, like an earthquake, rocks the nation from State to State and from centre to circumference, and threatens to ingulf us all in one common ruin, the horrors of which no pen can portray. We have solemnly sworn to bear true faith to this Government, preserve its Constitution, and defend its glorious flag against all its enemies and opposers. To our hands has been committed the liberties, the prosperity and happi- ness of future generations. Shall we betray such a trust ? Shall the brilliance of your past achievements be dimmed and tarnished by hesi- tation, discord, and dissension, while armed traitors menace you in front and unarmed traitors intrigue against you in the rear? We are in no way responsible for any action of the civil authorities. We con- stitute the military arm of the Government. That the civil power is threatened and attempted to be paralyzed is the reason for resort to the military power. To aid the civil authorities (not to oppose or ob- struct) in the exercise of their authority, is our office ; and shall we forget this duty, and stop to wrangle and dispute over this or that po- litical act or measure while the country is bleeding at every pore ; while a fearful wail of anguish, wrung from the heart of a distracted people, is borne upon every breeze, and widows and orphans are ap- pealing to us to avenge the loss of their loved ones who have fallen by our side in defence of the old blood-stained banner, and while the Temple of Liberty itself is being shaken to its very centre by the ruth- less blows of traitors, who have desecrated our flag, obstructed our na- tional highways, destroyed our peace, desolated our firesides, and draped thousands of homes in mourning ? Let us stand firm at our posts of duty and of honor, yielding a cheerful obedience to all orders from our superiors, until by our united efforts the Stars and Stripes shall be planted in every city, town, and hamlet of the rebellious States. We can then return to our homes, and through the ballot-box peacefully redress all our wrongs, if any we have. While I rely upon you with confidence and pride, I blush to confess that recently some of those who were once our comrades-in-arms have so far forgotten their honor, their oaths, and their country as to shame- fully desert us, and skulkingly make their way to their homes, where like culprits they dare not look an honest man in the face. Disgrace and ignominy (if they escape the penalty of the law) will not only fol- low them to their dishonored graves, but will stamp their names and lineage with infamy to the latest generation. The scorn and contempt LOGAN IN THE WAR. ^1 of every true man will ever follow those base men, who, forgetful of their oaths, have, like cowardly spaniels, deserted their comrades-in- arms in the face of the foe, and their country in the hour of its greatest peril. Every true-hearted mother or father, brother, sister, or wife, will spurn the coward who could thus not only disgrace himself, but his name and his kindred. An indelible stamp of infamy should be branded upon his cheek, that all who look upon his vile countenance may feel for him the contempt his cowardice merits. Could I believe that such conduct found either justification or excuse in your hearts, or that you would for a moment falter in our glorious purpose of saving the nation from threatened wreck and hopeless ruin, I would invoke from Deity, as the greatest boon, a common grave to save us from such infamy and disgrace. The day is not far distant when traitors and cowards North and South will cower before the indignation of an outraged people. March bravely onward ! Nerve your strong arms to the task of overthrowing every obstacle in the pathway of victory, until with shouts of triumph the last gun is fired that proclaims us a United People under the old flag and one Government ! Patriot soldiers ! This great work accom- plished, the reward for such service as yours will be realized ; the bless- ings and honors of a grateful people will be yours. John A. Logan, Brigadier- General Commanding. CANALLING AT LAKE PROVIDENCE A BOLD PROPOSAL LO- GAN'S MEN " MAN " THE TRANSPORTS THAT RUN THE TER- RIBLE FIRE OF VICKSBURG'S GUNS. From Memphis, General Logan's division was embarked on transports and proceeded to Lake Providence (near Vicksburg), where, amid their watery surroundings, efforts were made to construct the famous canal, until the impatient spirit of leader and men would no longer quietly await the results of the tedious experiment of canal-digging, but boldly proposed to run past the frowning cannon of Vicksburg, in vessels shielded only by bales of cotton piled up on either side to protect the brave fellows who volunteered for the dangerous service. General Lop-an's command moved from Lake Providence February 22, 1S63, reaching Milliken's 3 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. Bend April 25th, and thence proceeded by way of Carthage and Perkins' Plantation to Hard Times Landing, below Grand Gulf. Meanwhile the transports, — manned almost exclusively by volunteers * from Logan's division, — with their valuable freights, and crews of human souls, had, with ar- rowy speed, in the night, swept past the belching batteries of Vicksburg comparatively unharmed by the storms of shot and shell that poured upon them. Having thus secured transports with which the troops could be crossed over the Mississippi River, work was now to commence in real ear- nest and to some purpose. On the morning of May 1st, General Logan's division was ferried across the river in these vessels, and was at once pushed toward Port Gibson, where General McClernand was engaging the enemy, and attempt- ing without success to drive him from his position. THE VICTORY OF FORT GIBSON — LOGAN'S MEN DETERMINE THE BATTLE OF THE BIG BLACK LOGAN FLANKS THE ENEMY, AND DRIVES HIM AGAIN CONSEQUENT EVACUATION OF GRAND GULF THE ROAD TO VICKSBURG NOW OPEN. The official report of General Grant says : McClernand, who was with the right in person, sent repeated mes- sages to me before the arrival of Logan, to send Logan's and Quimby's divisions to him. Osterhaus, of McClernand's corps, did not move the enemy from the position occupied by him on our left until Logan's division of McPherson's corps arrived. However, as soon as the ad- vance of McPherson's corps, Logan's division, arrived, I sent one bri- gade of the division to the left. By the judicious disposition made of this brigade, under the immediate supervision of McPherson and Lo- gan, a position was obtained giving us an advantage which drove the enemy from that part of the field to make no further stand south of Bayou Pierre, and the enemy was here repulsed with a heavy loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners. He was pursued toward Fort Gibson; * " Most 1 f 1 hem were from Logan's division, composed generally of men from the South- ern part of Illinois, and from Missouri. All but two of the steamers were commanded by volunteers from the army, and all but one so manned." — Grant's Memoirs. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 33 but night closing in, and the enemy making the appearance of another stand, the troops slept upon their arms until daylight. Major Stol- brand, with a section of one of General Logan's batteries, had the pleasure of firing the last shot at the retreating enemy across the bridge on the north fork of Bayou Pierre, just at dusk on that day. In this battle the Union loss was 130 killed and 718 wounded. The Union army captured 650 prisoners and 6 field-guns. The enemy acknowledged a loss of 448 killed and wounded, and 384 missing. The Confederate General Pemberton telegraphed that night to General Joseph E. Johnston: A furious battle has been going on since daylight just below Port Gibson. Enemy can cross all his army from Hard Times to Bruins- burg. I should have large re-enforcements. Enemy's movements threaten Jackson, and, if successful, cut off Vicksburg and Port Hud- son. Early on the morning of the 2d, it was found that Port Gibson had been evacuated the previous night, and that the enemy had withdrawn across the two forks of Bayou Pierre and burned the bridges behind him. Badeau, in his " Mili- tary History of U. S. Grant," says: Grant immediately detached one brigade of Logan's division to the left, to engage the attention of the rebels there, while a heavy detail of McClernand's troops were set to work rebuilding the bridge across the South Fork. . . . While this was doing, two brigades of Logan's divi- sion forded the bayou and marched on. . . . Meanwhile another division (Crocker's) of McPherson's corps had been ferried across the Missis- sippi and . . . had come up with the command. . . . Grant now ordered McPherson to push across the bayou and attack the enemy in flank, and in full retreat through Willow Springs, demoral- ized and out of ammunition. McPherson started at once, and before night his two divisions had crossed the South Fork and marched to the North Fork, eight miles farther on. They found the bridge at Grind- stone Ford still burning, but the fire was extinguished and the bridge repaired in the night, the troops passing over as soon as the last plank was laid. This was at 5 a.m. on the 3d. Before one brigade had fin- ished crossing, the enemy opened on the head of the column with ar- 3 34 LIFE OF LOGAN. tillery ; but the command was at once deployed, and the rebels soon fell back, their movement being intended only to cover the retreating force. McPherson followed rapidly, driving them through Willow Springs, and gaining the cross-roads. Here Logan was directed to take the Grand Gulf road, while Crocker continued the direct pursuit. Skirmishing was kept up all day ; the broken country, the narrow, tortuous roads and impassable ravines, offering great facilities for this species of warfare : the enemy availed himself fully of every advantage, contesting the ground with great tenacity. This continued all the way to Hankinson's Ferry, on the Big Black River, fifteen miles from Port Gibson. Several hundred prisoners were taken in the pursuit. At four o'clock in the afternoon McPherson came up with the rebels, and Logan at the same time appearing on their right flank, caused them to move precipitously toward the river* McPherson followed hard, and arrived just as the last of the rebels w r as crossing, and in time to prevent the destruction of the bridge. It being now dark, and the enemy driven across the Big Black, the command was rested for the night. On the morning of the 3d, it was found that the previous night the enemy had evacuated the stronghold of Grand Gulf, with its elaborate and extensive works, after burying or spik- ing his cannon and blowing up his magazines. Thirteen heavy guns thus fell into the hands of the Union army. In a despatch to Sherman, then at Milliken's Bend, Gen- eral Grant wrote on the 3d : Logan is now on the main road from here to Jackson, and McPher- son, closely followed by McClernand, on the branch of the same road from Willow Springs. . . . The road to Vicksburg is now open. THE BATTLE OF RAYMOND — LOGAN'S DIVISION WINS IT "ONE OF THE HARDEST SMALL BATTLES OF THE WAR " THE BAT- TLE OF JACKSON. On May 12th, General Logan, leading the advance, again struck the enemy, under Gregg and Walker, in a clump of timber within two miles of Raymond, assaulted him, and after four hours of hard fighting drove him before the other Union * See also Grant's Memoirs. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 35 troops could come up, with heavy loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners — many throwing down their arms and deserting the Confederate cause. General Logan's division alone partici- pated in this fight. Here again Logan's horse was shot under him while gallantly leading a bayonet charge of the Twenty- third Indiana. General Grant has described the battle of Raymond as " one of the hardest small battles of the war." * And in this battle Logan gained the day by his desperate and personal bravery. The enemy's loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, was 820. On the 14th, General Logan's division participated in the battle of Jackson, Miss., fought outside the entrenched capital of the State, at which McPherson's corps was engaged, and assisted in routing the bulk of the Confederate General Johnston's command, and capturing all his artillery, — seventeen cannon, — the enemy losing, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, 845 men. Grant slept that night in the house which the previous night had been occupied by Johnston. LOGAN OUTFLANKS THE ENEMY AT THE BATTLE OF CHAMPION HILLS AND SECURES VICTORY TO THE UNION ARMS RETREAT AND ROUT OF THE ENEMY " THE MOST COMPLETE DEFEAT OF THE CONFEDERATES SINCE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR." Historians agree that the battle of Champion Hills, fought May 1 6th, was one of the most spirited and hotly contested battles of the war. Badeau thus describes the field and the battle : The enemy was strongly posted, with his left on a high wooded ridge called Champion Hills, over which the road to Edwards Station makes a sharp turn to the south as it strikes the hills. This ridge rises * And, in his Memoirs, Grant says : " McPherson encountered the enemy, five thousand strong with two batteries under General Gregg, about two miles out of Raymond. This was about 2 P.M. Logan was in advance with one of his brigades. He deployed and moved up to engage the enemy. McPherson ordered the road in rear to be cleared of wagons, and the balance of Logan's division, and Crocker's, which was still farther in rear, to come for- 36 LIFE OF LOGAN. sixty or seventy feet above the surrounding country, and is the highest land for many miles round ; the topmost point is bald, and gave the rebels a commanding position for their artillery ; but the remainder of the crest, as well as a precipitous hill to the east of the road, is covered by a dense forest and undergrowth, and scarred with deep ravines, through whose entanglements troops could pass only with extreme dif- ficulty. To the north the timber extends a short distance down the hill, and then opens into cultivated fields on a gentle slope toward Baker's Creek, almost a mile away. The rebel line ran southward along the crest, its centre covering the middle road from Raymond, while the extreme right was on the direct or southern road. The whole line was about four miles long. Midway Hill, so called because midway betwixt Jackson and Vicksburg, — or Champion Hills, so called because Champion was the name of the principal land proprietor of the neigh- borhood, — on the rebel left, was evidently the key to the whole position. Continuous firing had been kept up all the morning between Hovey's skirmishers and the rebel advance ; and by eleven o'clock this grew into a battle. At this time Hovey's division was deployed to move westward, against the hill, the two brigades of Logan supporting him. Logan was formed in the open field, facing the northern side of the ridge, and only about four hundred yards from the enemy ; Logan's front and the main front of Hovey's division being nearly at right angles with each other. As Hovey advanced, his line conformed to the shape of the hill and be- came crescent-like, the concave toward the hill. McPherson now posted two batteries on his extreme right, and well in advance ; these poured a destructive enfilading fire upon the enemy, under cover of which the National line began to mount the hill. The enemy at once replied with a murderous discharge of musketry ; and the battle soon raged hotly all along the line, from Hovey's extreme left to the right of Logan ; but Hovey pushed steadily on, and drove the rebels back six hundred yards, till eleven guns and three hundred prisoners were captured, and the brow of the height was gained. The road here formed a natural forti- fication, which the rebels made haste to use. It was cut through the crest of the ridge at the steepest part, the bank on the upper side com- manding all below ; so that even where the National troops had appar- ward with all despatch. The order was obeyed with alacrity. Logan got his division in position for assault before Crocker could get up, and attacked with vigor, carrying the ene- my's position easily, sending Gregg flying from the field not to appear against our front again until we met at Jackson. ... I regarded Logan and Crocker as being as com- petent division commanders as could be found in or out of the army, and both equal to a much higher command." LOGAN IN THE WAR. ^ ently gained the road, the rebels stood behind this novel breastwork, covered from every fire, and masters still of the whole declivity. These were the only fortifications at Champion Hills, but they answered the rebels well. For a while, Hovey bore the whole brunt of the battle, and after a desperate resistance was compelled to fall back, though slowly and stub- bornly, losing several of the guns he had taken an hour before. But Grant . . . sent in a brigade of Crocker's division, which had just arrived. Those fresh troops gave Hovey confidence, and the height, that had been gained with fearful loss, was still retained. Meanwhile, the rebels had made a desperate attempt on their left to capture the battery in McPherson's corps which was doing them so much damage ; they were, however, promptly repelled by Smith's bri- gade of Logan's division, which drove them back with great slaughter, capturing many prisoners. Discovering now that his own left was nearly turned, the enemy made a determined effort to turn the left of Hovey, precipitating on that commander all his available force ; and, while Logan was carrying everything before him, the closely-pressed and nearly exhausted troops of Hovey were again compelled to re- tire. They had been fighting nearly three hours, and were fatigued, and out of ammunition ; but fell back doggedly, and not far. The tide of battle at this point seemed turning against the National forces, and Hovey sent back repeatedly for support. Grant, however, was momen- tarily expecting the advance of McClernand's four divisions, and never doubted the result. . . . That commander, however, did not arrive ; and Grant, seeing the critical condition of affairs, now directed McPher- son to move what troops he could, by a left flank, around to the enemy's right front, on the crest of the ridge. The prolongation of Logan to the right had left a gap between him and Hovey, and into this the two remaining brigades of Crocker were thrown. The movement was promptly executed. Boomer's brigade went at once into the fight, and checked the rebel advance till Holmes's brigade came up, when a dash- ing charge was made, and Hovey and Crocker were hotly engaged for forty minutes, Hovey recapturing five of the guns he had already taken and lost. But the enemy had massed his forces on this point, and the irregularity of the ground prevented the use of artillery in enfilading him. Though baffled and enraged, he still fought with courage and obstinacy, and it was apparent that the National line was in dire need of assistance. In fact the position was in danger. At this crisis Stevenson's brigade of Logan's division was moved 33 LIFE OF LOGAN. forward at a double quick into a piece of wood on the extreme right of the command ; the brigade moved parallel with Logan's general line of battle, charged across the ravines, up the hill, and through an open field, driving the enemy from an important position, where he was about to establish his batteries, capturing seven guns and several hun- dred prisoners. The main Vicksburg road, after following the ridge in a southerly direction for about a mile, to the point of intersection with the middle Raymond road, turns almost to the west again, running down the hill and across the valley where Logan was now operating, in the rear of the enemy. Unconscious of this immense advantage, Logan swept directly across the road, and absolutely cut off the rebel line of retreat to Edwards Station without being aware of it. At this very juncture, Grant, finding that there was no prospect of McClernand's reaching the field, and that the scales were still balanced at the critical point, thought himself obliged, in order to still further re-enforce Hovey and Crocker in front, to recall Logan from the right, where he was overlapping and outflanking the rebel left. Had the National commander been acquainted with the country, he would of course have ordered Logan to push on in the rear of the enemy, and thus secure the capture or annihilation of the whole rebel army. But the entire region was new to the National troops, and this great opportunity un- known. As it was, however, the moment Logan left the road, the enemy, alarmed for his line of retreat, finding it indeed not only threat- ened, but almost gone, at once abandoned his position in front ; at this crisis a National battery opened from the right, pouring a well-directed fire, and the victorious troops of Hovey and Crocker pressing on, the enemy once more gave way ; the rebel line was rolled back for the third time, and the battle decided. Before the result of the final charge was known, Logan rode eagerly up to Grant, declaring that if one more dash could be made in front, he would advance in the rear, and complete the capture of the rebel army. Grant at once rode forward in person, and found the troops that had been so gallantly engaged for hours withdrawn from their most ad- vanced position, and refilling their cartridge-boxes. Explaining the position of Logan's force, he directed them to use all despatch, and push forward as rapidly as possible. He proceeded himself in haste to what had been Pemberton's line, expecting every moment to come up with the enemy, but found the rebels had already broken and fled from the field. Logan's attack had precipitated the rout, and the battle of Champion Hills was won. The rout of the rebels was complete. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 39 The enemy's loss at Champion Hills was between three thousand and four thousand in killed and wounded, and nearly three thousand prisoners were captured on the field or in the pursuit. Logan alone captured eleven guns and one thousand three hundred prisoners. Some thirty cannon, numerous stands of colors, and large quantities of small- arms and ammunition were among the spoils of this victory. And besides routing the enemy, one of his divisions (Lor- ing's) was entirely cut off from Pemberton's army and never again rejoined it. The pursuit was kept up until night by the Seventeenth Corps — Logan's division reaching a point within three miles of Black River bridge before going into bivouac. The preceding extract from Badeau's work has been given partly because of the descriptive interest of a sanguinary vic- tory in which General Logan was hotly engaged, but mainly to show that he and his command deserve the credit of it. For brilliant charges and deeds of desperate daring no battle of the war excelled it. But it was by Logan's movement on the right that the battle of Champion Hills was won, and the enemy, with Pemberton at the head, so completely routed and demoralized that he hardly stopped in his retreat until he had reached the protecting walls of his stronghold in Vicksburg. It was a terribly bloody battle. When our troops halted along the slopes of Champion Hills, says the Comte de Paris in his " History of the Civil War in America," " the dead and wounded were piled together in such vast numbers, that these soldiers, although tried on many a battle- field, called the place ' The Hill of Death.' ' The same emi- nent and impartial authority says : The battle of Champion Hills, considering the number of troops engaged, could not compare with the great conflicts we have already mentioned, but it produced results far more important than most of those great hecatombs, like Shiloh, Fair Oaks, Murfreesborough, Fredericks- burg, and Chancellorsville, which left the two adversaries fronting each other, both unable to resume the fight. // was the most complete defeat 40 LIFE OF LOGAN. the Confederates had sustained since the commencement of the war. They left on the field of battle from three to four thousand killed and wounded, three thousand able-bodied prisoners, and thirty pieces of artillery. But these figures can convey no idea of the magnitude of the check experienced by Pemberton, from which he could not again recover. . . . This battle was the crowning work of the operations conducted by Grant with equal audacity and skill since his landing at Bruinsburg. In outflanking Pemberton's left along the slopes of Champion Hills he had completely cut off the latter from all retreat north. Notwithstand- ing the very excusable error he had committed in stopping Logan's movement for a short time, the latter had through this manoeuvre secured vic- tory to the Federal army. General Grant, in his report of this battle, uses the fol- lowing language : Logan rode up at this time, and told me that if Hovey could make another dash at the enemy he could come up from where he then was and capture the greater part of their force, which suggestions were acted upon and fully realized. Thus, as we have seen, the enemy was driven in confu- sion and rout from Champion Hills and across the Big Black River, until he found a brief respite within his intrenchments around the city of Vicksburg, with the besieging lines of the Union army around him. THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG, " THE GIBRALTAR OF THE SOUTH " LOGAN AT THE CENTRE — BOMBARDMENT BY LAND AND WATER THE TWO DESPERATE AND BLOODY ASSAULTS. When we consider the wonderful natural strength of that position — truly one of Nature's fastnesses — fortified by a horseshoe-like line of hills, the points of the shoe touching the Mississippi River above and below the city, and remem- ber that every available means at the command of the Con- federacy had been brought to bear to make it invulnerable ; that their most powerful cannon bristled from every hill-top ; that the frowning bluffs were " studded with batteries and LOGAN IN THE WAR. „ seamed with rifle-pits;" that their best soldiery manned their guns ; and when we remember further that the country immediately outside and for miles around was one vast swamp, heavily forested with trees, interwoven with semi- tropical vines and rank parasitic vegetation, not unlike the tropical growth along the Amazon and other South Ameri- can rivers, we are amazed at the result of this famous siege, and feel that our soldiers must have been aided by some supernatural power. " On the morning of the 18th," says the Comte de Paris, in his History, " Pemberton, with all his troops, shut himself up inside of the vast fortifications constructed around Vicks- burg. His forces, including the sick and a very small num- ber of wounded — for those of Champion Hills had all remained on the battlefield — amounted to thirty-three thou- sand men. . . . On the morning of the 19th the invest- ment of Vicksburg was complete. McClernand on the left, McPherson on the centre, and Sherman on the right sur- rounded the place from the Mississippi on the south, to the Yazoo at the north. Pemberton had abandoned all the outer works without a fight. . . . Grant's army, reduced by fighting and rapid marching, did not reach forty thousand men." Says Badeau : " The ground on which the city of Vicks- burg stands is supposed by some to have been originally a plateau, four or five miles long and about two miles wide, and two or three hundred feet above the Mississippi River. This plateau has been gradually washed away by rains and storms, until it is transformed into a labyrinth of sharp edges and deep irregular ravines. The soil is fine, and when cut vertically by the action of the water remains in a perpendicu- lar position for years ; and the smaller and newer ravines are often so deep that their ascent is difficult to a footman, unless he aids himself with his hands. The sides of the declivities are thickly wooded, and the bottoms of the ravines nearly 42 LIFE OF LOGAN. level, except when the streams that formed them have been unusually large." "The whole line was between seven and eight miles long, exclusive of the four miles of rifle-trench and heavy batteries on the water-front. It consisted of a series of de- tached works, on prominent and commanding points, con- nected by a continuous line of trench or rifle-pit. The works were necessarily irregular, from the shape of the ridges on which they were situated, and in only one instance closed at the gorge. They were placed at distances of from seventy- five to five hundred yards from one another. The connect- ing rifle-pit was simple, and generally about breast-high. The ravines were the only ditches, except in front of the detached works, but no others were needed, trees being felled in front of the whole line, and forming in many places entanglements, which under fire were absolutely impassable. . . . The whole aspect of the rugged fastness, bristling with bayonets and crowned with artillery that swept the narrow defiles in every direction, was calculated to inspire new courage in those who came thronging into its recesses and behind its bulwarks, from their succession of disasters in the open field." It was on the morning of the 19th, as has been seen, that Grant's forces, in the order named, completed the investment of Vicksburg, forming his line across these " wooded cliffs and rugged chasms," and it was at 2 p.m. of that day that a concerted and simultaneous assault along the whole line was made upon the enemy's fortifications. In the meantime, the enemy had recovered his spirits, and met the assault with such spirit and energy at all points, that our troops failed to get a footing within his works. It enabled the Union forces, however, to take and hold advanced positions, unveiled the tremendous difficulties that opposed them, developed the en- emy's plan of defence, and at the expense of Federal losses LOGAN IN THE WAR. 43 amounting - to four or five hundred men, demonstrated that it was a serious matter to storm works so well defended at all points. However, both moral and military reasons impelled General Grant to order another general assault along the whole line, to take place on the 226. at 10 a.m., to be sup- ported by the concentrated fire of all the land batteries, and of Porter's mortar-boats and iron-clads on the river side of Vicksburg. "At three o'clock on the morning of the 22d," says Badeau, "the cannonade began from the land side; every available gun was brought to bear on the works ; sharp-shooters at the same time began their part of the action, and nothing could be heard but the continued shriek- ing of shells, the heavy booming of cannon, and the sharp whiz of the minie-balls, as they sped with fatal accuracy toward the devoted town. Vicksburg was encircled by a girdle of fire ; on river and shore a line of mighty cannon poured destruction from their fiery throats, while the mortars played incessantly, and made the heavens themselves seem to drop down malignant meteors on the rebellious stronghold. The bombardment was the most terrible during the siege, and continued without intermission until nearly eleven o'clock, while the sharpshooters kept up such a rapid and galling fire that the rebel cannoneers could seldom rise to load their pieces ; the enemy was thus able to make only ineffectual re- plies, and the formation of the columns of attack was undis- turbed." At the appointed time to the minute, the assault was made — at the cost of three thousand Union soldiers killed or wounded — and failed completely, despite the hero- ism of all who took part in it. Says Badeau : " This assault was, in some respects, unparalleled in the wars of modern times. No attack on fortifications of such strength had ever been undertaken by the great European captains unless the assaulting party outnumbered the defenders by at least three to one." 44 LIFE OF LOGAN. THE SIEGE-WORKS LOGAN BLOWS UP THE " MALAKOFF " OF VICKSBURG THE FIGHT IN THE CRATER — LOGAN'S CLOSE APPROACHES HE ADVISES A FINAL ASSAULT ARMISTICE AND SURRENDER LOGAN LEADS THE ENTRY MILITARY GOVERNOR OF VICKSBURG, AND RECEIVES A MEDAL. The assaults having failed, reinforcements were sent for, and the Union army, in the order previously named, sat down to a regular siege, the details of which would be too tedious for the purposes of this sketch. Suffice it to say, that General Logan was very conspicuous during this memorable siege, often inspiring his men to greater valor by exposing his own person to the hot fire of the enemy.* He commanded McPherson's centre opposite Fort Hill, the Malakoff of Vicksburg. It was his command that tapped and mined this key to the Confederate Sebastopol.f It was his com- mand that, after the successful explosion, stormed the gap- ing breach and fought the hand-to-hand fight in the bloody crater. So greatly did he distinguish himself, that a powerful battery was named after him, " Battery Logan," and Grant was often with him at his quarters for observation and consulta- tion. Here he was again wounded by a bullet in the thigh.J He was one of the two Generals, out of the council of thir- * For one stirring instance of this exposure, see Part VI. + "During the siege of Vicksburg," said a man who served under McPherson, " Logan commanded adivision of McPherson's corps, which formed the right centre of the Union line. Logan's division occupied the Jackson road. The rebel line of intrenchments crossed this road at an elevated point, which was strongly fortified and known as Fort Hill. Here a mine had been run under the rebel works, whose attempts to countermine were unsuccessful. On the afternoon of June 25th, the mine was exploded, blowing the top of the hill com- pletely off and leaving a crater where it had stood. Another effect was to toss into the air a party of men who were at work in the rebel countermine. Some of them came down still alive, inside the Union lines. Among them was a negro, who was more badly scared than hurt. He was brought to Logan's headquarters, where somebody asked him how high he went. " 'Dunno, Massa, but I specks 'bout tree mile.' " This sable hero remained at headquarters until the end of the siege, and proudly marched into Vicksburg in the wake of Logan's division when it occupied the captured rebel stronghold on July 4, 1863."— Army and Navy Register, January I, 1887. % For Logan's own characteristic description of this incident, see Part VI. EXPLOSION OF CRATER AT FORT HILL, VICKSBURG.— Page 44. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 45 teen, who, when the approaches at ten different points had reached so near to the enemy's works that the men of the two armies conversed across the lines, on July 1st advised Gen- eral Grant to again assault the enemy's works, whereupon Grant determined to make the final assault on July 6th. But in the meantime, July 3d, Pemberton proposed an armistice with a view to arranging terms for the capitulation of the great fortress. It was in front of Logan's headquarters that the famous interview between Pemberton and Grant was had at three o'clock that same afternoon, at which Logan was pres- ent. It was Logan's column also that, on the Fourth of July, 1863, was the first to enter the vast conquered stronghold. Says the Comtede Paris, in his interesting history of this ter- rible and bloody siege : " Logan's division was the first to en- ter Vicksburg ; " and he adds : " // had fully deserved this honor. Grant rode at the head." Says Badeau : "Logan's division was one of those which had approached nearest the rebel works, and now was the first to enter the town. It had been heavily e?igaged in both assaults, and was fairly entitled to this honor. The Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry marched at the head of the column, and placed its battle-torn flag on the court-house of Vicksburg. Grant rode into town, with his staff, at the head of Logan's division." But no history yet written has done full justice to Logan's great services during this remarkable siege, the result of which was the surrender to the Union arms of 3 1,600 men, including 2,153 officers of whom 15 were generals, and 172 cannon, — up to that time " the largest capture of men and material ever made in war"* — the immediate fall of Port Hudson, and the opening of the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. Grant, however, recognized that to him was due the * See Badeau' s Military History of Ulysses S. Grant, p. 386, vol. iii. Grant, in his Mem- oirs, says: "Logan's division, which had approached nearest the rebel works, was the first to march in ; and the flag of one of the regiments of his division was soon floating over the court-house." 46 LIFE OF IOGAN. command of the fallen city, and Logan was made its Military Governor. His valor was fitly recognized in the presentation, made to him by the Board of Honor of the Seventeenth Army Corps, of a gold medal inscribed with the names of the nine battles in which up to this time he had been most distin- guished for heroism and generalship. A MILITARY INTERLUDE LOGAN TAKES THE STUMP IN SUPPORT OF THE LINCOLN ADMINISTRATION — HE ATTACKS " THE ENEMY IN THE REAR " HIS ELOQUENT APPEALS TO THE PATRIOTISM OF THE NORTH TO STAND BY THE GOVERNMENT AND ITS ARMIES— THE GOOD THEY DID TO " THE CAUSE." Having inaugurated and perfected the administration of affairs at Vicksburg, General Logan, at the suggestion of his superiors,* took a short leave of absence for a visit to the North, where he frequently addressed large assemblies of his fellow-citizens in speeches of fiery eloquence and burning zeal and devotion to the cause of the Union. That year (1863) was one of great importance to the future of the Government in a civil as well as a military point of view. Mr. Lincoln had issued his Proclamation of Emancipation, a measure which the Northern sympathizers with the South were slow to indorse. Hence it was that it was thought desirable to have Logan spend a short time in the canvass prior to the elections of that year. He accordingly took the stump in Illi- nois and advocated the election of the Republican ticket and the carrying out of the emancipation of every slave in the Union. While thus engaged in fighting Copperheads in the rear, it was, that in his Carbondale speech of July 31, 1863, when accused by a set of men, who once claimed to be his friends, with having forgotten his party, he turned upon them in all the fierceness of patriotic anger, exclaiming, " I am not a politician to-day, and I thank God for it ! I am not like * President Lincoln himself requested it. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 47 those who cling to party as their only hope." In his Chi- cago speech of August 10, 1863, alluding to the taunt that he was an "Abolitionist," he said: If every man in this country is called an Abolitionist that is willing to fight for and sustain his government, let him be called so. If, be- longing to the United States and being true and valiant soldiers, meet- ing the steel of Southern revolutionists, marching to the music of this Union, loving the flag of our country and standing by it in its severest struggles — if that makes us Abolitionists, let all of us be Abolitionists. If it makes a man an Abolitionist to love his country, then I love my country, am willing to live for it and willing to die for it. If it makes a man an Abolitionist to love and revere that flag, then, I say, be it so. If it makes a man an Abolitionist to love to hear the " Star-Spangled Banner " sung, and be proud to hear that such words were ever penned, or could ever be sung upon the battle-field by our soldiers, then I am proud to be an Abolitionist, and I wish to high Heaven that we had a million more : then our rebellion would be at an end, and peace would again fold her gentle wings over a united people, and the old Union, the old friendship, again make happy the land where now the rebel flag flaunts dismally in the sultry Southern air. Alluding, in the same great speech, to Northern Copper- heads, he said : Now I want to ask you, how is it possible for any man in a country like this to be disloyal to his Government ? How is it possible that any man in this country can conceive the thought or idea of sympathiz- ing with rebellion against such a government as this ? . . . Where is the cause for it ? Where is the reason of it ; where the justification ? There is none to be found — not one ; and if any man becomes disloyal, it is because there are devilish designs and corruptions at his heart. My countrymen, let us look back for a few years and view the pros- perity and happiness that blessed all our land ; and then cast your eyes around and see the condition of our country now. Do not ask your- selves who is President, or what may be his politics ; but ask, Have we not hitherto had a good and beneficent government ? And if so, have Ave not the same government yet ? Your answer must be in the affirma- tive ; and, my friends, if we are but true to ourselves, true to our cause, true to the principles we have been educated in from our earliest in- fancy, we shall have that government still. Turn, if you please, your thoughts to the many sanguinary battles 4 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. of the Revolution. See what it cost our sires to establish this govern- ment ! Did they not pour out their blood freely as water to accom- plish this, to give us this priceless heritage of national liberty and in- dependence, under a form of government that should exist forever ? Consider these sacred remembrances of those illustrious men, and then tell me whether it is worth preserving — tell me whether this rebellion, begun in infamy, perjury, and crime, carried on by blood, pillage, and treason, and to end, if successful, in destroying forever the last hope of mankind— tell me if this shall succeed ? [Cries of " No, never ! "] In all these facts we may realize a lesson clearly pointing out our duty. It is to lav fast hold of that old flag, keep step to the music of the Union, unfurl its ample folds, and with a heart of courage, a will that knows no faltering or dismay, let it flutter over every burg, and wave over every town and hamlet, until all traitors, like the wicked prince of Babylon, shall smite their knees in terror and dismay, as if the handwriting were upon the wall. Let them know that they must bow before it or kiss its untarnished folds, and swear, by all that is great and good, never to violate its sanctity or infringe a right it repre- sents, — let this be done and all will be well. And I appeal to and en- treat you all, my countrymen, by all that you hold sacred ; by the glorious memories of the past ; by the once bright hopes of the fut- ure ; by the memory of the gallant ones who have fallen on the gory fields of the South ; by the wounded and suffering who still languish in our midst ; by the sorrow and mourning that this wicked rebellion has brought upon our once happy and favored land, to be faithful, vigi- lant, untiring, unswerving ; determined, come what may, to dare to be men and do what is right. Stand by your country in all her trials, at every hazard, or at any cost. Let it not be said that those glorious boys who now sleep beneath the red clay of the South or the green sod of our own loved State have died in vain. Let those who are traducing the soldiers of the Govern- ment know the enormity of their crime and their error — try to reclaim them and bring them back to duty and to honor. If they heed not your appeals, if they still persist in their error and heresies, if they will not aid in maintaining the Government and laws that protect them, and continue in their wicked aid and encouragement to this rebellion— send them to the other side where they belong ; for the man who can live in this peaceful, happy, and prosperous land and not be loyal and true to it, ought, like Cain, to be branded by an indelible mark, and banished forever from his native paradise. No traitor, no sympathizer, no man who can lisp a word in favor of this rebellion, or impair the chances of the Union cause, is fit for any other ruler than Jeff Davis. He should LOGAN IN THE WAR. 49 be put in front of the Union army, where he will get justice. [Ap- plause.] The man that can to-day raise his voice against the Constitution, the laws of the Government, with the design of injuring or in any way obstructing their operation, should, if I could pass sentence upon him, be hung fifty cubits higher than Haman, until his body blackened in the sun and his bones rattled in the wind. In bidding you good-night — I trust I do so to loyal, good, true- hearted citizens and patriots, who love their country — it is in the hope that you all may reflect upon the duties of all men to their country in the hour of peril, and determine with renewed zeal and fervor to o-ive such aid and assistance to the Government and army of the United States, in the prosecution of this war, as will cause that banner again to float in triumph upon every hill and mountain top, and in every vale, from the North to the South, from the East to the West. The cogent effect of his many eloquent and tellino- speeches — some of which were reported in full, and largely quoted from, by papers all over the country — was to cause many deserters, who had abandoned the army on account of the Proclamation of Emancipation, to return to their regi- ments ; despondent people took fresh courage ; faith in the final triumph of our arms seemed to take possession of every one; copperheads were dismayed and abashed ; and the re- turns of the November elections removed all fears of want of support by the people for President Lincoln's policy. LOGAN IN COMMAND OF THE FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS HE ORDERS AS ITS CORPS-BADGE A CARTRIDGE-BOX AND " FORTY ROUNDS " THE ADVANCE ON ATLANTA — THE STUBBORN BAT- TLE of resaca — logan's victorious attack on the en- emy's FLANK. In November, 1863, General Logan succeeded General McPherson in the command of the Fifteenth Army Corps * — the corps which Grant himself, and Sherman, as well as * "I determined, therefore, before I started back, to have Sherman advanced to my late position, McPherson to Sherman's in command of the department, and Logan to the com- mand of McPherson's corps. These changes were all made on my recommendation and without hesitation." — Grant's Memoirs. 5 o LIFE OF LOGAN. McPherson, had successively commanded — the corps which subsequently, by Logan's order, adopted as its corps-badge a cartridge-box, with the significant legend, " Forty Rounds" — and spent the ensuing winter at Huntsville, Ala., preparing for the campaign before Atlanta. Who can picture in their true colors the scenes, marches, trials, battles, and sufferings endured in the march to and during the siege of and movements around that rock-root- ed stronghold ? Every approach to it had been defended, and on its rugged mountain-walls — to scale which were like climbing a precipice under a torrent of leaden hail — frowned numberless guns. Early in May, 1864, General Logan, with his army corps, joined the advancing columns of the Grand Military Division of the Mississippi, which, under General Sherman, was com- mencing the campaign. It must be understood at the outset that the Army of the Tennessee under McPherson — compris- ing the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Corps, respec- tively commanded by Generals Logan, Dodge, and Blair — was during this entire campaign employed, in the language of General Sherman, as "the snapper of the whip with which he proposed to punish the enemy ; " and its movements to the right and left of the other armies, constantly reaching and occupying the most difficult and perilous positions, en- tailed upon its several commanding officers the most exhaust- ive, delicate, and arduous duties. While the main army, under the immediate supervision of General Sherman, was confronting the enemy at Dalton and Buzzard's Roost, the first flank movement of the series made by the Army of the Tennessee was to the right, through Snake Creek Gap. This attempt to break the rail- road to Resaca, and thus cut off the retreat of the enemy failed, because the place was found so completely fortified that it required finally the best efforts of Sherman's whole army to dislodge him from that position. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 5I The combined movement against Resaca was made on May 13, 1863, General Logan's corps leading the advance of the Army of the Tennessee. The scene and movement are thus described by an officer* of McPherson's staff: Logan moved first, and drew the first fire. In front of his Sec- ond Division was an open field, in which were the enemy's skirmishers ; across in the woods his line of battle. At the bugle the division fell into line of battle, deployed skirmishers, and swept across the field, driving the enemy in splendid style. General Logan accompanied the line. At the same time, Garrard, who had fallen back of the main road to allow Morgan L. Smith to move to the right, moved on the double-quick to the left of Osterhaus, the two divisions pushing into the thick wood on the left of the Second. Dodge moved his corps from the ferry road down through the forest to fill up the space be- tween the Fifteenth Corps and the Oostanaula River — his Fourth Division, under Veatch, having the advance. After crossing the field, General M. L. Smith entered the wood and pushed rapidly for the hills in his front ; and the whole Fifteenth Corps then suddenly moved for- ward, driving the enemy for a mile and a half, until the corps were in possession of the hills which they had been ordered to take. The re- mainder of the afternoon was occupied in intrenching the line, putting batteries in position, with skirmishers and pickets constantly exchang- ing shots in the meantime. The next day about noon General Logan received orders to make an assault upon the rebel lines in his front. He directed the assault to be made by one brigade from each of the First and Second Divisions — General Charles R. Wood's brigade of the First, and General Giles A. Smith's of the Second. The remainder of the command were placed in position to give such immediate support to the charging party as circumstances might require. General Logan was in front, busy along the line. It being very difficult to • cross the creek which ran between the attacking column and the enemy, the troops were carried to the opposite bank on logs, and any way they best could, under cover of a heavy fire from the batteries. It was six o'clock when the skirmishers were advanced to the foot of the hill, and commenced driving the enemy. At the order of General Logan, the brigade sprang up from the bank under which they were covered, deployed, and marched for- ward double-quick. Very soon, strong Confederate forces, displaying Colonel Clark. 52 LIFE OF LOGAN. seven regimental colors, were discovered moving in column by regi- ments. The whole force of the two brigades of General Logan was deployed in front. The Confederate column would strike it in a few minutes. If it broke our lines the position was gone and the brigades lost. At this moment Logan hurried along the front. His command reserved its fire until the enemy was within sixty yards. Then it fired. The enemy's column staggered, fell back, re-formed, and renewed the assault. Again he was repulsed, but again re-formed and made a last attempt to turn Logan's flank. He was again driven back with great loss, and, under cover of the night, — for it was then dark, — left the field in possession of General Logan's troops, who advanced and placed the flag of the Fifty-seventh Ohio on the abandoned redoubt. At two o'clock in the morning the enemy had abandoned Resaca. The loss of the Fifteenth Corps was something over 300 men, while the enemy admitted casualties of over 2,500. Thus ended the first fight of any moment in the Atlanta campaign. Another and perhaps more graphic account of this fight, by a participant in it, is as follows : General Logan advanced against the main works of the enemy cov- ering Resaca and the bridges across the Oostanaula. The first day of the engagement, May 13th, Logan came up with the enemy, in consid- erable force, about two miles from Resaca. He steadily drove the enemy before him, carrying Camp Creek Hills, a strong position over- looking the town of Resaca, the railroad, and bridges over the river. The main body of the enemy fell back to a low range of fortified hills, about one-half mile distant, over a marshy bottom, nearly clear of standing timber, but full of fallen tree-trunks and thickets, and inter- sected with miry sloughs. The next day, May 14th, sharp skirmishing and heavy artillery practice were kept up from both sides. About six o'clock p.m. the advance was sounded, and Logan's gallant men waded Camp Creek with their arms and equipments held above their heads, and started at a double-quick over the difficult ground, followed by the cheers of their fellow-soldiers on the Camp Creek Hills. The rebel infantry poured in from the hills in front a destructive and well-directed fire, and the artillery from their forts opened in one continuous roar. But neither thicket nor slough, nor shot nor shell, diverted for a mo- ment the attention of the brave stormers from their objective point. Without slackening their speed or firing a shot, they pressed resistlessly forward until they planted their colors on the conquered hills. As this position commanded the enemy's works, the bridges over the Oos- LOGAN IN THE WAR. 5 , tanaula, a determined effort was made to retake it. Heavy columns, with fixed bayonets, advanced up to the very crest of the hill ; but they were met by a fire which swept them entirely from the front, defeated and disheartened. The fighting did not end until 10 p.m. General Lo- gan lost 102 killed, 512 wounded, and 14 missing. The enemy sustained a loss, in killed and wounded, estimated at 1500, and 92 taken prisoners. During the entire day of the 15th, skirmishing and artillery-firing was kept up with more or less vigor. Logan disposed his artillery so as to command the railroad bridge and town of Resaca, and thus hold the enemy entirely at his mercy. During the night of the 15th of May the enemy evacuated his entire line, retreating southward. Logan entered the town of Resaca at daylight on the morning of the 16th, pressing the enemy's rear-guard so closely that he did not succeed in burning more than one of the bridges over the Oostanaula behind him. During the three days and nights in front of Resaca, General Logan never left his men for a moment either to eat or sleep. This instance of Logan's untiring vigilance is but a fair example of his whole military career, and may be regarded as one of the principal reasons of his great and unvarying success as a military leader. THE BATTLE OF DALLAS LOGAn's CORPS BRILLIANTLY REPULSE REPEATED CHARGES OF HARDEE's VETERAN CORPS LOGANS GALLANT BEARING AT A CRITICAL MOMENT HE IS AGAIN WOUNDED. Still moving on the right, at Dallas, May 27th, Logan came up with the enemy in force, and at 4 p.m. went into position beyond the town, the whole rebel army confronting him. No time was lost in closing up his line and preparing for any attack that might be made, as the enemy was all the time endeavoring to feel his line, and not a moment passed without shots between the skirmishers. On May 28th, Hardee's corps, 23,000 strong, moved upon Logan's front, and then ensued one of the severest struggles of the campaign. Never did men fight more desperately than did the enemy on this occasion, to drive Logan from his posi- tion, as the field of battle after the contest plainly showed. 54 LIFE OF LOGAN. At its close General Logan found five color-bearers dead in their places. In this battle Logan had no time to get up his artillery, and, in this most brilliant repulse of the repeated attacks of the enemy, relied almost entirely upon his mus- ketry. The report states that he was himself on that day a host, riding along the entire line with an electric word for each brave regiment, swinging his hat, and cheering - when the bullets rained thickest, his strong voice rising high above the roar of the fight. The splendid enthusiasm of the leader inspired the troops with a like temper, if such inspiration were needed, and insured their invincibility had it been for a mo- ment doubtful. " They are more than we," said the General, " but we can whip them every time — every fifteen minutes a day." One who witnessed this battle says of it : General Hardee's veteran corps made five or six assaults in column of regiments, which were bravely met by the Fifteenth Corps. Once the enemy broke our line and surrounded two pieces of artillery, but was not suffered to lay hands on the coveted guns. No soldier who witnessed the battle of Dallas will ever forget how grandly Logan looked, as with uncovered head he dashed down the line on his black war-horse, amid the thickest of the fight. One exultant cheer went up from the soldiers at this daring act of their chief, and, fired with the inspiration of the moment, they retook the guns and drove the enemy from the field. The enemy's loss must have been heavy, as over three hundred of his dead were left on the field. General Logan received a wound in the arm. Another, — Staff-Surgeon Duncan, — recently* said: At Dallas we thought he had an amulet which protected him from harm. During the fight at that place General Logan mounted his horse and rode down through a perfect shower of bullets on a Confederate battery. It seemed certain death. As he waved his sword in the air his ragged shirt showed the red one underneath. The men saw it, and all along the line the words ran, " Black Jack's wounded." The thought * After tearfully viewing the remains of his old General as they lay in state under the dome of the National Capitol. I LOGAN IN THE WAR. 55 gave us strength, and with a cheer we charged, captured the battery, and turned certain defeat into victory. He always had that sort of in- fluence over his men. The enemy's loss was unusually heavy. Three several times he attacked, and was as often repulsed. Logan's loss was 23S, and he took 150 prisoners. At Dallas also occurred a night attack, which was very brilliant and beautiful to behold, — a streaming line of fire along the whole front, which, belching from musketry and artillery, lit up with a lurid glare the whole sky, — but accom- plished nothing save loss of sleep to the tired soldiers. The Dallas fight was the third of three successive attacks of the enemy since the opening of the campaign, south of the Etowah, up to the evening of May 28th. On the 25th, Hooker was engaged in the centre ; on the 27th, Wood on the left flank ; but the only real punishment the enemy re- ceived was on the 28th, from General Logan. On the 30th, while pointing out to Generals Sherman and McPherson the position of the enemy, Logan was again wounded by a shot through the left arm, but, with his arm in a sling, continued in the field. The same bullet, after hitting Logan, struck Colonel Taylor in the breast, disabling him. THE BATTLE OF BIG KENESAW MOUNTAIN THE DESPERATE ASSAULT UPON THE IMPREGNABLE FACE OF LITTLE KENESAW MOUNTAIN — WONDERFUL DISCIPLINE OF OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS OF THE WEST UNPARALLELED HEROISM OF LOGAN AND HIS MEN — ON THROUGH MARIETTA AND DECATUR TO THE FRONT OF ATLANTA. In the forward movement of our army which followed the battle of Dallas, and the consequent evacuation of his works by and the retreat of the enemy, Logan advanced on the main Marietta road, coming up with the enemy in full force be- tween Big Shanty and Kenesaw Mountain. Sharp skirmish- ing and artillery practice ensued, and was kept up night and 56 LIFE OF LOGAN. day, almost without interruption, for three weeks, the enemy falling back from one line of works to another, until his line, in Logan's front, rested on the crest of Big Kenesaw Moun- tain. During this time the only engagement worthy of note took place on June 15th, when Logan charged against the enemy's right flank, driving him, amid blood and sweat and slaughter, from his position, killing and wounding many, and taking 350 prisoners, 22 of whom were commissioned officers. On June 26th, Logan moved out from his position and relieved the Fourteenth Corps in front of Little Kenesaw Mountain. On June 27th, the Army of the Tennessee gave the strongest proof exhibited during the campaign, of the thor- ough discipline and complete and unqualified obedience to orders which characterized its commanders and soldiers. Or- dered by General Sherman to carry the impregnable position of the enemy at Little Kenesaw Mountain, Logan here made one of the most daring, desperate, and heroic charges of the war. Promptly at eight o'clock in the morning, General Logan moved to the attack, and after an hour and a quarter had cleared two lines of the most obstinate abatis, carried a line of earthworks at a charge, followed the route of the enemy up his rugged stronghold through a murderous cross- fire of artillery and a perfect storm of bullets, conquered every obstacle, planted the flag at the foot of an insurmount- able array of cliffs, threw up defences of logs and stones, and held the line despite the stubborn efforts of the enemy to dis- lodge him.* The average perpendicular height of the preci- pice against which the charge was made was thirty feet. Along the verge of this the enemy had drawn his line of bat- tle, and his troops, as ours approached, hurled down rocks, * "I was with General Logan all through the war," said a military-looking man on the rear end of a Madison Street car, last evening, "and in all that time I never saw him shrink in battle. I used to think Hancock led a charmed life, but Logan's contempt for singing and screeching lead was even more pronounced than that of the great West Point soldier. While the battle of Kenesaw Mountain was in progress, I saw Logan ride at full speed in front of our lines when the bullets seemed to be falling thicker than hail. Bare- LOGAN AT LITTLE KENESAW MOUNTAIN -Pages 56-57. LOGAN IN THE WAR. ^ clubs, and every conceivable sort of missile that could do our men injury. As Logan and his brave followers attempted to scale the heights of this grim mountain, under the broiling sun, every step was like walking into the yawning pits of Dante's " Inferno." Line after line of his men were swept away by the fiery blast above them, till it seemed that all who dared approach must be mowed down. When he reached this perpendicular rocky barrier and saw his bravest and best bleeding and dying, and realized the utter impossi- bility of dislodging the enemy from his rocky fastness, the great tears rolled down brave Logan's face. Nearly every regimental commander of his storming column was either killed or wounded. Logan's escape untouched on this occa- sion was little short of miraculous. His loss in this terrible assault was 60 officers and 400 men killed and wounded. It was not, however, barren of results. During the night of July 3d the enemy evacuated his entire line, and Logan en- tered Marietta early on the morning of the 4th, capturing several hundred prisoners. The same day Logan moved his command to Nicks-jack Creek, on the right of the army, where the day was celebrated by an artillery fight with John- ston's rear-guard while that general was safely and quietly moving across the Chattahoochee toward Atlanta. After several days' skirmishing with the enemy, Logan moved to the extreme left, crossing the Chattahoochee, by the bridge, at Roswell, built by Dodge, and proceeded thence to the Augusta Railroad, near Stone Mountain, a distance of fifty miles. After effectually destroying the railroad at this point, Logan moved his command, by way of Decatur, to the im- mediate front of the enemy's stronghold, Atlanta, where, after a severe fight, contesting with the enemy the range of headed, powder-stained, and his long, black hair fluttering in the breeze, the General looked like a mighty conqueror of mediaeval days. He did not know what danger was. Standing upright in the stirrups of his saddle, I have seen him plunge to the head of a charging column, and bury himself in the smoke and flame of the enemy's guns." — Chicago Herald. 5 8 LIFE OF IOGAN. hills overlooking it, he arrived and went into position July 21st, throwing the first Union shells into that city. General Logan occupied on the night of the 21st an in- trenched position, his right being the Army of the Ohio un- der General Schofield, and on his left the Seventeenth Corps under Blair. The left flank was to have been occupied by General Dodge, commanding the Sixteenth Corps, who had been left out on the march of the preceding day by the con- nection of the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps of the Army of the Tennessee. The cavalry command which was cover- ing the flanks of the Army of the Tennessee, reporting to General McPherson, had been, by Sherman's orders, sent off to destroy a bridge near Covington, thus leaving the left flank "in air." The trains were stopped at Decatur, guarded by Sprague of Ohio with a brigade. The severe fighting for the position which the Army of the Tennessee occupied, and which it did not secure until dark on the 21st, led the commanding officers of that army to believe that the enemy was in force in their immediate front, and Generals Logan and Blair made disposition of their troops, under direction of General McPherson, accordingly. THE GREAT BATTLE OF ATLANTA THE DEATH OF THE GALLANT McPHERSON THE HEROIC LOGAN SUCCEEDS HIM — TAKING COMMAND OF AN ARMY FLANKED IN FRONT AND REAR, WITH ITS IDOLIZED COMMANDER KILLED, AND PANIC IMPENDING, LOGAN CONVERTS THREATENED DISASTER INTO VICTORY. Then came the battle of Atlanta, the bloodiest fought in the West, and one of the decisive battles of the war. The old soldiers who were there will never forget it, nor Logan, their triumphant chieftain — that heroic soul Who firmly stood where waves of blood Swept over square and column, And traced his name with bayonet-flame In Glory's crimson volume ! LOGAN IN THE WAR. 59 On battle-field our nation's shield, His voice was Freedom's slogan ! And Victory leapt wild, for she Had lent her sword to Logan ! It was July 22, 1864. Hood had succeeded Johnston, and McPherson, finding himself flanked, was riding to the left, when he met his death. The command of the flanked Army of the Tennessee at once devolved on Logan. Sur- geon Welch, of the Fifty-third Illinois, describes what fol- lowed, thus : " General Logan, who then took command, on that famous black stallion of his, became a flame of fire and fury, yet keeping wondrous method in his inspired mad- ness. He was everywhere ; his horse covered with foam, and himself hatless and begrimed with dust ; perfectly com- prehending the position ; giving sharp orders to officers as he met them, and planting himself firmly in front of fleeing columns, with revolver in hand, threatening, in tones not to be mistaken, to fire into the advance did they not instantly halt and form in order of battle. ' He spake and it was done.' . . . The battle was resumed in order and with fury — a tempest of thunder and fire — a hail-storm of shot and shell. And when night closed down the battle was ended, and we were masters of the field. Some of the regiments that went into that sanguinary conflict strong came out with but thirty men, and another which went in in the morning with two hundred came out with but fifteen ! But thousands of the enemy bit the dust that day, and, though compelled to fight in front a?id rear, our arms were crowned with victory ! " Such, in brief, was the battle of Atlanta. But its details are of such consuming- interest that it demands a more extended description. Very early on the morning of the 22d, Lieutenant-Colo- nel Willard Warner, of General Sherman's staff, reached the headquarters of General McPherson and said to the latter : " General Sherman believes that the enemy has evacuated 6o LIFE OF LOGAN. Atlanta, and desires you to move rapidly forward beyond the city toward East Point, leaving General Dodge of the Six- teenth Corps upon the railroad to destroy it effectually." This communication was received by McPherson with a great deal of surprise, and he expressed, without reserve, his doubts as to the correctness of General Sherman's informa- tion. However, the order was issued by him to General Loo-an to carry out the instructions received from Sherman, in the following words : Three and a half miles east of Atlanta, Ga., July 22, 1864. Major-Genera! John A. Logan, commanding Fifteenth Army Corps: The enemy having evacuated their works in front of our lines, the supposition of Major-General Sherman is that they have given up Atlanta and are retreating in the direction of East Point. You will immediately put your command in pursuit to the south and east of Atlanta, without entering the town. You will take a route to the left of that taken by the enemy, and try to cut off a portion of them while they are pressed in the rear and on our right by Generals Scho- field and Thomas. Major-General Sherman desires and expects a vigorous pursuit. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed) James B. McPherson, Major- General. To satisfy himself, McPherson immediately ordered his horse, and, with his staff, rode down to the headquarters of General Logan, and talked over the instructions he had al- ready sent him in writing. Before he reached Logan's head- quarters, however, there was firing exchanged between the pickets of our forces and the enemy. In a moment Gen- eral McPherson was convinced that General Sherman was mistaken in the supposition that the enemy had evacuated Atlanta. He therefore instructed General Logan, who had already prepared his troops for march, to go into position for battle, regardless of the order earlier issued, which later in- structions General Logan immediately commenced to carry LOGAN IN THE WAR. 6 1 out, his command going into line under fire.* The order was also handed to General Blair, and General Dodge was directed to leave the railroad, and, with all despatch possible, take up his position on the left of the Seventeenth Corps in order to protect that flank, which was even then being turned by the enemy. So completely had the commanding general been misled that, in the absence of the cavalry under Garrard upon McPherson's flank, it became necessary for the order- lies and clerks at headquarters to take guns and form them- selves into a picket-guard to keep off the enemy's skirmishers until the headquarters of the Army of the Tennessee could be removed to a place of safety in the front. In the meantime McPherson had ridden over to Sher- man's headquarters and reported to him the disposition that he had made of his troops in the morning ; secured the as- sent of Sherman to his course, and then rode back to see that his own orders to Logan, Blair, and Dodge were being promptly and correctly carried out. The exposed position of the Seventeenth Corps, before referred to, had not been covered, when McPherson, about noon (the firing along the line having become general), rode out almost alone, his staff all being occupied in executing his previous orders. In passing through a narrow bridle-path, McPherson came upon a body of the enemy's troops — a stray company from Pat Claiborne's division of Hardee's corps — lying down in the woods, who, upon seeing him approach, rose up, the captain (as he afterward said) commanding him three times to halt. McPherson, at once supposing it to be a detachment of his * The Chicago Herald mentions the following incident as occurring about this time : '* A few moments before the good McPherson fell at Atlanta, a shell burst within twenty feet of General Logan. Turning to McPherson, who had been slightly stunned by the ex- plosion, Logan coolly remarked : " ' General, they seem to be popping that corn for us.' " "Twenty minutes later McPherson lay bleeding on the field, while Logan, who had as- sumed command of the troops, was hurling his battalions against the enemy with the skill of a born soldier." 62 LIFE OF LOGAN. own troops, with his usual courteous manner lifted his hat, but, perceiving that- he was in the presence of the enemy, wheeled his horse, was fired upon, and killed. The com- pany was captured afterward, and the facts as here stated were given by its officers. Colonel Clark, McPherson's chief of staff, hearing the volley, and seeing McPherson's horse come out riderless, being sure that McPherson was either killed or a prisoner, gave orders for the recovery of his body, rode to report the facts to General Sherman, and was directed by him to place General Logan in command of the Army of the Tennessee, he being the ranking officer present.* " THE BLOODIEST BATTLE OF THE WEST " LOGAN'S PERSONAL PROWESS — " ONE OF THE FINEST BATTLE-PICTURES OF THE WAR." General Logan assumed command just as the engage- ment of that day became general, and in person gave the orders, and made disposition of the troops that won the greatest victory, in the hardest-fought battle, of the Atlanta campaign. In person he recovered the position lost by the right of his corps, and recaptured the twenty-pound Parrott battery of Captain De Grass. In person he directed the movement of the troops which repelled the seven successive charges of the enemy upon his line, and not until twelve o'clock at night, when his weary but victorious soldiers were at rest, did he leave his command to go and report to General Sher- man the successes of the day. He was received at General Sherman's headquarters with enthusiasm, and, for his noble conduct in all the critical hours of the day, complimented in the highest terms by General Sherman, and was assured of * Sherman was not on the ground during the battle of Atlanta, nor did he send to Logan during its progress a single order, save this, placing him in command. The battle was fought throughout without orders, and not as Sherman has, since Logan's death, intimated. See the Logan-Sherman correspondence, etc., in Part VII., Addenda, of this book. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 6 o the permanent command of the army which he had on that day shown himself entitled to lead. General Sherman, referring- to this battle, says : " I rode over it (meaning- the line) the next day, and it bore the marks of a bloody conflict. The enemy had retired during that night inside of Atlanta, and we remained masters of the situation outside." On the next day, the 23d, by direction of General Logan, Colonel Clark, his chief of staff, received a flag of truce from General Hood, requesting permission to bury the enemy's dead. General Logan's summary report of the battle of Atlanta is in these modest words : Headquarters Department of Army of the Tennessee, before Atlanta, Ga., July 24, 1864. General : I have the honor to report the following summary of the result of the battle of the 220" inst. : Total loss in killed, wounded, and missing, 3,521, and 10 pieces of artillery. We have buried and de- livered to the enemy, under a flag of truce sent in by them, in front of the Seventeenth Corps, 1,000 of their killed. The number of their dead in front of the Fourth Division of the same corps, including those on the ground not now occupied by our troops, General Blair reports, will swell the number of their dead on his front, to 2,000. The number of dead buried in front of the Fifteenth Corps, up to this hour, is 360, and the commanding officer reports at least as many more unburied. The number of dead buried in front of the Sixteenth Corps is 422. We have over 1,000 of their wounded in our hands — a larger mim- ber of wounded having been carried off by them during the night, after the engagement. We captured 18 stands of colors, and have them now ; also capt- ured 5,000 stands of arms. The attack was made on our line seven times, and was seven times repulsed. Hood's, Hardee's, and Wheeler's commands engaged us. We have sent to the rear 1,000 prisoners, including 37 commissioned officers of high rank. We still occupy the field, and the troops are in fine spirits. Our total loss is 3,521 ; the enemy's dead thus far reported buried or delivered to them is 3,220 ; total prisoners sent North, 1,017 ; total 6 4 LIFE OF LOGAN. prisoners wounded in our hands, 1,000 ; estimated loss of the enemy, over 10,000. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, John A. Logan, Major-General. Major-General W. T. Sherman, Commanding Military Division of the Mississippi. After describing the manner in which the lamented Gen- eral McPherson fell, Surgeon John M. Woodworth writes : Thus fell the noble McPherson, just at the first flush of the battle, leaving the command of the army to the no less brave and gallant Gen- eral Logan. By 1 p.m. the contest had become general, and the roll of musketry and roar of artillery continued without interruption until darkness closed the mad conflict. The battle throughout the day was most desperate, our men often fighting the enemy in front, then chang- ing fronts and from the reverse of their works engaging the swarming rebels in the rear. Time after time they charged directly up to our in- trenchments, where the conflict became fierce and deadly. Regimental commanders, with their colors, and such brave men as would follow them, not infrequently occupied one side of the works and our own men the other ; the flags of opposing regiments met on opposite sides of the same embankment, and were flaunted by their respective bearers into each other's faces ; men were bayoneted across the works, and offi- cers with their swords fought hand to hand with men with bayonets. One rebel colonel (Forty-fifth Alabama) was pulled by his coat-collar over the works* and made prisoner. At one time the enemy broke through the line of the Fifteenth Corps, which had been much weakened by the withdrawal of troops to re-enforce other portions of the line, and captured two batteries of artillery. At the moment when this occurred General Logan was at the extreme left ; but hearing of the disaster, he hastened to his old corps, and calling upon the men who had never failed him in the hour of danger, they soon rallied and retook the guns and their lost position. With the darkness terminated the battle of July 22d, which cost us 3,722 patriot soldiers. With men less brave, or a less determined and skilful leader than Logan proved himself to be, the unexampled record of the Army of the Tennessee had closed its history with a defeat but little short of annihilation. Late that night, while the writer was seated alone with General Logan under his tent- fly, recounting the incidents of the day, Logan made use of the follow- ing emphatic language : " I made up my mind to win the fight or never come * By Colonel (afterward General) William W. Belknap. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 65 out alive, for," said he, " had our army suffered defeat, the people at home never would realize how desperate was the struggle against such great odds, but would say, ' Had McPherson lived, the result would have been different.' " The enemy's dead were computed by General Logan at 3,240. General Sherman in his official report says : " I entertain no doubt that in the battle of July 2 2d the enemy sustained an aggregate loss of full eight thousand men." General Sherman also, in his report, alluding to the death of McPherson, said : General Logan succeeded him, and commanded the Army of the Tennessee through this desperate battle with the same success and ability that had characterized him in the command of the corps or a division. In a letter of August 16th, addressed to General Halleck, General Sherman also said : General Logan fought that battle out as required, unaided, save by a small brigade sent by my orders. General Grant also, in his official report of the battle of Atlanta, says : About 1 p.m. of this day (July 22d), the brave, accomplished, and noble-hearted McPherson was killed. General Logan succeeded him, and commanded the Army of the Tennessee through this desperate battle, and until he was superseded by Major-General Howard on the 27th, with the same success and ability that had characterized him in the command of a corps or division. Another writer, glancing at this terrible battle, says : Logan, fighting at one moment on one side of his works and the next on the other, was informed of the death, in another part of the field, of the beloved McPherson. Assuming the temporary command, Logan dashed impetuously from one end to the other of his hardly pressed lines, shouting " McPherson and revenge !" His emotion com- municated itself to the troops with the rapidity of electricity, and eight thousand rebel dead and wounded left upon the field at nightfall bore mute witness to their love for their fallen chief and the bravery of his successor. In the course of an interesting address, at Carbondale, 111., July 22, 1869, to the surviving members of his old Thirty- 5 66 LIFE OF LOGAN. first Illinois Regiment, General Logan himself briefly referred to this sanguinary battle, in the following words : The 2 2d day of July is the day you have selected for your annual meeting, and there is an appropriateness in the selection, for it is a day you will never forget. I well remember it, and so do you. We were in the heart of the enemy's country, and he, strongly intrenched. Early in the morning, the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Corps were ordered to move forward. I was in command of the Fifteenth, and you belonged to the Seventeenth, General Leggett's. When the advance was ordered, your regiment w r as put in line of battle ; and when the at- tack was made, a part of my own command and a part of the division you were in was driven back, and there McPherson fell — as brave and gallant a man as ever breathed a breath of life. Being the second in command, and the next senior officer, I took his place, and there, from early morn till late at night, raged the bloodiest battle in the West. During the day, I often passed the line commanded by General Leggett, and witnessed the gallant stand your regiment made. You were en- gaged in the very hottest of the fight, and many of your officers and men fell, covered with glory. And when the light of heaven began to fade, I rode along the shattered lines. Some regiments that went into the battle strong, came out with thirty men. I well remember the Twentieth Illinois. Two hundred men went in in the morning, and fif- teen stacked their arms at night. I do not remember how many of your regiment fell, but I do remember that it was a terrible battle. We lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners some four thousand gallant men, and the enemy over eight thousand ; but it was one of the decisive battles of the war, and more men were killed than in any other battle in the West during the whole war. You have selected that day, July 22d, which commemorates the battle of Atlanta, as the day for your annual reunion, and I think it well, for on that day your regiment suffered heavily. But probably the most vivid description, both of Mc- Pherson's death and the scenes which followed it, was that which fell from Logan's own impassioned lips, in his oration at the unveiling of the McPherson statue at Washington, D. C. On that occasion General Logan stated that on the morning of July 22, 1864, — Hood, having relieved Johnston, on the 19th, with a heavy force, and contested in vain the occupation, by McPherson, of Decatur, during the 21st, — McPherson received orders from Sherman to push forward LOGAN IN THE WAR. 6 y at once, as the enemy had abandoned Atlanta ; that, after giving orders to advance, McPherson, accompanied by. Lo- gan, rode to the front, found that Atlanta had not been evac- uated, and, countermanding the orders for the forward move- ment, ordered Dodge to the left, and rode to Sherman's headquarters to explain to him the real situation. General Logan continued in these words : While doing so, firing was heard to the left, and in the direction of Decatur. The enemy had turned our flank. Hastening at once to the left, sending his staff in every direction to bring up all the available forces to strengthen his lines, he, with a single orderly, rode into a blind path leading to General Giles A. Smith's division. Here he was met by a stray detachment of Pat Claiborne's command, who hailed him and then delivered a volley, killing him. This was a little after twelve o'clock. A staff officer immediately notified General Sherman of his death, and I was placed in command. At once General McPherson's staff reported to me, and aided me with the ability, promptness, and courage which made them so valuable in their services to him. Right and left, right and left, like a weaver's shuttle, went the Army of the Tennessee athwart the serried ways, amid heat and dust, shot and shell, blood and tears, weaving the crimson net-work of revenge, till the field was in the bloody toils and fairly won. The news of his death spread with lightning speed along the lines, sending a pang of deepest sorrow to every heart as it reached the ear ; but especially terrible was the effect on the Army of the Tennessee. It seemed as though a burning fiery dart had pierced every breast, tearing asunder the flood-gates of grief, but at the same time heaving to their very depths the fountains of revenge. The clinched hands seemed to sink into the weapons they held, and from the eyes gleamed forth flashes terrible as lightning. The cry " McPherson ! McPher- son ! " rose above the din of battle, and, as it rang along the line, swelled in power until the roll of musketry and booming of cannon seemed drowned by its echoes. McPherson again seemed to lead his troops — and, where McPherson leads, victory is sure. Each officer and soldier, from the succeeding commander to the lowest private, beheld, as it were, the form of their bleeding chief leading them onward to battle. " McPherson ! " and " Onward to victory ! " were their only thoughts ; bitter, terrible re- 68 LIFE OF LOGAN. venge, their only aim. There was no such thought that day as stopping short of victory or death. The firm, spontaneous resolve was to win the day or perish with their slain leader on the bloody field. Fearfully was his death avenged that day. His army, maddened by his death, and utterly reckless of life, rushed with savage delight into the fiercest onslaughts, and fearlessly plunged into the very jaws of death. As wave after wave of Hood's daring troops dashed with terrible fury upon our lines, they were hurled back with a fearful shock, breaking their columns into fragments as the granite headland breaks into foam the ocean billows. Across the narrow line of works raged the fierce storm of battle, the hissing shot and bursting shell raining death on every hand. Over dead and dying friends and foes rushed the swaying hosts, the shout of rebels confident of victory only drowned by the battle- cry " McPherson ! " which went up from the Army of the Tennessee. Twelve thousand gallant men bit the dust ere the night closed in, and the defeated and baffled enemy, after failing in his repeated and des- perate assaults upon our lines, was compelled to give up the hopeless contest. Though compelled to fight in front and rear, victory crowned our arms. The foe, angry and sullen, moved slowly and stubbornly from the well-contested field, where his high hopes of victory had been so sadly disappointed. Following up the advantage gained, — and many minor contests ensued during our stay in front of Atlanta, — the Army of the Tennessee moved on to Jonesborough, where it met the enemy on August 31st, and routed him completely, effectually demoralizing his forces. It was then that the roar of our victorious guns, mingling with deafening peals, announced that the rebel general, conquered and dis- mayed, had blown up his magazines and evacuated Atlanta, and that the last stronghold of the West was ours. It will be observed that, on the rare occasions when Gen- eral Loo-an was induced to allude to or describe battle-scenes in which he was the hero, he barely and in the most casual manner alluded to himself. With the characteristic modesty of a chivalric nature he loved to dwell upon the services of his subordinate officers and the dauntless valor of his troops. We have heard, however, what Surgeon Welch and other officers have said of the inspired hero of Atlanta. Let us now hear the brief and graphic tribute (through another) of LOGAN IN THE WAR. 69 one of the private soldiers who fought in the ranks of the Union army on that gory field : One of Logan's "boys" then carrying a musket, but now handling another kind of "shooting-stick," said to the writer: "Never shall I forget, — never will one of us who survived that desperate fight forget, to our dying day, — the grand spectacle presented by Logan as he rode up and down in front of the line, his black eyes flashing fire, his long black hair streaming in the wind, bareheaded, and his service-worn slouch hat swinging in his bridle-hand and his sword flashing in the other, crying out in stentorian tones, '■Boys! McPherson and revenge!' Why," said he, " it made my blood run both hot and cold, and moved every man of us to follow to the death the brave and magnificent hero- ideal of a soldier who made this resistless appeal to all that is brave and gallant in a soldier's heart ; and this, too, when the very air was alive with whistling bullets and howling shell ! And if he could only have been painted, as he swept up and down the line on a steed as full of fire as his glorious rider, it would to-day be one of the finest battle- pictures of the war." Called to the temporary command, as we have seen, of the Army of the Tennessee, at that supremely critical mo- ment when, flanked and with its idolized leader slain, a panic had almost set in, which threatened the whole army, and dis- aster and utter rout impended, one would naturally suppose that he who, by the magic of his presence and bearing and almost superhuman skill and exertion and intrepidity, had not only saved the army but snatched victory from the very jaws of defeat, would have received at once the permanent com- mand of it. It strikes one, therefore, with a sense of injus- tice to learn that, after this glorious victory : By order of the President, General Howard assumed command. This was upon the recommendation of General Sherman. Still, Logan — who deeply felt this injustice — neither sulked nor murmured, but, resuming the immediate command of his corps, marched on, to gather other laurels.* * For Sherman's attempted explanations on this subject, the " Sherman-Logan corre- spondence," and other interesting data connected with it, see Addenda to this work. 70 LIFE OF LOGAN. ANOTHER FLANK MOVEMENT OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE IN A PITCH-DARK NIGHT, WITH LOGAN ALL NIGHT IN THE saddle — logan's military skill displayed. The men of the Army of the Tennessee never recovered from a severe battle with more confidence in their leader, nor was the esprit de corps more manifest at any time than in the days succeeding the battle of Atlanta, while Logan remained in command. He was received everywhere among them with the greatest enthusiasm and with the heartiest con- gratulations that he was in future to be their leader. The time was occupied until the evening of July 26th in re- organizing the various commands, performing the last offices to the gallant dead, and preparing for the next movement, which was as usual by the flank, but this time to the right. It is but fair to say that a more difficult and delicate move- ment of an army than this, was not undertaken during the war. The enemy was intrenched closely in Logan's front, almost within speaking distance on many parts of the line, when the order came from General Sherman to withdraw under cover of night from that position, and move the three corps, past the rear of Sherman's other two armies, seven miles to the right. It was necessary to deceive the enemy entirely as to this movement, and the wheels of the gun-car- riages and caissons were bound with wisps of hay and straw, in order that the utmost silence might prevail as the Army of the Tennessee moved out from its position. General Logan was in his saddle all night long and, with his staff, person- ally superintended the movements of every corps. They moved without the slightest confusion. By daylight of the 27th, the different corps of the entire Army of the Tennessee were safely upon their respective roads, prepared to go into their new position, and this without any casualty, leaving the enemy in complete ignorance of the withdrawal. The mili- LOGAN IN THE WAR. 71 tary talent displayed by Logan on this occasion was remark- able, when it is considered that the darkness of the ni^ht was such that the entire command was obliged almost to feel its way — it being impracticable to use any light, even that of a torch, with which to guide the troops. Howard's appointment to command the army of the tennessee without a word, logan returns to his brave corps. Overcome with fatigue and anxiety resulting from the sudden responsibility of the command of this army in the bat- tle of the 2 2d, and this delicate movement in the face of the enemy, General Logan, on the morning of the 27th, at the White House, where General Sherman was quartered, was informed that General O. O. Howard had been appointed to the command of the Army of the Tennessee.* Without a word, however, General Logan resumed command of his old corps, the Fifteenth, and during the 27th went into position on the right of the line, General Blair, of the Seventeenth Corps, on his left, and General Dodge, of the Sixteenth, upon the left flank. The rain poured in torrents as the army took up its posi- tion on that day, and it was late in the evening before the troops were all deployed. Again the Army of the Tennessee was, by its right flank, " in air." The enemy was discovered late in the day again upon that flank, and, as the Army of the Tennessee could not reach so as to secure a position not easily turned, General Sherman ordered General Jeff C. Davis, with his division, to move at once and support the right flank. * Alluding to this appointment of Sherman's, General Grant, in his Memoirs, says : " I doubt whether he had an officer with him who could have filled the place as Logan would have done." See also Addenda to this work 72 LIFE OF LOGAN. THE DESPERATE BATTLE OF EZRA CHAPEL LOGAN S CORPS DEFEATS THE ENEMY'S ARMY, REPULSING SIX GALLANT CHARGES THE REBEL ARMY COMPLETELY REPULSED BY HIM. The morning of the 28th, found the Army of the Tennes- see again confronting the enemy. Hardly had the Fifteenth Corps, under Logan, thrown up their earthworks, with logs and rails covering in their front, when Hood came at him again. By eleven o'clock a.m. the fighting became general along his entire line, and then occurred another most desper- ate battle in which General Logan with his corps was exclu- sively engaged on our side. Six times did the enemy deploy from the woods in Logan's front ; six times, with words of encouragement and threats from their commanding officers, they marched up to receive the deadly fire of Logan's troops ; and six times they were repulsed with slaughter. Perhaps in the history of the war never was such persistent and des- perate gallantry displayed on the part of the enemy ; but his defeat was complete, and the reports of this battle of Ezra Chapel show that to Logan and his brave corps alone was due the credit of the victory. General Sherman, in his report of this battle, says : General Logan, on this occasion, was conspicuous as on the 2 2d, his corps being chiefly engaged ; but General Howard had drawn from the other corps, the Sixteenth and Seventeenth, certain reserves, which were near at hand, but not used. Again Sherman, speaking of Logan and his corps and this battle, says : He commanded in person, and that corps, as heretofore reported, re- pulsed the rebel army completely. General Grant, in his " Memoirs," says : On the 28th the enemy struck our right flank, General Logan com- manding, with great vigor. Logan intrenched himself hastily, and by LOGAN IN THE WAR. y, that means was enabled to resist all assaults and inflict a great deal of damage upon the enemy. These assaults were continued to the middle of the afternoon, and resumed once or twice still later in the day. The enemy's losses in these unsuccessful assaults were fearful. During that even- ing the enemy in Logan's front withdrew into the town. Another writer thus describes this battle of Ezra Chapel : The enemy had come out from Atlanta by the Burned Ferry Road, and formed his men in an open field behind a swell of ground, and, after the artillery firing I have described, advanced in parallel lines di- rectly against the Fifteenth Corps, expecting to catch that flank "in air." His advance was impulsive, but founded in an error that cost him sadly, for our men coolly and deliberately cut down his men, and, despite the efforts of the rebel officers, his ranks broke and fled. But they were rallied again and again, as often as six times, at the same point, and a few of the rebel officers and men reached our lines of rail- piles only to be killed or hauled over as prisoners. These assaults occurred from noon until about four o'clock p.m., when the enemy dis- appeared, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands. As many as 642 dead were counted and buried, and still others are known to have been buried that were not counted by the regular detail of burial- parties. Another account of this battle written by a participant runs thus : With hardly time for the overtaxed soldiers to recover their ex- hausted energies, the Army of the Tennessee was moved again around to the right of the Union line, and on the morning of July 28th, Gen- eral Logan, having been relieved from the temporary command of the army by the appointment of General Howard, assumed command of his old corps, and, while moving it into position, in line of battle, on the extreme right of our army, just as he gained a commanding ridge upon which was situated " Ezra Chapel," the whole corps became suddenly and furiously engaged with the enemy. Our troops had not had a mo- ment to construct even the rudest defence, but they held their posi- tion, and, after about one hour of terrific fighting, the enemy retired. He, however, soon reformed, and again made a desperate assault, which was subsequently repeated four successive times, with like results. The temporary lulls in the fighting did not at any time exceed five minutes. It was an open-field fight, in which the enemy, consisting of Hardee's and Lee's corps, greatly exceeded us in numerical strength, but we ex- 74 LIFE OF LOGAN. ceeded him in spirit and determination. The engagement lasted from 11.30 a.m. until darkness compelled a cessation. Logan captured 5 battle-flags, about 2,000 muskets, and 106 prisoners, not including 73 wounded left on the field. Over 600 of the enemy's dead were buried in our front ; a large number were probably carried off during the night, as the enemy did not leave the field until near daylight. Their loss was not less than 5,000. Logan's only reached 562. Following is General Logan's official report of this obsti- nately fought battle : Headquarters Fifteenth Army Corps, Before Atlanta, Ga., July 29, 1864. Colonel : I have the honor to report that in pursuance of orders I moved my command in position on the right of the Seventeenth Army Corps, which was the extreme right of the army in the field, on the night and morning of the 27th and 28th inst., and during my advance to a more desirable position we were met by the rebel infantry from Hood's and Lee's corps, who made a desperate and determined attack at half- past eleven o'clock in the morning of the 28th. My lines were protected only by logs and rails hastily thrown in front of them. The first onset was received and checked, and the battle com- menced, lasting until about three o'clock in the afternoon. During that time six successive charges were made, which were six times gallantly repulsed, each time with fearful loss to the enemy. Later in the even- ing my lines were several times assaulted vigorously, but terminated with like result. The most of the fighting occurred on Generals Gar- rard and Smith's fronts, which formed the centre and right of the line. The troops could not have displayed more courage, nor greater deter- mination not to yield. Had they shown less, they would have been driven from their position. Brigadier-Generals Wood, Garrard, and Smith's division-commands are entitled to great credit for gallant con- duct and skill in repelling the assaults. My thanks are due to Major- Generals Blair and Dodge for sending me re-enforcements at a time when they were much needed. My losses are 50 killed, 439 wounded, and 83 missing ; aggregate, 57 2 - The division of General Garrard captured five battle-flags. There were about fifteen hundred or two thousand muskets captured ; 106 prisoners were captured, exclusive of 73 wounded who have been re- moved to hospitals and are being taken care of by our surgeons ; 565 rebels up to this time have been buried, and about 200 supposed to be LOGAN IN THE WAR. ; - yet unburied. Large numbers were undoubtedly carried away during the night, as the enemy did not withdraw until nearly daylio-ht. The enemy's loss could not have been, in my judgment, less than six or seven thousand. I am, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, John A. Logan, Major-General, commanding Fifteenth Army Corps. Lieutenant-Colonel ' W. T. Clark, Assistant Adjutant-General. The indorsement upon the above report is as follows : Headquarters Department of the Army of the Tennessee, Before Atlanta, Ga., July 29, 1864. In forwarding the within report I wish to express my high gratifica- tion with the conduct of the troops engaged. I never saw better con- duct in battle. The General commanding the Fifteenth Army Corps, though ill and much worn out, was indefatigable, and the success of the day is as much attributable to him as to any one man. His officers, and in fact all the officers of his army that commanded my observation, co-operated promptly and heartily with him. O. O. Howard, Major- General. logan's corps still pressing the enemy on our right — DESTRUCTION OF THE WEST POINT RAILROAD — THE MARCH TO JONESBORO'. From July 29th, to August 26th, Logan continued to push forward his lines, keeping up the usual skirmish and artillery practice night and day, almost without interruption. On Au- gust 3d and nth he carried the entire intrenched skirmish- lines of the enemy in his front, capturing several hundred prisoners. In one engagement he lost sixty men, and in the other the killed and wounded numbered ninety-eight. Sherman having determined to raise the siege of Atlanta and take the field with his whole force, and use it against the communications instead of against the intrenchments of the city, on the night of August 26th, Logan withdrew his corps 76 LIFE OF LOGAN. from its position in front of Atlanta, and, moving on the right of the army to the West Point Railroad, he destroyed the road for some distance, and, marching to Jonesboro', drove the enemy before him from Pond Creek, a distance of ten miles. TOUCHING INCIDENT OF THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN THE FATHER- LESS BATTLE-BORN BABE, " SHELL-ANNA " THE CHRISTENING LOGAN IS GODFATHER. An affecting story of an incident which happened about this time is graphically told in the Washington National Tribune, — in which a battle-born girl-baby and General Logan are the central figures, — which, aside from its interest otherwise, exhibits the warm and tender heart that beat in the breast of that superb soldier. The story runs thus : It was the summer of 1864, and the army under Sherman had fallen back from its position before Atlanta and swept around to Hood's rear, General Logan leading the advance. I remember that the country was densely wooded, and that magnificent forests of pine, oak, and chest- nut towered on either side of the road over which we marched. We were not molested until we neared Flint River. There the enemy had planted a masked battery, and, as we approached, it enfiladed our line. You could scarce encounter more disagreeable travellers on a lonely road than shot and shell, and the boys were not long in taking to the shelter of the timber. But General Logan at once ordered up a field battery of brass "Napoleons," and presently accepted this challenge to an artillery duel. There was nothing to direct the fire of our gunners save the white puffs of smoke that could be seen rising above the foli- age, and the course of the enemy's shots, but they nevertheless soon silenced the rebel cannon, and once more cleared the way for the col- umn. We then rode forward again, the writer in company with Dr. Wood- ward, the medical inspector of General Logan's staff, and until his death, some years ago, the head of the Marine Hospital Service. Just as we turned a bend in the road we emerged suddenly into a small clearing. A rude log cabin, surrounded by evergreen shrubbery, stood in the clearing, and hanging from one of the bushes we noticed a yel- low cloth. LOGAN IN THE WAR. jj As medical officers, it naturally occurred to us at once that this was an improvised hospital of some sort, and we rode up to inquire. At the door of the cabin, as we approached, an old woman, evidently of the familiar " cracker " type, presented herself, but, on seeing that we were " Yankees," beat a hasty retreat. But we were not disposed to be so easily baffled, and calling her out again, began to ply her with ques- tions. She told us " there wa'n't no wounded men thar," and when asked why she had put out a yellow flag there, she replied: "Waal, yer see, my gal is sick, and I reckoned ef I put out that yer hosp't'l rag you'ns wouldn't be pesterin' round so much." "What's the matter with your child?" said I; "we are medical officers, and perhaps we can do something for her." " Waal, now," she quickly responded, "ef you'ns is real doctors, just look in and see what you'ns all done with your shellin'. Time my gal was sickest, two of yourn shells come cl'ar through my cabin, and, I tell you, it was right skeery for a spell." We accepted the old woman's invitation and walked in. It was as she said. The cabin, built of rough pine logs, afforded but one room, about twelve feet square. A small log meat-house (empty) was the only outbuilding, — the cow-stable having been knocked to pieces bv our shells, — except a small bark-thatched "lean-to" at the rear, in which we found a loom of the most primitive sort and constructed in the roughest fashion, containing a partially completed web of coarse- cotton " homespun." Aside from this loom, the only household articles visible were an old skillet, a rather dilapidated bed, two or three chairs without backs, and a queer collection of gourds. The shells had indeed played havoc with the interior. The roof had been sadly shattered, and a stray shot had pierced the walls. It had cut one of the logs entirely in two, and forcing one jagged end out into the room so far that it hung threateningly over the bed, upon which, to our astonishment, we saw lying a young girl, by whose side was a new-born babe with the prints of the Creator's fingers fresh upon it. It was a strange yet touching spectacle. Here, in this lonely cabin, stripped by lawless stragglers of both armies, of food and cloth- ing, and shattered by the flying shells of our artillery, in the storm and fury of the battle had been born this sweet innocent. The mother, we learned, was the wife of a Confederate soldier whose blood had stained the " sacred soil " of Virginia but a few months after his marri- age and conscription into the service, and the child was fatherless. The babe was still clad only in its own innocence, but the writer with his handy jack-knife cut from the unfinished web in the old loom a 78 LIFE OF LOGAN. piece of coarse homespun, in which it was soon deftly swaddled. Fort- unately we had our hospital knapsacks with us, and our orderlies car- ried a little brandy, with a few medicines and a can of beef-extract, and we at once did all that our limited stores permitted, to relieve the wants of the young mother and child. But by this time quite a number of officers and men, attracted by the sight of the yellow flag and our horses waiting at the door, had gathered about the cabin, and, while we were inside, they amused themselves by listening to the old lady's account of this stirring inci- dent. One of the officers had given her some " store terbacker," with which she had filled a cob-pipe, and the fact that she was spitting through her teeth with such accuracy as to hit a fly at ten paces nine times out of ten, showed that she was enjoying herself after the true " cracker " style. Presently someone suggested that the baby ought to be christened with full military honors, and it being duly explained to her that to " christen " was all the same as to " baptize," she replied with alacrity, " Oh, yes ! baptized, I reckon, if you'ns has got any preacher along." This was all the boys wanted, and an orderly was at once sent back to the general commanding, with the compliments of the surgeon and a request that a chaplain belonging to one of the regiments in the ad- vance brigade might be allowed to return with the messenger to the cabin. The general asked the orderly for what purpose a chaplain was wanted, and the orderly replied that the doctors (mentioning our names) were going to have a baptism. Upon this, General Logan (for he it was) significantly remarked that the names mentioned were in themselves sufficient to satisfy him that some deviltry was on hand, but that, nevertheless, the chaplain might go. Then, inviting the colonel, who happened to be riding with him at the time, he set out himself for the scene, spurring " Old John " to a gallop, and soon had joined the party at the cabin. "General," said the doctor, as the former dismounted, "you are just the man we're after." " For what ? " " For a godfather," replied the doctor. " Godfather to what ?" demanded the General. The matter was explained to him, and as the doctor led the way into the house, the boys, who had gathered around the General in the ex- pectation that the event would furnish an occasion for a display of his characteristic humor, noticed there was something in Black Jack's face that they were not wont to see there, and that in his eyes there was a cer- LOGAN IN THE WAR. jg tain humid tenderness far different from their usual flashing- brightness. He stood for a moment silent, gazing at the unhappy mother and fatherless child, and their pitiful surroundings, and then turning to those about him, said tersely, " That looks rough." Then glancing around at the ruins wrought by our shells, and ad- dressing the men in the cabin, he called out, " I say, boys, can't you straighten this up a little ? Fix up that roof. There are plenty of 4 stakes ' around that old stable — and push back that log into place, and help the old lady to clear out the litter, and — I don't think it would hurt you any to leave a part of your rations ! " Prompt to heed the suggestion, the boys leaned their muskets against the logs, and, while some of them cut brush, others swept up the splinters and pine-knots that the shot and shell had strewn over the floor, and not one of them forgot to go to the corner of the cabin and empty his haversack! It made a pile of commissary stores, consisting of meat, coffee, sugar, hard-tack, and chickens (probably foraged from her next-door neighbor) surpassing any that this poor " cracker" woman had probably ever seen or possessed at one time. This done, the next thing in order was the christening, and the chaplain now came forward to perform his sacred office. " What are you going to give her for a name ? I want suthin' right pert, now," said grandmother. She was told that the name should be satisfactory, and forthwith she brought out the baptismal bowl — which on this occasion consisted of a gourd — full of water fresh from the spring. General Logan now took the baby, wrapped in its swaddling-clothes of coarse homespun, and held it while the chaplain went through with the ceremony. The latter was brief and characterized with due solem- nity, the spectators behaving with becoming reverence, and thus the battle-born babe was christened " Shell-Anna." I like to think that as the chaplain's prayers were winging their way to heaven, the gory god- dess who nurses a gorgon at her breast stayed her red hand awhile ! The party now turned to leave the cabin and resume the march, when General Logan, taking a gold coin from his pocket, — a coin that he had carried as a pocket-piece for many a day, — presented it to the old lady as a " christening gift " for his godchild, and the officers and men, as they had recently drawn their pay, added one by one a "green- back," until the sum was swelled to an amount greater than this brave- hearted "cracker" had ever handled. Before parting, the General cau- tioned her to put the money in a safe place, lest some " — —bummer should steal it in spite of everything," and then, ordering a guard to g LIFE OF LOGAN. be kept over her cabin until the last straggler had passed by, he rode away. The old lady's good-by was, '-Waal! them thar Yanks is the beatenist critters I ever seen ! " Ten days or so after this occurrence, the cabin being by that time within the enemy's lines, the General, accompanied by the writer and ten of his escort, rode back eight miles to see how oxxx protegde was get- ting on, and found both mother and child, in the language of grandma, " quite pert." Whether General Logan's goddaughter is still alive or not I do not know, but five years after that visit, word reached me that she then was. Certainly no one who witnessed that scene will ever for- get the big-hearted soldier as he stood sponsor — grim, yet gentle— for that poor little battle-born babe of Flint River. It all came back to me, the other night, as I walked past the front steps of the General's Wash- ington house and saw a squad of little urchins climbing about his knees. LOGAN AGAIN BADLY WHIPS LEE's AND HARDEE'S CORPS AT THE BATTLE OF JONESBORO' CONSEQUENT EVACUATION OF ATLANTA LOGAN'S PATRIOTIC ADDRESS TO HIS GALLANT CORPS. Logan arrived in front of Jonesboro' on the evening- of August 30th, and, though it was past midnight before his troops had all crossed Flint River, yet at daylight on the morning of the 31st — and without the knowledge of either Sherman or Howard — a strong intrenched line was completed and his corps in position for defence. Logan, appreciating his situation of isolation from the main army, greatly exposed and liable at any moment to attack, caused his position to be intrenched with great care. The morning was thus spent in strengthening his lines and placing his artillery in the most commanding positions. He gave to this work, so important at this time, his personal supervision, and was on the ground when, at three o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy (Lee's and Hardee's corps) made a sudden and desperate assault on all points of his front. Every soldier of the Fifteenth Corps was in the trenches ready for the fray. On the enemy came, push- ing his lines to within thirty to fifty paces of Logan's works ; but the resistance he met was so well directed, that he was, LOGAN IN THE WAR. 8 1 in little over an hour of hard fighting, compelled to retire, discomfited and in confusion. Many daring acts were per- formed by the enemy's officers and men. One of the gen- erals, (Major-General Patton Anderson) with his staff, rode fearlessly along his lines, doing all that a commander could do to make the assault a success. But four of those who rode with him in that perilous performance of duty returned from the field — himself, with many of his staff, being shot down. General Logan, in his official report, said of this general : " I could not help admiring his gallantry, though an enemy." * The enemy made two subsequent assaults, but *"Mac" in the Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph recently described a similar act of hero- ism on the Union side, occurring in one of these hot battles, most graphically : "In the midst of the tumult," says he, "we catch the sound of Union cheers, which appear to be far down the line where Logan's right touches the river. At first we pay little heed to them ; they sound much nearer, and we notice that they are not such cheers as our boys generally give when they are charging the foe. Neither can they be tokens of victory, for the din of battle is increasing, and we can still hear the yells of the charging foe. Still nearer and nearer come those cheers, and we now feel sure that somebody or something is passing along the line that pleases the troops very much, for the tone of the cheers indicates that it is no common occurrence. In the midst of their wild struggle with the foe, men cease firing for a moment, wounded blue-coats raise themselves as well as they can, and dying heroes turn their heads and listen wonderingly at the unusual sounds that are sweeping like a tornado up the line. The smoke lifting for a moment, we see our boys on the hill far down the line turn their backs to the rebs, who are rushing up to the muzzles of their guns, and, waving hats and flags, madly cheer a solitary horseman who recklessly gallops along the line, in full view of friend and foe. A comrade at my elbow voices the thoughts of those near him by asking : ' Who the d 1 is that ? ' but no one answers. On, on comes that fearless rider — none but a fearless rider would ride over that rough field at the speed he does, even though there were no shot and shell hailing around. On he comes, up hill and down, over fences, logs, bushes, and ditches, keeping close to the line of battle ; through plunging shot, bursting shell, and zipping minnies ; and, as he comes nearer we see that he carries his hat in hand and waves it encouragingly in answer to the cheers of the troops. Again the smoke of the conflict closes around him, but we know, by the shouts that follow him along the line, that he is still coming, and soon he bursts into view a short distance from us. We immediately recognize the daring rider, and shouts of ' Logan ! Logan ! Hurrah for Black Jack Logan ! Hurrah ! Hurrah ! ' rend the sky, and almost drown the roar of battle. Mounted on a powerful charger, whose hide is the color of his rider's long raven hair and moustache ; dressed in the full uniform of his rank ; sitting in his saddle with the air of a man who feels very much at home in it, the indomitable leader dashes through the storm of iron and lead as coolly as though he were reviewing his troops on a gala day, and creates a furor of enthusiasm among the men that cannot be described and is not easily imagined. He is on a tour of inspection along the line. He wants to see, with 6 g 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. with less spirit and determination than the first. They were easily repulsed, though not without terrible loss to him. The enemy's loss in this battle was greater than in any former en- gagement, except at Ezra Chapel on July 28th. Logan capt- ured 241 prisoners and two stands of colors. There was left on the field by the enemy 329 dead and 139 wounded. The total Confederate loss was admitted to be over 2,500. Owing, however, to the protection of good intrenchments, Logan's loss was only 154. This battle virtually decided the fate of Atlanta. The next day Sherman ordered the whole army to close down on Jonesboro', but, during the night of September 1st, before this order was executed, the enemy evacuated his position, and at day-dawn on the 2d, Logan oc- cupied Jonesboro'. The same night, Hood, after blowing up his magazines, evacuated Atlanta. General Sherman in his report of this battle says : Hearing the sounds of battle at Jonesboro' about noon, orders were renewed to push with the other movements on the left and centre, and about 4 p.m. the report arrived that General Howard had thoroughly repulsed the enemy at Jonesboro'. Thus it will be seen that Logan and his corps fought the battle of Jonesboro' — which led to the evacuation of the great stronghold of Atlanta — without the knowledge of Sherman, except so far as he could hear the booming of Logan's victo- rious guns. his own eyes, how goes the battle ; whether his boys are holding their own ; where the weak points of the line are, if any ; and to encourage the troops to stand firm and repulse the foe. His boys have often seen exhibitions of his reckless bravery as a soldier and his fearless skill as a horseman, but, as he now sweeps grandly by, there is the wildest excitement im- aginable. Men jump out of the trenches, throw their hats in the air, and cheer vocifer- ously, furiously ; the wounded swing their hats and j« >in in the chorus ; the dying make desper- ate efforts to see their beloved commander and to give him their last cheer ; the colors are dipped in salute, then wildly waved over the heads of the bearers ; there is an answering wave from the General's hat ; a clatter of hoofs as his noble horse, with distended nostrils and foaming flanks, thunders past ; and ' Black Jack,' the pride of the Fifteenth Corps, disappears over a hill to our left, leaving his daring ride a pleasant memory to the thou- sands who witnessed it, and leaving his men in the right kind of spirits to make a desper- ate fight." LOGAN IN THE WAR. 83 The troops of the other commands of Sherman's army failed to come to time, otherwise the entire army of Hood might have been captured on August 31st (thus making it unnecessary to fight the subsequent battles of Franklin and Nashville), and, with the fall of Atlanta, the enemy's entire Army of the West would have been destroyed. The importance, however, of the capture of Atlanta, even without capturing the enemy's army, was sufficiently great to cause unbounded rejoicing in the North, and of course corre- sponding depression in the South. Among other despatches received by Sherman was the following from President Lincoln : Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C, September 3, 1864. The National thanks are tendered by the President to Major-Gen- eral W. T. Sherman and the gallant officers and soldiers of his com- mand before Atlanta, for the distinguished ability and perseverance displayed in the campaign of Georgia, which, under Divine favor, has resulted in the capture of Atlanta. The marches, battles, sieges, and other military operations that have signalized the campaign, must ren- der it famous in the annals of war, and have entitled those who have participated therein to the applause and thanks of the Nation. Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States. Another, from General Grant, was in the following words : City Point, Va., September 4, 1864. — 9 p.m. Major-General Sherman : I have just received your despatch announcing the capture of At- lanta. In honor of your great victory, I have ordered a salute to be fired with shotted guns from every battery bearing upon the enemy. The salute will be fired within an hour, amid great rejoicing. U. S. Grant, Lieutenant- General. From Jonesboro', Logan pursued the flying enemy to Lovejoy's, where he made another stand. Logan again had him in flank, and desired again to attack him and accomplish 8 4 LIFE OF LOGAN. what the army had failed to do on August 31st, by reason of the want of co-operation of the other troops of General Sher- man's command ; but in the meantime Atlanta had fallen, and Sherman, satisfied with the glory he had achieved in its capt- ure, — although, as he says in his "Memoirs," "neither At- lanta, nor Augusta, nor Savannah, was the objective, but the army of Jos. Johnston (now under Hood's command), go where it might," — decided, as he says, "not to attempt at that time a further pursuit of Hood's army, but slowly and deliberately to move back, occupy at Atlanta, enjoy a short period of rest, and to think well over the next step required in the progress of events." Accordingly, early in Septem- ber, in obedience to orders, the Army of the Tennessee found itself in camp at East Point, Ga., and a few days later General Logan issued the following stirring and patriotic ad- dress to his victorious command : Headquarters Fifteenth Army Corps, East Point, Ga., September 11, 1864. Officers and Soldiers of the Fifteenth Army Corps : You have borne your part in the accomplishment of the object of this campaign — a part well and faithfully done. On the 1st day of May, 1864, from Huntsville, Ala., and its vicinity, you commenced the march. The marches and labors performed by you during this campaign will hardly find a parallel in the history of war. The proud name heretofore acquired by the Fifteenth Corps for soldierly bearing and daring deeds remains untarnished, — its lustre un- dimmed. During the campaign, you constituted the main portion of the flanking column of the whole army. Your first move against the enemy was around the right of the army at Resaca, where, by your gallantry, the enemy was driven from the hills and his works on the main road from Vilanow to Resaca. On the retreat of the enemy you moved on the right flank of the army by a circuitous route to Adairs- ville ; in the same manner from there to Kingston and Dallas, where, on the 28th day of May, you met the veteran corps of Hardee, and in a severe and bloody contest you hurled him back, killing and wounding over two thousand, besides capturing a large number of prisoners. You then moved around to the left of the army, by way of Acworth, to Kenesaw Mountain, where again you met the enemy, driving him from LOGAN IN THE WAR. 85 three lines of works, capturing over three hundred prisoners. Durino- your stay in front of Kenesaw Mountain, on the 27th of June, you made one of the most daring, bold, and heroic charges of the war, against the almost impregnable position of the enemy on Little Kenesaw. You were then moved, by way of Marietta, to Nickajack Creek, on the right of the army ; thence back to the extreme left by way of Marietta and Roswell, to the Augusta Railroad, near Stone Mountain, a distance of fifty miles, and after effectually destroying the railroad at this point, you moved by way of Decatur, to the immediate front of the rebel stronghold, Atlanta. Here, on the 22d day of July, you again per- formed your duty nobly, " as patriots and soldiers," in one of the most severe and sanguinary conflicts of the campaign. With hardly time to recover your almost exhausted energies, you were moved again around to the right of the army, only to encounter the same troops against whom you had so recently contended ; and the battle of the 28th of July, at Ezra Chapel, will long be remembered by the officers and soldiers of this command. On that day it was the Fifteenth Corps that, almost unaided and alone, for four hours contested the field against the corps of Hardee and Lee. You drove them discomfited from the field, caus- ing them to leave their dead and many of their wounded in your hands. The many noble and gallant deeds performed by you on that day will be remembered among the proudest acts of our nation's history. After pressing the enemy closely for several days, you again moved to the right of the army, to the West Point Railroad, near Fairburn. After completely destroying the road for some distance, you marched to Jonesboro', driving the enemy before you from Pond Creek, a dis- tance of ten miles. At this point you again met the enemy, composed of Lee's and Hardee's Corps, on the 31st of August, and punished him se- verely, driving him in confusion from the field, with his dead and many wounded and prisoners left in your hands. Here again by your skill and true courage you kept sacred the reputation you have so long main- tained, viz. : " The Fifteenth Corps never meets the enemy but to strike and defeat them." On the 1st of September the Fourteenth Corps at- tacked Hardee ; you at once opened fire on him, and by your co-opera- tion his defeat became a rout. Hood, hearing the news, blew up his am- munition trains, retreated, and Atlanta was ours. You have marched during the campaign, in your windings, the dis- tance of four hundred miles, have put hors du combat more of the enemy than your corps numbers, have captured twelve stands of colors, 2,450 prisoners, and 210 deserters. The course of your march is marked by the graves of patriotic heroes who have fallen by your side ; but at the same time it is more 86 LIFE OF IOGAN. plainly marked by the blood of traitors who have defied the Constitu- tion and laws, and insulted and trampled under foot the glorious flag of our country. We deeply sympathize with the friends of those of our comrades in arms who have fallen ; our sorrows are only appeased by the knowl- edge that they fell as brave men, battling for the preservation and per- petuation of one of the best governments of earth. " Peace be to their ashes." You now rest for a short time from your labors. During the res- pite, prepare for future action. Let your country see at all times by your conduct that you love the cause you have espoused ; that you have no sympathy with any who would by word or deed assist vile trait- ors in dismembering our mighty Republic or trailing in the dust the emblem of our national greatness and glory. You are the defenders of a government that has blessed you heretofore with peace, happiness, and prosperity. Its perpetuity depends upon your heroism, faithful- ness, and devotion. When the time shall come to go forward again, let us go with the determination to save our nation from threatened wreck and hopeless ruin, not forgetting the appeal from widows and orphans, that is borne to us upon every breeze, to avenge the loss of their loved ones who have fallen in defence of their country. Be patient, obedient, and earnest ; and the day is not far distant when you can return to your homes with the proud consolation that you have assisted in causing the old banner to again wave from every mountain's top and over every town and hamlet of our once happy land, and hear the shouts of tri- umph ascend from a grateful people, proclaiming that once more we have one flag and one country. John A. Logan, Major- General, commanding. ANOTHER INTERLUDE LOGAN ON THE " STUMP " AGAIN, DE- FENDING THE PARTY OF THE UNION. After the termination of the Atlanta campaign, — in which he had borne so gallant and conspicuous a part, — Logan, again upon the suggestion of his superiors,* took another leave of absence, and went North to stump the Western States during the Presidential campaign of 1864. The same * President Lincoln especially desiring it ; the War Department, also. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 8y influence which, as we have seen, rallied the Democrats of Egypt to the flag of their country, upon the first call to arms, was again brought to bear upon them to support and vote for the Republican ticket. Logan worked in this cause like a giant, and, with his rare eloquence of speech and manner, and his personal magnetism, succeeded in winning them over ; they hailed him again as their political leader, and fol- lowed his guidance ; but he persistently declined all offices tendered to him, declaring as he did so that he was a soldier and would not leave the service nor lay down his sword so lono- as there remained one rebel in arms against the Govern- ment. Alluding to what General Logan did at this time, the New Era (Illinois) subsequently said : During the campaign in '64, he came home and battled for Mr. Lin- coln and the Republican party, and certainly contributed as much to the success of the party in this State and Indiana as any other man. While he was doing this— fighting rebels in the field, and their friends at home, — many men who have always been supported by the party were lukewarm in the cause of the country and the party. General Logan took bold and decided grounds at once, and advocated using any and all means to put down the rebellion and sustain Mr. Lincoln's administration, while many others, now prominent in the Republican ranks, were grumbling and complaining at many things done to suppress opposition to the Government. LOGAN PERFORMS AN ACT OF RARE MAGNANIMITY HE GIVES GLORIOUS OLD " PAP " THOMAS HIS CHANCE, AT NASHVILLE LOGAN ACCORDINGLY REJOINS HIS OLD FIFTEENTH CORPS AT SAVANNAH. General Logan's labors for the Government, in the politi- cal arena, prevented his return to his command before com- munications with Atlanta were severed. At the conclusion of the political campaign, however, he was called to City Point, Va., General Grant's headquarters,* and ordered to * " At last I had to say to General Thomas that I should be obliged to remove him un- less he acted promptly. He replied that he was very sorry, but he would move as soon as 88 LIFE OF LOGAN. proceed to Nashville to assume command of the Army of the Cumberland, then under General Thomas. With the order of supersedure in his pocket, he reached Louisville, Ky., and there learning that General Thomas had attacked the enemy in front of Nashville, and believing in that general's ability to conduct the engagement to a successful issue, not only kept the document in his pocket without presenting it to Thomas, but immediately telegraphed to General Grant, suggesting that Thomas should not be removed in the face of the ene- my, but that on the contrary he deserved the highest honors a grateful nation could bestow, and asked at the same time to be reassigned to his old command, the Fifteenth Corps. Such an example of magnanimity as this is almost unparalleled in military annals. This act of self-abnegation, while tempt- ing laurels lay at his feet ready to be plucked, is perhaps one of the grandest acts of heroism in all Logan's heroic life. He had conquered others often enough by eloquence, by logical force, by patriotic example, as well as by the sword, but here he conquered self. Logan's request was complied with, and he rejoined his old command, then at Savannah, Ga. the campaign of the carolinas its relative impor- tance much greater than "the march to the sea " the part logan's corps contributed to it. In January, 1865, the long, perilous, and toilsome winter campaign of the Carolinas was commenced. The obstacles he could. General Logan happening to visit City Point about that time, and knowing him to be a prompt, gallant, and efficient officer, I gave him an order to proceed to Nashville to relieve Thomas. I directed him, however, not to deliver the order or publish it until he reached there, and if Thomas had moved, then not to deliver it at all, but communicate with me by telegraph. I went as far as Washington City, when a despatch was received from General Thomas announcing his readiness at last to move, and designating the time of his movement. I concluded to wait until that time. He did move, and was successful from the start. This was on December 15th. General Logan was at Louisville at the time this movement was made, and telegraphed the fact to Washington, and proceeded no farther himself.'' — Grant's Memoirs, vol. ii., pp. 3S2-3S4. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 89 encountered and overcome, the trials and privations endured in struggling through the succession of swamps and mo- rasses, continually confronted and harassed by the enemy, beggars description. General Sherman well says, in compar- ison with the " March to the Sea " through Georgia, the movements of his armies through the Carolinas, to encounter Johnston's Army of the Potomac, were in importance, — not to speak also of all that pertains to hardships, deprivations, and intense and continuous labor, — as ten to one. The march of Napoleon across the Alps, with his Army of Italy, would not compare with the greater difficulties encountered by the Army of the West during the winter and spring of 1864-65, in the Carolinas campaign. The troops started with twenty days' rations — short at that. The supply was soon disposed of, and the army for ninety days subsisted upon the enemy's country. There were times of sharp hunger and famine, and times of great abundance. Strong men frequently cried with hunger, and then again made merry over their captured sup- plies. All the streams and the almost interminable swamps, from Savannah to Raleigh, had to be crossed on loes or floats, in the face of a watchful enemy ; but our persistent skirmishers would find their way to the opposite shores and turn the flanks of the enemy ; our advance, — wading through the swamps with the water up to their waists, frequently to their armpits, their cartridge-boxes strapped to their necks, and their muskets held above their heads, — silencing the enemy's opposing batteries. THE TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND DIFFICULTIES OF THE MARCH ADVANCING AND FIGHTING WITH WATER UP TO THE MIDDLE LOGAN WORKING WITH HIS MEN, NIGHT AND DAY, IN THE SWAMPS VARIOUS ENGAGEMENTS. While each corps of the army encountered almost insur- mountable obstacles in its pathway, the Fifteenth Corps at one time found itself, during the march, in Lynch Creek Bot- 90 LIFE OF LOGAN. torn, — or " Lynch Creek without any bottom," as the soldiers called it, — where it was impossible to employ mules or horses to drag the artillery trains over the swamp. It therefore became necessary to unhitch the animals and lead them through on the high ground, while the troops were compelled with ropes to pull the trains across the flooding torrents of water which, with the velocity of a mill-race, were rushing through the woods. While other general officers were lux- uriating in comfortable headquarters, General Logan was with his men all night long amidst the storm of rain, wading from command to command, encouraging them by his pres- ence, and exhibiting the same qualities of patience, endurance, and heroism which characterized him when leading his com- mand in the midst of battle. It was on this occasion that it was impossible for the men to make fire for their coffee, and for twenty-four hours they were compelled to appease their hunger by eating the raw corn from the cob ; but they were encouraged and were enthusiastic because their General was with them — nor did he leave them until the work was ac- complished, and the trains pulled through, on to dry land. During this terrible campaign, Logan was ever on the alert. Breakfasting by the light of the camp-fire ; through- out the day at the point of greatest danger, encouraging and inspiring confidence in his soldiers ; and though it were nightfall and often midnight before he sat down to his sim- ple dinner of corn-bread and bacon, — -with only a small tent- fly awaiting him as a covering for the night, — he never was heard to complain, nor did he seem to think of his own dis- comfort, so intent was he on accomplishing the object of the campaign, and securing, as far as possible, the comfort of the soldiers under his command. And it was this very sim- plicity, self-abnegation, and incessant watchfulness for their well-being in all respects, that, together with his genius for war, personal intrepidity and energy in action, made Logan almost an object of worship among his men. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 9I FORCING THE PASSAGE OF THE LITTLE SALKAHATCHIE AND CONGAREE — CHARGING THROUGH MUD AND WATER THE SURRENDER OF COLUMBIA THE CITY IN FLAMES LOGAN'S MEN STAY THE DEVOURING ELEMENT. On February 5th, Logan's corps was forcing the passage of the Little Salkahatchie River, charging, through mud and water, in the face of the enemy's fire, and driving him from his line of works. Advancing on the line of the railroad, the 8th was spent in tearing up the railroad tracks, piling rails on ties and setting fire to them, and twisting every rail so that it could not again be used by the enemy. On the 12th, Logan was crossing the North Edisto, — skirmishing heavily in front and successfully flanking the enemy with other troops of the command, — in which action the enemy lost three killed, an unknown number of wounded, eighty prisoners, and two hundred stand of arms ; Logan's loss being only one killed and five wounded. Continuing the movement on Columbia, on the 15th it was found necessary to force the passage of Congaree Creek, and at the same time make a demonstration on the Great Congaree. It was the dismounted cavalry com- mand of General Wade Hampton that undertook to contest Logan's crossing of the Congaree Creek. Logan soon turned the enemy's position, which was hastily abandoned as our troops gallantly charged over his lines, and, in the face of a hot artillery fire, put out the flames of the burning bridge, which the enemy endeavored to burn behind him. That night, all night long, the enemy shelled Logan's camp. On the next day the enemy having shown no disposition to sur- render the city of Columbia, a section of DeGrass' battery, from Logan's command, shelled it. On the 17th, after cross- ing the Saluda and Broad Rivers, the surrender of the city of Columbia was made, and the city occupied by Colonel Stone's brigade. That night Columbia was in flames. How the fire 9 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. originated was never known. Sherman, in his " Memoirs," *& says : Many of the people thought that this fire was deliberately planned and executed. This is not true. It was accidental, and, in my judg- ment began with the cotton which General Hampton's men had set fire to on leaving the city (whether by his orders or not is not material), which fire was partially subdued early in the day by our men ; but, when night came, the high wind fanned it again into full blaze, carried it against the frame-houses, which caught like tinder> and soon spread beyond our control. The brigade already in Columbia being insufficient to fight the conflagration and to restore order in the panic- stricken city, Logan ordered in fresh troops, and to their ex- ertions is due the preservation of such portion of the city as escaped the fire. Toward morning, order was fully restored. The 1 8th and 19th were spent by Logan's command in de- stroying the public stores found in Columbia, and in destroy- ing the railroad running northward ; also in organizing the trains of persons, negro and white, who desired to go North — those trains which subsequently grew to such great pro- portions. PASSAGE OF LYNCH'S CREEK BOTTOM AND BLACK CREEK LO- GAN'S MEN, " UP TO THEIR ARMPITS IN WATER," DRIVE THE ENEMY THE TERRIBLE QUICKSANDS AND SWAMPS BETWEEN LUMBER RIVER AND LITTLE ROCK FISH CREEK. On February 26th Logan's corps commenced the pas- sage of Lynch's Creek Bottom — to whose difficulties and dangers allusion has already been made — the skirmishers, up to their armpits in water, driving the enemy's cavalry. Black Creek was passed under circumstances nearly as bad. The last of the wagons were, however, clear early in March. On March 5th and 6th the Great Pedee was crossed. All this while, of course, all the resources of the country through which the Union armies marched were put under contribu- LOGAN IN THE WAR. n - tion. The movement of Logan's corps on Fayetteville com- menced March 7th. There had been heavy rains day and night, making the roads almost impassable, and the swamps and creeks, despite all the difficulties of doing so, had to be corduroyed. In fact the succession of swamps, between Lumber River and Little Rock Fish Creek, can scarcely be described. Amid the most violent rains the whole corps on the 9th worked day and night, as pioneers, until the treach- erous country was passed. It was a perfect quicksand. Thus, for some ten days, the troops of Logan's command were necessarily subjected to the severest trials of a soldier's life. On the 10th, better ground was reached. On the 14th, the accompanying trains of refugees were sent off to Wil- mington. CROSSING THE CAPE CLEAR AND SOUTH RIVERS THE BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE OR MILL CREEK SUCCESSIVE CHARGES UPON THE ENEMY, DRIVING HIM INTO HIS WORKS THE EN- EMY EVACUATES AND RETREATS. On the 15th, Logan's corps crossed Cape Clear River. On the 17th, it crossed South River, although the bottom of that stream had "fallen out," and the worst holes had to be filled in with bricks and huge logs, pinned down to keep them in position. On the 19th, Logan drove the enemy's cav- alry across the Neuse River, near Goldsborough. On the 20th, he drove the enemy along the Bentonville Road across Cox's Bridge. Logan was now seeking to establish com- munication with the left winsf of the Union forces, which was engaging the enemy under Johnston, and was marching to its support by the sound of the guns. On approaching Mill Creek, Logan expected to meet the enemy in force. He was confronted by the enemy's dismounted cavalry, who took position, as the Union troops advanced, behind successive barricaded points, from which Logan's men handsomely and successively drove him back. The last outwork defended 94 LIFE OF LOGAN. by the enemy, before retreating within his main line, having been carried, Logan held the cross-roads to Bentonville and Smithneld, and intrenched opposite the main line of the enemy. At four o'clock that afternoon Logan advanced, drove the enemy, and went into an advanced line, which he firmly intrenched. There was skirmishing all that night. The right and left wings had now effected a junction in front of the V-shaped lines of Johnston's army. On the 21st Logan advanced on the enemy in gallant style, driving him into his works and developing most completely his entire line in our front. The advanced position was intrenched, and during that day and night Logan's batteries played on the enemy's works. During the night the enemy evacuated his entire line of works and retreated across Hannah Creek, burning the bridge behind him, to Smithfield. Logan then moved with his corps from his works on Mill Creek to Golds- boro', March 23d, and went into camp around that place — the object of the campaign having been accomplished. TWO STRIKING INCIDENTS OF LOGAN'S HUMANITY AND JUSTICE. Here, while his command is resting for a few days, it may be well to mention two striking incidents of General Logan's humanity and sense of justice and honesty which took place during" the march through the South, after Atlanta, and are told by Governor Carpenter of Iowa (in the Inter- Ocean of May 5, 1874), Carpenter at that time being on Logan's staff. Said he, in speaking of that march : A certain Democratic General gave orders to the chief of his trans- portation that he should take up his pontoons as soon as his division or corps had crossed the rivers with their own impedimenta, and not allow " the niggers " to follow. Rebel cavalry hung upon the rear of the ad- vancing army, and it became the finest possible sport for them to go " a-coloneling through those unarmed and helpless camp-followers, sabring them down on all sides without mercy, and turning back into servitude those whose lives they chose to spare. General Logan's course was slightly different, lie ordered the officers in charge of his LOGAN IN THE WAR. 95 pontoons not to remove them until the last " contraband " was safely across and under the protection of the army. Another fact Governor Carpenter stated in regard to his old commander : The army unfortunately contained a set of officers who were always anxious to jay-hawk almost anything in the way of property when they were in the " enemy's country." On one occasion several of these thrifty gentlemen made a descent upon a locality where there was a quantity of fine blooded horses, and they each brought one away with the inten- tion of appropriating them to their own use. One morning there was a great commotion among these officers, and a free use of the idiom of Flanders, consequent upon an order from " headquarters " to the effect that these horses should be turned over to the quartermasters. A strong remonstrance was made, but the General informed them that the horses were now Government property, and, if used by private individuals, must be bought and paid for. These acts indicate the innate love of justice which has characterized this brave soldier throughout his whole career. FALL OF RICHMOND AND PETERSBURG LOGAN ADVANCES ON SMITHFIELD — JOHNSTON'S ARMY EVACUATES IT THE ADVANCE ON RALEIGH JOHNSTON SURRENDERS, AND THE WAR IS ENDED LOGAN ORGANIZES THE " SOCIETY OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE." On April ioth, Richmond and Petersburg having surren- dered to General Grant, Logan's corps advanced on the right for Smithfield — which Johnston had, however, hastily evacu- ated — and Raleigh. Thus, his command had led the ad- , vance of the Army of the Tennessee, driving the enemy at every point until, passing through Columbia, Fayetteville, and Goldsboro', it reached Raleigh, near which point the sur- render of Johnston's army took place, thus bringing the cam- paign to a triumphant close. It will be understood that, in thus following Logan's corps and narrating its operations, it is not intended to detract in the slightest degree from the credit due to other corps of the 9 6 LIFE OF LOGAN. army, which had overcome similar obstacles and engaged in similar fighting over the roads that they marched. No very serious engagement of Logan's corps worthy of special note had occurred during the march, save that of Benton's Cross Roads, or Mill Creek, and yet the casualties had reached an ao-orecfate of about five hundred. While negotiations for the surrender of Johnston's army were in progress, General Logan conceived the idea of form- ing a Society of the Army of the Tennessee, with the object of keeping alive and perpetuating the kindly and cordial feel- ing which had characterized the relations of the officers and men of that army during its long career of victorious service. At the meeting for organization, held in the Capitol building at Raleigh, N. C, Logan was urgently solicited to accept the presidency of the society, but declined the honor, and urged the selection of General Rawlins, then chief of General Grant's staff; claiming that while the choice of the latter must give satisfaction to every officer of the army, it would at the same time compliment General Grant — the first commander of the Army of the Tennessee. A THRILLING INSTANCE OF LOGAN'S PERSONAL HEROISM ALONE AND UNAIDED HE SAVES THE PEOPLE OF RALEIGH FROM MUR- DER, ARSON, AND " WORSE THAN DEATH." Under the heading " A Noble Deed Raleigh Should Not Forget," the Raleigh, N. C, State Jour7ial recently said : The Greensboro' North State reminds us of the following incident, the recollection of which should be kept green in the memory of every citizen of Raleigh who can remember the spring of 1865 : " When the news of Lincoln's assassination reached Raleigh in April, 1865, there was a fearful panic. Sherman's entire army, consist- ing of about 160,000 troops all told, were encamped in and around the city. Terror prevailed among the people, and the greatest excitement anions: the troops. Threats of the most awful kind were freely indulged in. The night after the assassination a body of stragglers from the en- LOGAN IN THE WAR. gj campment near the city marched toward the town with lighted fagots, threatening its destruction. A messenger came hurrying into the city with the news. One brave earnest man was found to stay the angry passions of the Federal soldiery. He mounted his horse and galloped at full speed to meet the coming crowd. He drew his sword from its sheath and, raising himself in his saddle, he threatened with instant death the first man who dared to injure an innocent and unprotected people. The crowd gave way before his flashing and defiant eye, and Raleigh was saved from murder and arson, and its defenseless females from worse than death. That man was John A. Logan of Illinois." LOGAN AGAIN IN COMMAND OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE THE MARCH NORTHWARD, TO WASHINGTON THE GRAND REVIEW AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL HE MUSTERS OUT HIS 60,000 SOLDIERS AT LOUISVILLE, AND TENDERS HIS RESIG- NATION AN AFFECTING FAREWELL TO HIS ARMY. After the capitulation of Johnston, Logan marched his command northward, through Fredericksburg and Alexan- dria, to Washington. On May 12th, General Howard having been ordered to take charge of the Freedmen's Bureau, Gen- eral Logan, amidst the greatest enthusiasm of his old com- rades-at-arms, assumed once more the command of the Army of the Tennessee, comprising 60,000 veterans. At the head of this vast array of patriotic soldiers, crowned with the laurels of many victorious campaigns, Logan, on May 24th, having entered Washington, took prominent part in the grand review before the President of the United States of the Federal forces — the most imposing military spectacle ever witnessed upon the American continent. Subsequently General Logan was ordered with his army from Washington to Louisville, Ky. ; and, after mustering out his troops to the last man, he returned to his home and his family in Illinois. Having no further duty to perform, and unwilling to re- ceive pay without service, — unlike many others, — he resigned his commission, again became a private citizen, and resumed the practice of his profession as a lawyer. 7 9 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. The military record of this brilliant and peerless volunteer soldier fitly closed with the following affecting .FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE: Headquarters Army of the Tennessee, Louisville, Ky., July 13, 1865. Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Temicssce : The profound gratification I feel in being authorized to release you from the onerous obligations of the camp, and return you, laden with laurels, to homes where warm hearts wait to welcome you, is somewhat embittered by the painful reflection that I am sundering the ties which trials made true, time made tender, suffering made sacred, perils made proud, heroism made honorable, and fame made forever fearless of the future. It is no common occasion that demands the disbandment of a military organization, before the resistless power of which, mountains bristling with bayonets have bowed, cities have surrendered, and mill- ions of brave men have been conquered. Although I have been but a short period your commander, we are not strangers ; affections have sprung up, between us — during the long years of doubt, gloom, and carnage which we have passed through together, nurtured by common perils, sufferings, and sacrifices, and riveted by the memories of gallant comrades whose bones repose beneath the sod of a hundred battle- fields — which neither time nor distance will weaken or efface. The many marches you have made, the dangers you have despised, the haughtiness you have humbled, the duties you have discharged, the glory you have gained, the destiny you have discovered for the coun- try in whose cause you have conquered, all recur at this moment, in all the vividness that marked the scenes through which we have just passed. From the pens of the ablest historians of the land, daily, are drifting out upon the current of time, page upon page, volume upon volume, of your heroic deeds, which, floating down to future genera- tions, will inspire the student of history with admiration, the patriot American with veneration for his ancestors, and the lover of Republican liberty with gratitude to those who in a fresh baptism of blood recon- secrated the powers and energies of the Republic to the cause of con- stitutional freedom. Long may it be the happy fortune of each and every one of you to live in the full fruition of the boundless blessings you have secured to the human race ! Only he whose heart has been thrilled with admiration for your im- petuous and unyielding valor in the thickest of the fight can appreciate with what pride he recounts the brilliant achievements which immor- talize you, and enrich the pages of our national history. LOGAN IN THE WAR. 99 Passing by the earlier but not less signal triumphs of the war, in which most of you participated and inscribed upon your banners such victories as Donelson and Shiloh, I recur to campaigns, sieges, and victories that challenge the admiration of the world, and elicit the un- willing applause of all Europe. Turning your backs upon the blood- bathed heights of Vicksburg, you launched into a region swarming with enemies, fighting your way and marching without adequate supplies, to answer the cry for succor that came to you from the noble but be- leaguered army of Chattanooga. Your steel next flashed among the mountains of Tennessee, and your weary limbs found rest before the embattled heights of Missionary Ridge, and there with dauntless cour- age you breasted again the enemy's destructive fire, and shared with your comrades of the Army of the Cumberland the glories of a victory than which no soldier can boast a prouder. In that unexampled campaign of vigilant and vigorous warfare from Chattanooga to Atlanta, you freshened your laurels at Resaca, grappling with the enemy behind his works, hurling him back dismayed and broken. Pursuing him from thence, marking your path by the graves of fallen comrades, you again triumphed over superior numbers at Dallas, fighting your way from there to Kenesaw Mountain ; and under the murderous artillery that frowned from its rugged heights, with a tenacity and constancy that finds few parallels, you labored, fought, and suffered through the broiling rays of a southern midsum- mer sun, until at last you planted your colors upon its topmost heights. Again on the 2 2d July, 1864, rendered memorable through all time for the terrible struggle you so heroically maintained under discouraging disasters, and that saddest of all reflections, the loss of that exemplary soldier and popular leader, the lamented McPherson, your matchless courage turned defeat into a glorious victory. Ezra Chapel and Jones- boro' added new lustre to a radiant record, the latter unbarring to you the proud Gate City of the South. The daring of a desperate foe, in thrusting his legions northward, exposed the country in your front, and though rivers, swamps, and enemies opposed, you boldly sur- mounted every obstacle, beat down all opposition, and marched onward to the sea. Without any act to dim the brightness of your historic page, the world rang plaudits when your labors and struggles culmin- ated at Savannah, and the old " Starry Banner" waved once more over the walls of one of our proudest cities of the seaboard. Scarce a breathing spell had passed, when your colors faded from the coast, and your columns plunged into the swamps of the Carolinas. The suffer- ings you endured, the labors you performed, and the successes you achieved in those morasses, deemed impassable, form a creditable epi- IOO LIFE OF IOGAN. sode in the history of the war. Pocataligo, Salkahatchie, Edisto, Branchville, Orangeburgh, Columbia, Bentonville, Charleston, and Raleigh are names that will ever be suggestive of the resistless sweep of your columns through the territory that cradled and nurtured, and from whence was sent forth on its mission of crime, misery, and blood, the disturbing and disorganizing spirit of secession and rebellion. The work, for which you pledged your brave hearts and brawny arms to the government of your fathers, you have nobly performed. You are seen in the past, gathering through the gloom that enveloped the land, rallying as the guardians of man's proudest heritage, forget- ting the thread unwoven in the loom, quitting the anvil, and abandon- ing the workshops, to vindicate the supremacy of the laws and the au- thority of the Constitution. Four years have you struggled in the bloodiest and most destructive war that ever drenched the earth with human gore ; step by step you have borne our standard, until to-day, over every fortress and arsenal that rebellion wrenched from us, and over city, town, and hamlet, from the Lakes to the Gulf, and from ocean to ocean, proudly floats the " Starry emblem " of our national unity and strength. Your rewards, my comrades, are the welcoming plaudits of a grate- ful people, the consciousness that, in saving the Republic, you have won for your country renewed respect and power at home and abroad ; that, in the unexampled era of growth and prosperity that dawns with peace, there attaches mightier wealth of pride and glory than ever be- fore to that loved boast, " I am an American citizen ! " In relinquishing the implements of war for those of peace, let your conduct, which was that of warriors in time of war, be that of peaceful citizens in time of peace. Let not the lustre of that brighter name that you have won as soldiers, be dimmed by any improper acts as citi- zens, but as time rolls on let your record grow brighter and brighter still. John A. Logan, Major- General. A BRIEF RESUME OF GENERAL LOGAN'S MILITARY CAREER A TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN VOLUNTEER SOLDIER LOGAN THE HIGHEST EMBODIMENT OF THE SOLDIER WHO NEVER FORGOT THAT HE WAS A CITIZEN. The military career of General Logan has thus been traced by the records, and other historical sources, from the battle of Belmont, through all the campaigns of the Army of LOGAN IN THE WAR. IOI the Tennessee, down to the disbandment of that army in 1865. We have seen that no officer entered the Union army under greater opposing pressure ; that none was compelled, as was he, to find the ashes cold, where the fires burned bright of yore, upon a thousand hearthstones ; that none made such sacrifices in all that was near and dear to him ; that none was more obedient to orders, nor exhibited greater alacrity, efficiency, and valor in executing them ; that none submitted to greater disappointment, or indignity, without a murmur ; that no man who wore the uniform, ever exhibited more self-denial, earnest patriotism, or abiding faith in the ultimate triumph of the Union cause ; nor was there a man in the army more courageous, persistent, and determined in his course than General Logan, from the beginning to the end. Sherman has, in his " Memoirs" intimated* that General Logan was a " political general." If to be a " political gen- eral " is to comprehend at a glance the position of the Amer- ican citizen and his duty when the life of the nation is at stake ; if it is to sunder almost every tie, save that of wife and child, which binds him to his kindred, and for the sake of country sacrifice everything, save these, that is dear to him on earth ; if it be the giving up of every hope of political preferment, the flinging away at once of every ambition save that of being a hero fighting for his country's cause ; if it be to accept without a murmur the lowest place and to rise only by his personal prowess and military merit and skill to the command of an entire army ; if it be to hear his voice in the darkest hours of the rebellion not only above the din of bloody battle and amid the hurtling missiles at the front, but also upon the rostrum attacking " the enemy in the rear " with equal force and eloquence and boldness, and with the same success with which he waves his sword when storming * See correspondence between Sherman and Logan, and other matter bearing upon the point, in the Addenda at the end of this work. 102 LIFE OF IOGAN. the enemy's line in the field ; if it be to carve out his own military career as he did his political career — combining the leadership of the masses at the hustings with that leadership in the field which was crowned with the very " inspiration of victory ; " if it be to modestly and quietly retire at the end of the war to his old field of labor in his own State with the gallant men whom he had so often led to triumphs, and who so often afterward gave him their votes with the same hearti- ness as they had given him their cheers upon the field of battle ; if it be to reach a lofty niche in the temple of fame both as warrior and statesman — if this is the meaning of " political general," then it is only a sad pity we could not have had all our generals of a like pattern. The history of the great War of the Rebellion will never be fully written until its central figure is made the citizen-sol- dier — the American volunteer. The mouth-piece, the expres- sion, of the volunteer, is his general, with whom he must be in perfect sympathy, and whose ambition should always be to protect his subordinates, of whatever grade, in all that prop- erly belongs to them as soldiers. One officer of the regular service has most gracefully placed the American soldier in his true position before the country. Says General Pope : It is true now, as it always will be true in a free country and among a free people, that in time of war the self-denying patriot and true hero is found in the ranks ; a nameless man, with no hope nor wish for per- sonal preferment, with no purpose except to serve his country, he leaves behind him no legacy of heart-burnings, nor disputes, nor controversies, to vex his descendants. He lives in the affectionate remembrance of thousands of his countrymen who never heard his name, and whose only knowledge of his history is the touching record of his devoted service or his patriotic death. Such was the volunteer private soldier of our Civil War, and such will he always be when our country calls its citizens to arms. And it may as truly be said, as has already been hinted, that our volunteer soldiers, thus organized, thus in- fluenced, thus self-denying and self-sacrificing, always select LOGAN IN THE WAR. 103 for their leader one who most nearly embodies their idea of a patriot and hero ; and their enthusiasm on the battle-field, the eagerness with which they follow him, the implicit confidence they place in him, are nothing more nor less than their recogni- tion of themselves in the man whom they have chosen to com- mand them. It is but the truth to say that it was because Gen- eral Logan was recognized by them as the highest embodiment of the American volunteer-soldier — who never forgot that he was one of the people, and always had a mutual sympathy with and for them in all their patriotic impulses and wishes — that the old veterans of the war, the men who made it a success, the men who preserved the Nation at the risk of their lives and at the cost of their blood, stood by him everywhere to the hour of his death, and " swore by him " as they did when he led them on the sterner fields of war to certain victories. In concluding this sketch of General Logan's military ca- reer, it may be proper to state that he was the only officer of the war, whether volunteer or regular, commanding an army of more than two corps, who led it to victory in every engage- ment in which he was in command ; and further, that he was the only volunteer officer of the Union armies who succes- sively held command of a regiment, a brigade, a division, a corps, and an army, who was never defeated while leading them. PART III. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE, AND SOME OF HIS CHARAC- TERISTICS. " To few, but wondrous few, the powers belong To merit lasting praise and epic song ; Who nobly earns, in council and debate, The grateful homage of his Sovereign State ; Who acts the statesman's and the hero's part — A man of wisdom and of lion heart ; And pleads and fights to save his country's cause, And crowns his triumphs with impartial laws — That chief, of raven locks and eagle eye, Is Logan ! Names like his shall never die ! " The personal appearance of General Logan was com- manding - . He was of medium height, with a very robust physical development, a broad and deep chest, massive body, and small hands and feet. His features were handsome and regular, his complexion swarthy, his hair and heavy mus- tache long and jet black, while his piercing black eyes shone with a peculiar light when aroused to anger, or danced with humor and pleasure whenever such emotions bestirred him. One who had known him long and intimately, summed up his character, while Logan was yet alive, in these words : " He has a large and comprehensive mind stored with liberal views. He has a heart open to acts of the rarest generosity and kindness. He is a warm friend and a forgiving enemy, only implacable when basely wronged. He likes a good LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 105 cigar, but otherwise is rigidly temperate. Inured from his earliest youth to severest hardships, he never shrinks from a duty that involves effort or fatigue. He works chiefly at night, and when most men are asleep in their beds Logan is busy at his desk. When a student, he accustomed himself to think and compose while walking the floor ; hence his ease and ready command of language on the platform. He is one of the few men, if not the only man, in Congress, who never "corrects" his speeches. His voice is strong, yet musical and sympathetic, and his utterances rapid, yet distinct. One of his peculiar characteristics is the wonderful influence he exercises over men by his personal magnetism. This is most marked on the field of battle, and in his speeches when fully aroused, and is largely due not alone to his absolute sincerity, but to the ability he possesses to control and concentrate the whole nerve-power of his brain upon a single object." But we must hasten to glance briefly at Logan's career as a pub- lic man, after the war. LOGAN THE STATESMAN THE COOPER UNION MEETING HE FRUSTRATES THE ATTEMPT OF THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS TO CAPTURE OUR UNION GENERALS. Shortly after the close of the war an attempt was made by certain influential men of New York City, in the interest of the Democratic Party, to capture the great Union Generals of the war. It was supposed that, with a little finesse, Grant and Logan especially, who, before the war broke out, were Democrats, could easily be trapped back into the Democratic Party, and that the other leaders of our armies and navies would follow them, and thus give that party some chance for reinstatement in power, and rehabilitate it with the control of the Government. They knew, what the people then did not know, that Andrew Johnson, elected Vice-President on the Republican platform, and who had succeeded to the Presi- IQ 6 LIFE OF LOGAN. dency on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, was still at heart a Democrat, despite his grandiloquent utterances against treason to the Government and against traitors. Under the guise, then, of a grand Union meeting to support the admin- istration of President Johnson and to welcome the victorious generals of the war, they got up a monster assemblage at the Cooper Institute Building in that city, on June 7, 1865, at which Grant and Logan and Blair were present by special invitation. Of course it was a very grand and flattering ova- tion that they thus received, to which Grant responded only by bowing. Logan being called on to speak, shifted the honor to Blair's shoulders. Blair fell into the trap, and unre- servedly indorsed the President's programme. Then the people clamored to hear Logan, and Logan made them a thoughtful and eloquent speech, in which he foreshadowed the difficulties of reconstruction, and said : The great questions that have been before the people for the last four years are now settled ; the rebellion is suppressed ; slavery is for- ever dead ; the power of this great Government has been felt and is well understood, not only at home, but abroad ; the supremacy of the laws of the country, with its Constitution, has been maintained by the prowess of Americans ; the people of America have satisfied themselves —for there was once some doubt of it— that they can maintain the laws and the Constitution of the land, suppress rebellion, and cause all men to bow in humble submission to the Constitution and the laws. But he also said, and his words opened the eyes of many to the snare that had been laid for them : My friend General Blair suggested an idea to me on this subject [the object of the meeting], that this meeting was called for the pur- pose of approving the administration of President Johnson. [" Yes," " Yes " and cheers.] So far as his administration has developed itself, I cer- tainly have no fault to find with it. ["Good," " Good."] What there may be to object to in the future I don't know ; but if there is anything objec- tionable, then, as a matter of course, as the questions arise the country will have a right to decide for itself whether the President is in the right or in the wrong. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 107 SUGGESTS THE PRESENTATION OF THE ALABAMA CLAIMS, THE RETIREMENT OF MAXIMILIAN, AND THE HONEST PAYMENT OF OUR NATIONAL DEBT. In that speech, he suggested, among other things, that a bill should be presented to the British Government for a settlement of the Alabama claims ; that Maximilian should be invited to leave Mexico ; and he eloquently protested against the doctrine of repudiation of the National debt, which was then being agitated. Said he : Let us then, when our country is restored, when the Union once again is seen rising before us in all its majesty and beauty — let us look upon it with pride, and remember with gratitude that in the hour of trial we found a strong arm — the arm of the people — ready to strike in its defence, to take it from the grasp of the foul traitors who were clutching at its vitals, and to guard and preserve it forever. And as we thus look gratefully and proudly back upon our deliverance, let us at the same time lay our hands upon our hearts and say, " Our nation has not only maintained itself, it not only dazzles the world with its majesty and power, but at the same time it can boast that its record is spotless ; that it has not only shown itself willing to fight in war for success, and ready to demand of other nations that which is proper and right and just ; but at the same time, in order that it may live on always as proudly and grandly as it has lived in the past, it shall act as an honest man does toward his neighbor — it shall pay its citizens, and everybody, every dollar and every cent that it justly owes. [Great cheering] By doing this, by taking this course, we can always be proud of the name of Americans, and other nations will point to us and say, "That country has a record that no citizen living upon her soil need be ashamed of in any court in the world." logan's great speech at louisville, ky. — on slavery, emancipation, and education the war and its re- sults he beards the lion in its den. The next public speech General Logan made was in July, 1865, at the court-house of Louisville, Ky. It was a remark- able speech, in which he boldly stood up before the slave- holders of Kentucky, — who had even refused to be paid for io 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. the proposed emancipation of their slaves when President Lincoln made the offer, — and not only pleaded with them to adopt the then pending Thirteenth Constitutional Amend- ment, but to liberate their slaves voluntarily and without pay- ment, and proved to them that it was in the interest of their own material prosperity so to do. It was a brave speech, a persuasive speech, an eloquent speech. In it he gave the following terse yet comprehensive review of the rebellion and its results : The revolution we have just passed through has shaken from centre to circumference the civilized world. The war we have just fought through, is without a parallel in the annals of ages. It has developed resources of power that have smitten mankind with mingled admiration and amazement. Superficial observers attribute its origin to a fanatical design to abolish slavery, and claim that this is the one only great re- sult that has been accomplished. It had no such origin. The truth is, it was the bastard bantling of ambition and avarice. Demagogues, as- piring to rise, poured into the ear of credulous cupidity the poison of passion. Capital is proverbially timid. Man is easily persuaded that his estate is in danger. Sectional prejudices were exasperated. Public distrust and private discontent, hand in hand, went stalking abroad at noonday over the land. " The Southern heart " was fired—" fired with unmanly fear and unholy lusts." The Southern mind was " instructed," wickedly instructed, in all the subtle sinfulness of treason. The rest is history. Among the results accomplished, it is true that the abolition of slav- ery claims a high rank, but not the highest. The political problem embraced in the proposition asserting man's capacity for self-govern- ment was at stake. It involved freedom's fairest fortunes, civil liberty's last lingering hope. If man is not able to govern himself, he must wear the chains of slavery that tyrants forge for his limbs, and can never be free ; and if the Government of the United States had failed to sustain itself in this very first ordeal through which its stability was called to pass, the glorious orb of civil freedom must have gone down forever in gloom and blood. Propagandism would have received a blow that would have sent it staggering along its winding way for another thousand years over Europe. Legitimacy would have taken a lease for her crowns to her thrones for the same period, and man must have been left to sleep another long, dark night of slavery and despair. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 109 This Government was fast attaining an altitude of national pros- perity that was filling all Europe with alarm. That prosperity was (and still is, thank Heaven) threatening to swallow up the wealth of the world ; our growing power held every crown on earth in awe. To have exploded the fundamental principles of philosophy upon which such a government was erected would have been indeed a great tri- umph for them. But the God of battles has ordered it otherwise. The rebellion has been crushed, the Union has been preserved, and our Government stands to-day on a foundation of public faith against which neither the treachery of treason nor the gates of hell can ever prevail. That great political problem " still lives," and the " Stars and Stripes " still wave, and God grant that they shall ever wave, " o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave," until " Wrapt in red flames the realms of ether glow, And Heaven's last thunders shake the world below." Upon the subject of slavery, — and he illustrated his posi- tion by an array of facts and figures that was absolutely con- clusive, — in the very teeth of the slaveholders he was ad- dressing, he was not afraid to say : The institution of slavery was always a curse to the country where it existed. . . . This peculiar institution prevents public prosperity, by multiplying monopolies, discouraging the dissemination of knowl- edge, fostering indolence and ignorance, degrading the humble, crip- pling industry, pandering to the pomp of the proud, and crushing under the iron heel of social despotism the aspirations of plebeian ambi- tion. It fills the land with nabobs who must have baronial estates in acres by the thousands to lord it over. The owner of twenty thousand acres of land rarely ever cultivates more than one thousand. Here, then, are nineteen thousand acres of land lying idle, which, if owned by two hundred industrious freemen who would cultivate it, might be made to support a population of one thousand people, besides contrib- uting liberally to the public revenue. But owned, as these large estates have been in the South, by men who would neither cultivate nor rent them out, that whole country has been, as it were, under the lock and key of an aristocratic proprietorship which amounted to an insuperable bar to immigration, effectually preventing the increase— at least any- thing like a rapid increase— of the white population, and naturally stunting the material growth of the State. Already, Logan the private citizen, had been devoting the few weeks that had elapsed since the close of the war to IIO LIFE OF LOGAN. a close study not alone of the causes which had produced that fearful convulsion, and the immediate results flowing from the triumph of the Union arms, but to other and more remote results, and also the instrumentalities by which might be restored to the whole land a far greater measure of pros- perity, happiness, and progress than it had ever yet seen. He had already reached certain definite conclusions on this subject at a time when the public mind, even of the North, was hesitant and befogged. Hence, at this early day, and in the very presence of slaveholders, he said of the attitude of the Nation to the negro race : According to the views I entertain of the obligations the Govern- ment has incurred toward this benighted race, it has no right to leave them where they now stand. We found them slaves, and made them freemen ; we found them in a state of barbarous ignorance, living re- gardless of all law, human or divine, in open and notorious concubinage, and is it not our solemn duty as Christians to enlighten them, to dip them at least seven times in the Jordan of civilization ? This duty, if recognized, implies the necessity of universal emancipation in all sections at the same time, that the legislation on this subject may be general and in- discriminate, thorough and universal. Hence, also, at this early day, he had reached the conclu- sion that popular education must of all things be encouraged, that illiteracy must be wiped away — an idea which we shall see he afterward endeavored, with all his power, to urge upon Congress ; an idea that has since developed into the propo- sition to distribute the present large surplus in our National treasury to the various States for educational purposes, the distribution to be made on the percentage of necessity, the basis of illiteracy. More than twenty years ago, armed with all the logic and righteous eloquence of his cause, Logan told Southern men to their faces, on their own soil, these things : We look in vain through the Southern States for public schools. Ignorance sits enthroned where the flowers bloom in mid-winter and waste their fragrance upon the desert air. Why is this ? The riddle is easily read. The educated man will think, and if his heart is edu- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. IXI cated will feel, and "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Surely, then, that same policy which made it a legal crime to educate a slave must, in the inexorable spirit of its theory, oppose the education of any and every body who, per possibility, may become the friend of the slave. The people of the South having resolved to perpetually persist in holding on to their institutions, pursued a politic plan to prevent the spread of popular education. Can any man fail to see, or fail to feel, that any institution, the interest of which must make such exactions, is bound to be a country's curse ? Lycurgus, who was a great and good Grecian lawgiver in his day and generation, insisted that children are the property of the State. There is but one use to which the State can put children — that is, to educate them. Intelligence is Heaven's rarest gift to earth. It is that attribute which gives men a claim to an affinity with angels ; and that State is false to her most sacred trusts, as well as to her most vital interests, which fails to de- velop all of her mental resources. Had a wise system of popular edu- cation been adopted at the South at the same time it was in the North, that section might not be to-day, as it verily is, without the light of a single great mind to guide it through the dark wilderness of its troubles. Attribute, if you please, the degradation, in which is found buried the Southern mind, either to a jealousy of education or the self- ishness of affluence, and still it is the institution of slavery that causes it. Slaveholders constituted invariably a large majority of their legis- lative bodies. Having the means to educate their own children, they failed to feel for others, and were unwilling to vote for a measure ap- propriating the people's money to the education of the poorer classes of society, and the consequence is that in the rural regions of the South the people are frequently found in whole communities totally destitute of the simplest rudiments of an English education. That allusion of President Johnson to the fact that not only had the negro, but also the poor white man of the South, been made free, was pregnant with a stunning significance. God grant that the schoolmaster may soon find his way to that unhappy land. It is a wilderness of desolation now, but it is a wilderness that, under careful culture, a provident patriotism may cause to blossom as the rose. The smile of Heaven has fallen nowhere more softly and sweetly than it has fallen there. It rests upon her mountain-brows like a crown of glory ; the eye lingers rapturously upon the landscape where Nature's pencil has left its most delicate touches and tints. In mid-winter, over her variegated fields of wild-flowers, an air floats "soft and balmy as the perfumed atmosphere of an Auzonian heaven." In the transparent bosom of her quiet lakes, millions upon millions of the finny tribe disport, while along their shady shores, the air II2 LIFE OF LOGAN. is often darkened by the wings of canvas-back duck and other aquatic fowls, whose flesh is prized by epicureans as a dainty delicacy. Fruits, rich in the voluptuous juices that delight the thirsty palate, are indig- genous to the soil, and it is there that you will find the throne of the vegetable kingdom. In her hill-sides are found every variety of mineral ore, while it seems to have been the design of Jehovah that her soil and clime should produce the cotton and the rice that is to glut the marts of the world. Her rivers are broad, and navigable enough to furnish com- mercial highways, while thousands of her smaller streams tempt enter- prise to speculate in the utilizing of their spendthrift waters. From her mountain-sides gush mineral fountains whose medicinal fame arrests the attention and attracts the weary footsteps of affliction's wandering pil- grims from all parts of the habitable globe ; with thousands of miles of coast, bays enchantingly beautified, and harbors the very safest known to the storm-shivering ships of the sea. Why is it that, despite all of these immense advantages, the North has so miraculously outstripped the South in prosperity? Why has New York outstripped Virginia? Ohio, Kentucky? Illinois, Tennes- see ? and any of the Western States, all of the Southern States ? The answer is to be found in the simple fact that whenever and wherever you find slavery you find an insurmountable obstacle to national pros- perity. Slavery having once ceased to exist all over the South, her portals thrown open to immigration, and Northern energy infused into the people, it is easy to look into the future and behold a destiny looming up for this bright land, that shall make it, at least, what it must have been designed to be, from the first,— the garden of the universe. THE CAMPAIGN OF 1 865 LOGAN'S CAMPAIGN SERVICES AP- POINTED MINISTER TO MEXICO, BUT DECLINES. In the campaign of 1865, General Logan took the stump, and rendered valuable services to the Republican Party, not confining his efforts to his own State, but going where he was most needed. Says the New Era : In the fall of 1865, when New York and New Jersey were struggling for Republican success, General Logan went to their assistance, and his efforts were readily acknowledged by all as having materially aided in the glorious result and the redemption of New Jersey from Copper- head rule. ■■ LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. H 3 During the winter of 1865-66, General Logan was nomi- nated and confirmed by the Senate as Minister to Mexico, but although strongly urged to accept the honor, declined it. Commenting upon this appointment the New York Her- ald said at the time : The appointment of General John A. Logan of Illinois as United States Minister to the Republic of Mexico is one of the most important diplomatic movements that we have ever been called upon to chronicle. Although this Government has not yet interfered in the Mexican imbro- glio, and has not yet given any material aid to the Mexican Republicans who are so gallantly struggling against foreign invaders, still the most explicit declarations of the unanimous sentiment of our people upon the subject have been placed upon record from time to time. . . . Neither Napoleon nor Maximilian can possibly mistake the meaning of these repeated popular and official manifestations, and the appointment of General Logan as our Minister to Mexico is still more unequivocal. There are several circumstances which make the selection of General Lo- gan peculiarly appropriate and peculiarly ominous. In the first place, he is one of our bravest generals, and all our generals are known to be in favor of assisting Juarez, by force if necessary, in resuming the au- thority which has been usurped by Maximilian. In the second place, General Logan is a personal friend of President Johnson, and as such is presumed to fully understand and represent his views. In the next place, General Logan's own opinions have already been very plainly announced in his public speeches, and especially in that Cooper In- stitute speech which attracted such marked attention throughout the country ; and, therefore, his appointment is in some sort an indorse- ment of all that he has said. . . . We do not suppose that the ap- pointment of General Logan will be followed by any overt demonstra- tion against the Empire that France has set up upon this continent. . . . We hold, however, that the establishment of a foreign empire upon this continent, no matter with what intentions, was not a friendly act toward this Government, and was beyond the legitimate province of Napoleon's policy. For this reason we array ourselves against it. . . . What is to come next the future will determine ; but we hope that Napoleon will boldly and frankly solve the whole question by abandoning his Mexican project. It is hardly necessary to add that, soon afterward, Napo- leon did abandon it. ii 4 LIFE OF LOGAN. APPOINTMENT AS MINISTER TO JAPAN, DECLINED ALSO NOMI- NATED TO THE FORTIETH CONGRESS FROM THE STATE AT LARGE HIS EXTRAORDINARY CANVASS OF ILLINOIS IN 1 866 MALIGNANT VILIFICATION HIS MAJORITY OF SIXTY THOUSAND ! A few months later, the President conferred upon Gen- eral Logan another mark of distinction, by tendering him the mission to Japan, but this also he refused, preferring to re- main a private citizen, in his own native State. He was, however, soon called from the ranks of private life again. In 1866 he was nominated by acclamation by the Republican State Convention of Illinois as Congressman-at-large in the Forti- eth Congress, a nomination which he did not seek, but which he accepted in order to help the success of the ticket. He was elected by a majority of nearly sixty thousand votes over his Democratic competitor. Said an Illinois paper, speaking of General Logan's canvass, November 15, 1866: In the campaign just closed, no man has ever before made such a canvass in this State ; and the result of it is seen and felt by all. What man is there in this country who has made so many sacrifices and done so much work in the field and in the political arena as has General Logan ? He is bold, fearless, and daring, and fights his political ene- mies as he fought on the battlefield. He has been traduced, maligned, and slandered during the last two or three years as no man has ever been before in the State. He bears it all, and makes the most gallant campaign ever won, vindicating himself and his party. His enemies hate him and his friends love him. He is always ready to help a friend or defend him against the assaults of others. He has ability enough for any position. On the battlefield he has proved himself a military genius. At the bar he is the equal of any of his profession. On the stump he has but few equals. In the United States Senate he would soon win an enviable reputation. . . . Logan's voice has been heard where the opposition was so strong that his life at times has been threatened and in great danger. Already, it will be seen, he had attained such prominence as to be talked of favorably for United States Senator. It LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. "5 was of this campaign that the Chicago Tribune of November 1, 1866, said: No Illinois candidate has ever been subjected to so persistent and malignant vilification as Major-General John A. Logan, since he became the nominee of the Union men for Congressman-at-large. The lead- ing Copperhead organ for the past ten weeks has poured an unceasing volley of slanders and abuse upon his head. It has manifested a hate and rancor perfectly fiendish. We have never witnessed in partisan warfare so much malevolence of feeling. The charges made against the gallant soldier have been so false and scandalous as to fill even his opponents with disgust and indignation. All honorable Democrats have cried Shame ! . '. . But General Logan has conducted an honorable and dignified canvass. He has met all the issues fairly and manfully. He has presented the Union side of the question with great power and convincing force, . . . and has added to his previous great popularity wherever he has spoken. his magnetic influence his denunciation of andrew Johnson's contemplated treason — "the greatest speech ever delivered from the stump." This campaign was conducted at the time when President Johnson's extraordinary policy was developing itself, to the alarm of all Union men, — and that policy General Logan de- nounced with all his power. The following special despatch of October 11, 1866, from Peoria, III, to the New York Tribune, shows the magnetism he exercised upon the multi- tudes that turned out to listen to his remarkable stump- speeches : The people of this and adjoining counties without number assembled in Peoria to-day to listen to Butler and Logan. Well-informed politi- cians say it has been the largest political gathering ever seen in Illinois. It is certain that no less than two acres of people, among whom were 15,000 voters, were assembled in one densely compact mass in the court- house yard. In the afternoon General Butler made an eloquent argument in sup- port of his well-known views of reconstruction. It was listened to with unflagging interest, and often applauded. His plea for impartial suf- U6 LIFE OF LOGAN. frage, founded on the services rendered by the negro in the war, was heartily cheered. General Logan's speech was worthy of his great reputation as a popular orator : no man in Illinois, since the death of Douglas, has so wonderful a magnetic influence over a vast audience. As further evidence of Logan's wonderful power on the stump, it may be stated that Mr. Justice Miller, of the United States Supreme Court, while conversing- on this subject with his nephew, General Paul Vandevoort, who mentioned the same to the writer, said that Logan's speech, about this time, at Keokuk, la., was, he believed, the greatest speech ever de- livered from the stump. " It was the greatest," he said, " be- cause of its wonderful effect upon the audience ; the greatest, because it converted to the Republican cause more Demo- crats than had ever before or since, to his knowledge, been so converted." CONGRESSMAN LOGAN AFTER THE WAR HIS SPEECH ON RECON- STRUCTION DEFENCE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S POLICY HE RIDDLES ANDREW JOHNSON'S RECONSTRUCTION POLICY PENITENCE BEFORE FORGIVENESS A RENEWED " LOYALTY " THE KEY-NOTE OF PROPER RECONSTRUCTION. On July 12, 1867, following his re-election to Congress, Representative Logan delivered a powerful and eloquent speech on the "Supplementary Reconstruction Bill" then pending, in which he severely handled the Northern Copper- heads, who had falsely charged the Republican House with having subverted the Constitution and trampled in the dust the liberties of the people. After proceeding for some time, despite frequent interruptions from the Democratic side, and knock-down rejoinders from himself, Mr. Logan continued as follows : What I am anxious to learn, Mr. Speaker, is, upon what foundation rests this flippant and gratuitous charge, repeatedly made against the Republican Party on this floor, to the effect that we are trampling lib- erty under foot, and destroying the rights and privileges of a portion of LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1Y y the American people ? Wherein have we violated the Constitution ? Was it in crushing the rebellion ? I have no doubt every Copperhead in the North would say yes. We did carry the emblem of our National glory and greatness from the rivers and the lakes of the West to the bays and the gulfs of the South, where it waves to-day, and will wave for- ever ; but in doing so we innocently thought, hoped, and believed then, and still honestly think, hope, and believe, that we were erecting around the Constitution impregnable bulwarks, and laying for liberty a deeper and a broader foundation in the gratitude, confidence, and affections of our people. We never dreamed that for every rebel we killed in the South, we were to make an eternal enemy in the North ; and we do think it amounts to a riddle beyond the comprehension of mortal wits, how it is that very many of the brave men who fought us, and whom we had to literally overwhelm before we could conquer, now that they are conquered, are much more ready to ask forgiveness, and forget the past and be friends, as we all ought to be again, than are their allies, who, however deep their sympathy with them may have been while the war was raging, took special pains to let the danger pass before they gave it an airing. God forbid that the day shall ever dawn upon this Republic when the patriots whose patriotism won them crutches and wooden limbs shall have apologies and explanations to make for their public-spirited conduct to patriots who boast of and abuse the privilege of eulogizing as their brethren the men whose sabres drank loyal blood and whose bullets shot away loyal limbs. The next greatest wrong that they have to complain of is, that the men who had the pluck to stand by those who in the field had to fight our country's battles, presumptuously aspire to make our laws. I think thus far these have vindicated their claims to the world's respect alike on the field and in the halls of legislation. What is the basis upon which they fought? Simply that rebellion was a crime. They tri- umphed. Now upon what basis have they legislated ? Simply that rebellion was a crime— and they will triumph again. The people will never require us to fight upon one principle and legislate on another — to shed our blood on the field, and then come here to make apologies for it to men who wanted us whipped. When the South can be loyally represented on this floor upon the basis proposed by Congress, the problem of reconstruction will cease to vex the discussions of this hall. The prime, sole, and supreme object of the Republican Party is to re-establish this Government upon a sure foundation of loyalty, against XI g LIFE OF LOGAN. whicli the frothy waves of treason may fret forever in vain. We have survived one rebellion, and the sage suggestions of past experience warn us that it will be wiser to prevent another rebellion than to too confidently expect to survive it. Now, Mr. Speaker, let us examine a little further into this question. I perhaps may not have stated all the reasons that actuated these gen- tlemen in denouncing this side of the House, and thereby denouncing every loyal man in the country, every man who has shown his loyalty by his efforts to restore this Government on a proper basis. The recent rebellion while it was in progress was led by men who belonged to the same party to which the gentleman from Brooklyn [Mr. Robinson, to whom he was replying] now belongs, and the party to which I belonged until I became so thoroughly ashamed of it that I left it. . . The reason why these gentlemen desire to-day to bring into disre- pute the action of members of this House is because their action is cal- culated to prevent a portion of the people of the Southern country, who are in full sympathy with them, from voting and holding office. Who are they? Outspoken rebels, who rose in arms against the Govern- ment ; the men who conspired to destroy this glorious Republic. Be- cause 'these men are disfranchised and prevented from exercising the rights of American citizens, gentlemen on the other side object to our pro- posed plan of reconstruction. Sir, they would have the Southern States reconstructed according to the plan of Andrew Johnson, the gentleman who is so immaculate that if we should attempt to impeach him it will, according to the gentleman from Brooklyn, amount to a public calami- ty. What was the plan of Andrew Johnson ? Why, sir, that plan pro- posed to declare that those States that had engaged in rebellion had never lost any of their rights in the Government ; that neither they nor their citizens had forfeited any of their privileges under the Constitution of the United States. In other words, that treason was not a crime, that rebels were patriots. It proposed to invite the rebels to hold elec- tions, and send to this hall per se secessionists and traitors. In short, to construct a new party, in reconstructing the Government, in which the secession rebels of the South might unite with the Copperhead rebels of the North, capture the citadel of power here, make treason honorable, and loyalty odious. There is nothing that, to regain its lost power, the Democratic Party would not willingly do. If it could ac- quire to-morrow more power by crushing under its iron heel the South than it could by succoring it, it would hurl at its Southern brethren thick and fast " Curses of hate and hisses of scorn." LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. U 9 Their history well establishes the fact that — " Their friendship is a lurking snare, Their honor but an idle breath, Their smile the smile that traitors wear; Their love is hate, their life is death." Their sympathy with Andrew Johnson's plan of reconstruction, and their hostility to the Republican plan of reconstruction, is not attributa- ble to the merits or demerits of either plan as a policy for the country, but solely as a party policy. Now, sir, I maintain that the only true plan upon which these South- ern States ought to have been reconstructed is by virtue of an organi- zation of military governments, and the principal objection which I find to the bill now pending before this House, albeit I shall vote for it, is, that it fails to state with sufficient explicitness that the governments of these States were entirely overthrown and destroyed by the treason and rebellion of the people, and that no legal civil governments have existed there since. I would recognize no governors or other officers pretend- ing to act there now in an official capacity, but would remove them instanter. I would insist that when the fiery billows of war rolled over the South, they bore away, into the broad ocean of chaos, their laws and constitutions, as the floods of their own mighty Father of Waters sweep the drift-wood they gather into the Mexican Gulf ; and that, according to the laws of war, they were subject only to military rule at the hands of their conquerors, and so ought to remain until traitors shall learn how to blush for their crimes, and modestly decline office instead of attempt- ing, as they now do daily, to thrust themselves forward to grasp the reins of a Government that they hate in their hearts. I would put them on probation, and make their return to power depend upon the merits of their penitence. But let us return to the gentleman's grave charges of outrage and wrong supposed to have been committed by this Congress. To be charitable, we will have to give the gentleman, and his party, credit for a memory as full of treachery as their Southern brethren were of treason. They seem to have forgotten everything they ought to remember, and remember some things they certainly ought not only to forget them- selves, but want everybody else to forget. They seem to have forgotten the scenes and events that mark the historical epoch through which we have so recently passed, and they seem to have totally forgotten that these pet Southern brethren of theirs, when they did occupy seats on this floor, gave us practical illustrations of dignity in debate that made of this Hall a "bear garden," much more attractive to lovers of gladia- torial sports and patrons of the " fancy " than to the wise, prudent, 120 LIFE OF LOGAN. sedate, and good citizen ; when bowie-knives bristled from their breasts, revolvers filled all their pockets, and clubs were substituted among them for canes ; when they spoke to a Northern legislator in these halls, with scowls on their brows, threats on their lips, and fingers on triggers. . . . They seem to have forgotten the price the peace we enjoy to-day has cost this Nation, and the crimson currency in which it was paid ; the broken hearts with which it filled bruised and troubled bosoms at home ; the mangled bodies with which it filled the hospitals every- where, and the lifeless forms of manly beauty with which it filled hun- dreds of thousands of nameless graves on the far-off battle-plains of the South. They seem to have forgotten the bitter, scalding tears that rolled like floods of lava down the fair faces of the loyal mothers, wives, and sisters of this land when the names ineffably dear to them were found announced in the long lists of the killed that were published as a sequel to the first flash of the lightning that reported a battle had been fought ; and I dare say they have forgotten that there ever was such a prison as Andersonville, and the long, long catalogue of horrors that brave men had to suffer there for being true to themselves, their Con- stitution, their flag, their homes, families, and country. Well for such gentlemen would it be, if they could occasionally meet, as they wander daily over this broad country, a few, of the many wan spectres of suf- fering and woe, who were captured by the saintly Southern brethren of Northern Democrats on fields of strife, thrust into prisons unfit for dogs, and starved till a hale constitution was a wreck, and then left to suffer the worst penalties of privation incident to weather and climate. I could give my friend from Brooklyn illustrations of individual suffer- ing at Andersonville that would make the hair stand on his head, the blood freeze in his veins, and curses spring involuntarily to his lips. I remember one poor boy from my immediate vicinity, especially. His name is Dougherty. He went into Andersonville prison without a scar on his young body or a cloud on his fair brow, but under the humani- tarianism of Southern chivalry he came out without a foot to walk on. They were literally frozen off, in prison. I trust, Mr. Speaker, that we will pass such a bill as may be under- stood, properly construed, and energetically executed, and that when it is, that it will leave the Southern State governments in the hands of men loyal and true, and forever prevent disloyal men from employing power and place to foment treason. It is not when they come, but how they come, that is the all-important point with me. I would be glad to welcome them back to-morrow if I were satisfied they were reorganized LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. I2I aright ; but it is my intention to vote, as long as I have a vote here, to keep them out until they can come in on the broad basis of loyalty to the Government. And when they can do that, I am willing to receive their Representatives to the Halls of our National Legislature, and will assist to protect them against anything in anywise prejudicial to any of their legal rights or interests as States. . . . The hour they discover they possess the good sense and courage to repudiate openly and emphatically treason, and embrace warmly and sincerely loyalty, they will see dawn upon them the bright morning of their regeneration and deliverance. THE REASON WHY THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS HATED LOGAN HOW LOGAN SAVED TO THE GOVERNMENT NEARLY ONE MILL- ION DOLLARS. That detraction in its worst forms is always to be ex- pected by any candidate on the Republican Presidential ticket, "goes without saying." That such a grand figure — grand in peace as it was heroic in war — as its recent candidate for the Vice-Presidency presented, would be subjected to all the as- saults that Democratic envy, hatred, and uncharitableness could inspire, was to be expected. But Logan was used to that sort of thing. He had been through that sort of fire be- fore, and came out then as victorious as he did when con- fronted by the storms of Confederate missiles in the war, and Democratic missiles, rattling against the armor of his patriot- ism and purity, fell harmless at his feet, in 1884, as they had in previous years. We are tempted to this digression by the fact that it was in this same speech before the House of Rep- resentatives — now, twenty years ago, — that he gave the rea- son of this special hostility of the Democratic leaders to him, in these telling words : The unrelenting war waged against me by the Democracy is liable to be misunderstood if looked at superficially. It is not because, as has been suspected by some, I was a Detnocrat and am one no longer. Dying out as it has been, slowly but painfully, for the last eight years, with the dry-rot, that party has become too much accustomed to see men of sense withdraw their allegiance from it, to make my instance a source I22 LIFE OF IOGAN. of serious irritation. The true reason, which explains the malevolence with which they pursue me, will be found in the fact that while the recent war was raging, the honorable distinction was awarded to me of having put to the suwrd my full share of their party, who fell fighting in front of my com- mand under the spotted flag of treason to support their sentiments and prin- ciples. It was during the session of 1867-68, while Andrew John- son was still President, and Hugh McCulloch Secretary of the Treasury, that General Logan's vigilant watchfulness saved to the Government nearly one million dollars. An Illinois paper of that time thus alludes to this important ser- vice : Could the history of the present session of Congress be fully written out, it would be found that General John A. Logan, the only member representing an entire State, is no less distinguished in his services than in his constituency. He is not confined to strictly political labors, neither does he waste time in buncombe speeches. To illustrate the practical nature of his services take his connection with the Sundry Civil Expenses Bill pending in Congress, for " necessary expenses " con- nected with the Government bonds, notes, etc. The estimate for this appropriation, when it came from the Treasury, was $2,900,000, which amount excited the curiosity of the Committee on Appropriations. It was explained to them by the Secretary, that it was to pay employes in the Note and Bond Printing Bureau, and for paper and other ma- terials. The committee thereupon cut it down to $1,500,000, but Gen- eral Logan, having recently had an experience of the wasteful manner in which paper is used in that bureau, and having seen considerable of the loose way in which this business is transacted, thought a little further examination would do no harm. He thereupon procured an account of the actual and necessary expenditures of the bureau for the month of February, 1868, and found them to be $47,000. He then multiplied this number by twelve, for the twelve months of the year, and moved to amend the bill by striking out the $1,500,000 and inserting $565,000. This motion was agreed to. It will be seen from this, that General Logan saved the Government from being robbed of nearly one million dollars in this one instance ! To the Philadelphia Ledger belongs the credit of being the first to call especial attention to this service of our Congressman-at-large. Such a member cannot be spared from the Halls of Congress. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. , I2 ^ LOGAN THRICE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC — OBJECTS OF THAT ORDER, AS STATED BY HIMSELF HE INSTITUTES THE ANNUAL MEMORIAL, OR DEC- ORATION DAY. In January, 1868, General Logan's comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic elected him commander-in-chief of that order, and afterward honored him and themselves by twice re-electing - him to that distinguished position. It was during his first incumbency that General Logan, as commander-in- chief of this military society, issued the order — which he often afterward alluded to as u the proudest act of my life," — setting apart the 30th of May as a day in memory of the dead soldiers who lost their lives to perpetuate this Union, — a day on which to decorate their sacred graves and keep in mind their glorious deeds. This memorable order, — which was is- sued to all the comrades of the " Grand Army of the Repub- lic " throughout the land, — was in these inspiring words : Headquarters Grand Army of the Republic, Adjutant-General's Office, 446 14TH Street, Washington, D. C, May 5, 1868. General Orders, No. 11. I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating, the graves of comrades who died in defence of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, hamlet, and church- yard in the land. In this observance, no form of ceremony is pre- scribed, but posts and comrades will, in their own way, arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect, as circumstances may per- mit. We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the pur- pose, among other things, " of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines, who united together to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes. Their soldier lives were the reveille of free- dom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny 124 LIFE 0F LOGAN. in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add, to their adorn- ment and security, is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic. If other eyes grow dull, and other hands slack, and other hearts grow cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well, as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us. Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred re- mains, and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time ; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor ; let us, in this solemn presence, renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us, a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, — the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan. II. It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance, with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comradesJ[ He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of com- rades in all parts of the country, in time for simultaneous compliance therewith. III. Department commanders will use every effort to make this order effective. By order of John A. Logan, Comtnander-in- Chief. Official. N. P. Chipman, Adjutant-General. This order having - been generally complied with through- out the country, with beautiful and touching ceremonies at the graves of the dead, Mr. Logan on June 22, 1868, introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives, which was unanimously adopted, in these words: Resolved, That the proceedings of the different cities, towns, etc., re- cently held in commemoration of the gallant heroes who have sacrificed their lives in defence of the Republic, and the record of the ceremonial of the decoration of the honored tombs of the departed, shall be collected LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 12 $ and bound, under the direction of such person as the Speaker shall designate, for the use of Congress. Since then, as is well known, Decoration Day has been observed as a National Holiday nearly everywhere in the United States. PASSAGES FROM ONE OF HIS MEMORIAL-DAY ORATIONS A THRILLING WAR-PICTURE. The objects of the " Grand Army" were further set forth by Commander-in-Chief Logan, in a Decoration-day oration, at Du Quoin, 111., May 30, 1869, as follows: The Grand Army of the Republic has been organized on nearly the same basis as "The Cincinnati," and for nearly the same object. It is a secret society, taken from the order of our forefathers, and here are the first-fruits of that society. It was not organized for the purpose of raising any one man or set of men, or party, to position or power, but for the purpose of preserving the names and memories of those heroes who have fallen in the contest for their country's life, and for protecting their widows and orphans. And from that society proceeds this idea of strewing their comrades' graves with flowers. From it, the order was issued for the purpose of keeping their memories ever green in the minds of the living, and to perpetuate in the hearts of the people of this country the principle that lives in this Government, and for which our comrades died — the great principle of liberty, the idea of freedom and universal equality in our Government under the laws, so far as in- dividual rights are concerned. The great and glorious objects for which these men poured out their blood and forfeited their lives should be kept alive in each heart. This is the grand idea we have in view. . . . Believing that they were right, and that their cause was a holy one, we have gathered around these sacred mounds to-day for the purpose of solemnly pledging ourselves that this noble purpose shall be carried out by us while we live ; and that we will teach it to our chil- dren, so that when we too are numbered with the dead, those who re- main may catch up the refrain of liberty and inspire every bosom with zeal to emulate the deeds of those who sleep before us. For this pur- pose, and with this noble object in view, we mutually pledge ourselves, one to another. In all of General Logan's speeches, whether orations or otherwise, there run veins of true eloquence. In the oration 126 LIFE OF LOGAN. already referred to, occurs this thrilling picture of the patriot- ism enkindled by the War of the Rebellion : At a time when a dark and threatening cloud rolled up from our Southern horizon, and the muttering of the distant thunder-roar was heard, and fierce lightning shot from behind the murky folds — a time when the angry growl of war reverberated across the land in deep and threatening tones, — then it was that each patriot looked the coming storm in the face ; it was then, when our beloved country was trembling in the balance of fate, that these noble-hearted heroes embarked in the cause of liberty. And when the first fire of the enemy's guns leaped forth, it kindled a patriotic blaze in the heart of each man and woman in the land who loved our flag, the glorious Stars and Stripes. And this fire, once kindled, glowed and burned until it swelled to one mighty blaze of patriotism that swept across the continent as the fiery sheet drives along the dry prairie, and twenty millions of Columbia's sons and daughters wheeled into the ranks of loyalty and patriotism — a mighty host, evincing their devotion to their flag and country, swearing before God and men that the precious liberties purchased by the blood of their forefathers should never be sacrificed to the arm of treason or to foreign foe. There was a grand gathering then. It was the gather- ing of patriotic hosts — In arms the huts and hamlets rose ; From winding glen, from upland town, They poured each hardy tenant down ; Prompt at the signal of alarms Each son of freedom rushed to arms ! From city and country, from hill and valley, mountain and plain, at freedom's call the bands of patriots came. Like a whirlwind the flame rushed over the land from side to side, and the universal watchword was, " This country shall be free." Such was the deep determination of every true heart. Then you could see the great moving mass going forward, not like the dark and stealthy mist creeping up from the murky swamps, but like the bright aurora rising and spreading his beams of azure light. Then it was that freemen united for the purpose of wiping out, with a strong and mighty arm, the dark stain that had gathered on the bright escutcheon of our liberty. What a scene was then pre- sented ! See the long line of patriots as they come down the valley and over the mountains ! Hear the clash of arms, and the deep boom of the cannon ! Bugle notes in the morning summoned men to take the flag of our country in hand, and carry it everywhere throughout the Nation, LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 127 and thus show to the world that our Republican form of government is a thing worth preserving, worth even dying for. This was an exhibition of patriotic devotion worthy of imitation by all those who may come after them. And further on, in the same oration, looking at the war with the eyes of Christian patriotism and a wide, far-seeing statesmanship, Logan continued : I have said, on former occasions, that these men who died for their country, did not die alone that our flag should wave over the land ; that there was more in the contest than this. Civilization was at stake, Christianity was at stake, and liberty most certainly hung upon the re- sult of the contest. I have said that, through the death of these men, not only was the flag of the Republic — that emblem of our liberty — pre- served, but that Christianity achieved a victory. For just below the sacred cross waves the flag of freedom, the former forever overlooking the latter. And I say it for the reason that, as far back as the history of the world reaches, we find, whenever the sword has entered any free and enlightened nation to destroy it, as the nation suffered so has its civilization and Christianity suffered. Turn your eyes to the history of the Old World, and glance over its pages, and there you will find this truth verified, that wherever rebellion has destroyed governments lib- eral in their forms, their civil and religious progress has been blighted. Once the honor most esteemed by enlightened and brave men was to be called a Roman citizen. Rome was the mistress of nations, and for a time a mighty republic, the home of freedom, civilization, and culture. But what is it now ? A pile of majestic ruins — records of its departed greatness. And so with other nations. Italy, once a proud and inde- pendent people, now a nation of organ-grinders and pedlers. Athens, once the seat of learning, now lives only in its ruins and history. Jeru- salem, the Holy City and seat of the Christian religion, now in the hands of Oriental bigots. The verdict of history is that, where liberty is destroyed, Christianity sinks into darkness. Hence, I say, that those men fought not only for the protection of our flag, but also for the preservation of Christianity in this land ; for Christianity cannot long flourish where liberty is destroyed. If one dies, the other fades away. Civilization follows the Bible. Liberty and Christianity go together. If one dies the other dies also. And so it was in this land — the preser- vation of our flag and the free institutions of this country, was the preservation of the Christian religion as much as it was of the liberties of the people. And if we ask ourselves whether we believe this, I think 128 LIFE OF IOGAN. our response must be, We do. Then we say, These men have not died in vain. They perished in a righteous cause. And every man and woman in the country should honor their names, and hold their memory sacred, so long as the flag of Christian freedom floats above the waves of superstition and anarchy. IMPEACHMENT OF ANDREW JOHNSON LOGAN ONE OF THE MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE HIS GREAT EFFORT BEFORE THE COURT OF IMPEACHMENT WHAT SUM- NER, AND OTHERS, THOUGHT OF IT. It was on February 24, 1868, that the House of Represen- tatives decided to impeach Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors. On the 2d of March following, eleven articles of impeachment were agreed upon by the House, and on the 4th were duly pre- sented to the Senate sitting as a High Court of Impeach- ment, by the managers on the part of the House, who were accompanied by the House, — the Grand Inquest of the Nation, — as a Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union. Representative Logan was one of the managers. The trial commenced on March 13th, and continued until May 26th, when the Senate sitting as such court adjourned sine die. Conviction could only be had on any of the articles by a two-thirds vote of the fifty-four votes then in the Senate; or, in other words, by a vote of 36 "guilty" to 18 "not guilty." The result of the trial was non-conviction, although the fact that three several articles of impeachment secured a vote of 35 "guilty" to 19 "not guilty" sufficiently attested the slenderness of the thread by which the Damoclesian sword hung above Andrew Johnson's guilty head. One re- sult of the trial was that he was convicted in the minds of the people, and his great power for harm rendered innocuous. The argument of Manager Logan in this case, covering eighteen pages of the Congressional Globe, was a legal mas- terpiece, the opening being especially fine. In that opening, after modestly referring to the reluctance with which he LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 29 entered upon the performance of this transcendent duty, and declaring- that the cause was too great to be weakened by his weakness, he proceeded to the arraignment, passages in which are unsurpassed in power of statement and force of diction by anything in the English language. Said he : I wish to assure you, senators, — I wish most earnestly and sincerely to assure the learned and honorable counsel for the defence, — that we speak not only for ourselves, but for the great body of people, when we say that we regret this occasion, and we regret the necessity which has devolved this duty upon us. Heretofore, sirs, it has been the pride of every American to point to the Chief Magistrate of his nation. It has been his boast that to that great office have always been brought the most pre-eminent purity, the most undoubted integrity, and the most unquestioned loyalty which the country could produce. However fierce might be the strife of party, however clamorous might be the cry of politics, however desperate might be the struggles of leaders and of factions, it has always been felt that the President of the United States was an administrator of the law in all its force and example, and would be a promoter of the welfare of his country in all its perils and adversi- ties. Such have been the hopes, and such has been the reliance, of the people at large ; and, in consequence, the Chief Executive chair has come to assume in the hearts of Americans a form so sacred, and a name so spotless, that nothing impure could attach to the one and noth- ing dishonorable could taint the other. To do aught or to say aught which may disturb this cherished feeling, will be to destroy one of the dearest impressions to which our people cling. And yet, sirs, this is our duty to-day. We are here to show that President Johnson, the man whom this country once honored, is un- fitted for his place. We are here to show that in his person he has vio- lated the honor and sanctity of his office. We are here to show that he has usurped the power of his position and the emoluments of his pat- ronage. We are here to show that he has not only wilfully violated the law, but has maliciously commanded its infringement. We are here to show that he has deliberately done those things which he ought not to have done, and that he has criminally left undone those things which he ought to have done. He has betrayed his countrymen that he might perpetuate his power, and has sacrificed their interests that he might swell his author- ity. He has made the good of the people subordinate to his ambition, and the harmony of the community second to his desires. He has stood 9 I50 LIFE OF LOGAN. in the way which would have led the dismembered States back to pros- perity and peace, and has instigated them to the path which led to dis- cord and to strife. He has obstructed acts which were intended to heal, and has counselled the course which was intended to separate. The dif- ferences which he might have reconciled by his voice, he has stimulated by his example. The questions which might have been amicably set- tled by his acquiescence, have been aggravated by his insolence ; and in all those instances whereof we in our articles complain, he has made his prerogatives a burden to the commonwealth instead of a blessing to his constituents. And it is not alone that in his public course he has been shameless and guilty, but that his private conduct has been incendiary and malig- nant. It is not only that he has notoriously broken the law, but that he has criminally scoffed at the framers of the law. By public harangue, and by political arts, he has sought to cast odium upon Congress, and to in- sure credit for himself; and thus, in a government where equal respect and dignity should be observed in reference to the power and authority conferred upon each of its several departments, he has attempted to subvert their just proportions and to arrogate to himself their respective jurisdictions. It is for these things, senators, that to-day he stands im- peached ; and it is because of these, that the people have bid us prose- cute. That we regret it, I have said ; that they regret it, I repeat ; and though it tears away the beautiful belief with which, like a drapery, they had invested the altar, yet they feel that the time has come when they must expose and expel the sacrilegious priest, in order to protect and preserve the purity of the temple. There are, in this great legal argument, many passages of equal force and majestic beauty, to quote which would un- duly swell this brief sketch. Suffice it to say that the speech, throughout, was one of the most brilliant, cogent, and ex- haustive of any with which that august tribunal was at once instructed and captivated. The amount of research Mr. Logan evinced in it, by citations from all the great English and American authorities, whether as to the powers of sus- pension from office during impeachment, the proper methods and rules governing the procedure, the class of crimes and misdemeanors that are impeachable, the distinction between impeachment and consequent suspension and punishment by LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 131 indictment, the determination of the " intent, " or in his very able exposition of the constitutional rights and powers of the President, was remarkable, while the analysis of the evidence was close and logical. The summing-up was no less thor- ough and powerful, as the following brief extract will show : From the 14th day of April, 1865, to this day, as shown by the tes- timony, he has been consistent only with himself and the evil spirits of his administration. False to the people who took him from obscurity and conferred on him splendor ; who dug him from that oblivion to which he had been consigned by the treason of his State, and gave him that distinction which, as disclosed by his subsequent acts, he never merited, and has so fearfully scandalized, disgraced, and dishonored ; false to the memory of him whose death made him President ; false to the principles of our contest for national life; false to the Constitution and laws of the land, and his oath of office ; filled with all vanity, lust, and pride ; substituting, with the most disgusting self-complacency and ig- norance, his own coarse, brutalized will for the will of the people, and substituting his vulgar, vapid, and ignorant utterances for patriotism, statesmanship, and faithful public service,— he has completed his circle of high crimes and misdemeanors ; and, thanks to Almighty God, by the imbedded wisdom of our fathers found in the Constitution of our country, he stands to-day, with all his crimes upon his head, uncovered before the world, at the bar of this the most august tribunal upon earth, to receive the awful sentence that awaits him, as a fitting punishment for the crimes and misdemeanors of which he stands impeached by the House of Representatives, in the name and on behalf of all the people. The world in after-times will read the history of the administration of Andrew Johnson as an illustration of the depth to which political and official perfidy can descend. Amid the unhealed, ghastly scars of war ; surrounded by the weeds of widowhood and cries of orphanage ; associating with and sustained by the soldiers of the Republic, of whom at one time he claimed to be one ; surrounded by the men who had supported, aided, and cheered Mr. Lincoln through the darkest hours and sorest trials of his sad yet immortal administration — men whose lives had been dedicated to the cause of justice, law, and universal liberty — the men who had nominated and elected him to the second office in the Nation at a time when he scarcely dared visit his own home because of the traitorous instincts of his own people ; yet, as shown by his official acts, messages, speeches, conversations, and associations, 132 LIFE OF LOGAN. almost from the time when the blood of Lincoln was warm on the floor of Ford's Theatre, Andrew Johnson was contemplating treason to all the fresh fruits of the overthrown and crushed rebellion, and an affilia- tion with, and a practical, official, and hearty sympathy for, those who had cost us hecatombs of slain citizens, billions of treasure, and an almost ruined country. His great aim and purpose has been to sub- vert law, usurp authority, insult and outrage Congress, reconstruct the rebel States in the interests of treason, insult the memories and rest- ing-places of our heroic dead, outrage the feelings and deride the prin- ciples of the living men who aided in saving the Union, and deliver all that was snatched from wreck and ruin into the hands of unrepentant, but, by him, pardoned traitors. We are not doubtful of your verdict. Andrew Johnson has long since been tried by the whole people and found guilty, and you can but confirm that judgment already pronounced by the sovereign American people. Of this great forensic effort, the effect and power of which can only be judged in its entirety and not by disjointed quota- tions of any length, much less by such brief ones as have been given herein, the Washington Chronicle said at the time : The argument of Hon. John A. Logan on the impeachment of the President, which was filed on Wednesday, is one of the greatest efforts of its gifted author. Mr. Logan has long since established his reputation as an orator. Eloquence with him is a natural endowment, the result of his copiousness of expression and his ardent temperament, combined with quick and vigorous intellectual powers. Such men often neglect the severer studies without which the most brilliant natural gifts can- not secure substantial eminence. If there are any who have doubted General Logan's abilities as an argumentative speaker, his present effort must satisfy them. His argument is most thorough and search- ing. Taking up point after point in defence of the President, he ex- poses their feebleness, insufficiency, or irrelevancy, and supports the charges of the House of Representatives not only by trenchant logic, but by a thorough, searching analysis of the constitutional and legal provisions applicable to the case, by copious citations from the opinions of the great lights of the past, and by a forcible statement of the salient facts developed in the testimony. The concluding portion, in which he sums up the case against the President, is fully worthy of his high reputation as an orator. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 ^Z Prominent men, and classical scholars, were loud in praise of this speech. Senator Sumner said of it : " It is capital ! capital ! — one of the best arguments I have read for many a day." Samuel Wilkinson said of it : " It is the best speech I ever read." And, among the great number of journals that alluded to it in terms of high praise, the Mississippi Journal said : We have been favored with a copy of the celebrated speech of Hon. John A. Logan, on Impeachment, and, after a studious perusal, must pronounce it one of the orator's most brilliant efforts. The sterling arguments, free from metaphors or ornament, remind the classical scholar of the orations of Cicero or Demosthenes, while, at the same time, the chaste elegance of a fervent imagination reveals treasures of thought and strength of reasoning that would do honor to the most distinguished habitues of the Roman forum. PENSIONS FOR THE WAR OF l8l2 LOGAN ADVOCATES THE BILL AND EXPLAINS THE TRUE GROUND UPON WHICH PENSIONS ARE GRANTED. It may be well to mention here, as showing the strong ground upon which he, even at this day, stood with respect to pensions, that, early in 1868, the House of Representa- tives having before it a bill to grant pensions to the soldiers of the war of 181 2, in the debate upon it, General Logan made a speech in favor of the bill, in which the following strong passages occur : From the best data that we can get, there are very few of the sol- diers of the 181 2 war, surviving. The survivors must average seventy or seventy-five years of age. Forty-eight years after the close of the revo- olutionary war, pensions were granted to the soldiers who had defended the country in that war. A pension was granted to each and every one of the soldiers then surviving. Why was it granted ? Not, because it took but a small sum of money out of the Treasury. I ask the gentle- men of the House to reflect for one moment upon the principle on which we grant a pension to a soldier. In granting pensions, do we vote with reference to the amount of money, small or large, that the payment of the pensions will, take ? No, sir. We pass such acts upon 134 LIFE OF LOGAN. the principle th.it the soldier has done his duty to his country, and that the country is under obligation to provide for him for the remainder of his life, if he need such provision. When we grant pensions to wounded soldiers, we do not inquire how many wounded soldiers there are, and how much money it will take to provide a pension for all of them. We do not determine the question upon any such conditions. We vote pensions because we believe that a man who, in defending his country, has met the shock of battle, and has thus received wounds, deserves the gratitude of his country, and is entitled to its protecting care in his de- clining years. I say then, in reference to this bill, that the men, for whom it is in- tended to provide, are entitled to pensions. Why ? Not because they are few, or because they are many, but because they defended the lib- erties of this country at a time when their defence was needed. These men are now old, and they need the protection and succor of the coun- try. They ask the Congress of the United States to give them a small pittance that will assist them in their declining years. I, for one, am willing to grant it. More than fifty years have passed since these men met the storm of battle in defending this government against the Britons who were in- vading our soil. For that, they are entitled to relief ; for that, they are entitled to protection ; for that, they are entitled to the gratitude of this country, as much as if they had served in our recent war. If we intend to act properly, as the soldier grows old, as he declines in years, as he fades away toward the shadow-land, it is ours to see that the hand of this Republic shall be stretched out to him in relief. We should say to him : " In your manhood, in your youth, in your vigor and strength of life, you put forth your efforts to support an imperilled government, to save from wreck our free institutions ; and now, in your old age, feeble and dependent, we will give you this small pittance, that your path to the grave may be smoothed, and made pleasant, with the recollection that your glorious deeds are held in grateful memory by the Republic." LOGAN DECLINES TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS LOGAN " THE CENTRE OF ATTRACTION " IN THE HOUSE AGAIN RE- NOMINATED REPRESENTATIVE AT LARGE AT THE CHICAGO CONVENTION OF 1 868, HE NOMINATES GRANT FOR PRESI- DENT. During the winter of 1867-68 Congressman Logan having been urged by some of his friends to accept the Republican LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 35 nomination for Governor of Illinois, declined. The Rock Island Weekly Union, alluding to this, says: In a letter to a gentleman of Rock Island, he says that, while he dis- likes to refuse any reasonable request of his friends, he has become so deeply interested in the questions that must be settled by this, and the succeeding Congress, that he prefers to remain identified with that body until they are finally disposed of. He says he wants " this govern- ment reconstructed on a basis that will at least allow a loyal man to live in it." . . . While there is no doubt the people of Illinois would gladly choose him as their chief executive, General Logan is needed in Congress. His services are more valuable, to the State and Nation, in that position, than they could be as Governor of Illinois. Such men as he is — earnest and fearless in the defence of loyalty, who cannot be swerved from the strict performance of duty — should not be spared from Congress, in the present crisis. At this time Logan was already one of the most marked men in Congress. The editorial correspondence from Wash- ington, February 20, 1868, of a Southern Illinois paper, graphically describes him thus : This man is the centre of attraction. When he walks into the House of Representatives, the whisper goes the round of the galleries : "That's Logan of Illinois." Every eye watches him. When he rises, no matter how much confusion prevails at the time, order is at once restored. Spectators and members all turn toward him, and, while he speaks, pro- found silence reigns, except the sound of his own voice. When he leaves, he is pursued by people from every part of the country. His rooms are thronged by ladies and gentlemen at all hours. His influence is sought after by all classes of persons, and for every imaginable thing. These people are a heavy tax upon his time and energy, but Logan re- ceives all with the same freedom and ease as he is approached at home, and without ostentation. In a word, Logan is the same in Washington that he is in Egypt — bold, manly, candid, a constant worker and a faiths ful representative. The people of Illinois have reason to be proud of him. In honoring him with so important an office, the people have hon- ored themselves and the State. No citizen of the great State of Illinois need be ashamed of his Representative, nor blush when his name is called. Early in 1868, General Logan was again nominated by acclamation for Representative from the State at large, and 136 LIFE OF LOGAN. also elected a delegate to the National Union Republican Convention of that year, which he attended at the head of the Illinois delegation, and, in a brief but ringing speech, put General Grant, his old comrade-in-arms, in nomination for President of the United States. logan's "keynote" speech in the house, 1868 — scathing review of the "principles of the democratic party " good reading for young men, even now. On July 16, 1868, Congressman Logan delivered a speech before the House of Representatives, which was so scath- ing a review of the "Principles of the Democratic Party" as enunciated in their platform and otherwise, that it created quite a sensation at the time, and was the keynote of the Presidential contest of that year, which ended in the trium- phant election of General Grant to the Presidency. It was an able review both of the war and of the public measures which followed it; and its historical value is sufficient reason — aside from the fact that much of it will probably continue to have a close applicability to future political campaigns — for giving it entire. Said Mr. Logan : Mr. Chairman, the Democratic platform is a " whited sepulchre, full of dead men's bones." It is a monument which is intended to hide de- cay and conceal corruption. Like many other monuments, it attracts attention by its vast proportions, and excites disgust by the falsity of its inscriptions. The casual observer, knowing nothing of the previous life of the deceased, who reads this eulogy upon the tomb, might im- agine that all the virtues, the intellect, and the genius of the age were buried there. But to him who knows that the life had been a living lie, an incessant pursuit of base ends, the stone is a mockery, and the panegyric a fable. It is my purpose to show, sir, that this Democratic platform is a mockery of the past, and that its promises for the future are hollow, evasive, and fabulous ; that it disregards the sanctities of truth, and deals only in the language of the juggler. It is like the words of the LOGAN NOMINATING GRANT.— Page 136. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. ! 37 weird witches who wrought a noble nature to crime and ruin, and then, in the hour of dire extremity, Kept the word of promise to the ear, And broke it to the hope. What are the pledges of this platform, made by a party which now asks place and power for themselves, and retirement and obscurity for us ? They pledge, peace to the country. Well, sir, the country should have peace. They pledge, a uniform and valuable currency to the country. Sir, the country desires such a currency. They pledge, econ- omy in the administration of the Government. Judicious economy is among the first maxims of government. They pledge, payment of the public debt and reduction of taxation. I agree that the public credit must be preserved at all hazards, and that taxation should be reduced by all means. They pledge, reform of all abuses. Sir, when once an abuse is discovered, no man will deny that it should be at once reformed. They pledge, the observance of the laws, the guarantees of the Consti- tution, the rights of the people, and the promotion of the public weal. Nothing more could be asked of a party than that it should do every- thing which is good, and abstain from all that is bad. Happy indeed, sir, is that country whose rulers are all wise, all virtuous, all patriots, and all without ambition except to excel in worth and wisdom. When such a party is found, Mr. Chairman, I shall support it, no matter by what name it may be called; but until it is found, — and I may be permitted to remark that it never yet has been found in history,— I shall support that party which does the best it can for the country, with what materials it has, and makes up in good deeds what it may lack in polished speech. Now, Mr. Chairman, as I am an anxious inquirer after truth, and as I agree that the promises of this platform are many and seemingly fair, and likely to catch the eye and ear of some who are unsuspecting, I am desirous of ascertaining the basis upon which they rest, in order that I may determine first how far I may trust to their performance. It is an inquiry that concerns not only me, but all of us ; but more par- ticularly does it concern those who are to come after us— the young men of this nation who are now about to cast their first vote, and who will ultimately occupy the places we now hold, and be affected for good or for ill by the policy we may now adopt. No man has a right to treat this question lightly, and when we see a convention held by an adverse party, it is our duty to criticise fairly but rigidly its acts, and to ask of what personnel is it composed ? If we find that its proclamations of principles are only a bait for !^8 LIFE OF LOGAN. votes ; if we find that its resolutions are inconsistent, the one with the other, and all contradictory of the resolutions of previous years ; if we find that, instead of being a party promoting the prosperity of the country, it is the party which attempted the life of the coun- try ; if we find that it is a party whose policy was suicidal in peace, and fratricidal in war ; if we find that it is a party which has adhered to no principle in times past, except the principle of perpetuity ; if we find that the men who now lift their voices as its leaders are unworthy men who bared their blades in rebellion ; if we find there, a gathering of all who are wildly ambitious, thoroughly unscrupulous, and danger- ously discontented, then we may safely say their pledges are all false, and we may warn not only the soldiers and sailors, but all good men, and particularly all young men, to avoid their snares and flee from their delusions. It requires an unusual condition of public affairs to produce such an unusual platform, and we require to know what that condition is, be- fore we can judge of it. Let us see what is the condition, and what produced it. A very few years ago, the Democratic Party were in power. They had been in power for many, many years before. What- ever of good there was in their policy, they had had time to develop it. Whatever of evil there was, they had had opportunity to correct it. They did neither the one thing nor the other. There were no hostile armies then. The people imagined that there was peace. A few, only, believed that there could be war. But war was imminent. Under the surface of peace, that party was preparing for war. In the council- chambers of the Nation, they howled for war. In the different de- partments of the Government, where they were trusted and uncon- trolled, they were preparing for war. In the minds of the young and unsuspecting, they sowed the seeds of war. In their newspapers they threatened war. In the lecture-room, in the college, from the pulpit and the rostrum, they invoked war ; and finally, when they judged the time had come, when the Nation was most helpless and the weapons of defence most useless, they made war,— and war of what kind ? Actual war, treasonable war, — war against those who had loved and fostered them, — upon co-dwellers under the same roof, and brothers by birth and blood. How did war find us ? It found us as the ship is found when pirates scuttle her — open to the mercy of the waves, and ready to be engulfed. We had made no preparation for war. The military and naval es- tablishments were on a peace footing, and even the skeleton had been disjointed. Treason was in the high places, and consternation prevailed everywhere else. That which might have been efficient, in a pinch, LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 139 had been weakened by treachery, or paralyzed by surprise. We had few troops, few guns, few forts, few sail, and few commanders. Scarcely a man in the North, out of the regular service, knew the first move- ments in the school of the soldier. The knowledge of arms had not been sought, and material and munition of war had sparsely been pro- vided. We had no money, to carry on a war. We had no policy de- clared, to carry us through a war. But war, bloody, dreadful, disrupt- ing, came upon us, and we had to meet it as best we could. The first thing was to get money. We issued the greenbacks. Whether that was the wisest thing to be done, is not the question. At that time it seemed to be the only thing we could do, and therefore we did it. But greenbacks were not sufficient. We issued the bonds of various kinds because we needed more money, and we had to offer security of some kind for it, and that seemed to be, at that time, the best that could be offered. Whether it was so in fact, or not, is not now the question. They were issued, and are not yet redeemed. Spite of all this, we got heavily in debt. The war was a gigantic one. Armies were raised, whose numbers astounded the world. Battles were fought, whose slaughter saddened the world. Destruction of property followed, whose amount might bankrupt a nation. But we were fighting for the life and liberties of this people, and to solve the problem of man's capability for self-government ; we could not stop. We were compelled to go on ; and debt followed us as fast and as far as we went — heavy, crushing, appalling debt. Laws were defied, and we compelled their obedience. When the civil power was too weak, we took the strong arm of the sword. States were insurgent, and the people threw off their allegiance. We took the Government from those who cast it off, and we gave it to those who fought to maintain it. Our debts were falling due, and we taxed the people to pay them. The taxes were heavy ; but the debts were heavy ; and the army expenses were enormous. In so far as we could, we struggled to keep down our debt and to keep up our credit. What else ? We found slavery had been a cause of war ; but we found also that war abolished slavery. What next ? We found those who had been slaves, were true ; and those who should have been true, were false. We gave the slave a musket, because we found he was a man ; and we gave him a ballot, that he might be a citi- zen. And so, sir, under these disabilities, and against all these disad- vantages, we fought out that fight. We subdued the rebellion, — we ended the war. And then, Mr. Chairman, what was the condition of affairs ? We found the South exhausted, impoverished, and starved. We found her white male population fearfully thinned by battle ; her I4 LIFE OF LOGAN. black laboring population freed, but without opportunity to labor, and no resources for a livelihood. Everything was dark, gloomy, and dismal. There was no money, no commerce, no traffic there. The races were embittered against each other, the whites threatened to exterminate the blacks. We gave ra- tions to the whites, and the Freedmen's Bureau as protection to the blacks. We afforded opportunities for employment ; and we regulated the relations of the employer and the laborer. We protected the one, and we encouraged the other. And when we could not keep the peace by the civil arm, we resorted to the military, because we have had enough of war, and we determined that the peace should be kept. What next ? We found that there were no governments in the rebel States which we could recognize ; and we provided plain and merciful means by which new governments could be established. This was the condition of the South. How was it in the North ? We were oppressed with our debt ; we were borne down with our taxes; we were perplexed how to pay the first, and how to reduce the latter. But our hearts were all glad notwithstanding, because we had saved our country. We mourned for those we had lost, but we rejoiced for those who were to come, for we had solved the problem of liberty and the destiny of our people. We set ourselves immediately to repair the ravages of the war. At the close of the war, by the official report of the Secretary of the Treasury, dated December 3, 1866, our indebted- ness on the 31st day of August, 1865, was $2,846,021,742.04 ; on the 1st day of June, 1868, by the report of the same official, our indebted- ness was $2,510,245,886.74, being a reduction of the national debt since August 31, 1865, to June 1, 1868, of $335>775> 8 55-3°> showing a reduc- tion of our national debt, of one hundred millions per annum. Under a Republican Congress, could we have had an Executive and Cabinet in harmony with Congress, so that frauds and robberies of the revenues could have been stopped, in my judgment the whole country would be at peace, and our debt reduced at least $500,000,000. We now propose to reduce the army and navy, as rapidly as can be done with safety to the country, and all other expenses of the Government. We have also, as fast as State after State organizes its government, abolished military authority and subordinated it to the civil, and abolished the Freedmen's Bureau, to take effect the 1st of next January. This, Mr. Chairman, is a brief statement of the condition of our coun- try since i860. I have been brief in stating, because I did not wish to tell an oft-told tale. I have only sketched those events which have given rise to the pledges and complaints of the Democratic platform. Now, sir, when a nation finds itself thus suddenly engaged in an un- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 141 foreseen war, and thus unexpectedly is called upon for all its resources, and emerges from the struggle victorious but fatigued, strong but wearied, it is certainly entitled to some forbearance, and its supporters should meet with some encouragement and praise. This remark brings me to my first allegation against this platform. I allege against it, that it makes a specious and a false complaint against us for doing the only thing which it was in our power to do, and the only thing which any other party. Republican or Democratic, could have done, unless they made an ignominious peace with the rebels ! No other set of men, be their politics what they might, could have done aught other than we did do, if they were patriots and fought the battle of their country ! I allege against it, also, that the very men who now make this complaint were either the identical men, or else the partisan friends and adherents of the identical men, who brought on this war, who fought the flag, who caused the debt, and who were the immediate occasion of all our sor- row and of all our burdens ! It is not true, then, that the Democratic Party will give peace to the country. They have been the party of war, and, by the written declar- ations of their candidate for Vice-President, they propose more war un- less they can undo all the victory we have achieved, and renew rebell-. ion where we have quieted it. I read, Mr. Chairman, a letter written by Major-General F. P. Blair to Colonel Broadhead of St. Louis : " Washington, June 30, 1868. " Dear Colonel : In reply to your inquiries I beg leave to say that I leave to you to determine, on consultation with my friends from Mis- souri, whether my name shall be presented to the Democratic Conven- tion, and to submit the following as what I consider the real and only issue in this contest : " The reconstruction policy of the Radicals will be complete before the next election ; the States so long excluded will have been admitted, negro suffrage established, and the carpet-baggers installed in their seats in both branches of Congress. There is no possibility of chang- ing the political character of the Senate, even if the Democrats should elect their President and a majority of the popular branch of Congress. We cannot, therefore, undo the Radical plan of reconstruction by Con- gressional action ; the Senate will continue a bar to its repeal. Must we submit to it ? How can it be overthrown ? It can only be overthrown by the authority of the Executive, who is sworn to maintain the Consti- tution, and who will fail to do his duty if he allows the Constitution to perish under a series of Congressional enactments which are in palpable violation of its fundamental principles. I4 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. If the President elected by the Democracy enforces, or permits others to enforce, these reconstruction acts, the Radicals, by the acces- sion of twenty spurious Senators and fifty Representatives, will control, both branches of Congress, and his Administration will be as powerless as the present one of Mr. Johnson. "There is but one way to restore the Government and the Constitu- tion, and that is for the President-elect to declare these acts null and void, compel the army to undo its usurpations at the South, disperse the carpet-bag State governments, allow the white people to reorganize their own governments, and elect Senators and Representatives. The House of Representatives will contain a majority of Democrats from the North, and they will admit the Representatives elected by the white people of the South, and with the co-operation of the President it will not be difficult to compel the Senate to submit once more to the obli- gations of the Constitution. It will not be able to withstand the public judgment, if distinctly invoked and clearly expressed on this funda- mental issue, and it is the sure way to avoid all future strife to put the issue plainly to the country. " I repeat that this is the real and only question which we should iHo'.v to control us : Shall we submit to the usurpations by which the Government has been overthrown, or shall we exert ourselves for its full and complete restoration ? It is idle to talk of bonds, greenbacks, gold, the public faith, and the public credit. What can a Democratic President do in regard to any of these, with a Congress in both branches controlled by the carpet-baggers and their allies ? He will be powerless to stop the supplies by which idle negroes are organized into political clubs — by which an army is maintained to protect these vagabonds in their outrages upon the ballot. These, and things like these, eat up the revenue and resources of the Government and destroy its credit — make the difference between gold and greenbacks. We must restore the Constitution before we can restore the finances, and to do this we must have a President who will execute the will of the people by tram- pling into dust the usurpation of Congress known as the reconstruction acts. I wish to stand before the Convention upon this issue, but it is one that embraces everything else that is of value in its large and com- prehensive results. It is the one thing that includes all that is worth a contest, and without it there is nothing that gives dignity, honor, or value to the struggle. "Your friend, Frank P. Blair. " Colonel James O. Broadhead" LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 143 Is this the language of peace ? Is this the pledge of security to the country? Is this the return to the settled pursuits of civil life and the calm routine of trade, which shall reassure our people and restore our prosperity ? Does it not rather suggest the clarion-trump and the clash of arms— the neigh of steed and the shriek of death ? Are our taxes to be lessened under these threats ? Will our credit be made better by these means ? Gentlemen shall not tell me that this is not an utterance of the party, nor a binding declaration. The letter was written before the Convention met, in view of its meeting, and in order to bring the writer and his doctrines before that Convention as a candidate. Both ends were attained. The letter was published ; the writer was nominat- ed. The doctrines are his and his party's, and are embodied in the platform by the declaration that " we regard the reconstruction acts (so called) as usurpations, and unconstitutional, revolutionary, and void." It seems, then, from this, that all we have done is to be undone. No matter that the voice of the country, in election after election, year after year, has sanctioned it and said it was well done ; the Democratic Party says it must be undone, or that the swords shall be unsheathed and des- olation sweep over the land. Where, now, are the pledges of specie payment, of redeemed bonds, of equal currency, of wise legislation, of amicable feeling, of restored confidence, of judicious economy and reduced taxation ? Gone ! gone ! The loud note of insurrection has dispelled them all, and the possibility of our national parliament being dissolved by the sword, as in Crom- well's day, has put all lingering hope to flight. We are promised a uni- form and valuable currency — one currency — which is to be sufficient "for the Government and the people, the laborer and the office-holder, the pensioner and the soldier, the producer and the bondholder." We are promised "payment of the public debt as rapidly as practicable." We are notified of "equal taxation of every species of property, includ- ing bonds and other securities." We are to expect " economy in the administration of the Government," and the " abolition of the Freed- men's Bureau." How is all this to be brought about ? For fear I may do injustice to the platform, I wish to quote some extracts from the World newspaper of July 8th, the day after the platform was made. I may add that the World is the authoritative exponent of the views of the distinguished gentleman, Horatio Seymour, who has been nominated for President by that party, and therefore this interpretation is his in- terpretation. " The declarations relating to the finances are scattered through dif- ferent sections of the platform. They need to be brought together before we can get an intelligent view of their scope. The platform is i 4 4 LTFE 0F LOGAN. explicit enough upon each particular point, but its several declarations so limit and modify one another that it would be very misleading to consider any one of them apart from the rest." It is somewhat singular, if this document were all fairness and hon- esty, that its different subjects could not be put close enough together to afford an "intelligent view" of each, and that "its declarations are so misleading" as to require an expert like the World to bring them to- gether in harmony. Why is it that "its several declarations limit and modify one another," if these are the declarations and the principles upon which our people are asked to stake their happiness? But, says the World, this is what it means : " Payment of the principal of the five-twenty bonds in greenbacks will easily be found in the platform if searched for. The language is that 'when the obligations of the Government do not expressly state upon their face, or the law under which they were issued does not provide, that they shall be paid in coin, they ought in right and in justice to be paid in the lawful money of the United States ; that is to say, in greenbacks. This is explicit enough so far as it relates to the medium of payment ; but how does the platform propose to provide the means ? In other words, where are the greenbacks to come from ? On this also the platform is explicit. They are not to be manufactured by the printing press, but to be raised by taxation. By this method the payment of the public debt cannot be very rapid. The bondholders need have no fear that their property is to be swept away by a new inundation of paper money. Payment of the public debt in greenbacks without increasing their present amount, payment in greenbacks out of the proceeds of a reduced taxation, will leave the greater portion of the debt standing for many years to come." Two things appear from this : first, that the payment of the public debt cannot be very rapid ; and second, that the greenbacks wherewith to pay it arc to be raised by taxation. This is a novel way indeed to "equalize the currency" and to "reduce taxation." We are to be taxed additionally to pay the public debt, and to be taxed a long time to come before it can be discharged, and the Democracy call this " reform of an existing abuse." There is another fact concealed in this statement which it were well to bring to light. We have heard that much of our miseries are due to the " bloated bondholders." They are lepers who have infected us in our persons, and tainted our financial atmosphere. But they are assured, by this platform, that "they need have no fears that their property is to be swept away by a new inundation of paper money." If these bonds are vile as they say, why should they not be swept LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 145 away under a Democratic dispensation ? We do not think they are ; but, if we are to rely on Democratic testimony, they are the gangrene of our body politic. Again, if there is to be no " new inundation of paper money," how are the greenbacks to be raised which, levied in taxation, are to pay off the national debt ? First, it is said, they will raise greenbacks by taxation and pay off the bonds. It must be ad- mitted that the greenbacks already in circulation are not adequate for this, and so more must be issued. But, next it is said, that there will be no more issued. Then how are the bonds to be paid ? It may be that this is all clear to other eyes, and that the end will certainly be reached by the means ; but I trust I may be pardoned if I confess at once that I am not able to take that " intelligent view " which shows me how it is to be done. It seems, too, that the World has the same opacity as my- self, if its vision is confined to this point, and so it takes another stretch : "There is another part of the platform which has a pertinent bearing on this subject. It is the declaration in favor of 'one currency for the Government and the people, for the bondholder and the producer.' Now, although nothing is expressly said upon that point, we suppose the platform contemplates the payment of the duties on imports in coin as heretofore. This seems to us a justifiable, nay, an inevitable infer- ence from what is said about paying in coin such obligations of the Government as stipulate for coin upon their face. The interest upon both the ten-forty and the five-twenty bonds is payable in coin by the very terms of the law, and also the principal of the ten-forties. If the Gov- ernment keeps this express engagement, it must by some means raise the coin, and no other method is suggested than by collecting it, as now, at the custom-houses. Now, as the platform pledges the party to pay specie to the bondholders to meet their interest and that part of their principal which the law requires to be paid in coin, it seems evi- dent that the ' one currency for the Government and the people, the bondholder and the producer,' must contemplate an early return to specie payments. The 'one currency' must mean either a uniform good currency or a uniform bad currency. It is inconceivable in itself and inconsistent with the platform that the old, hard-money Demo- cratic Party should promise a uniform currency of bad money. The one currency means a sound currency ; a currency equivalent to coin and at all times exchangeable for it. One currency of depreciated greenbacks would be inconsistent with the payment in coin of that part of the public obligations which are acknowledged by the platform to be due in coin ; inconsistent with the collection of the revenue from imports in gold ; inconsistent with the idea that we are ever to return to specie payments." 146 LIFE OF LOGAN. "Another declaration, in still another section of the platform, evinces an intention to make an early return to specie payments. After calling for a reduction of the public expenses and a reform of the system of taxation, the platform proceeds thus : ' So that the burden of taxation may be equalized and lessened, the credit of the Government and the currency made good.' The credit of the Government is not 'good' so long as its promises sell for less than their face ; the currency is not 'good' so long as it is inflated and irredeemable." " The platform proposes to pay the five-twenties in greenbacks ; proposes to raise the money for this purpose by taxation ; promises un- equivocally that ' the burden of taxation shall be lessened ; the credit of the government made good ; the currency made good ; and that the good currency shall be the same for all classes, including the bond- holders.' We do not regard these several declarations as contradictory, but as mutually explanatory, perfectly consistent, and harmonious. The Democratic Party is pledged by the platform to appreciate the greenbacks to par, and use them for the payment of that part of the public debt which is not by express provision of law due in coin." Now, having got all the light of which the subject is capable, let us see exactly what it is that is promised by these reformers. They say to the people : "The bloated bondholder is eating out your sub- stance, and we will tax his property just as we tax yours." They say to the bondholder: "Have no fears for your bonds; we will issue no more greenbacks to depreciate them ; and we will pay them in a good and lawful currency. If it is not gold, it shall be as good as gold." They say to the people : "We will reduce your taxes." They say to the capitalist : " We will pay our debts by taxation." They say to the people : "We will have but one currency for all alike, and that shall be greenbacks." They say to the creditor: "We will pay you in gold, as the law requires ; but we will make the greenback of the value of gold if we can." And then they say to all, to the bondholder and the people, the pensioner and the soldier, the laborer, the office-holder, and the producer: "We will reform all abuses; we will equalize taxa- tion by a uniform currency ; we will pay the bonds in gold, or green- backs at par ; and we will pay off our debts." When ? After many years to come ! So, Mr. Chairman, admitting that all this is to be brought about in the very letter and spirit of the promise, it appears that the first con- dition of its fulfilment is that the Democratic Party shall have unlim- ited power for many years to come, or else it cannot keep its word. If it should be asked what recourse or remedy will the people have if, after having given that power to that party for many years to come, LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 147 those promises should not be kept, these pledges should not be fulfilled, I am at a loss to reply ; I do not find any remedy stated in the platform ; I am not aware of any recourse. Still, however, it may be impertinent and useless to make the inquiry or to seek for redress. A ruined debt- or, bankrupt to the last farthing, need trouble himself but very little as to the disposition of the assets which he has not got. This, then, sir, is the much-vaunted financial policy which is to be inaugurated by the Democratic Party, and through which this country is to be rescued from all her present difficulties. This is the key-note of their complaint and the battle-cry of their campaign. It is a platform which was made to suit a candidate who was defeated for the nomination. The platform was made for one man, but that man is not the one who is standing on it. The man who wanted that platform did not get the nomination, and the man who did get the nomination did not want that platform. It is not of record that, like another memorable candidate of by-gone years, "he spat upon it." Indeed, his well-known habits of decorum and aristocratic breeding forbid the possibility of such a thing. But it is of record that he made two earnest and powerful speeches to prevent the enunciation of a doctrine which he knew was absurd in the present and would be falsified in the future. If, then, their financial declara- tions are vague and false, how can we trust aught else they say? The country wants peace ; through peace will come prosperity. Prosperity thrives under a government of fixed principles, and principles are most firmly fixed when they are most generally and best understood by the people at large. If their finances fail, all else fails. Now, what do they say upon another most essential and remunerative branch of the na- tional finances, — that branch which is now, and must continue to be, the only gold-yielding portion of our revenue, — I mean the tariff? I quote again, sir, from the World : "There is only one other subject embraced in the platform which seems to call for any remark, and that is the tariff, or ' protection.' This part of the platform is a muddle. The language is a ' tariff for revenue upon foreign imports,' which is good, sound Democratic doctrine, but it is immediately followed by this unintelligible jumble : 'and such equal taxation under the internal-revenue laws as will afford incidental pro- tection to domestic manufactures.' We are here treated to the paradox of a revenue tariff, and protective internal taxes. But the wonder does not end here. A protective tariff discriminates, but internal taxes are to protect without discriminating. It is 'equal ' internal taxes that are to accomplish the feat of protecting domestic manufactures. If all in- terests are taxed alike, how can any be protected ? What are they to be protected against ? Not against foreign rivals by internal taxes ; not 148 LIFE OF LOGAN. against domestic competition by equal taxes. The promise of 'a tariff for revenue ' is excellent ; all beyond that is nonsense." You will observe, Mr. Chairman, that it is not I who say that this is a muddle, an unintelligible jumble, a paradox, and nonsense, but the leading Seymour paper in the United States. I turn now to another topic, and still I quote the World: " All that the Democratic Party promise to do, in relation to negro supremacy, is comprised in these words : 'The reduction of the stand- ing army and navy, the abolition of the Freedmen's Bureau, and all political instrumentalities designed, to secure negro supremacy.' The Freedmen's Bureau, with the army to back it, is a tremendous election- eering machine intended to control the negro vote. When it is abol- ished, the negro vote will fall under the control of the white citizens of the South, and there will then be no difficulty in carrying all the South- ern States for the Democratic Party." That is, the Freedmen's Bureau is an outrageous institution, because it prevents the Democratic Party from controlling the negro vote, and getting supremacy in every Southern State ; that is to say, the Freed- men's Bureau would be all right if it were in Democratic hands, and the negro will be a good enough man to vote so soon as he can be got to vote the Democratic ticket. The World further adds : " The platform promises to smash the political machine called the Freedmen's Bureau and all other Federal agencies for controlling the Southern elections ; but beyond this it wisely promises nothing in re- lation to negro suffrage. It promises that the Federal Government shall not interfere to cajole the negroes into voting against the interests of their section, and trusts to the natural ascendency of white intelli- gence to accomplish whatever else may be deemed expedient. In this matter the platform is equally wise in what it promises and in what it abstains from promising." In other words, it is admirable because it is so happy in suppressing the truth to an extent as great as in suggesting a falsehood ; and this, sir, is the whole of it beyond the usual quantity of empty phrases, "full of sound and fury and signifying nothing," with which, from time im- memorial, the Democratic Party have been in the habit of garnishing their platforms. I might make a closer analysis of it all, and I think I might make a stronger show of its utter worthlessness ; but I am con- tent to accept the rendition of the World, in order that I may not be charged with partisan prejudice. I take the World, because it is the word. It explains the deed, for him who is to perform it ; and surely, where we decide evidence of intention and of faith, we can ask for nothing LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 49 stronger than the word and the deed combined. But I have not done yet. I desire, with your indulgence, to go a little behind the promise, to inquire as to the character of those who make the promise. It is an axiom, with all business men, that the value of a note is determined not at all by what it promises to pay, but wholly and exclusively by the character of the makers and indorsers. I wish to inquire, Mr. Chair- man, who are the men that made up that Democratic Convention, and who are the men that indorsed its candidates ? I have already referred to the men who, in time of peace, plotted war. I have shown how it was that this country became charged with its load of debt. I have dwelt upon the struggles and the difficulties of that hour, and the wails and the woes of our mourners. I have stated how we did all that we did, because it was the only thing to do. I have shown how we wrestled with our adversity, and finally how we overcame our enemies. We bore the brunt of arms, for the sake of our country, and to uphold its consti- tution, its laws, and its liberties. We had but one desire, and that was " Peace to our country." We had but one anxiety, and that was to pre- serve intact this chosen land. Well, sir, as I said, the war was over, and the victory was ours. There was no longer a rebel in arms. They had dispersed, as we supposed, never to meet again. But, sir, we were mistaken. They have met again. Where ? Why, this time upon Northern soil and in a Northern city — in the city of New York, the great metropolis of this country — in the Democratic Conven- tion. I do not say that every man who met there had been a rebel ; but I do say that all the rebels met there, who are now leading in pub- lic life, and who hope for public position. It was the same old story over again ; the same old faces to see. The men who had held this Government for years, and plotted to destroy it while they held it, were there. The men who fought to destroy this Government when they could no longer hold it, were there. The men who, though they had never plotted to destroy it or fought against it, yet quietly acquiesced in the designs of those who did, were there. The men who have always given blind allegiance to the behest of party, regardless of the good of the country, were there. The men who have always been the praters and croakers and false prophets of the country, were there ; and a few men who had once served their country, but were lured off by fatal am- bition and the hope of spoils, were there. Good men may have been there, but bad men were most certainly there ; and just as certainly the bad outnumbered the good. And these are the men, sir, who complain of us. These are the men who say we have violated the law, and have usurped the Constitution. We have told them to the contrary, many and many a time. In these very halls, before they deserted their places, we as- 150 LIFE OF LOGAN. sured them that we desired nothing but the law and the Constitution. After they had erected their first batteries, and before they fired on Fort Sumter, they were again assured that the law and the Constitution should be kept inviolate. Even after they had waged their fiercest war upon us, the President of the United States once more proclaimed that we fought, only, to protect the Constitution and the laws. Again and again, by the camp-fire, under the flag of truce and in the hospitals, and in exchange of prisoners, and in parleys and com- munications, they were made acquainted with the fact that we had but one object, and that was to enforce the Constitution and the laws. And yet again, sir, when the battle was at a white heat, and strong arms and strong hearts wrought wounds and death, when the air was filled with lamentations and pierced by cries of agony, when the greedy earth drank up the gushing blood of our bravest and our best, we still ad- vanced but the one standard, which was the old starry banner, emblem- atic of the Constitution, the laws, our unity, and strength. Ah, sir, it must have been a humiliating scene at that Convention ! Were the loyal soldiers and_ citizens of this country looking on, when the rebel General Preston nominated the former Union General Blair ? Did the loyal sailors and soldiers hear the rebel Wade Hampton second the nomination ! Did the rank and file of the loyal men listen to the butcher of Fort Pillow — Forrest ? Where were then the memories of former treacheries, of a nation outdone and a Constitution usurped, of laws violated and civil slaughter instituted? I have no desire to keep alive old animosities, or to recall the past with a view to let it rankle. I am willing that the lessons of the war should be their own monitor to those who learned them. But when I hear those who risked their lives to save our country ; when I hear those whose shorn limbs and maimed trunks are witnesses of their devotion to the laws, charged with breaking the laws ; when I hear those who are now lying in their premature graves for the cause of the Constitu- tion, charged with usurping that Constitution, — I cannot help it if my indignant heart beats fast and my utterance grows thick, while I de- mand to know "Who are ye that denounce us ?" It is for this reason, Mr. Chairman, that I say the present issue is one which concerns our young men greatly, because it contains the question, whether, in any future war, it is worth while for our young men to embark in it. Heretofore it has always been held, in all ages, ancient and modern, that he who defended his country, was entitled to the gratitude of his country. But if it shall be decided, by this election, that lie who defends his country, is to be aspersed by his country, then the sooner it is understood, the better it will be for those who would LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 151 have otherwise perilled their existence at the call of their people. That issue is involved in this campaign, and no artifice or chicanery should be permitted to bury it out of sight. But what right have those, to com- plain, who were in the Democratic Convention, but yet were not in the rebel ranks ? Did they aid us to suppress the rebellion ? Were they prompt with men and money in our need ? Were they hopeful in our dark days, and joyful in our bright days ? Did they cheer our soldiers and give them the strength of their blessings and a God-speed ? Did they nurse them when sick, and succor them when wounded? No, sir; they did not, or else they would not be found to-day in such company. The civilian who supported the military in the day of the war, has never yet complained that we have done great wrong, nor ever yet desired to take the reins of government from the Republican Party. This is no schism in our own ranks. This is no falling off of those who once were with us, because of our misdeeds. This is no branch of the Union party, saying that we are tyrants and usurpers and robbers and destroyers, and that therefore they can support us no longer. Not at all. It is simply our old enemies who have fought us in the Halls of Congress, and on the battle-field, and in campaigns, for years ; never winning, ever failing, but always fierce and hateful. It affords me sincere pleasure that I may look again upon those who met so lately in convention at the city of Chicago. What a sight was there ! Mr. Chairman, there were gathered together the men who had served their country in every capacity to which duty called them. The men whose devotion had been as unswerving as their fidelity was un- questioned. Men whose sole thoughts and whose constant thoughts were for their country's good, and how best and soonest to make it manifest and permanent. Men from the closet, men from the camp, men from the public station, men from private life, men of distinction, men unknown ; but all of them, whithersoever they came and whatso- ever they were, all of them men who came on the one thought of how yet to aid their country. Whom did they select, and how were they selected ? Not after days of balloting, and nights of intrigue ; not upon bargains by politicians, and tradings by tricksters; not upon appliances of questionable moral- ity, and through stimulants of debasing tendency. In a moment, as it were, and by one spontaneous accord, the hearts of all these men came together, and their judgments approved their instincts. With one un- faltering acclaim, they selected the hero whose valor had been resplen- dent in the field, and the statesman whose wisdom had been acknowl- edged in Congress. The popular judgment is seldom wrong, but never was it so right as when it asked that this Government should be put in 152 LIFE OF LOGAN. the hands of Grant and Colfax. They had seen Grant clothed with the powers of a dictator, and seen him use them with the moderation of a patriot. They had seen him at the head of an irresistible army, and had seen him disband it as from a dress parade. They had watched him achieve victory after victory, and yet quietly put off all the shows and trappings of war. They had found him sagacious as a counsellor, and safe as a chieftain. He had proved himself to be honest, and they knew he could be trusted. Sir, on that day three hundred thousand sainted martyrs to the cause of liberty, for whom the earth had bared her bosom to receive their manly forms, and heaven opened wide her gates to receive their noble spirits, looked down approvingly upon our action, because it was the action of true and faithful men, intending the honor, prosperity, and happiness of their country. I have no doubt, sir, of their election. To doubt it would be to im- pugn the judgment of my countrymen. The country demands that the political power for that " many years to come," desired by the Demo- crats, shall be intrusted to the Republican Party. The people have faith in the Republican Party. They judge it by what it has done, and hence they know, full well, what it will do. They know that the Repub- lican Party is, in fact, the only party of peace and prosperity. It was that party which led the hosts of the Union, to the haven of peace, through the red ordeal of war. These questions, which now embarrass us, are but the debris of war. We have cared for the wounded, we have buried the dead. We have disbanded our armies, as part of the work remaining after the war. To give stability to the currency, to equalize taxation, to harmonize States, and to insure prosperity, is still another and probably quite as difficult a portion of that same labor. But the party which did the one, is unquestionably equal to the other. I am not an enthusiast, when obstacles are to be overcome, and when intricate questions are to be solved. I do not wish, therefore, to be called visionary, or enthusiastic, when I predict the results which will certainly follow from the administration of the Republican Party in four years more. We will see, sir, then, the admirable results of having all the different departments of the Government acting in entire unison and accord. Heretofore, during the eight years that our party has been in power, we have had to give four of them to stay the tide of rebellion, and the rest have been rendered nearly useless to us by the obstinacy, the perversion, and the machinations of a designing executive. When we marched into the field, our foe was before us. We knew what we had to meet. There were no surprises in store for us. It was the dread arbitrament of battle. But after that, we had another foe to meet — a LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 53 dangerous foe, powerful, and insidious ; one whose assaults were made, in the garb of peace, and under the pretexts of law ; one who sought to check every step of our progress, and retard every advance of our civilization. Our time has been occupied in detecting the hidden am- bushes of this enemy, and saving ourselves from his surprises. But soon he will pass away. Like the armed foe whose accessory he was, he will disappear from the public gaze, and become impotent for further harm. With the Ex- ecutive to encourage the Congress, and with a Congress which will respect and hearken to the Executive, then, indeed, the fruits of our legislation will be visible, and gratifying. Commerce will revive, for the country will have stability. Our ships shall once again multiply upon the seas, for our flag will denote security. Our name shall be respected abroad, for we shall have demonstrated the doctrine of self- government. Our bonds will be sought for investment, for we shall have vindicated our integrity. Our currency shall be unsuspected at home, for we shall have proved its value. Our revenue shall be in- creased, for the country will have become inspired with confidence. Bad men will be hurled from power, and honest ones put in their places. Our taxes shall be diminished, for all will unite in yielding them. The Southern States will be reorganized and recognized, for they will have seen that therein lies their welfare. We will go on, sir, as a Nation, hand-in-hand, treading the broad pathway which leads up to prosperity and progress, with our march unimpeded by the difficulties which now surround us, and posterity shall bless our work, unceasingly, forever. LOGAN IN THE CAMPAIGN OF 1 868 WHAT WAS THOUGHT AND SAID OF HIS EFFORTS HIS GREAT SPEECHES AT POUGHKEEP- SIE, N. Y., AND MORRIS, ILL. During the Presidential contest which followed, Mr. Logan was untiringly active, making many speeches, in other States, as well as his own, which were acknowledged to be among the most powerful of that campaign. Of one of them, the New York City special correspondence of the Chicago Evening Journal, August 18th, said: General Logan's speech at Poughkeepsie on Friday evening is winning golden opinions for him. Several of our papers reproduce it entire, while all the Republican sheets copy more or less of it. Many I54 LIFE OF LOGAN. pronounce it the very best campaign speech yet delivered, while others rank it among the very best, classifying it with the one just delivered by Matthew H. Carpenter in your city. ... I never heard General Logan but once, at the Cooper Institute in 1865, when the ovation, ir- respective of party, was extended to him, Grant, and Blair. I sat beside him on the stage, and as I watched the effect of his remarks on the vast assemblage, how he seemed to lead them captive at his will, it seemed to me that he must be one of the very best campaign speakers in the country. We are very thankful for his services here, in New York, to assist us in overcoming the fifty thousand majority under which the Em- pire State now staggers. Another great speech, delivered September 1, 1868, at Morris, 111., which fairly discussed the claims of both parties to the support of the people, refuted the charge of Republi- can extravagance, riddled the Democratic ideas of finan- ceering, defended the Republican reconstruction policy, and exhibited the criminal folly of permitting the Democrats to undo all that the armies of the Union and the Republican party had done, — covering twelve columns of the Chicago Republican, — was not alone a thoroughly exhaustive and compendious review of the political situation, but one of the most remarkable efforts ever made in this country upon the stump. The following extract from it, touching Republican good faith and Democratic repudiation, is interesting as a sample of General Logan's stump-speech style : Now, my fellow-citizens, I want to add, inasmuch as I am upon this subject of expense, that our debt being $2,510,000,000 and a little over, we, the Republican Party, propose to pay that debt. [Cheers and great applause.] That is to say, if we control the Government, we propose that that debt shall be paid. [Renewed applause.] And not only paid, but we also propose that the Democrats and rebels, or rebels and Dem- ocrats [applause], shall help pay it. [Tremendous enthusiasm.] Yes, we propose that. [Loud applause.] Now how do we intend to do that ? I differ with the Democracy in this country. I am not in a hurry to pay this ; and I will give you my reasons for saying and feeling so. Our proposition is to liquidate this debt in twenty-five, thirty or forty years. And why do we propose to do that ? Because in that length of time, owing now $2,510,000,000,— LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 55 if we reduce the public debt as rapidly as we have within the last two years, — how long will it take to pay it, reducing taxation at the same time ? Why we shall cancel it, in twenty-five years ; at the same time — mind that ! — at the same time doing away with taxation almost en- tirely. We will pay it in twenty-five years without our feeling it, by a tariff that will not be oppressive to the people, and by a light income- tax, together with a tax upon the luxuries of life. That is the policy of the Republican Party. [Great applause and long cheering.] We proposed, this last Congress, to fund this debt, and to fund it so that the interest would only be four, to four and a half, percent., instead of five and six per cent. But Mr. Johnson stuck the bill in his pocket, and it didn't become a law. But, according to the platform of the Re- publican Convention, we make the proposition to reduce the interest on the public debt, and thereby lighten the burthens of the people. And we propose to do it, not by passing a law that a man shall take this thing for that, but to do it in such a way that it will cause the bond- holders to exchange the one bond for the other, by letting that other run a time at a lower rate of interest, as is the policy of England and other European powers, because the great capitalists prefer a bond run- ning thirty or forty years, instead of say ten, as it saves them the trouble of reinvesting the money. And for that reason a bond running for a long term of years, is better than one running for a short term, and can be put upon the market at a lower rate of interest. This is our plan of paying the public debt. The Democratic Party propose to pay it differently. I do not agree with them, as I remarked, in their proposition. They say they are in favor of paying it within five years. They want it paid right off. They say, " You are paying six per cent, interest on this great debt all the time." That is true, or the most of it. You pay six per cent, on about $1,600,000,000, and five per cent, on the balance — that is, at the rate of six per cent, on the 5-20's and five per cent, on the 10-40's, in gold. They say that while we are paying that interest, they want to stop that interest. How do they propose to stop that interest ? It's the easiest thing in the world to do, the way they propose to do it. [Laughter.] They say they want to stop this interest, by issuing greenbacks to pay off this debt, and they have a stump speech on that point that is calculated to deceive a great many ignorant people. It won't deceive any man of ordinary sense and information, but it may deceive a man who is desti- tute of that article which is very necessary in a country where a man should understand his business and the affairs of the Nation. [Laugh- ter and applause.] We have now $700,000,000 of currency. Over $350,000,000 of it is 156 LIFE OF LOGAN. in United States Treasury notes, and the balance, in National Bank notes. They say, they propose to pay off the interest of these notes— the National Bank bonds that are deposited as collaterals, and all the bonds in the hands of the bondholders— because they are mad at the bondholder. They don't like him. They say he is a rich man and an aristocrat, and they want him paid off ; they want to lift the burthens off the shoulders of the people. They are going to issue, besides the $700,000,000 of currency we now have, a fresh lot. Now suppose you for a short time examine this question as sensible men. Suppose we issue "greenbacks" to pay off these bonds and stop the interest, how much do you make by that ? They say currency is good enough for the bondholder. But "that ain't the question." The ques- tion is, How does it affect the people ? You are the men to be con- sidered. The money goes into your hands. It is issued by the Gov- ernment, and the bondholder gets it for his bonds, but he pays it directly over to you. He buys your horses, your cattle, your land, your products— for that is what you sell your produce for— and if there is any loss on it, who loses it ? You are the men who lose it. The farmers, the mechanics, the laborers, are the men who must receive it, and they are the men in whose hands it must depreciate, and they are the men who must be responsible. But if they had not the gold and silver to pay off these $1,600,000,000 of bonds, and liquidate them, instead, in greenbacks, how are you going to pay off the greenbacks when issued ? We have got to pay them in something. They issue ten or sixteen hun- dred millions of greenbacks to pay off all the bonds, because they haven't the gold to-day to pay off the bonds. Then, when you get the greenbacks, and come to a bank to have them redeemed, what will you have to redeem them with ? [Applause.] You have got no gold to do that with, and your currency will be worth nothing. Your money will be just in the condition the rebel's money was, over there, in Richmond, Va. He had been over there, in the rebellion, and had been making cannon for the Confederacy. When he went there, the money was first- rate. Confederate money was good enough. He got up in the morn- ing, put a two-dollar bill in his vest pocket, took his basket on his arm to buy his breakfast, which he would bring home in his basket and have it about full. He stayed there a year or so, and he said he then had to take the basket to carry his money in, and could almost bring his break- fast back in his vest pocket. [Laughter.] And you would be in that condition, precisely, if you were to pay off this debt in the manner the Democracy want to pay it. Let us illustrate it another way. . . . Suppose you, my friend, LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 57 are in distress ; . . . you go to a neighbor and borrow money of him, and give him a note drawing ten per cent. You give him a note ; he has lent you his money ; you get out of your difficulty. As soon as you are fairly out of it, he wants you to pay him, and you say, "Yes ; I will pay you." How — how are you going to pay your debt ? Accord- ing to the Democratic theory you will give him a new note, drawing no interest. That is the doctrine ; that is it precisely. [Laughter and ap- plause.] The close of this great speech was wonderfully effective. Said the speaker : If you elect Grant and Colfax, you will have peace. Because, let me tell you, that man, Grant, will keep peace. These rebels know it, and that is the reason they do not want him to be President. [Great applause.] With Seymour and Blair, you will have revolution, in my judgment ; with Grant and Colfax, you will have peace and prosperity, in my judgment. Now if there are any soldiers here, [" Here's one ! "] I want to ask them this question. Let me illustrate our position as sol- diers, because you know that there is a sympathy between us that hardly ever exists between other men. It matters not how much we may dif- fer in politics, we have yet a respect the one for the other, if we know we have each done our duty in the cause of our country. That is uni- versally so among soldiers, whether they are Democratic soldiers, or Republican soldiers. Suppose, for the purpose of looking at this thing in the light of a soldier, we soldiers could have the matter arranged ac- cording to our taste to-day. Suppose that we had a stand built on this side of the street, and one on the opposite side of the street. Suppose that we had Seymour — and Blair and the Democratic Convention — on the platform, on this side of the street ; Forrest on his right, Wade Hampton on his left, Joe Williams behind him a little, and the balance of the rebels bringing up the rear. Suppose on the other side, Ave had Grant and Colfax, and the six hundred and thirty men in the Chicago Convention (three hundred of that number had served in the Union army). Suppose we had that arrangement, and suppose we had the power to call from their graves the three hundred thousand martyred brothers who sleep in the far-off vale, and who died that you and I might have protection. Suppose that we could bring all the widows in their weeds, and the orphans, and the one-legged and the one-armed soldiers, and we could place them in one grand row along that street, and pass them in review between these two conventions. I ask you, soldiers, if you could be at one side, and see that grand review, as it marched by 153 LIFE OF LOGAN. these two stands, how would you be affected ? As the three hundred thousand sainted martyrs passed by, clothed in white, as spirits from above, casting their eyes to the right and left, there would be Grant, and his three hundred soldier followers, (and no rebels on his stand,) shed- ding tears of mourning over the ones that were left behind. These spirits could say to them, " We died for your benefit, and for your pro- tection." When they turned their faces toward the stand on this side, what could they say ? " Mr. Seymour, you said, we could not save this country ; that the draft was unconstitutional. You said, the war was a failure ; you signed a platform that said, the further prosecution of it would lead to anarchy and misrule. You have been nominated for the Presidency, and there are your friends, who represent your party, sitting about you." "Here is Forrest," says one, "who butchered me." An- other cries, " I am the spirit of that man who was burned, by that mur- derer Forrest who sits there, while I was lying sick in my tent." Another one says to Wade Hampton, " I am the man upon whose breast was pinned a ticket, that my General and friends might see that I had been hano-ed, while foraging in South Carolina." And these rebels sit there and see these men as they go by, followed by the widows, who hold up their weeds and say, " That stand bears the man that caused me to be dressed in mourning to-day." As the one-legged man goes by, holding up his crutch he cries out, " You are the man that caused me to have but one leg;" the one-armed man would shake his stump at Forrest and Hampton and Preston, and their rebel brothers, and say, "You men are the cause of my being a cripple for life;" and as the child came along, it would prattle and say, "When will my father return ? Thou art the man that gave me not my father back, but made me an orphan — thou art the man who murdered my parent — thou art the man who made my mother a widow." I ask you soldiers, to-day, if you could stand and gaze upon a scene like that, and then turn around and say, " I will vote for the man who sits upon that platform with his rebels, Forrest and Hampton, and all of them around him, who have made those three hundred thousand dead brothers arise, and given us half a million of widows and orphans, and crippled and wounded soldiers ?" ["Nev- er ! " " Never ! "] I say there is not a soldier, to-day, except he has lost his manhood, and there is not one man, except he has lost his patriotism and is lost to every sense of honor and propriety, in this country, who could gaze upon such a scene as that, and refuse to cast his ballot for Grant, and his friends who go along with him and head the great col- umn of liberty and progress as we go through this land. I ask you men, I ask you women and children,— the little boys and the little girls,— to picture a lesson of this kind in your midst, because, although you may LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 59 say, " This is one of Logan's fancies," it is not. It is true as Holy Writ. There you can see the whole lesson. It is written upon the graves, upon the bodies, upon the arms and legs of men in this country, and upon the clothing of the widows and the orphans of this whole land ; and that lesson was written there by the hands of these men that I have mentioned, who to-day are asking you for your suffrage and for the con- trol of this country. I say, in the name of Heaven, in the name of pa- triotism, in the name of three hundred thousand murdered dead, and in the name of the flag and the Constitution and all there is that is near and dear to the people of this great land of ours, let us never disgrace ourselves by fighting four years to save a country, and then turn it over into the hands of the men who during that same four years attempted to destroy it. [" Never !"» Never ! " — and intense excitement.] But let us say, inasmuch as we have saved this land, we will perpetuate its institutions, and will make liberty and progress, and civilization and Christianity, our watchwords. We will make this great country of ours what it should be, by putting it into the hands of men that can protect it. We have preserved it, and will perpetuate it. LOGAN RE-ELECTED TO CONGRESS THE JENCKES "TENURE OF OFFICE," OR "CIVIL SERVICE," BILL LOGAN ATTACKS IT, AND SHOWS THE DANGER OF CENTRING THE POWER OF AP- POINTMENT IN ONE MAN. On January 8, 1869, Mr. Logan made a speech, in the House of Representatives, exposing and denouncing the dan- gers to the Republic, hidden in the Jenckes " Tenure of Office," or Civil Service, Bill. That bill provided for a very different sort of a civil service from that which has since been adopted and which is now in successful operation. In his opposition to that measure, as was remarked at the time, no one could question General Logan's disinterestedness. His position was unique. Other Representatives, from his own and other States, had their several districts, — and it was customary for Republican Representatives, as being the best informed touching the worth and merit of applicants for place, to be consulted, to a considerable extent, in the disposition of the patronage of those districts, — but he had no particular dis- trict. He was the Representative-at-Large from his State, — !6o LIFE OF LOGAN. as was no other in that Congress, — and hence had no interest in preserving- such local patronage. He honestly believed the Jenckes bill was not alone a vicious and unconstitutional measure, but one dangerous to the privileges and to the lib- erties of the people. He refused to discuss the measure upon the idea that " to the victors belong the spoils," because, said he, " the question involved in this bill rises far above that, and overshadows all such minor and petty influences." Passing the details of the bill in critical review, Mr. Logan said : It provides that a new executive department shall be created ; that the Vice-President shall be the head of it ; that a Board of Commis- sioners shall be appointed who shall have power to make rules and or- dain examinations under them, to divide the country into districts, and to delegate all their power to other parties. It further provides that all persons who may hereafter desire to be employed in the civil service of the Government, in any capacity whatever, shall be obliged to submit them- selves for examination as to their qualifications, after paying a fee, to this Board of Examiners or some deputy thereof. The appointments shall be made from the list of those who prove themselves to be the best qualified, and, when once appointed, they are to hold their appoint- ments for life, upon good behavior. Every branch of the service is to be divided into grades, and every incumbent is to be promoted from the lower grades whenever a vacancy occurs. A list is to be kept of all applicants, and as vacancies occur, from any cause, they are to be filled by the applicants who are awaiting their turn. The "Board" is to provide a species of court-martial or commission to try, adjudge, and punish all offenders. The decision of the Board is to be final as to ap- plications. There is no power of appeal or review. The President, Senate, or head of any Department, may not only require all applicants, in the future, to submit themselves to this Board, but may order all present incumbents to appear before it, and abide by their decision. Touching this vast concentration of power in the hands of the Vice-President, — which was his chief objection to the bill, — he continued : Whether he would use the power judiciously and disinterestedly is not now to be known ; but certain it is, that if you desire to keep pub- lic patronage out of party politics, the power of appointment must not LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. r 6i all be centred in one man. Is it not palpable that, if he so desired to use his power of appointment, the Vice-President could make himself the President, spite of all opposition and beyond all the efforts of the people ? The organization of office-holders which he could make, would be so firm and invincible, that the will of the people could never be expressed, nor executed. And the immense number of persons now employed, and to be employed, who cause — the report says — the patronage to be a political evil, would only make him the more compact. If it is an evil, in its present shape ; how much more would it be an evil, in such a shape ! Who would be the fountain-head of all power of promotion ? The Vice-President. Who would be the arbiter to whom they would look in the last resort ? The Vice-President. Who would be their benefactor ? The Vice-President. To whom would their gratitude be due ? The Vice-President. Whose interests would they desire to serve, and to whom show their gratitude ? The Vice-President. Who would command that vast number of civilians, whose number would be greater than the peace-list of the regular army ? The Vice-President. He might be a man so void of ambition as not to use his power; he might be so regardless of exalted station as not to attempt to gain it ; he might be so virtuous that all his influence would be for his country's good ; he might be so conscientious as never to know favor or affection ; he might be a paragon in public life — or he might not be ; and I never will consent to place the whole liberties of the people in the hollow of his hand, be he who he may. The bill, it is scarcely necessary to say, was defeated. EARLY STAND OF GENERAL LOGAN AGAINST MONEY SUBSIDIES TO RAILROADS THE EASTERN-DIVISION PACIFIC RAILROAD BILL HE URGES A SUBSTITUTE, CALLS A HALT TO SUCH RECKLESS EXPENDITURES, AND DEFEATS THE BILL. It was on January 25, 1869, that Mr. Logan in the House of Representatives called a halt to further money subsidies to railroads — the measure under consideration being Senate bill No. 570, " for a grant of lands, granting the right of way over the public lands to the Denver Pacific Railway and Telegraph Company, and for other purposes." His position was, that the Government had already given a subsidy to this railroad, of lands and money ; that it was not necessary to the advance- 1 62 LIFE OF LOGAN. ment of the interests of the country that this additional aid, of $16,000 a mile asked for, should be granted; that the company was amply able to complete this road to the point desired (Cheyenne Well), fifty-four miles, without such aid ; and that deception had already been practised upon the country and upon Congress in subsidizing this road. The speech created a great stir at the time, and raised quite a commotion in the House itself. To this subsidy bill, Mr. Logan offered a substitute — his explanation of which will show the advanced position he took on the subject of rail- road-subsidies at that early day. Said he : What do I propose ? I propose this policy to be applied to this road. I propose that the Government shall guarantee the interest, for $16,000 per mile, of the bonds of the road to Cheyenne Wells. I propose that that guarantee, when written by the Secretary of the Treasury on the bonds, shall become ipso facto a first mortgage on the railroad and all its fixtures and furniture. That is my proposition. What else ? In order to guarantee the Government against loss, to guarantee the Government against expenditures, to guarantee the Government against increase of public debt, I propose that all transportation of supplies of every kind, telegraphing, or any other indebtedness to this road, by the Government of the United States, shall be reserved by the Secretary of the Treasury from payment to the road and applied to the payment of the interest on the bonds as far as it will go, and that the company shall, ten days before said interest is due, deposit the money with the Treasurer of the United States for the payment of said interest. I propose, in addition to that, that the lands heretofore granted to this company, and the lands granted to the Denver Company, joining them together, shall be put into the market, as every twenty miles of the road is built, at $2.50 per acre, and sold to actual settlers, the money received from such sales to be deposited in the Treasury of the United States as a sinking fund, and that the Secretary of the Treasury shall apply that sinking fund to the purchase or redemption of the bonds of this road upon which the interest is guaranteed by the Government, and, as redeemed, purchased, or cancelled, they shall be turned over to the company. I propose that the Government, as well as the holders of said bonds, shall be protected, so that it shall not, by indebtedness or in any other way, lose one cent. I go further than that. I propose that if this company shall fail to pay the interest or any part of the interest every six months, then the LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 163 Government shall have power to take possession of the road and its fixtures and furniture, and apply its earnings, etc., to the payment of the interest or the liquidation of the debt. That is my proposition. I propose to protect the Government, and at the same time I propose to put it in such a position that the road itself can be built. These gentle- men say, " Oh, we cannot build the road." I say you can build the road. Why ? Because when you get the interest on the bonds guaran- teed they will go on the market, and the Government will be protected, and the taxpayers will be protected and not oppressed, which I think is a very important item in all matters of legislation, especially at this time. I look upon these grand improvements of the age, as a great thing. I look upon the work of stretching iron bands across the country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, as one of the great marks of the intelligence of this great age. I look upon fastening together the East and the West, as a barrel is strapped and bound by hoops of iron, as one of the grand events of the age. You have almost completed what may be termed a bridge, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This has been done at great cost to the Government, and in my judgment it has expended enough, without any sufficient security against liability. You have now opened the communication and shown what the country is. If it is inviting to capital, it will go ; if not, it shrinks from the task of struggling against the decrees of Nature. The Government has given aid, to the extent of millions and millions of dollars. Now let the Government stop giving in this manner, for it is recklessness. We have done more than our duty toward the country in this matter of money-subsidy, and now let us stop. I say let us stop, and stop now. We hear much said, in favor of economy. Many gentlemen make speeches, in favor of economy. One member says, "I am in favor of economy — as soon as I get my little bill through." It reminds me of Rip Van Winkle, when he became a temperance man. After he had waked up from his twenty years' sleep, he said that he was going to quit drinking, yet he did drink, — " Here's to the health of your family ; may they live long and prosper," — always saying, in reference to his promise to quit drinking, "This time doesn't count." And I suppose that is the way with gentlemen here. They are all in favor of economy ; but one says, "I want this little stump-tail railroad bill passed — this time doesn't count ; " and so another says, about another road. As Van said, " Here's to the health of your family ; may they live long and prosper — this time doesn't count." Sir, I say it is time to stop now. If you are going to apply the prin- 164 LIFE OF LOGAN. ciple at all, you should apply it now. But gentlemen say, this is only fifty-four miles. That is true ; this bill is only for fifty-four miles. When the last bill was up, you, by strategy, made it seventy miles. If we put this fifty-four miles on, it will be one hundred and twenty-four miles. And then, the next Congress, they will ask you to give them subsidies from Cheyenne Wells to another place. Perhaps these gentlemen will say to me, " Why, Logan, you do not understand that great country we are going into, New Mexico." Per- haps I do not know anything about it. But I tell these railroad-men that, in 1847 and 1848, I travelled over the very route laid down, on this map, as their survey. I know all about the country through which their road will run, if ever built. I have been over nearly every moun- tain-path in that country. The lands in those valleys of Mexico are as beautiful as the eye of man ever beheld, and the climate is one of the finest that God has given to man. Fresh meat will cure there, while hanging in the open air, with- out the application of salt. It will cure, out in the hot sun, as I know, from my own observation. The country abounds with birds, goats, sheep, antelopes, and a great variety of animals, both domestic and wild. It is a country that will develop itself, as fast as a railroad goes through it, and become rich and prosperous without any Government subsidy of $16,000 or $32,000 a mile, and these railroad-men know it well. Now, sir, I say that I am in favor of the great march of improvement, of civilization, and a general development of all the wealth and re- sources of this country. But, sir, that is no reason why, as a Repre- sentative of my constituents, I should stand by, and see the Treasury every day, grow leaner and leaner by the inroads made upon it by these railroads and other corporations. I am not willing to do it. I say to my friends in this House ; I say to my Republican friends — though I do not regard this as a political measure by any means — that we pledged ourselves to our constituents, in the Convention that nominated our President-elect, that economy should be our watchword. If we are true to the men that elected us, we should stand by that pledge to-day. What are we now asked by this corporation to do ? We are asked to vote $16,000 a mile, against reason and against the will of our constit- uents, and against the declaration — not express, but clearly implied — of the Convention that nominated your candidate for President. We are asked to support this bill, which is in opposition to the policy, regarded as proper, expressed, as I understand, by the President-elect, his decla- ration having been made — not with reference to this particular bill, but generally with reference to subsidies of the character heretofore given to railroads — that it is unwise, at least in the present embarrassed con- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 165 dition of the Treasury. But this company comes modestly forward and says, "Subsidize for us these fifty-four miles of road ; slap you constit- uents in the face ; violate your party platform ; violate your pledges made upon the stump ; and, on the eve of the new administration com- ing into power, make a direct issue with it, on the question of involv- ing us in further liability. Let him understand that you are all-power- ful, that you ask no odds from him. Give the people of the country to understand that you defy their will in Mo" This, and nothing less, is what we are modestly asked by this company to do. This railroad-subsidy bill was defeated, and its friends at- tributed that defeat to Logan's powerful speech. THE ELECTORAL COUNT OF 1869 — A TURBULENT SCENE IN JOINT CONVENTION BEN. BUTLER's ATTEMPT TO BULLY CONGRESS LOGAN SQUELCHES HIM. When the electoral count was made in the hall of the House of Representatives by Acting Vice-President Wade, in February, 1869, in presence of the Senate and House, General Butler objected to counting the vote of Georgia. The scene which followed, was thus described by the Gales- burg Free Press of February 18, 1869 : Truculent, fierce, insulting in demeanor, manifestly under the in- fluence of vinous excitement, and wearing a look of pride and self- assertion, his (Butler's) voice was the battle-cry for all his followers and dupes. Tumult reigned supreme ; sober members blushed, while men who would not have supported Butler in his revolutionary atrocity had they not been drunk, hooted, yelled, and strove to make speeches — a dozen at once. Finally, when the Senate resolved in separate session that the vote of Georgia should be counted, Butler grossly insulted their honorable body, refused to submit to the decision of the presid- ing officer, appealed from him, and declared that the House should "kick" the Senate from its presence. The count was finished, amid a continuous scene of tumult verging upon actual riot ; and not until the supreme moment of the solemn announcement of the choice of the American people for their chief magistrate was even a semblance of order obtained. Butler, it seems, had given a party on the previous evening, which did not break up till daybreak. Here he had all his confederates, as I( 36 LIFE OF LOGAN. well as many others, and no doubt thought by plying them with wine to fit them for his purpose. There is but little doubt that the animus of the whole thing was Butler's personal hostility to Grant. For this purpose he made this attempt to throw the country into another rev- olution. Subsequently, Butler had the assurance to introduce into the House a resolution censuring Wade, the Senate's presiding officer, and urged its adoption with his utmost ability. Fortunately there were men upon the floor bold enough to meet him upon all issues, and wreck his scheme for the conquest of Congress. Bingham of Ohio opened the attack upon him on Thursday, and General John A. Logan, the eloquent, ear- nest, and courageous man of whom Illinois has so much reason to be proud, finished it on Friday by a resolution to lay Butler's motion, and as a consequence all connected with it, on the table. This was adopted by the emphatic vote of 130 to 55. removal of the capital to the mississippi valley a great speech — logan's powerful appeal for the readmission of virginia. In January, 1870, General Logan made an exhaustive and able speech on the question of the proposed removal of the capital from Washington to some central point in the Missis- sippi Valley. Of this speech it was said at the time by an experienced pen : " Logan's speech was probably the best he ever made, rising to fervor in speaking of the destiny of the country, and acute and powerful in other respects." The closing sentences of this speech were these : And now, sir, is the time to do this. A more favorable time will perhaps never occur — a time when it can be done with as little commo- tion as now. A new republic is springing into being ; the disgraceful blot of slavery has been wiped out, and our Government may truly be said to be remodelling on the basis of genuine freedom. The Goddess of Liberty, freed from her trammels, steps forth clothed in her snowy garments of true freedom. Sir, the bronze statue, above us, is not a true representation of the new republic. It should be clothed in snowy white. Yes, a new republic has arisen upon the old ; not on its ruins, but by its redemp- tion. It has been baptized witli the blood of more than two hundred thousand patriots. Then let us plant our capital in the centre of the LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 167 Nation, at the commencement of the new epoch. The ashes of the martyred Lincoln have gone westward as the vanguard of empire. Let us follow them, I was about to say, with the remains of Washington. But no. Brave hearts met the foes of our country as well here, as there. The honor of the victory is as much due to the East as to the West. Joined, heart and hand, in the great battle of freedom, we will remain thus joined in our efforts to perpetuate it. Let the Father of the Re- public, remembered and honored by the people, rest quietly beside the old homestead of the Nation, while the father of the new republic sleeps near the new home of empire. About this time the bill, to readmit Virginia without con- ditions, came up. In a brief speech he said, as one report gives it: He intended to vote for the amendment, offered by Mr. Bingham, to admit Virginia without conditions ; and if he could not get that, he would take the next best thing he could get for accomplishing her admission — not because of Virginia statesmen or warriors, living or dead, but because the honor of the House and of the Nation was pledged to her admission on the proposition presented by the gentle- man from Ohio. If he made a contract with a rebel, he would live by it and stand by it. Congress had made a contract with Virginia, know- ing her people to be rebels. Virginia had performed her part of the contract, and Congress was bound to perform its part. Another acute Washington observer, George Alfred Town- send, in referring to an acrimonious personal debate which took place between Butler and Bingham, wrote at this time to the Chicao;o Tribune : It struck every intelligent man listening to that personal debate, that a man like Butler, who had done so much to drive the South into rebellion, spurred it on, helped it to abandon Douglas, and supported to the brink of rebellion all the worst pretentions of slavery, should be one of the foremost to hail the restoration of Virginia, deceived by such as he. Not so ! This bedfellow of Davis and comrade of Breckenridge stood at the door of the Union, the last man to forgive the people he had seduced. Political baseness has seldom an exemplification like this. General Logan, who had been a Democrat, made haste to say frankly that he hailed the readmission of the State, the more that he had voted with the South up to the time of the rebellion. Logan's speeches of 1 68 LIFE OF LOGAN. late have been the best of his whole career, more prudent, in better diction, more national, and yet a fine fervor of feeling bears them on. His speech on the removal of the capital was one of the most elaborate arguments I have ever heard, and this speech of to-day closed with a piece of spontaneous eloquence which the Republican Party and the whole North would do well to indorse : " I am in favor of the admission of the State at the earliest practi- cable moment, so as to get these vexed questions, that have been before Congress and before the Union for years past, out of the way ; that all this strife may pass away from the halls of Congress ; that all the States may again take their positions in the family of States ; that they again may bow to the old flag of the Union ; that they again may turn their eyes up to the shining stars and there receive the light which the fathers of the country received, and which they transmitted to the gen- erations to come after them. I am for it, that the gloom which hangs around this country, and the dark cloud that has hovered over us so long, may pass away, and the light of heaven serenely shine once more upon the Republic of America." GENERAL LOGAN SECURES THE BRANDING, BY THE HOUSE, OF REPRESENTATIVE WHITTEMORE, FOR CORRUPTION HE AP- PEALS TO THE COURAGE OF THE HOUSE. In February, 1870, charges made against Representative Whittemore, of South Carolina, for selling cadetship appoint- ments to West Point and Annapolis, having been examined and reported upon by the Committee on Military Affairs, through its chairman, General Logan, the guilty Representa- tive undertook to resign, but owing to the efforts of General Logan, and in spite of the determined opposition of Butler to the punishment of Whittemore, the House very properly refused to accept the resignation, by which he thought to escape condemnation, and unanimously adopted a resolution declaring him unworthy of a seat in the House. In the run- ning debate that took place between Butler and Logan, on a resolution to postpone action in this case, which resulted in the defeat of such resolution, by a vote of 155 nays to 38 yeas, General Logan took strong ground in favor of preserving the moral character of the House of Representatives. As repre- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. x 6 9 sented in the condensed report of the Chronicle, he said, in answer to appeals for delay : He would go as far to protect the innocent, as any man who lived. He would judge a man justly, and even tenderly, and would invoke on his behalf the mercies which Heaven had implanted in the human breast. But while he would invoke on the side of an unfortunate man all the tenderness, all the charity, and all the mercies which the human heart could have within it, he would at the same time invoke the God of Heaven to give men judgment, to give them nerve, to give them hon- esty enough to decide what the law is, and what the standard of morality should be, in the House of Representatives. He would invoke every man that had a right to pass upon this question, to nerve himself to cut down crime, so that virtue and honesty might stand upright before the world, and be vindicated instead of condemned. What excuse was there for this delay ? And just before moving the previous question, on the motion to postpone, he said, in reply to Butler's attack on the press : The gentleman from Massachusetts had spoken about the news- papers howling about this thing. Certainly they did howl about it, and he did not blame them for doing so. If members of the House were willing to sell themselves like sheep in the shambles, he did not blame the newspapers for howling about it ; and if the decision of this case were to be postponed, the people would have a right to suspect all of them. If the House expected its committees to do their duty in in- vestigating frauds, the House itself would have to do its duty in punish- ing those frauds when they were reported ; otherwise the House would be saying to its committees, " We instructed you to do this, but we did not expect you would do it. We told you to investigate this thing, and to report if you found men guilty, but we did not expect you would do it." If the House did not perform its duty in this matter, it would have to send its resolutions of inquiry, in future, to some other committee than the Committee on Military Affairs. logan's plea for struggling cuba — he asks for the rec- ognition OF BELLIGERENT rights. February 17, 1870, General Logan having already intro- duced, in the House, a resolution recognizing Cuban belliger- ency, called it up. The resolution was as follows : 170 LIFE OF LOGAN. Whereas, The people of Cuba have for more than fifteen months carried on active hostilities against Spain, for the purpose of gaining their independence and establishing a republican government ; and Whereas, They have established and are maintaining a de facto gov- ernment, and now occupy with their armies, and control, a large portion of said island. Therefore, Resolved, That the Committee on Foreign Affairs be instructed to inquire what reason now exists, if any, why the Republic of Cuba should not be recognized by the Government as a belligerent, and, as such, entitled to the rights of belligerents. The circumstances occasioning the introduction of this resolution were these : The patriots in Cuba had long been in revolt, as stated in the preamble, and at this time occu- pied quite a large part of the island. There was a great deal of feeling throughout the country over the fact that we had helped Spain, and done nothing for the struggling islanders, — that we had, in fact, supplied Spain with thirty gunboats with which to help suppress the revolution in Cuba, and had done nothing to help the revolutionists, with whom the American heart naturally sympathized. General Logan rep- resented this widespread feeling, — the desire to do at least as much for the patriot republican cause, as for its enemies. Hence the resolution, and the very able speech he made upon it. In it, he said: The question as to whether this Government shall or shall not accord, to the Cuban patriots, belligerent rights, is one of grave importance. On the one hand it involves the great principles of freedom and right of self-government ; on the other important national principles and nice distinctions of international law. Therefore, I hesitated on account of the somewhat meagre details and conflicting reports we have received in regard to the contest which has been going on in the island of Cuba ; but this uncertainty, I think, now no longer exists, as I expect to show in the course of these remarks. Another reason why I hesitated was, that this action places me in apparent opposition to that administration which I heartily support and with which I am in full sympathy. But, sir, I do not feel that I can discharge my duty and remain silent. If I should err, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is better to err in behalf of liberty, than against it ; and if there is any doubt in the LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 171 minds of members on this subject, surely the benefit of that doubt should be cast in favor of freedom and the right of self-government. Let our various views as to policy be what they may, I think I can safely assert that all feel the deep current of opinion pressing upon us. Though smothered to comparative silence, we feel it like the hot breath of the slumbering volcano which precedes the rending upheaval ; we know it is there. Though the tongue of the Nation is comparatively mute on this subject, yet the mighty heart palpitates with sympathy for the struggling patriots of the Queen of the Antilles, and we feel the beating strokes. Even the voices of those who tell us to wait, bear in their tones an indication that behind the words lie deep fountains of sympathy anxious to gush forth in words of cheer. Sir, a greater mark of respect was never shown an administration than this ; and while I regret that this particular combination of cir- cumstances surrounds this particular case, yet I am proud of it as an evidence of the high regard felt for our present Chief Magistrate. And while I feel impelled, by a sense of duty, to differ with him as to the line of policy the Government should adopt in this matter, I do it with no desire to cast a shade of censure upon his action in the premises. I believe that in his own breast there lurks the deepest sympathy for this struggling people, and that he has in reality curbed his desires in order to carry out what he believed to be the better policy. Being com- pelled to act on the imperfect data he then possessed, he has cast the doubt in the legal end of the balance. But, sir, the matter has now been transferred to Congress as a co-or- dinate branch of the Government, for its action thereon, and we must decide for or against. After quoting - the authorities to show what constituted an actual condition of war, he proceeded to prove that the " Cuban Republic" was such in fact as well as in name, and that the Spanish Government had itself recognized the fact of war, if not the de facto existence of the Cuban Republican Government. He considered there were but two questions to be determined. One: had the Cubans reached the point where they should be recognized ? The other : Was it the duty of the United States to recognize them now, without delay ? He held that the Cuban cause had reached such a condition as to demand immediate recognition. He con- cluded in these words: I7 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. Thus far, Mr. Speaker, I have viewed this question in its strictly tech- nical bearing, but there is a moral bearing which should not be forgot- ten in the discussion. We claim to be the friends of freedom, and the advocates of liberty. We point the world to our Nation, as the great type of government. The Stars and Stripes are emblems of liberty, and the people of the world, wherever they have floated in the breeze, have learned to appreciate them as such. Would it not be a mockery to unfurl this glorious flag, in one of the Cuban ports, beside the gun- boats which have left our shores to crush out the struggle for liberty there, perhaps it might be where Spanish bullets shed the innocent blood of Speakman, a citizen of my neighboring State ? I appeal to the members of this House. Sirs, what would be your feelings were you there, striving, at the sacrifice of everything near and dear to you, to acquire that boon of freedom you had learned from your neighbor to love, and then see that teacher, in the embrace of your op- pressor, flaunting the emblem of liberty in your very face? Have we learned to love royalty so much, that we fear lest we should cross its desires or run counter to its plans ? Shall we exercise no discrimina- tion as to whom we will, or will not, accord the rights of belligerency ? Must we wait as long in the case of those who are struggling for free- dom and the right of self-government against bondage and oppression, as in the case of those who are fighting to impose burdens ? What is the basis from which our international policy springs? Is it freedom, or oppression ? Is it monarchy, or self-government ? Is it bondage, or liberty ? If we claim that it is based on the right of representation and true liberty, then let us extend that policy to every bright oasis that springs up amid the regions of oppression. Our Chief Magistrate has said, that the people of this Nation sympa- thize with that people struggling to free themselves from a government they believe to be oppressive. Yes, sir, the heart of this mighty Nation swells and heaves with sympathy for Cuba ; and could one vast chorus of cheers sweep across the narrow strait, in spite of all conventionali- ties and legal crotchets, it would sound above the waves that dash against the coast one hearty "God speed the cause of freedom in Cuba!" logan's army bill — it effects a saving of millions annu- ally ITS PASSAGE " THE GREATEST TRIUMPH OF THAT CON- GRESS." March 10, 1869, Mr. Logan, as Chairman of the Com- mittee on Military Affairs, reported, and secured the passage LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 73 through the House, of his bill reducing the army, mustering out between four hundred and five hundred officers thereof. A special despatch of that date, in the Chicago Reptiblican, thus alludes to the brilliant success of his speech and man- agement : General Logan achieved the greatest triumph of this Congress to- day when his army bill was passed by the House without an amend- ment, except such as were proposed by himself, and without even a call of the yeas and nays. He prefaced the measure by a speech which, by unanimous consent, the House allowed him to extend to nearly two hours' length, full of suggestions, facts, and figures. He showed that the staff corps for our 37,000 men, is as numerous as France supports for her 500,000, or Russia for her 800,000 ; that the prices paid for office-rents by some of these, as by General Ingalls in New York, are enormous. He pointed out the evils of allowing army officers to hold civil positions, citing the case of Butterfield in New York, who, after holding one of the most important offices there, returns to his rank of colonel in the army, and cannot be tried for misconduct in his civil po- sition. General Sherman, Secretary Robeson, and a number of army officers were on the floor while he was speaking, and Sherman had the pleasure of hearing Logan's argument in favor of cutting his pay down nearly $8,000 a year. In the course of his speech, General Logan said, that "the saving effected by this bill would approximate to $3,000,000" annually. logan's reply to general Sherman's letter opposing army reduction and reform he demolishes it an eloquent protest against military dictation defence of the lib- erties of the people. On March 29, 1869, Mr. Logan, — after calling attention to, and having placed upon the record, a letter written by General Sherman to Senator Wilson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, adversely criticizing General Logan's bill for the reduction of the army, which had passed the House by the latter's efforts and was then being consid- ered by said Committee, — made a speech which fairly demol- i/4 LIFE OF LOGAN. ished the statements contained in the letter, and exhibited at once the readiness and thoroughness of information which characterized the man in matters of legislation, as in others. General Sherman's attack, through the medium of this let- ter, upon General Logan's position and statements — how- ever trenchant it had at first seemed to be — was so rapidly, vigorously, and convincingly repelled by General Logan on the floor of the House, that it fell flat, and utterly failed in its object, which was the defeat of army reduction and reform. In concluding that speech, — which he did amid " Long-con- tinued applause upon the floor and in the galleries," — Repre- sentative Logan said: General Sherman says, that if his pay be reduced he cannot give re- ceptions. I do not care whether he can, or not. It makes no difference to me. Sir, I remember a grand reception which was once given to him. I remember that on the 22d of May, 1865, I marched around this Cap- itol and down Pennsylvania Avenue at the head of many thousand vet- eran soldiers, constituting the Army of the Tennessee. General Sher- man was marching in advance. He then commanded General Slocum's army, the Army of Georgia, and my army, the Army of the Tennessee. He was greeted with cheers by men and women, by white and black. Bouquets were strewn everywhere. Every heart leaped with joy ; and if the dead could have spoken, they would have shouted hallelujahs to his name. Nearly all of those soldiers who followed me down Pennsylvania Avenue were volunteer soldiers. They had been engaged in more than a hundred battles. They constituted the old Army of the Tennessee, which was first commanded by Grant, and which I commanded last. They never knew defeat. They are forgotten to-day. Their memories live but a short time. Fifty years hence, history will hardly know that these men were engaged in the war. A few regular officers will claim all the credit, and will get it all. I am willing they shall have it. I want none, myself: I claim none. But while this officer, the general of the regular army, is attacking us, there are in this House a great many men who were volunteer soldiers — perhaps not so great as he, but equally patriotic. They were mustered out of the service. They are content to obey the laws and do their duty. There sits a man [Mr. Paine] who, with one leg gone, slept upon the field, hearing during the dark, dismal night, no sound save the groans LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 175 of the wounded and the dying. He votes for this bill, and for that rea- son he is an " inhuman " man. Another gentleman [Mr. Stoughton], a member of our Committee, who concurred in reporting this bill, slept upon the battlefield in the same way, and now goes around this House on a wooden leg. I could name twenty men on this floor who bear the marks and scars of rebel lead. They are to be forgotten. Let it be so ; I have nothing to say ; but I have a word to say in behalf of the tax- payers, in behalf of the soldier, and the soldier's widow. In their name, in the name of those brave Union men who sleep beneath the sod of the South, in the name of their widows and children, in the name of the one-legged and one-armed soldiers, I protest against the use of such power in the hands of these few men to defeat a great measure of pub- lic reform like this army bill. I protest against this thing of dictating legislation to the country, be- cause a man is in a high place. I protest against any attempt to stifle legislation. I protest against the iron bands of power being woven like a net-work around the minds of independent legislators of this Nation. The people demand that the legislative branch of this Govern- ment shall be free, shall be untrammelled, shall be independent, and shall be unfettered, so far as military dictation is concerned ; and I say to the men who hold high positions in this country, that they are not the law-makers, but the law obeyers, and that they shall not dictate the amount of taxation to be paid for their benefit, or the benefit of any- body else. And, sir, whenever legislation is so stifled and so crip- pled that a man, who has independence enough to stand up here in defence of economy and efficiency in the public service, is attacked by high officials, through the columns of the newspapers, for the perform- ance of his duty as a Representative of the people, and legislation thwarted thereby, then farewell to the liberties of this glorious Repub- lic. General Sherman parades, as if for our imitation, the British army, with four hundred generals. If we should adopt the suggestion, and have four hundred generals, as in the British army, to one hundred thousand men, then, Mr. Speaker, we should give the death-knell to our free institutions. With such a military establishment, the Oriental world to- day is blighted and accursed. It puts upon the people the heavy bur- den of a titled nobility. I demand that the people of this country shall not receive any such strain. I demand that this country shall not be put in the same position as Europe. If a man in Europe gets to be a general he must be a duke, and if he gets to be a colonel he must be a marquis ; and while the people get two shillings a day, for hard labor, the duke or marquis must get $30,000 per annum, for doing nothing. 176 LIFE OF LOGAN. Such is the rule, and such is the condition of things, in Europe. I wish to know whether this attack on me, means that this country shall be subverted into the hands of powerful military men, who are to become aristocrats, as they are in Europe ? I wish to know whether titles are to be established here ? I wish to know whether a body of nobility is to grow up here. I know the people are honest, as we have been told in that letter. Yes, sir, the people are honest, the people are brave, and the people are true. He [Sherman] would not have been a general, if it had not been for the people. It was the boy who carried the musket, who made him what he is. The boys who carried muskets so gallantly during the late war, made all these men who now hold themselves so high. They are the boys who made generals, and presidents, and can unmake them ; and I say, for one, I shall stand up here as the defender of these boys, and these men, of their widows and their orphans, and for the liberties of all the people in this country, against all generals, or marshals, or governors, or princes, or potentates, regardless of whatever aristocracy may be attempted to be set up in this land. While I live, I will stand as their defender. Living or dying, I shall defend the liberties of this people, making war against dictation and against aristocracy, and in favor of republicanism. The Army bill, although somewhat modified by the Sen- ate, still preserved its essential reform features when finally enacted into law — a result admittedly due to this powerful speech. GENERAL LOGAN'S AUTHORSHIP IN THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT AS FINALLY AGREED TO. It is a fact, not generally known, because of General Lo- gan's modesty, that he was as much the author of the Fif- teenth Amendment to the United States Constitution as some of those who have heretofore claimed to be. As that Amend- ment came from the Senate to the House its first section read as follows : " The right of citizens of the United States to vote or hold office shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condi- tion of servitude." LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. ijj Mr. Logan sought to amend this section in the House by- striking out the words " or hold office," as superfluous, the right to vote always carrying with it the right to hold office. The House, however, refused to adopt his amendment, but instead agreed to amendments offered by Bingham of Ohio, and sent it back to the Senate in the following shape : " The rieht of citizens of the United States to vote or hold office shall not be denied or abridged by any State on account of race, color, nativity, property, creed, or previous condition of servitude." The Senate disagreeing to this, a conference committee, comprising Senators Stewart, Conkling, and Edmunds, on the part of the Senate, and Messrs. Boutwell, Bingham, and Logan, on the part of the House, settled the disagreement by adopting Logan's draft, so that the section should read thus : " The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servi- tude." And in this shape, there being no disagreement as to the second section giving power to enforce it, it passed both Houses by the constitutional two-thirds majority.* * By reference to the Journal of the House of Representatives, 3d session, Fortieth Congress, the following proceedings will be found : On February 20, 1869, Mr. Boutwell moved that the rules be suspended so as to take up and consider the joint resolution of the Senate (S. R. 8), proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Agreed to : yeas, 144 ; nays, 37. Mr. Logan submitted an amendment to it, to strike out the words "or hold office. " Disagreed to. Mr, Shellabarger submitted an amendment in the nature of a substitute for the first sec- tion, but subsequently withdrew it. Mr. Bingham submitted an additional amendment, to strike out the words "by the United States" and insert " nativity, property, creed ;" so that it would read as follows : " The right of citizens of the United States to vote or hold office shall not be denied or abridged by any State on account of race, color, nativity, property, creed, or previous con- dition of servitude." This was agreed to, and the joint resolution was read a third time and passed by 140 yeas to 37 nays. On February 23d a message was received by the House from the Senate, notifying it 12 1 7 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. logan's eulogy on general thomas — a fitting tribute to " the rock of chickamauga." On April 6, 1870, in the Masonic Hall at Washington, General Logan delivered an oration before the Department of the Potomac, Grand Army of the Republic, upon the life, character, and death of General George H. Thomas, the hero of Nashville, " The Rock of Chickamauga." Briefly, but in telling words, he thus sketched the turning-point in that great soldier's military career : When the army swung loose from its moorings at Atlanta, to sweep across the plains of Georgia, the troops left behind were placed under command of General Thomas to hold the enemy in check in Tennessee. And here, in some respects, was perhaps the most trying position of his life. Gradually falling back on Nashville to prevent the enemy from cut- ting off his communications, concentrating his forces and strengthening his cavalry arm, his delay and apparent inaction was misunderstood and that the Senate had disagreed to the House amendments, asking a conference on the dis- agreeing votes of the two Houses, and stating that Mr. Stewart, Mr. Conkling, and Mr. Edmunds had been appointed the conferees on the part of the Senate. The same day, on motion of Mr. Boutwell, the rules were suspended, the joint resolu- tion with its amendments taken up, the House agreed to the conference, and Messrs. Bout- well, Bingham, and Logan were appointed conferees on the part of the House. On February 25th Mr. Boutwell reported from the conference committee as follows : " The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the joint resolution (S. R. 8), proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, having met, after full and free conference have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows : That the House recede from their amendments and agree to the resolution of the Senate, with an amendment as follows : In section one, line two, strike out the words "or hold office;" and that the Senate agree to the same. Managers on the part of the House of Representatives, Managers on the part of the Senate, George S. Boutwell. John A. Bingham. John A. Logan. William M. Stewart. Roscoe Conkling. This report was agreed to by both House and Senate, by the constitutional majority of two-thirds in each House. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 179 his motives misinterpreted. The news of Hood's rapid and persistent advance into Tennessee, and apparently no strong effort on the part of Thomas to check him, was a riddle for a time, even at the headquarters of the army. Sensitive to every insinuation against his honor or his integrity, as one of his nature must ever be, it required all his self-con- trol to keep his own counsel. But he was equal to the task, and mov- ing steadily onward, perfecting his plans, he waited patiently the mo- ment at which to strike the decisive blow. When it arrived, it came like a thunder-bolt upon the enemy. Hood's army, shattered and broken, was scattered to the four winds, never to be again reorganized. This cleared away effectually the cloud which for a moment had ob- scured his fame, and his star shone forth with increased splendor.* Of Thomas' characteristics, General Logan said : He brought no peculiar trait into stronger relief than another, but blended them all in one harmonious whole. If there was any excep- tion to this, any feature that predominated over others, it was the power of his will, especially its power over himself — self-control. And this, united with his uniform urbanity, was doubtless the secret of that facility with which he acquired control over the troops under his com- mand, who seemed to obey, not more because duty compelled them than because they loved to execute the orders of their general. It was the secret of that power he possessed of instilling into his men his own indomitable and deliberate courage, that won him the sobriquet of " The Rock of Chickamauga." Intellectually he was peculiarly fitted for military life ; the very har- mony of his nature begat system ; and, possessing strong comprehen- sive powers, readily he grasped the points of his situation, and deliberate judgment concentrated the advantages and matured his plans, and en- ergy executed them. His heart was that of a giant, and swelled and palpitated with none but the noblest impulses. Sincere in all his words, his unreserved frankness and evident truthfulness in all his reports and communica- tions extorted admiration even from those who love to censure. Strict conscientiousness and punctual fidelity marked all his actions. " No taint of sordid selfishness, no miserable caprices, no stain of dishonor, ever soiled his fair escutcheon." His name will go down to posterity without a blot upon his character as a soldier, a patriot, or a gentleman. *But for Logan's self-abnegation, Thomas would not have had this chance. See pages 87-88, and foot-note. !8o LIFE OF LOGAN. Envy and jealousy will seek in vain for a flaw or defect upon which to hang a doubt or fix a criticism. The peroration of this eloquent oration was very fine — as these few lines of it will show : He is gone ! Grief sits visibly on every soldier's brow, and pervades every loyal heart of the Nation. His noble form lies low, ready to be committed to its kindred dust. Earth never received into her bosom a manlier form or a nobler breast. The halo of his deeds and the bril- liancy of his achievements may almost be said to illumine the grave into which his body descends, and the fragrance of his acts of kindness per- fume his sepulchre. He has gone from our sight, but not from our hearts and our mem- ories ; there his name must live on, embalmed by our love and garlanded with our affections, growing brighter and brighter as time rolls on. The cold marble often bears in mockery a name forgotten but for the letters chiselled in the icy slab. It cannot be so with the name of Gen- eral George Henry Thomas : it is chiselled on the tablets of too many hearts to need the aid of marble or bronze to perpetuate it. As a soldier, a gentleman, a patriot, a man, his memory will go down to future generations, emblazoned upon the pages of history, pregnant with a lesson of wholesome emulation to those who shall in the future lead armies to battle, not alone in this Republic, but throughout the civilized world. This oration was very highly praised by the press at the time — although delivered at a disadvantage, in this : that ex- tended memorial services, including an oration by Garfield, had been had in honor of General Thomas, the evening be- fore, in the hall of the House, in the presence of the President and his Cabinet and both Houses of Congress. Yet one paper said : " The night after, at Masonic Hall, Logan's ora- tion flashed out with all its electricity and descriptive magnifi- cence, throwing completely in the shade everything hereto- fore delivered." Another paper, alluding to this meeting, said : General Schenck, Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, presided. Members of the Cabinet, Senators, Members of the House, and Governors of States were present, some of whom took part in the proceedings. The hall (Masonic Hall) was crowded to reple- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. I«I tion by an enthusiastic audience, who had assembled to listen to the eulogy upon the life and character of General Thomas delivered by Major-General Logan. General Logan is an orator whose cast of thought rendered him peculiarly qualified to handle such a subject ; and his personal knowledge of General Thomas, and experience with him upon many well-fought fields, lent inspiration to the effort. The result was that as the orator rose with his theme and the grand and beautiful incidents were portrayed with all the fascination of the speaker's art — the power of pathos, the moving appeal, the awaking of emotion, — the assembly was constrained to manifest its feeling in frequent outbursts of applause. GENERAL LOGAN'S GENERAL ORDERS TO THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC, TOUCHING DECORATION DAY ELECTED A THIRD TIME ITS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF GRAND ARMY ENCAMP- MENT RESOLUTIONS — A HANDSOME TRIBUTE TO "THE SOL- DIER'S FRIEND." On April 30, 1870, the following order was issued by- General Logan, as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, touching Memorial Day : Headquarters, G. A. R., Washington, April 30, 1870. I. The annual ceremonies of "Memorial Day" which have been firmly established by National choice and consent, will take place on Monday the 30th day of May. II. All departments, districts, posts, and comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, wherever dispersed throughout the land, will unite in such manner and with such ceremonies for the proper observ- ance of the day as may be best suited to each respective locality ; and all organizations, communities, and persons, whose grateful aid, sympathy, and prayers sustained us through the dark days of the Nation's peril, and those whose loyal, patriotic hearts beat in unison with our own, and who have heretofore, or may hereafter, join with us in the observance of this National Memorial Day, are hereby cordially invited so to unite, and are earnestly requested to lend their aid and assistance in strewing the pure garlands of spring, that come with votive memories of love and prayer, o'er the mounds that mark the country's altar, and fold, in rest eternal, our martyred dead. This is the third public observance of a day which has become T g 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. marked, and National, for this sacred occasion. Many are now missing from our ranks, who were with us before. Time, with busy finger, counts the hours for all. "In the midst of life we are in death," and one by one our comrades are " mustered out " to join the grand army on high. Let this teach us that we should so live that, when we too are gone, it can be said, " He was a citizen, a soldier, and a comrade, without fear and without reproach." III. It is desirable that the memorial services may be preserved, and the department and post commanders will forward direct, to the Ad- jutant-General at National Headquarters, a record of such proceedings as may occur in each locality. Should the same appear in the press, or by pamphlet, a duplicate corrected copy is requested. By order. William T. Collins, John A. Logan, A djutant- General. Commander-in- Chief. It was at the National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, held at Washington this year (1870), that General Logan was again, for the third time, unanimously elected its Commander-in-Chief, and the following resolutions were adopted : Resolved, That the memory of those who died that the Nation might live, should be kept green in the hearts of the people of the United States by the sacred observance of the 30th of May as a day dedicated to the decoration of their graves ; and we trust that the General Gov- ernment will not fail to exercise, under the war-power, its sovereignty over such of those hallowed resting-places of our departed comrades as are in that section of country which they bravely aided in conquering, and not ask the permission of the conquered that the soil thus conse- crated may be the Nation's forever. Resolved, That all departments and posts of the Grand Army, and all comrades in their individual capacities, use their utmost endeavors to promptly secure legislative action in their respective States in aid of the establishment and maintenance of homes and schools for the support and education of the orphans of all Union soldiers, sailors, or marines, without distinction of birthplace or of race, who were killed, or who died in consequence of wounds received or disease contracted, while in the service of the United States. Resolved, That while we recognize the equality of all soldiers who were mustered in, we respectfully suggest to the officers of the National Asylum for Disabled Soldiers, so liberally endowed by Congress, the LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 183 propriety of promoting the comfort of the colored veterans entitled to a home, by establishing a branch asylum at the South for their occupa- tion. Resolved, That we earnestly request Congress to consider the pro- priety and justice of passing an act donating suitable tracts of the pub- lic lands to those soldiers, sailors, and marines, who honorably served in the Army or Navy of the Nation during the late war for the suppres- sion of the rebellion, in accordance with the precedents established in former wars. After congratulating the Grand Army on the re-election of General Logan, and speaking in high terms of praise of his address, the Grand Army Journal of May 21, 1870, says: General Logan is eminently a man of the people in all his sympa- thies and aspirations. He is a representative man — engaged in a ca- reer carved out by his own vigorous and indomitable nature. His friendly sentiments toward the volunteer soldiers are known to all men. In and out of Congress he has labored for their benefit, because, with- out detracting from the merit of the regular army, he believes the vol- unteer soldiers bore the heat and the burthen of the day in the war against the rebellion. Brave in the field, wise in council, kindly of heart, and earnest in purpose, with a record emblazoned on the annals of his country of which he may be well proud, he is yet in the prime of life. Such men render yeoman service, and are held in especial esteem. Faithful to the cause of right and truth and progress, he has had no devious ends to work out, no corrupt motives to keep from sight. Earnest and will- ing to perform the labor of the sphere in which he moves, his own in- stincts press him onward and upward to attempt greater achievements. This ambition is laudable — laudable because it is just, as its object is the public good ; and a brilliant future lies open before him, on which he enters with our warmest wishes. HOW GENERAL LOGAN WAS REGARDED IN " EGYPT " AT THIS TIME. In hoisting to its mast-head the name of General John A. Logan for Congressman from the State-at-Large, the Egyp- tian Sun of May 4, 1870, paid the following fine tribute to him : We do this with great pleasure, not only because we are for Logan for any position that he asks from the people of this State, but because 1 84 LIFE OF LOGAN. he has proved himself to be the best soldier, the most efficient legislator, and the most eminent statesman that the State of Illinois has produced. General Logan is a native Illinoisan, has been identified with the in- terests of this State all his life ; has labored for its prosperity and the promotion of the best interests of its people for more than twenty- years. From the time his public career began, to the present, his course has been onward, and his life a practical exemplification of the motto " Excelsior." He has never disappointed his constituents, nor brought the tinge of shame to their faces. Whatever has been his po- sition, he has honored it, and wherever the people have placed him, he has worked unremittingly and faithfully. He has been no drone in the public hive, nor a hanger-on to the skirts of others. He has always acted independently. A strong partisan, he has been unwavering in the support of the principles that he believed best for the guidance of the American people, but has never hesitated at the call of duty, nor neglected, to expose wrong-doing among the members of his party. Always progressive, he has ever been in the front rank of those who, looking to the good of mankind and the political salvation of the world, are ready to make any sacrifice, consistent with the principles of justice and the genius of free institutions, in order to secure " the greatest good to the greatest number." But we need not dwell on the life, services, or ability of General Logan. His name is written in living letters on the history of this State and country. At the bar, on the stump, in the legislative halls of the Nation, or at the head of his legions on the field red with carnage, he has been equal to any emergency, and covered his country, his State, and his name, with glory and renown. ANOTHER BIG DEBATE ON CUBA LOGAN TAKES PROMINENT PART IN IT HE HANDLES BUTLER WITHOUT GLOVES. Again, June 15, 1870, the Cuban question came up in the House, and a great debate of eight hours ensued, which was graphically depicted in the New York Tribune of the follow- ing day. From that report the following is taken : When Mr. Butler closed, Mr. Logan obtained the floor, Judd having yielded the rest of his hour. There was " fight " in every line of Logan's face as he stepped out from his desk and denounced Butler's use of Cuban bonds on the floor of the House as unmanly, and unworthy of a patriot or gentleman, declaring that it argued known weakness. He distinctly charged Butler with being on both sides of the question, stat- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 85 ing that not three weeks ago Butler had been as earnest as he [Logan] claimed to be, a" strong advocate of belligerent recognition. His con- duct on this Cuban bonds inquiry was not to be regarded as the act of a gentleman. In the harshest language allowed to parliamentary de- bate, and some that transcended it even, Logan declared that the so- called Cuban inquiry was " a contemptible trick," begun by Butler with- out the knowledge of the House, and under cover of another matter. He [Butler] had sent his spies and detectives through the hovels and dens of Washington, seeking to drag the names of his fellow-members down among those of thieves and felons. At this point Butler, who had sat without showing any sign of feeling or excitement, remarked quietly, "The gentlemen is mistaken." "Not a bit of it," was the sharp re- sponse. During this exciting personal scene Mr. Logan faced Mr. Butler steadily, and the members gathered all around and near him. The entire Democratic side was vacated, and there was evidently an intense though subdued excitement. On the whole, the scene appeared to be enjoyed by all. Mr. Butler seemed to be the only one perfectly at his ease. Passing from this personal reference, Logan made a stir- ring and strikingly effective appeal to the House on the merits of the question, declaring that the issue was a question between despotism and freedom, and the only point for the House to decide was whether a state of war existed in Cuba. Whether a reporter had bonds, or an attorney had used them improperly, was not in the balance at all, and did not affect the real issue. Did war exist ? Should we recognize it ? These were the questions handled by Logan in an effectively dramatic manner. He said we would not have war, nor would any evil follow our intervening in behalf of humanity, and our recognizing the struggle as one for free institutions, free speech, and the freedom of all men of all races and colors. He made a most effective illustration of Mexico, when Juarez, as he said, carried the Republican Government in his hat, with not twenty followers, among the mountains of Chihuahua, while Maximilian held the country with more than forty thousand men. Did the American people, he asked, fail to discriminate then ? Was there an American soldier, he asked [turning fiercely on Butler,] who was then willing to recognize Maximilian, or indulged in sneers at the bonds of the Mexican Republic ? In rapid speech, with ringing sentences, fall- ing quick and sharp, like rifle-volleys, Logan assailed the sophistries with which the debate had been entangled. As he closed with an impassioned denunciation of what he declared was a growing tendency to ape monarchical and aristocratic opinion, and to respect only strong governments, — a sentiment which derided the people's struggles, and was always apt at excusing the acts of established order, however tyran- 1 86 LIFE OF LOGAN. nical, — Logan made one very effective point in declaring that the op- position to Cuban recognition arose mainly from an' intrigue now in progress to buy it. He denounced the mere talk of annexation as a cheat, and declared his sympathies went with those in Cuba who desired to make a free and independent State, and not annex her to the United States. Mr. Logan left an excellent impression, which it was expected Mr. Banks would strengthen, but, to the disappointment of all, it was immediately evident that he was physically unable to hold the House. . . . WHITTEMORE AGAIN HAVING SECURED A RE-ELECTION, HE PRESENTS HIMSELF TO THE HOUSE AND ATTEMPTS TO GET HIS SEAT THE HOUSE, UNDER LOGAN'S LEAD, EXCLUDES HIM AND SENDS BACK HIS CREDENTIALS. We have seen how on a former occasion General Logan had secured the passage, by the House, of a resolution de- claring that Whittemore, who had escaped actual expulsion from his seat in the House by resignation, had made appoint- ments to West Point and Annapolis in violation of the law, that such appointments were influenced by pecuniary consid- erations, and " that his conduct in the premises has been such as to show him unworthy of a seat in the House of Representatives, and therefore is condemned as conduct unworthy of a representative of the people." This was on February 23, 1870. Whittemore at once went back to his district in South Carolina, and got himself re-elected to Congress. On Saturday, June 18, 1870, his certificate of re- election was presented to the House. A telegraphic report of that day's proceedings condenses the action had thereon as follows : Whittemore got out to-day without the trouble of resigning. Logan presented the case against him very forcibly, which, in a word, was that a man who had been declared by the House guilty of a penitentiary offence, might properly be excluded. Farnsworth, Schenck, and Po- land tried to have the whole subject referred to the Judiciary Commit- tee, but Logan insisted on the previous question, on a preamble setting forth the character of the offence and actions of the House thereon, and LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 87 a resolution excluding Whittemore and directing a return of his creden- tials to the Governor of South Carolina. The previous question was sustained by 84 to 57, about 30 Republicans voting in the negative ; some because they desired further debate, and some from a wish to re- ceive him on the ground that it was his constitutional right to be ad- mitted, even if the House exercised its constitutional right of expelling him. Immediately afterward, on a direct vote of ejection, the ayes were 231, noes 24. . . . The Democrats had a previous agreement not to vote, but some at the last moment decided not to adhere to it. . . . Scarcely a member spoke to Whittemore during the two hours he was in the hall, and when the vote was declared, he left, without a word from anyone. Alluding to this matter, the Missouri Daily Democrat of June 20, 1870, said: Logan, the untiring, " never in haste and never at rest," does excel- lent service in Congress. When there is a disagreeable duty to be done, an over-puffed balloon to be pricked, an ugly customer to be taught good-manners, by common consent Logan comes to the front. To him the House is indebted for the exposure of the sellers of cadetships and the (practical though not technical) expulsion of Whittemore, and to his ready promptness and pluck it owes the defeat of the attempt to smug- gle in this scoundrel, while the House was thin, on Saturday. We agree entirely with the New York Tribune that the place for this man is the penitentiary instead of the House, and shall be astonished and mortified if the Republican majority in that body tolerate the pres- ence of the scamp upon the floor. It is curious that the only argument for the admission of Whitte- more, that we have seen, came from the Republican, a Democratic paper, patriotically anxious to have Congress disgrace itself. Another of the many papers that gave him high praise said : Whittemore will find " Jordan a hard road to travel " while Logan is in the House. General Logan has won more praise from friends, and wrested more compliments from his political enemies, during the Forty- first Congress, than any man who has ever held a seat in either House. His presence has grown to be a necessity. 1 88 LIFE OF LOGAN. LOGAN RENOMINATED BY ACCLAMATION IN 1870 — HIS GREAT SERVICES ON THE STUMP IN ILLINOIS, INDIANA, AND IOWA SENSATION IN IOWA WHEREVER HE APPEARED THE SEN- ATORSHIP. As serving to indicate the conscientious attention given by General Logan to the discharge of other Congressional duties, as well as those of legislation, — duties which, in con- nection with the departments and the demands of constitu- ents, often keep a Representative at Washington even after the adjournment of Congress, the following extract from the Washington correspondence, July 26, 1870, of a Sioux City, la., journal will afford a hint : Washington looks like a deserted village. All the Congressmen and Senators, together with their hangers-on, have left to seek a re-election at the hands of their constituents. . . . General logan was the last man from the Great West to leave here. It is believed that he will be the next Senator from Illinois, and, after that, his friends say he will have a walk-over for the Presidency. Logan belongs to that class of political men that will not give you the kiss of peace to-day, and betray you to- morrow. He has never gone back on a friend, and I don't think he ever ran from an enemy. ... I believe Logan to be the most honest politician in America, and further predict that the people of Illi- nois will stand by his retrenchment measures, and give him the Sena- torship so well earned by him this session. General Logan was nominated by acclamation from the State-at-Large for Congress, September 1, 1870, and ad- dressed the State Convention in a speech of one hour, which, said the Chicago Tribune, " was repeatedly and vociferously applauded." But he had not awaited this renomination be- fore commencing the campaign. He had already opened it at Cairo. Said the Egyptian Sun of Thursday, September 1, 1870: General Logan's speech in this city on Saturday night was one of the most telling ever delivered in Cairo. The court-house was densely crowded, and the General held his audience spellbound for at least two LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 89 hours. We have not time now to give an analysis of his speech, but must content ourselves with saying that it was a glorious effort, worthy of the man and the place. We hear of quite a number of men in the Democratic ranks who were well pleased with it, and who will in all likelihood support the Republican ticket. The New York Sun also said some kind things of the General at this time. In its issue of October 18th, it said: General John A. Logan is said to be a candidate for the office of United States Senator from Illinois, in the place of Richard Yates, whose term expires in March next. General Logan is now a mem- ber of the House of Representatives from the State of Illinois at large, and has attained a very distinguished position in that body. He is a man of great native vigor and originality of mind. His course upon the Cuban question has been such as to render him a great fa- vorite with all the friends of universal freedom. He was then, as the Du Quoin Tribune of October 20th said, ''making a lively canvass in northern and central por- tions of the State " of Illinois, and besides speaking in Indi- ana, had also effectively stumped Iowa. The following, from the Des Moines (Iowa) Register, October 11, 1870, will give some idea of the effect of his presence in that State. Of all public men living to-day, there are but few whom the people of Iowa regard with equal admiration with John A. Logan. General Logan, who entered the State of Iowa last Thursday, and has since made speeches at Waterloo, Newton, and Des Moines, has had ovation after ovation the whole journey. The State is filled with men who followed him in war, who were with him in battle, who idolized him in the field, and who almost worship him and his greatness now. His journey through the State has developed how unshaken and un- chilled is the bond of esteem and affection between him and his old sol- diers. At every point he has spoken, they have flocked in to see him, to shake hands with him, and to tell him how proudly they have watched him in his public career, and how he still holds their unquestioning confidence and lasting regard. There were in the Register office yester- day two men who had walked twenty-five miles to come in and see their old commander. Many affecting incidents occurred in the interviews between the gallant General and his soldiers. None of the great gen- erals who have visited Des Moines since the war have been received 190 LIFE OF LOGAN. with so much of cordiality and enthusiasm as General Logan has been. As there is no brotherhood like that of comrades in war, so is there no admiration like that which soldiers hold for an illustrious and revered commander. This is General Logan's first visit to the central part of Iowa since the war, and he has been made to see how warm a welcome Iowa can give a man it likes. The Pontiac, 111., Sentinel and Press of October 20, 1870, after stating that General Logan had just addressed a large audience, notwithstanding the bad weather, at that place, and that " never was a more thorough, candid, and eloquent defence of Republicanism heard from the lips of man," pro- ceeded to summarize and eulogize his public record of ser- vice, and continued thus : His speech here on Wednesday, which we will not do him the in- justice to attempt to publish, as it could only be an imperfect condensa- tion at best, showed him to be master of the subjects which he handles ; we wish that more of our citizens could have heard him. His com- parison of the country under Democratic and under Republican rule was well drawn ; his eloquent description of our glorious strides in wealth, enterprise, and progress, since the rebellion was crushed out by the power of the Government, was grand ; his home-thrusts at the villanous double-dealing of the Democracy were welltimed and rapturously re- ceived. It was a grand day for the Republicans and a sorry one for our opponents. The Peoria Review, December 1, 1870, in discussing the approaching election of a United States Senator, said of him : He is a man of the people, ready, outspoken, and sympathetic. His canvass in 1866-68, and in the present year, has demonstrated to the crowds who have heard him, that he has the independence to de- clare his own convictions and the ability to defend them. As a political speaker before the people, he is at once the ablest, fairest, and most convincing in the State. As a member of Congress, his record shows him to be ready in debate, fertile in expedients, careful in legislation, liberal in his views, but an earnest advocate of economy in every branch of the Government. During the rebellion he earned the reputa- tion of being the best volunteer general in the service. A Douglas Democrat, he followed the patriotic counsels of that able statesman, and threw his influence, with all the natural impetuosity of his char- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. I 9 I acter, into the scale of freedom and the Union. Since 1861, no citizen of our commonwealth has done more in the field, on the stump, or in the halls of Congress, for the cause of progress, equal rights, and Re- publicanism, than John A. Logan. . . . There may be combina- tions at work that will set aside the choice of the Republican Party. In politics, as in love, the race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong. But if the members of the Legislature have a decent re- gard for the preference of those whom they owe the honor of their election, we hazard nothing in saying that John A. Logan will receive a majority on the first ballot. A PEN-PORTRAIT OF GENERAL LOGAN AN EXCELLENT ANALYSIS OF HIS METHODS AND MANNER IN SPEECH-MAKING, BY A CLOSE OBSERVER. A writer in the New York Irish Republic, of October 15, 1870, gives the following- excellent pen-portraiture of General Logan : " Be sure you are right, and then go ahead," was the motto of David Crockett, and it also seems to be that of General Logan. And a glo- rious motto it is ! But it answers only for the single-minded and true- hearted, for him who is fashioned from the oak, not from the willow, and for him who loves the truth above all other things, and who is deter- mined to know it and adhere to it, sink or swim ; and such a man is General John A. Logan. Among all the young and growing statesmen of the country there is no man who stands as high with our loyal and patriotic masses as does General Logan. His intense patriotism, his magnificent military record, his great oratorical powers, his moral and intellectual rectitude, and his physical qualities and advantages, all combine to make him a great and enduring favorite with the brave, generous, and intelligent American people. And great as has been his popularity, it seems to be steadily increasing, instead of diminishing. The country sadly needs another " Old Hickory," and the people seem to be making up their minds that General Logan is the man for their purpose. And, by my soul, I think so too. And as the Irish Republic is read in other lands, by those who have never seen the General, I shall endeavor to give them a full-length portrait of him. General Logan is now in the full bloom and vigor of his mind and body ; he appears to me to be about forty years old, five feet nine inches in height, weighs about one hundred and eighty pounds, and is black- 192 LIFE OF LOGAN. haired and "dark-complexioned," as the ladies would phrase it. He is as straight as a lance, and stands as erect as a liberty-pole, is broad- shouldered, full-chested, sinewy and muscular. His limbs are finely turned and proportioned, his step light, yet firm, and his pace easy, graceful, and measured, while he looks the very embodiment of mental energy in motion, physical strength in repose, animation in reserve, and fire in slumber ; a man whom no reverse of fortune could render ordi- nary or commonplace, and one evidently intended by Nature to be a leader of men. Nowhere does he appear to such advantage as when addressing an audience. In this attitude does he appear in all his vigor and glory, and in it should his portrait be taken. As he rises from his seat, whether it be on the rostrum or on the floor of the House of Representatives, he looks like a man who has come to speak on a subject of the most vital importance to his hearers. He appears to be concerned with noth- ing else on earth but the question which he is about to discuss, and the success of the cause which he has undertaken to champion. He always seems to me to be deeply impressed with the conviction that a public man does far more good or evil by what he says and writes than by what he does and inflicts. And this is actually the case. For the conduct of an individual does not affect but a small circle beyond himself, while his teachings or sentiments may affect for good or evil not only thousands of men and women living, but generations yet unborn. And this is but another proof of the General's fitness for the responsible position of a public speaker or teacher; and fully accounts for his habitual thought- fulness in look and feature, and earnestness in speech and gesture — pe- culiarities which in him are so striking as to secure the attention of the most careless observer of men and their ways. His voice is full, clear, and ringing ; and when aroused, as cheering and spirit-stirring as the call from a trumpet. His gesticulation is grace- ful and expressive, his pronunciation classically correct, and his enun- ciation distinct and emphatic, so much so that every word of his is as plain and precise as the note from a bugle. As he progresses in his discourse he continues to grow more and more earnest and animated in look, in gesture, in form, in feature, till his features glow, till his eyes flash, till his whole frame trembles and sways with that passion which is born of conviction and inspiration, and which commands respect for himself and sympathy for his cause, from the most stolid and hostile of his hearers ; instead of that other passion which is made up of rant and fustian, fuss and fury, and which excites only the pity of friends and the contempt of opponents. He is at all times one of the most earnest and animated speakers ; one whose looks LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 193 and words and gestures are full of inspiration ; one who carries convic- tion to every intelligent and ingenuous hearer, and inspires his friends with his own courage and enthusiasm ; but when worked up into a rhe- torical frenzy, so to speak, he is grand and irresistible. Then he bears down upon his subject as cavalry charge a hostile square, or as he him- self was accustomed to charge the public enemy on the field of battle, and with the same splendid success. When mounting to a climax, when wrapped up, lost in, and borne onward by his subject, it would be just as futile to attempt to check him as to stem a mountain-torrent in its headlong race to the sea. After hearing him on several occasions, and closely attending to his style and treatment of his subject, I have concluded that he does not attempt to write out his speeches and commit them to memory before delivery, after the barbarian custom of Edward Everett and Shiel and others, but thoroughly conjugates his topic in his walks or in his study, makes a note of the several heads into which he divides it in order to help his memory, and trusts to the time, to the place, and to the occa- sion for his language and his imagery, after the healthful habit of Grat- tan and Curran, and the great majority of our Irish orators. And this is the custom which best bespeaks a man of genius, and best befits a popu- lar orator or tribune of the people ; as the other best bespeaks the patient drudge, and best befits the stilted sentence-grinder, and stale and stuffed lyceum-speaker. And hence it is that the General's speeches have all the surprise and freshness of impromptu effusions, while they possess all the finish and solidity of carefully digested compositions. And hence also it is that frequent interruptions in the House of Representatives never seem to disconcert him, while they often seem to help him. He can be said to be as popular in the House as he is outside of it. His popularity with the masses is mainly due to his enlightened patriot- ism at all times, but especially to his splendid services in the field during our civil war ; while his popularity with the House of Representatives is due to the fact that all the measures which he introduces are of an important and National character, and that he is not only a steadfast, judicious friend, but also a courteous and chivalrous opponent. And these are sufficient reasons. I have never known General Logan to fail to carry any of his meas- ures through the House of Representatives, nor do I know of any reason why he should not always succeed, as he always observes all the condi- tions of success. While he is addressing the House all eyes are turned toward him, and all tongues are still, and silence reigns supreme where, 13 194 LIFE OF LOGAN. as a rule, there is nothing but bustle and clatter and confusion. And no wonder. For it is one of the richest and rarest of intellectual treats to hear him while urging the passage of some favorite measure of his. To carry a grand measure expeditiously and triumphantly through the House, give me the General in preference to any other man in it ! He gives me a correct idea of the Roman senator and General- tribune, who could pass at will from the rostrum to the farm, from the farm to the senate, and from the senate to the battle-field, and back again. In truth, I never meet him in the Capitol at Washington or see him on the floor of the House without being instantly reminded of those ancient worthies. For he is as brave and gifted and patriotic and chiv- alrous as any Roman of them all. We have to-day in America as splendid men as either Greece or Rome ever produced, and I am con- fident that the men and women of the future will say the same thing. LOGAN AT SPRINGFIELD HE CONTRASTS THE RECORDS OF. THE TWO PARTIES A PASSAGE OF REMARKABLE ELOQUENCE. In a most telling speech delivered at Springfield, 111., Oc- tober 15, 1870, General Logan said of the Republican and Democratic parties : Take now the records of these two parties ; examine them and see what the results have been, and by what they have been, judge what the results may be. Thirty years or more, they say, the Democratic Party had control of this country. While they had this control, they sowed the land with Democratic principles. Now, to this day, we see these Democratic principles cropping out. In i860, a rank growth showed itself to the eye. What was it ? The first result they produced, from thirty years' exercise of power, after sowing Democratic principles broadcast in the political soil of the land, was a crop of traitors springing up throughout the South, as if the land had been sown with dragons' teeth. Following upon that, came war, devastation, blood, and every crime in the red catalogue of crimes, which brought pain, agony, despair, woe, and calamities upon the land ; and all of this followed upon, and was the legitimate result of, the sowing of Democratic principles in this country during the thirty years they had control of power. And to-day, all the woe that has fallen upon this land, and all the calamities that have befallen us, can be traced back to the time when this party bore sway. But now take the other side of the question. Ask yourselves hon- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 195 estly and fairly, what has the Republican Party done ? Have they done anything ? What results have followed their action ? They have had control of this country for ten years. They too, like the Democratic Party, have sown political principles in the soil, and what has been the result ? This : where disorder and confusion reigned yesterday, you have peace to-day ; and where treason and dismay appeared before, there is perfect quiet now. Where before, to the view, a dissevered land was presented, you behold now the restored integrity of the Union. Where constitutions were duplicated, flags were duplicated, and ensigns of political sovereignty, you behold one Government, one Constitution, one Nation — that Constitution so amended as to be much better than ever before. That is not all. This land, that professed to be a free land ; this land, that professed to be a land of liberty,— and yet in such pro- fessions told that which was not true,— the Republican Party went forth in might and strength to redeem, declaring that this land should be in fact what it professed to be ; and, by one blow of the sword of justice, they severed from the limbs of men the last bonds that bound them ; and the slave, and the oppressed, leaped from the dark deep dungeon of his despair into the pure bright light of freedom and joy. Our country has advanced in Christianity, it has advanced in civiliza- tion, as no country ever advanced before. A standard of morals has been erected in this land, within the last ten years, far beyond what this world has seen before. You have seen the spirit of civilization. You have seen it as it moved upon the Far West, changing, to something brighter, the white sands, — glistening in the eyes of men until they almost turned sightless. You have seen it sweep over savage hordes till, dazzled by effulgent peace, they retire at its coming. Villages, towns, cities, spring up day by day ; school-houses rise, and church-spires point white spires to the destiny above, while light strikes into every place of shadow ; this broad, beautiful West, blooming like the rose, glows golden under the feet of progress ; and all that splendid triumph has been wrought out under the lead and guidance of the great Repub- lican Party. You are to-day a freer people, a happier people, a more prosperous people, than any other upon the habitable globe. For princely pros- perity, this peace and happiness, — the major part of it, — you are in- debted to the Republican Party. . . . By the Declaration of Independence, our fathers planted the blissful seed of the hope of man. This soil and this seed were never truly tilled until the Republican Party got into power. That seed they did till, until it grew and spread far and wide, — grew broadly, and expanded ; and now, beneath these kindly skies, behold its branches wave from zone to zone, 196 LIFE OF LOGAN. from sea to sea ; and ac the sun of freedom thrills through, gilding the soft foliage, and sparkles and dances in and around and about it, the eye is tranced and sees a halo of joy and pride above it, like a gleam from Heaven, so rich, so divine, so pure, so lovely, and so endearing, that we tremble as we gaze ! And this is the vine to whose protecting shade all mankind, of every color and from every clime, are coming to partake its fruit — rich fruit, grown from the tree of liberty, and nurtured by the great American Republican Party. LOGAN PUTS THROUGH THE HOUSE A BILL TO ABOLISH THE OFFICES OF ADMIRAL AND VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE NAVY HE IS ELECTED TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE. Upon the assembling of Congress in December, 1870, General Logan at the first opportunity rose and offered a bill, of which he had previously given notice, to abolish the offices of Admiral and Vice-Admiral of the Navy. Mr. Sco- field desired that the bill should first be considered by the Naval Committee, whereupon General Logan said : I offer this bill, and ask immediate action upon it, without meaning any discourtesy toward the Naval Committee, and without any purpose of inflicting a wrong upon any individual. I have no personal feeling in the matter. I offered a bill containing a provision of similar char- acter in reference to the army, and now only ask that the navy should be put on the same footing. I care nothing about the present vice- admiral, nothing about his quarrels. I have no concern in them. I offer this bill without any reference to him at all, because there is a vacancy now existing in the office of admiral, and now is the time to pass the bill before the vacancy is filled. I offer this, Mr. Speaker, as a question of economy, commencing in the navy as we have already done in the army. I tell you that these useless ranks should be lopped off as opportunity is afforded to the Congress of the United States to do so, in order that the people may be relieved of some of the burdens of taxes now imposed upon them. The office of admiral was created for Farragut, and as a compliment to him, without any expectation that it would descend along the line. But it seems as if it were the intention that none of these high ranks should ever be abolished, but that as fast as one officer dies or resigns, the vacancy should be filled, and filled in hot haste, before opportunity is afforded for the Congress of the United States to act on the subject. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 1 97 Other members having spoken, Mr. Butler made a strong protest against allowing Admiral Porter to succeed the la- mented Farragut. One of the published reports of the de- bate said at the time : Mr. Butler spoke very rapidly, hesitated several times, not for a word, but to swallow his excitement, and had evidently, long before he ceased, carried with him the sentiment of the House. Mr. Banks fol- lowed in support of the bill ; but the House, and Mr. Logan, who had remained standing during Mr. Butler's remarks, felt that the work was done. Mr. Logan said, simply and calmly, that he believed the measure would redound to the advantage of the country, and particularly to the naval branch of the service, and that the bill was offered, not because of any feeling of a personal character toward any officer who might be affectqd by its passage, but because he thought it right, as a question of economy, to abolish as soon as possible, an office never before created in this country, and a rank which should never be given hereafter. On his motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, fully three-fourths of the House shouted " aye," and the severest rebuke ever offered to an United States officer had been administered by the representatives of the people. During this same year, General Logan was elected by the Illinois Legislature, an United States Senator, to succeed Richard Yates, whose term would expire March 3, 1871. Touching his nomination by the caucus, an Illinois journal remarked : When the Republican caucus assembled last Friday, Logan had more than three to one over both his competitors (ex-Governors Oglesby and Palmer). It was a battle well fought and handsomely won. No man has deserved success better than Logan. Few men won a higher position before the country, during the war, than he ; and few have shown higher ability as an orator and legislator since the war. Bold, earnest, and honest, he has dared to denounce corruption and ex- travagance, and to advocate retrenchments and reform, no matter upon whose corns they pressed. We congratulate the country on his acces- sion to the Senate, where a re-enforcement of manliness and indepen- dence is greatly needed. I9 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE OF 1 87 1 — SENATOR LOGAN'S EFFORTS TO SECURE CONGRESSIONAL RELIEF HIS WONDERFULLY VIVID DESCRIPTION OF THE CATASTROPHE. The speech made by Senator Logan, January 16, 1872, before the United States Senate, on bills for the relief of Chicago, then lying in ashes, was one of the most vivid de- scriptions of calamity, and one of the most powerful appeals for assistance, ever made to a legislative body. After citing precedents for such relief, and showing the reasonableness and propriety and necessity of the thing in itself, in such an extraordinary case as this, and paying a grand tribute to those who had already so munificently answered the call for temporary assistance, he gave statistics showing the mar- vellous growth of that city in wealth, population, manufact- ures, trade, and otherwise ; showed how a temporary cessa- tion of taxation, as proposed by the bills, would permanently help the city without loss to the Government, and in a meas- ure benefit the whole country ; briefly described all the great fires in history: the burnings of Moscow in 1366, 1571, and 181 2 ; of Rome in the time of Nero; of Venice in 15 14; of Constantinople in 1606; of London in 1666; and showed that the great fire in Chicago far surpassed any of these. Then he proceeded to paint the scene, of which he was a witness, in these wonderfully vivid colors : Here a storm of fire, as if bursting from the heavens, which for four- teen weeks had been like brass above our heads, began its work in the southern and western portions of our city, and spreading out its arms of flame to the breadth of a mile and a half, swept east and northward for three miles and a half, devouring everything in its pathway. Its fury, fed by the hurricane which commenced blowing about this time, as if to lend a hand in the work of destruction, caused the sea of fire to roll on with an impetuosity that no human power could withstand. Engines and all their accompanying appliances were of no more avail than human effort would be to stay the waves of the mighty ocean. The flames, as though amused at the efforts, would sweep through the LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 199 buildings around them and shoot out their red banners from the win- dows and roofs behind them as tokens of victory. Leaping from house to house, and often with mighty strides vaulting over an entire block as avant-courriers of the host which followed behind, the very flames, as if conscious, seemed to revel in their work of devastation and ruin. The imagination of the superstitious at that time needed but slight im- pulse to look upon them as fiery demons sent upon us as a scourge. But while often passing by holes and sinks of iniquity, they swept with exultation along the sacred aisles of the churches, coiling like huge red serpents around the ascending spires, shooting out their fiery tongues from the summit. Now a tall spire of flame would shoot up with a vivid glow from some lofty edifice, quivering for a moment in the rising whirlpool, then, sweeping down before a fresh blast of wind, it would dash with wild fury against another building, apparently consuming it at one stroke. The fierce hurricane drew the fiery billows through the narrow alleys with a shrill, unearthly screech, dashing into every opening, like an invisible incendiary, its brands kindling each into a blaze with un- erring certainty. The sheets of flame, as they burst forth from the windows, eaves, and roofs, leaping upward through the heavy masses of smoke, literally flapped and cracked in the wind like the sails of vessels in a storm. Mr. President, it was a deeply interesting yet melancholy sight to behold the magnificent stone and marble structures bravely resisting the fiery assaults which were made upon them. The flames gath- ered around them to the front and the rear, to the right and left, yet they stood up majestically as if defying the enemy, their walls rosy and their numerous windows bright with the reflected glare. But the red surging waves, as if maddened by the resistance they met, rushed to the attack with redoubled fury, and soon fiery banners hung out from every aperture, and twisted columns of smoke ascended from all parts. The giants were conquered, and, reeling and tumbling before the fell de- stroyer, soon lay but masses of blackened smouldering ruins, silent and melancholy monuments of the former greatness of the " Prairie Queen of the West." The sun descended behind the huge clouds of smoke like a burning globe, and rose again, and still the rolling sea of flame rushed onward unchecked. The tempest tore huge fragments from the roofs and swept them like floating islands of fire through the sky, and the distant quar- ters where they fell were instantly wrapped in flame. The very stones were often calcined or split into fragments by the intense heat ; the metallic roofs and coverings were rolled together like scrolls of parch- 200 LIFE OF LOGAN. ment ; iron, glass, and metallic substances were in many instances melted as though they had been submitted to the flames produced by some stupendous blow-pipe. It would be in vain, Mr. President, for me to attempt to describe the wild confusion and despair of the terror-stricken inhabitants. I have been amid the battle-roar where armies a hundred thousand strong were struggling in fierce conflict for victory ; where the smoke of the combat rose in heavy clouds above us ; where the dead and dying lay thick on every side ; but never yet have I beheld such a scene of despair and wild confusion as this ; and may God grant, that I shall never see the like again ! The people were mad with fright. Wherever there ap- peared to be a place of safety, thither they rushed in hundreds and thou- sands to escape the death which threatened them on every side. Seized with a wild panic, immense crowds surged backward and forward in the streets, struggling, threatening, and imploring to get free and escape to the van. Here one, frenzied with despair, as often as snatched from the flames, would rush elsewhere into the burning caldron ; there another, seeing all he possessed on earth reduced to ashes, would sink down in hopeless despair. At other points, hundreds could be seen rushing to the lake-shore, every other retreat having been cut off, and even here, pressed by the heat, smoke, and showers of firebrands, they plunged into the water as the only hope of escape. To attempt to paint the scene in all its true and horrible colors would be in vain ; all was confusion, tumult, and wild despair. Chicago was in ruins. Twenty-six hundred acres of ashes marked the site of its for- mer greatness ; twenty thousand houses were reduced to embers ; one hundred and ten thousand people were rendered homeless ; $200,000,- 000 worth of property had served as food for the flames. Behold the spectacle ! Can anyone, having witnessed this sad scene, do less than plead for the ruined city? senator sumner's attack on president grant — senator logan's withering rejoinder — a noble defence of his old commander. At the end of May, 1872, Senator Sumner made his great attack upon President Grant and his administration of affairs, the object of which was to defeat the renomination of Grant by the National Republican Convention then soon to be held at Philadelphia. On June 3d, Senator Logan made a speech LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 2 OI in the Senate, in reply, that completely knocked the ground from under the ereat Massachusetts Senator's feet, and con- victed him of making a false statement of a declaration as to Grant which the latter Senator pretended had been made to him by Secretary Stanton on his death-bed. It was a most crushing rejoinder, as well as a noble defence of his old com- mander. After referring- to Sumner's boast that he had him- self organized the Republican Party in 1854, and had then and there proclaimed that " we go forth to fight the oligarchy of slavery ; " and, alluding with regret to the splenetic and vindictive attitude which that great Senator was allowing himself to take, Senator Logan said : Being at the birth of the Republican Party, the Senator said that he did not desire to follow its hearse. Let me say to him, or to his friends, he not being present, that if to-day he is following the hearse of the Re- publican Party, he is following that hearse because he himself with his own hand drew the dagger which struck it in its vital parts. If the power is in him, he has wounded it. If the power is in him, he has de- stroyed it. If the power is in him, he has become its slayer. But, sir, the power is not in him, to perform this work, to wit, the assassination of the party which, he says, he organized. No, sir ; strong men and honest ones by the many thousands stand by it, and will ward off the blows aimed at it by the powerful Senator and his allies ; and, sir, it will pass through this ordeal unscathed, and shine forth brighter and more powerful than ever. Mr. President, we did go forth and fight the oligarchy of slavery. The Senator fought it here in the Senate-chamber. Time and again have I been filled with pride, and been made to respect and honor and love the Senator from Massachusetts, as I saw him engaged in the severe and fierce battles which he fought against the oligarchy of slavery. I have seen him when he fought it face to face, so far as language and oratory were concerned. But, sir, let me reply to him, slavery was not destroyed by his speeches ; slavery was not destroyed by his oratory ; slavery was not destroyed by his eloquence ; slavery was not destroyed by his power; slavery was not destroyed by his efforts ; but by war, — by the sword in the hands of Grant, and the bayonets that were held by his followers, the chains of slavery fell and the manacles dropped from the limbs of the slaves. It was not done by the Senator alone, but by the exertions of the army, led on by this man against whom the Senator 202 LIFE OF LOGAN. has made the vilest assault that has ever been made in this or any other deliberate body. Sir, his intention was to strangle and destroy the Republican Party — that party which he says he created. If he did, I say to him he per- formed a great work. If he was the architect and builder of the Repub- lican Party he is a great master-workman — its dome so beautifully rounded, its columns so admirably chiselled, and all its parts so ad- mirably prepared, and builded together so smoothly and so perfectly that the mechanism charms the eye of everyone who has ever seen it! Since the Senator has performed such a great work, I appeal to him to know why it is that he attempts to destroy the workmanship of his own hands ? But let me give him one word of advice. While he may think, Samson-like, that he has the strength to carry off the gates and the pillars of the temple, let me tell him when he stretches forth his arm to cause the pillars to reel and totter beneath this fabric, there are thousands and thousands of true-hearted Republicans who will come up to the work, and, stretching forth their strong right arms, say, " Stay thou there ; these pillars stand beneath this mighty fabric of ours, within which we all dwell ; it is the ark of our safety and shall not be destroyed." [Manifestations of applause in the galleries.] I say to the Senator from Massachusetts, that while he has struck this blow, as he believes a heavy one, on the head of the political pros- pects of General Grant, he has made him friends by the thousand, strong ones too, that were merely lukewarm yesterday. He has aroused the spirit of this land, that cannot be quelled. He has, in fact, inflamed the old war spirit in the soldiers of the country. He has aroused the feeling of indignation in every man that warmed his feet by a camp- fire during the war. He has sent through this land a thrill which will re- turn to him in such a manner and with such force as will make him feel it. For myself, I will say that I have sat quietly here for months, and had not intended to say anything : I had no argument to make, intending to await the nomination of the Philadelphia Convention, be it Grant, or be it whom it might, believing, however, it would be Grant ; but when I heard these vile slanders hurled like javelins against the President of the United States, it aroused a feeling in my breast which has been aroused many times before. I am now ready to buckle on my armor, and am ready for the fray, and from now until November next to fight this battle in behalf of an honest man, a good soldier, and a faithful servant. [Applause in the galleries.] The Presiding Officer — The galleries must preserve order. LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 203 Mr. Logan — And I tell the Senator from Massachusetts, that if the voices of patriots were loud enough to reach the tombs of the dead and sainted heroes who now lie fattening Southern soil, their voices would be heard repudiating, in solemn sounds, the slanders which have been poured out against their chieftain, the patriot-warrior of this country. You will hear a response to this everywhere. As I said the other day, it will be heard from one end of this land, to the other. The lines of blue-coats that were arrayed upon the hill-tops and along the valleys, with burnished bayonets ready for the fight, the same men, although they have divested themselves of their battle-array, yet retain their war- like spirit burning in their bosoms. They will respond to this chal- lenge ; they will say to the eloquent Senator from Massachusetts, "You have thrown down the glove, and we will take it up." I tell the Senator he will find a response in his own State, that will not give his slumberings much quiet. He will find a response everywhere. The people of this country will not see a man sacrificed to vile calumny. logan's stirring speech at el paso — he exhibits the rad- ical DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND REPUBLICAN- ISM. In a stirring speech at El Paso, 111., October, 1872, Gen> eral Logan, after explaining the radical differences existing between the Democratic and Republican parties prior to the war, proceeded to rapidly sketch the results of the war, and what the Republican administration of affairs had since done for the country. Said he : We have passed through four years of bloody strife. That strife, as all wars do, naturally brought something into the contest besides the principle that the war was inaugurated to preserve and perpetuate. The fact that the South made war to perpetuate the power of the States, — their right to withdraw from the Union, — naturally involved the rights of man. While they undertook to do this, the rights of man were involved ; and therefore the result of the war must necessarily either forever confer the right and authority of the States to secede, with slavery annexed, or it must produce exactly the other result — that other result being that it must forever put in the dust, and trample and de- stroy, the doctrine of States' rights as advocated by Calhoun, and at the same time must strike from every bondman in this land the shackles that bound him ; and not only that, but it must free the mind of every 204 LIFE OF LOGAN. man that was bound. Whatever of genius God has given a man, he should be permitted to develop, as far as he can — he is entitled to it the same as other free men. Hence, emancipation followed ; and the prin- ciple of human freedom was riveted upon the Constitution. Every shackle fell from the limbs of the slaves ; and the people of this land, from one end to the other, could say one to another, " This is my home, my happy home : it is a free land, with all the signs of civilization ; and to it the people of the world may come and find happiness and prosperity if they will cast their lot with us." It was a declaration to the world that henceforth England was not to be the only country which could say that "as soon as a man's foot touches these shores, he is free ;" but that the United States of America could now say, " Here is freedom to all men, of all the world, of every section and country, — freedom in fact, and not a mere mockery ; freedom to every man, of whatever race or color, to exercise his mental and physical endowments, and to participate in making and administrating its Constitution and laws." It then became a free land, — the freest land on earth, — where every man had these same rights ; the same privileges were to be exercised by one as by another, and that same protection that was extended by the Government over one man, was also extended equally over every other man. This was our con- dition then, barring two things. One of these was that although these people had been made free, they were not recognized nor protected as citizens of the United States, and hence the Constitution was again amended so that all men, of whatever nationality, condition, or color, should be entitled to the elective franchise, and made equal, in the eye of the law, in all things pertaining to the protection of life, property, and reputation. We then amended the Constitution further, by adopt- ing the Fifteenth Amendment. That Fifteenth Amendment prohibited the wronging of any man who was a citizen of the United States, by denying or abridging his right to vote, on account of his color. When this was accomplished, the Republican Party was in power. If it is wrong, the Republican Party is responsible for it ; if it is right, the Re- publican Party is entitled to the credit for it : for no man outside of that party did anything toward procuring the passage of these meas- ures. Following out these things, or rather while these things were being carried into effect, other things were brought in as results, that were incidents in connection with the administration of the Govern- ment, — things, that must be carried along in order to carry on the ma- chinery of government, were transpiring, being enacted, and brought into force, such as the payment of the national debt by our system of collection of the revenue, external and internal. All these things came along, in their natural order. Then there was the reconstruction of LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 205 the Southern States, and the putting into force, and execution, the laws that had been passed. These things, then, having been done, I ask you, as Democrats and Republicans, to travel with me for a few minutes, and tell me, as honest men, what fault you can find today against the Republican Party, or against the Government, or its administration of the affairs of the Na- tion through its agents ? What change would you make — in what par- ticular would you make it ? Lay the panorama of the past before the eyes of the countless multitudes of this land, and let them say if any people since the dawn of civilization — any people within the entire rano-e of history, any nation of ancient or modern times — have ever been in as good a condition as are the people of the United States to- day ? Now, then, let's see if that be true. You are to-day forty millions of people, spread over a vast area of country, rich, fertile, beautiful, and grand in everything that makes a country grand. The energy of the American people has no parallel in history. They say the development of Great Britain and her vast possessions is progressing faster than ever it did. But what is that, compared to the development of our own country by the genius and the energy of our people, living under just and liberal laws. And I do say that you never saw such rapid progress and development until the Republican Party came into power. Then take our system of currency, our abundant means of intercom- munication. By reason of the stability of our trade, the solidity of our institutions, the great productiveness of our workshops and our fields and prairies, and the firm basis of our currency, you can borrow money at five per cent, to-day, where before it was difficut to borrow at all (by you I mean the Government) ; and if this state of things continue for four years more, it will not need to be vindicated, but it will vindicate itself. Now, my countrymen, I state these things to you, not because you don't know them as well as I do, but merely to call your attention to them, and ask you why then should we change ? Show me one thing that the Republican Party has done that is not accepted as the will of the whole people to-day ; show me one measure that they have advo- cated that is not now a part of the people's faith ; and, on the other hand, show me one single thing that the Democratic Party has advo- cated during that time that is not now rejected by every one of you. Let us go forward in the way we have been doing. Let us try to keep the laws just and pure as we have been doing. Let us faithfully execute them as we have been doing. Let us diligently collect the revenues, and honestly disburse them, as we have done. Let us punish 20 6 LIFE OF LOGAN. offenders against the laws, as has been done. Let our trade and com- merce, and our national prosperity continue to advance, as it is doing. If we allow it to do so, by a continuation of General Grant in office for another four years, we shall have a condition of things which has had no parallel in the history of any nation of the earth. In voting for Grant you vote for prosperity, for peace, for civilization, for Christianity, for the grandest glory that ever shone around a republic in the history of the world. [Great applause.] The acts of the Republican Party need no apologies. We would as soon think of apologizing for the rays of the majestic orb of day, that in their effulgence and splendor are thrown around us. So with the deeds of the Republican Party : they have given life and vitality to everything, and made bright and glorious our present, and given us hope of a more glorious future. It is our duty to support this party with all our might. Do this, and it will make our children thank their fathers for that glory which shall surround them and irradiate their pathway during the remainder of their lives. SENATOR LOGAN SECURES THE PROHIBITION OF THE SALE OF ARMS TO INDIANS, AND DEFEATS PROPOSED LEGISLATION OF AN INJURIOUS NATURE. Early in January, 1873, the Indian Appropriation Bill being before the Senate, Senator Logan offered the follow- ing important amendment : Provided, That the sale of arms or ammunition in any quantities, by any of the traders or their agents, at any of the trading-posts or at any other place within any district or country occupied by uncivilized Indians, to any Indian or to any other person within such district or districts, shall forfeit their right to trade with the Indians ; and the Secretary of the Interior shall exclude such trader or traders, and their agents, so offending, from such district or territory of country so occupied. Mr. Logan subsequently accepted a substitute similar in substance to his amendment, and the Senate adopted it. In supporting the same, Senator Logan declared that " there had not been a white man or white woman killed for years on the frontier by Indians, but had received the death-blow LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 207 from a bullet or from powder that had been sold to the Ind- ians by a white man." He also stated that " in travelling over the plains last summer, and visiting some of the differ- ent posts and talking with the men in command and with the soldiers, he found it to be a fact that the Indians were abso- lutely furnished with better war material than our own soldiers, and with better guns than our own soldiers, and that the soldiers complained bitterly about it." Furthermore he said, in conclusion — and, coming from so well-informed a source, the statement had great weight with his brother-senators as well as with the general public : You have not had an Indian war or a massacre in this country that you cannot trace back, if you get the evidence, in its commencement, to the traders themselves. They or some of their men get into a quar- rel with the Indians, after having furnished them with the ammunition by which they are enabled, when aroused, to perpetrate war upon the whites. To the same bill, Senator Stewart having offered an amendment providing that all Indian agencies shall be visited twice a year by army officers, to examine the books, etc., and report to the President, Senator Logan objected, on the ground that it was " wrong in the light of economy and in principle ; wrong because it would injuriously affect the army by taking officers away from their legitimate duties ; and wrong because it would put two branches of the Government service in conflict." It was something of this sort — the de- tailing of army officers as Indian superintendents and agents — that had necessitated a measure which he had introduced in the House and which had been enacted into law, prohibit- ing army officers from performing civil duties. After a lengthy debate, in which he also opposed the amendment in that it would interfere with the stability of the army organiza- tion, the amendment of Mr. Stewart was tabled. 20 8 LIFE OF LOGAN. GENERAL LOGAN'S ORATION BEFORE THE ARMY OF THE TEN- NESSEE AT TOLEDO, O., 1873. At the seventh annual meeting of the Army of the Ten- nessee, held at Toledo, O., October 15, 1873, General Logan, its last commander, was orator of the day, and the following is an interesting synoptical report of the oration as eiven in the Chicago Tribune : General Logan, the orator of the day, being introduced by General Sherman, delivered the oration. After referring to the social feature of the reunion, and disclaiming any intention on the part of the associa- tion to perpetuate the war spirit, he proceeded briefly to sketch the history of the Army of the Tennessee. With the organization of the ar- my, began the second period of the war history of the West. The army exhibited the restless activity and unconquerable energy of the people of which it was composed. Its soldiers knew the full meaning of individual liberty, but were as obedient to discipline as they were fearless in danger. Suddenly summoned from the various walks of civil life, they soon became an army of veterans. Sympathy between soldiers and officers was the substantial secret of success. The theatre of the operations of the Army of the Tennessee was more extended than that of the army of most of the kingdoms of the modern world. The Army of the Tennessee, led first by General Grant against Forts Henry and Donelson, pursued its way through the fearful carnage of Pittsburg Landing, past Iuka and Corinth, Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, and Champion Hills, until Vicksburg, the "Gibraltar of the West," sur- rendered, and the Father of Waters was open and free from its source to the Gulf. The war in the Southwest thus practically ended, the Army of the Tennessee had still before it a task of participating in the greatest military achievement of any age — the historic march to the sea. The fate of the rebellion was to be decided in the dangerous valleys and rugged mountains of Tennessee. The soldiers bravely did their part. The leaders, in determining the plan of the campaign, judged well. The Army of the Potomac pressed the enemy's front ; the Army of the Tennessee turned his flank and attacked his rear. The enemy was be- wildered by our strategy, and vanquished by our valor. Such a stu- pendous sweep, encompassing whole States, was not anticipated. The passage of the Alps by Hannibal and Bonaparte are the only historical parallels. At Chickamauga, the Army of the Tennessee won the first LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 209 triumph of the new campaign, to which were soon added the victories of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. It preserved the honor of its name in the march to Atlanta, and consecrated every step with the blood of some heroic soldier. The terrible battle-day of July 22d, when Hood was routed and McPherson slain, is a day not to be forgotten. In that hour the command of the Army of the Tennessee fell upon the speaker, and in the victory of that day McPherson was avenged. Atlanta fallen, the army entered upon a series of weary marches, to reappear upon the Atlantic coast, presenting Savannah as a Christmas gift to the Union. The war was ended. The dead were in their graves. The crippled and the saved returned to the pursuits of peace, and the world has been taught the lesson that the Republic has no citizen more faith- ful in its cause, and obedient to its laws, than the soldiers who showed the full measure of their devotion by the offer of their lives in its de- fence. LOGAN ON THE STUMP IN INDIANA IN 1 874 HIS " ROUSING " SPEECH AT INDIANAPOLIS. After the adjournment of Congress in the summer of 1874, Senator Logan — having taken a brief rest — took the stump in Indiana. On September 29th, he addressed an immense audience at Masonic Hall, Indianapolis. A special despatch to the Cincinnati Gazette said : By half-past seven, the people, having filled every aisle and crowded upon the stage, were turned backward. The stairways, halls, and side- walks were packed so solidly that it was with difficulty General Logan and his party could gain admittance. His entrance was the signal for deafening applause, the band striking up " Hail, Columbia !" precisely at eight o'clock. . . . General Logan was received with three rous- ing cheers, after which he spoke for about an hour and a half, being constantly interrupted with deafening applause. At the conclusion many soldiers who formerly served in his corps crowded about, called to mind their field-sports, shook his hand warmly, and wished him God- speed. In that speech, as reported in the Gazette, General Logan said : A free people are always divided into two great parties, and these are based upon contrary theories. The Republican Party is organized 14 2io LIFE OF LOGAN. on the principle of universal liberty and equality before the law, and the protection of all. If liberty is good for one man, it is a good thing for all God's crea- tion. The Republican Party is a vindicator of equal political rights to all citizens. Its members are not so selfish as to deny to others, the rights they claim for themselves. Every objection to this is based on prejudice. To-day the American flag covers only free men, and this is the beneficent work of the Republican Party. Its theory leads to good, and the happiness of mankind. The theory of the Democratic Party is that men are in part free and part not free, and it leads right to the degradation of man. The power was exercised for a long period for the maintenance of slavery ; and since slavery was swept away, the Democratic Party, preserving the old spirit and going as far as the Constitution will allow, would deny to millions of citizens the right to equal protection, the right to education, worship, travel, burial, even to be protected from murder. Its theory and spirit are the same still, and can only be carried out by physical force and lead to revolutions. Republicanism liberates, and needs no violence. The fact that the Democratic theory has not been successful, does not change the fact that this is its nature. The result has been always the same ; and its last result is violence, murder, insurrection, and the overturning of the State Governments. They claim the right to limit the rights of others ; but if one hundred men may deny to four citizens the right to vote, why not to fifty, and then why not to all others than themselves ? Democrats object to the Civil Rights Bill, that it allows all an equal right to burial, to go to theatres, to schools, to church, to hotels. That bill does not say that they must all go to the same school, but gives each one equal rights to education. And who so base as to wish to keep others in ignorance ? Our Government will be destroyed, if it is ever destroyed, by ignorance. If the people are educated, the Government will stand unshaken through every trial. Men who would violate the rights of man can only be restrained by the strong arm of the law. That bill was necessary because the colored people were treated with every indignity by the Southern Democrats, kicked from the cars and mur- dered like dogs, when freedom had been conferred upon them, and de- nied the privileges which had been allowed when they were slaves. I hope that the bill will be passed. If we do not intend to defend the rights of the colored man, we should not have given him any rights. We must do it. In Texas, out of six hundred murders, not one has been a Democrat, and no man is punished. They have been accus- LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 211 tomed, according to the Democratic theory of physical force, to regard the slave's life as subject to the will of the master, and they still regard the colored man in the same way. When sixteen were wantonly mur- dered in Tennessee the other day, and the President proceeded against the murderers, the Governor of Tennessee published a protest. In Louisiana they have defended insurrections. Touching the new so-called Independent Party of that day, General Logan said, according to the same authority : A new party has arisen, calling itself Independent, which is attempt- ing to establish itself upon questions of transportation and similar ques- tions. They say, both of the old parties are corrupt, but they intend bringing up a pure party. Now, as all our people belong to one or the other, and if both are totally corrupt, how can the third party make of itself a pure party ? Can you make a pure thing out of two corrupt things ? Two negatives make an affirmative, but can two corrupt par- ties make a pure party ? They claim further that they will defeat these old parties. They cannot defeat the Democratic Party, for that is al- ready defeated. If you defeat the Republican Party, you destroy the party of progress, the party which has saved the Union, and the party which is willing to be progressive. Take the transportation question. Who has suggested an improvement in this direction save the Repub- lican Party? After reviewing the work of Congress in this direction, and maintaining the right of Congress to regulate all com- merce between the States, he continued : Shall Congress, having the right, assert that right? It is plainly its duty to do so ; and thus far the Republican Party alone has striven to devise means by which transportation can be cheapened and im- proved, and the Democrats in Congress nearly unanimously opposed them. Will you leave the Republican Party, to seek your remedy ? The rest of the speech referred to alleged corruption and frauds, and successfully handled those charges. A REMARKABLE ORATION AT CLINTON PERSONAL LIBERTY TRACED TO THE FOUNTAIN-HEAD — OUR OWN GOVERNMENT A COMPROMISE BETWEEN OPPOSING PRINCIPLES. It was at Clinton, 111., at a grand celebration of the 4th of July, 1874, — attended by "at least 10,000 people," — that 212 LIFE OF LOGAN. General Logan delivered an address which would stand along- side of any other effort of the kind ever made in this country. It not only gave evidence of great and careful historical re- search, but exhibited also the truest and highest statesman- ship. Throughout it all, — and it should be read in its entirety, as it appeared in the Inter- Ocea?i of July 6th, to properly ap- preciate its wide scope and broad, statesmanlike views, — are veins of earnest thoughtfulness, as well as true patriotic fervor, having well-defined purposes, and channels of practical action. The General's theme was "Liberty and Equality," and in the following interesting extract we shall get a hint of the amount of research, as well as original thought and vastness of scope, involved in his quest through all nations and all time for the birth-place of the principle of liberty. Said he: Let us now for a few moments examine the history of this principle of liberty, and see whence it originated and from whence we have de- rived it. Individuals are fond of searching the genealogical tables and records, in hope of finding some name of renown which they claim as of an ancestor ; and even when an American citizen gains a high posi- tion and honorable name, his biographers search the history of the past with the expectation that somewhere in the line of ancestors one of renov/n and distinction will be found. And so it is to a certain ex- tent with nations. English historians dislike to own the semi-barbarous Britons and semi-civilized Saxons as their true ancestors — at least they prefer to speak of their bravery and valor, to their savage customs ; and French historians prefer to look to Rome for their civilization rather than to the wandering Gauls as their ancestors. And so it is with many in this country, who strive to trace the great principle of personal lib- erty to its source : they try to trace the dim thread back to the days of Roman greatness, and to the Greek republics. You may therefore be somewhat surprised when I declare to you my be- lief that, humanly speaking, this great principle had its origin with the wild nomadic tribes of Europe and Asia, and not in Greece or Rome, or the great nations of antiquity. Nay, more : I believe I may even say truly that its practical illustration in our own country, to-day, is the result of the struggle, between that desire for nomadic freedom, and government rule, that was so long waged in the past centuries. I am aware I am now stepping beyond the text of my historical guides, but there are LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 213 many things of the distant past which we are only now beginning to in- terpret correctly by the ultimate results which the forces then put in operation are now working out. While I believe that Revelation and the Christian religion have been the chief factors in freeing man from the thraldom of superstition and tyranny, and of elevating him in the scale of civilization and enlighten- ment, I do not speak of this at present, but of the human element alone, with which Christianity has co-operated in bringing about the result which we are here to-day to celebrate. Take a hasty glance at the great nations of the past, so far as this question is concerned, and tell me where you find the germ from which the tree has grown. Egypt, hoary with antiquity, has left her history written on her ruined temples, which line the banks of the Nile. These, and the pages of ancient writers, show us that, from the days of Menes down, she was under the thraldom of a priestly hierarchy, which even her kings seldom dared to encounter. Personal liberty and political freedom were terms unknown to her annals. Although often torn by internal wars and contending factions, although often overrun by foreign foes and incursive hordes, yet this predominant idea of priestly sway was never eradicated, nor its hold upon the people ever broken. It has been left for the inroads of modern civilization, imported from other nations, to arouse her from her long sleep. Persia and Media, consisting originally of clans and tribes, was cen- tralized under the iron will of the elder Cyrus, and taught to look upon the central government as the great and ruling power, and though the satraps long retained a nominal existence, this idea of central power grew until the laws of the Medes and Persians were considered irrevo- cable ; but the king, and not the people, was considered the government, and personal liberty and political freedom found no place in that system; and to-day the Shah holds in his hands the lives and property of his subjects. Even the crushing blows of the Macedonian conqueror failed to make a change in this respect. For a time, labor was made respectable and honorable in Phenicia, but as Tyre and Sidon rose in importance her merchants grew in wealth and ranked as princes, and the rights of the laboring masses and hardy seamen were no longer re- spected, and the germ of personal liberty and freedom, which for a time seemed to have found a foothold, was eradicated and crushed out by aristocratic tyranny. Greece and Rome arose, as it were, out of the ruins of the ancient Eastern kingdom. Already the struggle of the Western mind appears to have asserted its superiority. Although in the former, for a time, republican ideas seemed to predominate, yet personal 214 LIFE OF LOGAN. liberty was an element wholly foreign to their institutions. Political freedom, it is true, for a long time was a prominent feature in both these nations, but it was wholly a different thing from that which we to-day understand by the same term, and had in it nothing of the element of true liberty. The citizen, although possessing certain rights and privi- leges in public affairs, was but an integral part of a political machine which ground him to powder, whenever he failed to move in the prescribed narrow path. Centralization was the prominent idea, and increasing the power and glory of the state was the required object of its citizens, to which wealth, labor, time, and thought were to be wholly devoted. Any deviation from the will of the ruling authorities of the state, brought summary destruction upon him who had the temerity to venture such opposition. See the hero Aristides leaving the city an ostracized exile, and the philosopher Socrates drinking the fatal cup for attempting this exercise of personal liberty of opinion ! The central idea of Roman civilization was municipal authority, yet without even a germ of personal liberty. With the fall of Rome, national power for a long period seemed to be broken and crushed, and society split up into fragments. A long, chaotic night ensued, from which civilization emerged in comparatively modern times. In all this survey, we nowhere find that germ of true liberty which we can trace to the present ; but, on the contrary, we find a constant tendency to centralization of power in the hands of the few. Even the republics of Greece were but another form of tyranny practised in the name of the state ; and, as Athens gathered strength and wealth, it gravitated to the hands of the more powerful few, and at the time of her glory and greatest splendor her ruler was a tyrant in the person of Pericles ; and, as the exiled sage and hero left the gates, a courtesan took the second place in power. In the height of her glory and splendor the seeds of her destruction were sown ; and Rome but repeated the history. But, fellow-citizens, I have said that, looking at the past from the human side only, the germ of true liberty was to be found in the wild nomadic tribes of Europe and Asia. And in order first to bring before your minds vividly the true idea of real liberty, I place before you, in the form of a question, the two extremes. See the wild Arab scouring over the sandy deserts of Arabia, directing his course only by his natural surroundings, his tent, his home, owing allegiance to none, and untram- meled by the conventionalities of fixed society ! Now turn your eyes to Persia, with its long line of historical records. See the citizens of Te- heran bowing their faces in the dust as the Shah or one of his high offi- cials passes along the streets ! Tell me, which of the two would you LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 2 l$ choose, if compelled to select one or the other ? What American citizen is there who loves liberty, that would not prefer the wild and roving life of the Arab, with all its hardships, rather than the abject slavery of the Persians? Here, then, you have the representatives of the two contending elements from which the present forms of European and American Governments originated. Egypt, China, and India, up to a comparatively recent date, were true types of the latter class, where liberty never took root, but has ever been a plant unknown to the soils of these countries. The wild Scythians of antiquity, who hovered along the borders of Mesopotamia and Persia, though tainted by a savage bar- barity unworthy of their fierce and reckless bravery, form perhaps the extreme limit of that stream which has resulted in the broad liberty which we enjoy to day, and which may be said to have culminated in the Declaration of Independence. I am fully aware that, in attempting to trace the line, we shall often find it very dim, and that, so far as this idea is concerned, I reach far back of any certain guides ; nor shall I attempt the discovery at this time, but will content myself with calling attention to one or two links. Using the term personal liberty in its broadest sense, it was doubt- less well understood by the ancestors of the German and other tribes of Central Europe. With the fall of Rome the ancient civilization was shattered and broken, and fell into ruins, as did the monuments of art and genius which it had reared ; the barbarian element gained the as- cendency, and, during the long historical night that ensued, there was a continued scene of confusion and conflict ; yet, amid it all, there was a germ of reckless liberty which needed only law and Christianity to re- duce it to order and symmetry. These two forces gradually arose in influence, as century after century rolled on. It has therefore been truly said by one of the ablest writers of modern times (Guizot, in his "His- tory of Civilization," vol. i., sec. 2, page 57) that "it was the rude barbarians of Germany who introduced this sentiment of personal inde- pendence, this love of individual liberty, into European civilization, un- known among the Romans, unknown in the Christian Church, unknown in nearly all the civilization of antiquity." Yes, I might add, in all. From the ancient, rude barbarian, through Saxon, Celt, and Gaul, the love of personal independence has continued to flow onward down the stream of time, from generation to generation, until, planted on the congenial soil of America, it has grown into a stately tree that all the storms of traditional royalty and all the thunderbolts of empires have not been able to uproot. Therefore, while we look back to Rome for our municipal law and first germ of jurisprudence, and to Greece for our rhetoric and architecture, we must go back at least to the wild no- 2l6 LIFE OF LOGAN. madic tribes of Germany and Central Europe for the germ of that love for personal independence and liberty, which, shaped and restrained by Christianity and law, is the great element of strength and happiness in our own beloved Republic. Now, fellow-citizens, I would impress, if possible, in living char- acters upon your minds, the lesson and warning which even this short survey teaches us. Perfect individual liberty and personal freedom imply the absence of all law and government ; abject slavery is the other extreme. The more perfect the government, the less will be the restraint upon the in- dividual compatible with good order and proper co-operation with the state and society. Our government is based, theoretically and practi- cally, upon a proper compromise between perfect individual liberty and centralized power ; and when events cause a strong oscillation toward either extremity, it brings confusion and danger, and a rebound from one, always renders us liable to swing too close to the other. Not only does our form of government embrace this idea of compromise, but also that between the freedom of communities or States, and extreme Na- tional centralization,— either extreme being destructive of the great principles of our Union,— on the one hand leading to disintegration, contention, conflict, and self-destruction, while the other extreme ends in placing the power in the hands of the few, and the crushing out of the control of the many. Hence, it has been truly said that "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty ; " for on the one hand is Scylla and on the other Charybdis, be- tween which our ship of state must constantly steer for safety. The history of nations in the past, shows us very clearly that, as a general rule, danger chiefly lies in the direction of concentration of power, because it renders the prize more desirable, and increases the anxiety and efforts to obtain it. As a nation increases in numbers, wealth, and power, if at the same time the wealth and power is gravitat- ing toward a central point or into the control of a few, there will, as a natural consequence, be an increase in the efforts and desire to obtain the commanding positions and control the wealth, and in like ratio will be the increase of unscrupulous schemes and corrupt efforts to suc- ceed ; and this, unless checked, must finally end in the destruction of liberty. Happily, with us, the right of franchise and the use of the ballot-box in the hands of the people forms the great and wholesome check upon such a tendency and such efforts. Here lies the palladium of our liberties, which it is our duty, my fellow-citizens, to guard with an argus eye. Let this bulwark once be broken down, and soon every vestige of LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 21 7 our Republican institutions will be rooted out, and liberty will be a word known only as of the past. A LEGAL INCIDENT IN LOGAN'S CAREER AMONG THE SILVER MINES OF COLORADO. A good and conscientious lawyer will always compromise a case in the interest of his client, rather than exhaust his client's means by fighting it through. The following incident, mentioned in the Washington Republican of April 2, 1879, shows the success which General Logan had in settling a fierce litigation, which had already caused the violent deaths of some of the principals. It seems that near Georgetown, Col., was a valuable silver mine called " Dives," and within half a mile of it another equally rich, called the " Peli- can."* The owners of the Pelican also claimed the Dives, and during 1873 and 1874, bitter and violent and mortal con- tention had arisen between the different parties claiming ownership of the Dives. Said the Republican : In 1875 the Dives mine was worked under an injunction, and Gen- eral Logan was there attending to the case before the courts. The mat- ter was quite a feature of local politics at the time, and the mine was almost as frequently heard of as "Logan's mine" as the "Dives." Since then a compromise has been effected, and the settlement of the matter to the satisfaction of both parties has been largely accorded to General Logan's management of it. The tunnel to the Dives mine is 600 feet long— one shaft 130 and another no feet deep. During the summer of 1875, Senator Logan might be seen, in a sort of demi-mili- tary dress, seated upon a handsome black horse, ascending the steep * These were not the only mines in which General Logan was interested in Colorado. The Chicago Daily JVeivs recently said : "He once narrowly escaped riches. Some years ago John L. Routt, formerly of Illinois, but now of Colorado, came to Washington to raise money for the development of the Even- ing Star Mine, of Leadville. General Logan subscribed for some of the stock, and paid a small assessment. The outlook was unfavorable, and when the second assessment was made on the stockholders, Logan refused to pay it and surrendered his shares to Routt. Within a few months a rich lead was discovered and the stock sprang from less than noth- ing to away above par. It made big dividends, and was finally sold at an enormous figure. Routt and all those interested with him were made rich, but Logan got only his original in- vestment, which was refunded to him." 2I g LIFE OF LOGAN. dangerous road from Georgetown to the Dives mine, fully verifying General Sherman's assertion that " Logan was very handsome on horse- back." LOGAN TALKED OF "FOR PRESIDENT IN 1 876." As far back as 1870, General Logan's name was occa- sionally mentioned in the press of the country as a Presi- dential possibility. In 1874 his name was frequently men- tioned in connection with the coming nominations in 1876. Among other papers, the Washington Republican of June 8, 1874, said: The Presidential probabilities and possibilities of 1876 are just now the subject of considerable speculation and discussion in many of the principal journals of the country, and if we may believe the public prints, topics of no little interest to many of our leading statesmen and politicians. . . . General Logan represents what may be called the elan of the party. No man is more popular on the " stump," and with a good backing in a convention the chances are at least five to one that he would carry it by storm. Only three days afterward, June nth, the Post and Mail stated that — At McLeansboro' yesterday the Republican Convention unani- mously and enthusiastically resolved in favor of John A. Logan for Presi- dent in 1876. WHAT THE OLD SOLDIERS THOUGHT OF LOGAN'S EFFORTS IN THEIR BEHALF IN CONGRESS. To show the warm regard the soldiers had for General Logan — those of other States as well as his own — the follow- ing letter in the Inter- Ocean of May, 1875, is given : Keokuk, Ia., May 17, 1875. To the Editor of the Inter-Ocean : By this mail we have sent to the Hon. John A. Logan, of your State, a brief letter of thanks, of which the enclosed is a copy. It is a volun- tary offering of soldiers who admire the brave military leader to whom it is addressed, and who have witnessed the devotion with which he has labored for the interests of the private soldier in both Houses of Con- gress, especially during the pendency of the late bill providing for an LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 219 equalization of bounties. That the bill did not become a law was not owing to any lack of zeal or labor in its behalf by John A. Logan. We feel unbounded gratitude to him on account of his labors, and therefore have forwarded to him our humble letter of thanks. R. M. J. The enclosure, addressed to "John A. Logan, United States Senator," is in these words, Sir : The undersigned soldiers and sailors of Iowa thank you for the bold and statesmanlike manner in which you have presented our inter- ests in the Forty-third Congress. This is signed by seventy old soldiers of the Union army, with the titles of their regiments, etc., attached. logan's tilt with confederate brigadiers, in 1876 — his defence of sheridan and grant — the white league " banditti " democratic " sympathizers " in the senate roughly handled — the old ship. We have seen how, in his speech on Reconstruction, in 1867, before the House of Representatives, General Logan gave the Northern Copperheads more than they bargained for, when they assailed him. So also, in the Senate, in 1876, during a great two-days' speech which he made in defence of President Grant's conduct of affairs in Louisiana, and of General Sheridan, — who, for calling the murderous White- Leaguers "banditti," had been savagely attacked by the Con- federate brigadiers in Congress, — the brigadiers aforesaid, and their coadjutors, were never before so severely handled. As a specimen of the manner in which he handled them, it may be stated that, after alluding to the denunciations, aspersions, perversions, and falsehoods of which they had been guilty, and by which they were seeking to deceive the North and inflame it against the Republican administra- tion as a commencement of the Presidential campaign of 1876, Senator Logan proceeded: Sir, I ask you what Governor Kellogg was to do after that horrible scene at Colfax ; after the taking possession of five persons at Cou- 220 LIFE OF LOGAN. shatta— Northern men, who had gone there with their capital and invested it and built up a thriving little village, but who were taken out and murdered in cold blood ; and not only that, but they had mur- dered one of the judges and the district attorney, and compelled the judge and district attorney of that jurisdiction to resign, and then murdered the acting district attorney. My friend from Georgia [Mr. Gordon] said, in his way and manner of saying things, "Why do you not try these people for murdering those men at Coushatta? You have the judge, and you have the district attorney." Unfortunately for my friend's statement, we have neither. Your friends had murdered the attorney, and had murdered a judge before the new judge had been appointed, who had to resign to save his life. The acting district attorney was murdered by the same "banditti" that murdered the five Northern men at Coushatta. Here Mr. Gordon, — a Confederate General, and one of the bravest of them all, — interposed again with, " Will the Senator allow me to ask him a question ? " " Certainly," said Losran. Then, said Mr. Gordon, " Where was the United States Court at that time ? Where was the enforce- ment act? Where was the army of the United States? Could not the United States Court under the enforce- ment act take cognizance of these facts ? Was the district attorney of the United States not present?" "I will inform the Senator where they were," said Logan, as his eyes flashed: " The district attorney was in his grave, put there by your political friends. The judge had been mur- dered a year before. The one appointed in his place had to resign to save his life. The United States Court was in New Orleans. And he asks where was the United States army f Great God ! do you want the army ? I thought you had been railing at its use." Well might Mr. Gordon confess himself overwhelmed by this crushing retort ; and later, when Gordon defied General Logan to make good a charge he had just made against him, and in a blustering way said, " He has made the charge ; I ask him to make it good, or to withdrazv it, — one of the two," General Logan with a contemptuous half-smile replied with meaning emphasis, LOGAN AFTER THE WAR. 22 [ " Ah, well, the Senator need not commence talking- to me about withdrawing." " Very well," said Mr. Gordon, subsiding; and, with increased emphasis, said General Logan: " f am not of that kind." Still later in the exciting tilt, General Logan said, in answering a question put to him by the ex- Confederate brigadier, " If he treats other men kindly, in a kindly spirit will I respond to him ? If he treats other men in a denunciatory tone " — and here he tossed back his black hair while his black eyes blazed again — " I tell him that is a game two can play at I " After passing in review the proceedings of the revolu- tionary Legislature of Louisiana, and the other circumstances of the situation there, and showing up the inconsistent atti- tude of the Democracy in now finding fault with what they applauded in General Jackson's day, and what they them- selves through President Pierce did in Boston in 1854, when he ordered troops to capture a fugitive slave in that city and return him to Virginia — Senator Bayard interrupted, and General Logan gave him a little attention. Said the General : I am glad that I gave the Senator an opportunity to repeat what he had said before. It only shows the feeling that there is in the heart. Sometimes when we have said hard and harsh things against a fellow- man, when we have cooling time we retract. If, after we have had cooling time, the bitterness of our heart only impels us to repeat it again, it only shows that there is deep-seated feeling there which can- not be uprooted by time. I gave the opportunity to the Senator to make his renewed attack on Sheridan. I will now say what I did not say before, — since he has repeated his remarks, — that his attack upon Sheridan, and his declaration that Sheridan is not Jit to breathe the free air of a republic, is an invitation to the White- Leaguers to assassinate him. If he is not fit to breathe the free air, he is not fit to live. If he is not fit to live, he is but fit to die. // is an invitation to them to perpetrate murder upon him. Now let me go further. I announce the fact here in this Chamber to-day, and I defy contradiction, that the Democracy in this Chamber have denounced Sheridan more, since this despatch was published, than they ever denounced Jeff. Davis and the whole rebellion during four years' war against the Constitution of this country. I dislike much to 222 LIFE OF LOGAN. say these things ; but they are true, and as truth ought not to hurt, I will say them. What is your Democracy of Louisiana? You are excited; your extreme wrath is aroused at General Sheridan because he called your White-Leaguers, down there, "banditti." I ask you if the murder of thirty-five hundred men in a short time for political purposes, by a band of men banded together for the purpose of murder, does not make them "banditti," what it does make them ? Oh, what a crime it was in Sheridan to say that these men were banditti ! He is a wretch. From the papers, he ought to be hanged to a lamp-post ; from the Senators, he is not fit to breathe the free air of Heaven or of this republic ; but your murderers of thirty-five hun- dred people for political offences are fit to breathe the air of this country and are defended on this floor to-day, and are defended here by the Democratic Party ; and you cannot avoid or escape the proposition. You have denounced Republicans for trying to keep the peace in Louisiana ; you have denounced the Administration for trying to suppress bloodshed in Louisiana ; you have denounced all for the same purpose ; but not one word has fallen from the lips of a solitary Democratic Senator de- nouncing these wholesale murders in Louisiana. You have said, " I am sorry these things are done;" but you have defended White-Leaguers; you have defended Penn ; you have defended rebellion ; and _>'f the Ohio, under General Schofield ; and of the Tennessee, then under Logan was the Ranking Corps Commander. You know that I had no power V> make the appointment of the Commander-in-Chief of an army. That had to be ADDENDA. 5 1 7 his chin, " see what we had to do down there at Atlanta when McPherson was killed. The first thing I had to do was to withdraw McPherson s army from the left and transfer it to the right. Now, that is one of the most intricate military done from Washington City ; it was the President's privilege. Of course, at the instant of McPherson' s death, Logan, by seniority of the three corps commanders, TOOK THE COMMAND. It was very grateful to his feelings and ambition, and he desired and perhaps expected to be kept there. It would have made of him a distinguished man at home, and his mind, un- like that of the regular army officers, continually reverted to his beloved constituency which had sent him to Congress, and where he had recruited the flower of the young men. "I can understand," said General Sherman, "just how Logan felt, and it is no more than just that other people should understand how I felt. George H. Thomas commanded the chief of the three armies I had there with me. The armies were unequal in numbers ; Logan's army was in three corps, numbering about eighteen thousand men. Schofield had about thirty-two thousand men. Thomas had more than any — fifty thousand men. So General Thomas was the most important person for me to consider, having about one-half of my whole force, which of course had learned to respect and sympathize with him as an old and tried commander. Now, the three corps of the Army of the Tennessee were all commanded by civilians — Logan, Frank Blair, jun., and Granville Dodge. These were all ambitious men, but Dodge, I concede, less intense in his ambition than the other two, who had been all their lives active politicians. The point was how to put Logan at the top without making Blair arfd Dodge jealous. You see we were out there in the enemy's country, a law unto ourselves, and we had to consider a great many things. It was to me, as the Commander-in-Chief, no great question as to who commanded the smallest of my armies, compared to the problem of how to beat the enemy. To General Logan, who had come to A SUPREME PLACE IN HIS CAREER, and seemed on the point of commanding a whole army, the matter of his promotion was more important. "General Thomas came to see me while Logan was in temporary command, and he held that position for some little while. He said to me : ' What are you going to do about the Army of the Tennessee ? ' ' Well,' said I, ' there is Logan in command. I do not know that it exactly suits me, but it will make him terribly mad not to give him the situation permanently. What do you think about it?' 'Well,' said Thomas, ' that is what I came to see you about. I don't think it is going to do to keep Logan there. He is brave enough and a good officer, but if he had an army I am afraid he would edge over on both sides and annoy Schofield and me. Even as a corps commander he is given to edging out beyond his jurisdiction. You cannot do better,' said Thomas, 'than to put Howard in command of that army. He is tractable and we can get along with him.' To this I re- plied in general terms : ' Thomas, to put Howard in command will make a rumpus among these volunteers, I am afraid. He has but recently come out here from the East, and you know the Western men put a good deal of store upon their achievements and natural talents. If I take Howard and give him that army it may dampen the enthusiasm of the troops. On the other hand, if I give it to Logan, and I can't give it to anybody else, 5iS LIFE OF LOGAN. movements in the face of the enemy which a general is called upon to perforin. It involved tactics during a general move- ment, and while the enemy is liable to come out and go at you. The movement was to pass the army by defile in the rear from left to right. The way to do it was to draw the since he is the senior corps commander, there is some doubt about our getting along well together here.' " Thomas remarked that he was afraid he could not get along with Logan if he had the Army of the Tennessee. He liked Logan personally, but it was a matter of temperament. ' \\ ell, Thomas,' said I, 'we cannot get along here without you. We must continue to- gether in harmony to produce results commensurate with our post and our expectations. If you are decided in the matter I will telegraph to Washington and suggest Howard.' Thomas thought that was THE BEST THAT COULD BE DONE." Somewhere about this point General Sherman mentioned a General Wood, of the regular army, who lived, he said, at present, at or about Dayton, Ohio ; it seems to me that Sher- man said that General Wood also had a hand in this or some other deliberation as to the new commander of the Army of the Tennessee. Whatever this remark was, General Sher- man finished by saying : " I sent a message to President Lincoln, saying that, under the circumstances, I thought that O. O. Howard would be acceptable to me and my other commanders. Mr. Lincoln promptly replied, appointing Howard to the command. "Logan went back to his corps, but I suppose that it was a very sore matter with him. There was nothing insubordinate or intractable about his conduct after that. It was not until the war was over, when it was apparent that he rather nursed a hostility to the regu- lar army officers, but even this gave way in time. He was a magnanimous fellow, and as experience softened and widened his character he probably learned to put himself in the place of others and subdue his indignation." "Did Logan never command an army any more, General Sherman?" "Oh, yes. He commanded that very Army of the Tennessee from about Savannah to the City of Washington, and at the grand procession when we closed out the war he rode at the head of that army up Pennsylvania Avenue to the President's stand. I will tell you how that was, and it may be interesting to you. Logan was not with us on the great march from Atlanta to the sea. After we got to the sea he rejoined us, and took part in the fight- ing through South Carolina and North Carolina. But he disappeared after we got to At- lanta. It now appears that he had received a letter from President Lincoln, asking him to g>) home to Illinois on furlough and help carry the election in 1864. But, you see, I never knew that. He did not tell me. He merely went off, and was gone during our march fi mi Atlanta to Savannah. " I can see myself now that he yielded to the President's request, and it may have been a confidential one. Lincoln unquestionably was distressed about his re-election. He was afraid that Illinois itself, where, especially in Southern Illinois, there was a great deal of Copperheadism, might not vote for him. Logan went there and made a large number of speeches, as I understand, and then started at once to come and command his corps, of which he was still the commander, though Osterhaus had taken it out of Atlanta, as his proxy. He had a first-rate corps; sometimes I have thought it was the best corps in my ADDENDA. 519 army to be removed out to a place in the rear by detachments and then move it compactly in fighting position the whole length of the investing army, and transfer it to the right so that it will come into position in fighting order again, tactically moving with reference to both the army and the transfer." army. The material of it was good, and his example as a personal commander had been very useful to it. "When Logan got to City Point, on the James River, it seems that General Grant had become anxious about General Thomas in Tennessee. Thomas had been detached from my army, and sent back to head off Hood, who had broken into Tennessee. A good many of the officers thought that Thomas OUGHT TO HAVE FOUGHT HOOD Without letting him go far into Tennessee. Hood had left Atlanta, and it was a good way back to the Tennessee line. The idea was that that country which we had redeemed ought not to be trespassed upon again by an army of the enemy without giving him fight. Logan now had another opportunity to command an army and win a victory, and his conduct at this time will meet the approbation of everybody. Grant had given him discretion whether to take command or not, it seems. Logan reached Louisville and found that General Thomas was in front of Nashville waiting for the sleet to thaw off. Logan, however, was assured that Thomas had his army in splendid condition and would win a victory. He therefore kept the order in his pocket and allowed Thomas to go on and crown his fame with that fine performance at Nashville. You may remember that when Thomas fell back to Nashville he threw Schofield out in front of him, and broke the enemy as he was coming forward, and then quietly waited and went out of his works for him and destroyed him." "General Sherman, were Thomas and Logan at that time, or any other, unfriendly?" " Not at all. They liked each other. Thomas' condition about Logan commanding the Army of the Tennessee had no feeling in it ; it was merely forethought. Logan liked him. He appreciated Logan, too." "General, have you any regrets at the present time about appointing Howard, instead of Logan ? " "As to that," said the General, " the result seems to me to justify what we did at that time. There was no trouble with Howard. Our march to the sea and to the conclusion of the war went on without a break. Now, that was what we were employed for and expected to do. Of course, personal injustice and discrimination appear constantly during warfare, as one person is disappointed and another given an opportunity. I cannot say, even while Logan lies dead, that I did not do the best I could, in view of my situation and that of the country. It turned out well. Perhaps if I had put Logan in command of that army it would have turned out equally well. It hardly could have turned out any better." LOGAN AND M'PHERSON. " Did Logan get along well with McPherson ? His superior in his own army ? " " First-rate. McPherson was a remarkable man. He could get out of men their best services without being aggressive. Everybody who came in contact with him had to con- cede almost at once to his military skill and knowledge. He was one of the best soldiers we ever had in this country. Educated at the military academy, fond of the profession of 5 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. Just so. And it was this particular one " of the most in^ tricate " of all " military movements in the face of the enemy," requiring the " utmost skill" nicety, and precision, which Sherman insinuates in his " Memoirs," Logan was not equal to! If Sherman really thought Logan unequal to this su- premely difficult and delicate task, how is it that on the arms, quick to discern, substantial in judgment, he was a man you never had to tell any thing twice. Having come out of the West and from plain life, he had no trouble under- standing a man like Logan, and Logan was probably more of a student of war from Mc- Pherson than from any other person. To have succeeded McPherson would have been a proud feather in Logan's cap. But," said General Sherman, with his tall head looking upon the floor and his fingers at his chin, " see what we had to do down there at Atlanta when McPherson was killed. The first thing I had to do was to withdraw McPherson's army from the left and transfer it to the right. Now, that is one of the most intricate mili- tary movements in the face of the enemy which a general is called upon to perform. It in- volved tactics during a general movement, and while the enemy is liable to come out and go at you. "At West Point they teach tactics in the midst of strategy, if they teach anything. They do get it right into the systems of the boys there. You cannot stop in the enemy's face to show how these tactics are to be exercised on the field. That was one of the things I thought about when the question of McPherson's successor came up. The movement was to pass the army by defile in the rear from left to right. THE WAY TO DO IT was to draw the army to be removed out to a place in the rear by detachments and then move it compactly in fighting position the whole length of the investing army, and transfer it to the right so that it will come into position in fighting order again, tactically moving with reference to both the army and the transfer." "What was the occasion for transferring McPherson's army in that way?" "Why, you see, the death of McPherson was caused by the enemy coming out of his works and encountering a movement of ours to manoeuvre him out. Each side was to a de- gree surprised. The Confederates had defended Atlanta in a very elaborate way. They had high ramparts, ditches, salients, plenty of abatis, fraises, and whatever would make their sixty thousand men inside of these works equal to my one hundred thousand men on the outside. Besides, they were a brave garrison. My business was to see how I could trick them to give up those defences and fight me on the outside. As soon as McPherson was dead my mind came to that problem : ' How am I going to get them out and neutralize their advantages ? ' That involved a shifting about of the army in order to make them uneasy. It was one of the tilings which determined me to put a trained officer in command of the army I meant to transfer." "Yel you have no complaint to make of Logan as a corps commander?" "None whatever. As I have said before, Logan could see everything in his own en- vironment and sight first-rate. He could look undaunted at the enemy in front and com- mand his corps gallantly and in a way to inspirit them. With me the problem was always ADDENDA. 521 evening of July 25th — three days after the desperate battle of Atlanta — he actually ordered him to perform it ? * And what sort of a memory, or a conscience, can be boasted by the author of Sherman's " Memoirs " to make such an insinua- What next? How am I going to accomplish that which will anticipate some other delay or dilemma ? '' "General, if Logan had been sent to West Point when a young lad, would he not, with his spirit, have probably made a great soldier ? " " I think he would. He was a first-rate soldier as it was. There was NO BETTER VOLUNTEER. Of the volunteer commanders, while many were capable, only a few rose to the command of large bodies of men, without early military training. You have suggested Sickles ; yes, he got into large responsibility. There was Terry also. Then Logan and Frank Blair come next to mind. I suppose those four are about the widest representatives of the promotion of the volunteer. West Point addresses itself to taking out of the man his insubordination, his mere individuality ; it teaches him obedience in everything, so that in his place in the army he will be unquestioning and execute what is told him. There can only be one will at the actual seat of war. It must be a will which is distributed down through the grades of commanders until it reaches the soldiers themselves. Of course, it is much in a man's fa- vor that he has originally resolution of character, natural courage. Therefore, I say that if Logan had gone to West Point he might have made a remarkable soldier. But he was re- markable as it was." Gath. * Sherman's order to Logan to perform this difficult task with the Army of the Tennes- see, is in these words : Special Field Orders ) Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, No. 42. \ In the Field, near Atlanta, Ga., July 25, 1864. IV. . . Major General Logan will tomorrow send all his trains and sick and impedi- ments to the rear of General Thomas, to any point near the mouth of Peach Tree Creek, and during the early morning, by moonlight, of the next day, viz. : Wednesday, July 27th, withdraw his army, corps by corps, and move it to the right, forming on General Palmer, and advancing the right as much as possible. By order of Major General W. T. Sherman : L. M. Dayton, A ide-de- Camp. From Logan's orders to the corps commanders of his Army of the Tennessee, he had evidently anticipated this order, as the following copy — addressed to one of them — will show : Headquarters, Department and Army of the Special Field Orders 1 Tennessee, °* 77- Before Atlanta, Ga., July 24th, 1864. II. Corps Commanders will direct their Trains to move at once, and park in rear of Maj. Gen'l Howard's command, on and in the vicinity of Clear Creek. 5 2 2 LIFE OF LOGAN. tion when he knows, and knew while writing them, that he not only ordered Logan to make that exact movement with the Army of the Tennessee — from the left, by the rear of the Ammunition trains and Ambulances will be kept in the immediate rear of their respective Divisions. The positions occupied by the Trains of the respective corps will be reported to these Hd. Qrs. By order of Major General John A. Logan. Wm. T. Clark, Assistant- Adjutant General. Maj. Gen'l G. M. Dodge, Com'd'g L. W. 1 6th A. C. And Logan's orders to all his corps-commanders for the entire movement of the Army of the Tennessee, based upon Sherman's brief order "No. 42, "were promptly issued in the following shape — this also being the copy sent to Dodge : Headquarters, Department and Army of the Special Field Orders J Tennessee, No - 79- Before Atlanta, Ga., July 26th, 1864. IV. In order to carry out the instructions contained in Special Field Order No. 42, Mil. Div. Miss., the following movements of this Army will be made : 1st. Brig. Gen'l Wood, com'd'g 1st Div. 15th Army Corps, will, at 4 o'c. this p.m., march with his command, and take up his position in the new line of intrenchments, his Right resting near the Railroad. 2nd. Maj. Gen'l Dodge, com'd'g L. W. 16th A. C, will at 12 o'c. tonight, draw out his command, and move by the nearest route to the Main Road, running in rear of Gen'l Schofield's Line, entering the road immediately to the West of the point where the new line of intrenchments crosses the Railroad. Gen'l Dodge will move to the Right of Gen'l Thomas' command, and take up his position on the right of the corps of Gen'l Palmer. 3rd. As soon as the troops of Maj. Gen'l Dodge have filed out, Maj. Gen'l Blair will draw out his command, and march by the most practicable routes to the Main Road indi- cated above, following the 16th Corps on that Road, and taking up a position on the Right. 4th. When the troops of 17th Corps have filed past, Brig. -Gen'l Morgan L. Smith, com'd'g 15th A. C, will draw out his command, following the 17th Corps, and moving last the Division of Brig. -Gen'l Wood. The 15th Corps will take up a position on the Right of the 17th Corps, one Division of the command being held in reserve. The new line to be occupied on the Right will be thrown forward as far as practicable. 5th. That portion of the artillery which can be drawn out during the day, will be des- ignated by Capt. Ilickenloper, Chief of Artillery, and a position assigned it in the new line. The remaining Artillery will be drawn out immediately after dark, the wheels muffled with grain sacks, and every precaution used to make the movement as silently as possible. 6th. All the trains except one wagon, with ammunition for each Regiment and Battery, will be sent to-day to a point in rear of the centre of the Army, and there parked. 7th. Corps commanders will, under the direction of Capt. Reese, Chief Engineer, cause I to be constructed during the day for their commands to move out upon, and Staff-officers will make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the route to be taken by each Division. ADDENDA. 523 other two armies, to their right — but that Logan actually per- formed it with wonderful skill and success ! * And what was Logan's reward for the great victory he had won, and this equally remarkable military movement he had subsequently made with the Army of the Tennessee ? Displacement from the high command which had fallen to him by seniority, and which, by his wonderful achievements in the interim, he had proved his eminent fitness to hold ! To his dying day, General Sherman will never be able to excuse himself before the Nation for his injustice to the Lion of Atlanta, nor can it ever be condoned until he can reach those heights of courage, to which so few have ever as- cended, by acknowledging, with the magnanimity possessed only by really great men, his own error of judgment. West Point — which means the perhaps very natural de- sire of every West Pointer to help in advancing other West Pointers at the expense of all other persons — was mainly at the bottom of Sherman's unjust action in this matter. Had Julius Caesar himself been in Logan's place — and Sherman has, since Logan's death declared that " Logan was as brave as Julius Caesar, and a first-rate natural soldier" — Sherman would have put Howard in Julius Caesar's place, because Howard was a West Pointer and Julius Caesar was not. What had Howard done that entitled him to supersede Logan ? Had he done more than anyone else to win Bel- mont ? Had he won his brigadier's star at, and written his name in blood high up on the glorious roll of Donelson ? Had he distinguished himself at the siege of Corinth? Had 8th. All arrangements to accomplish these movements will be made during the day, so that the troops can be drawn out with celerity and without confusion. By order of Mai.-Gen'l John A. Logan. Wm. T. Clark, Asst. A djt.- General. Maj.-Gen'l G. M. Dodge, Com'd'g L. W. 16th A. C. * For some better idea of this remarkable piece of generalship on Logan's part, see pages 70-71. C2 4 LIFE OF LOGAN. /^achieved a Major-Generalship for services through the first Mississippi campaign ? Had his men conceived and suc- cessfully carried out the running of the guns of Vicksburg, which gave success to Grant's remarkable feat of cutting loose from his base, and all that followed ? * Had he ever fought and won such a battle as Raymond Hill ? Had he ever figured with such distinction as did Logan at such a battle as Champion Hills ? Had he ever shown such skill and valor as had Logan at Vicksburg ? Had he ever taken command of an entire army of three corps under such cir- cumstances as did Logan, and made such a brilliant record with it as Logan had done ? Had he ever commanded such an army at all ? No. All we hear of him from Sherman is that Howard had " served" with him " at Missionary Ridge and Knoxville," and that he was — a West Pointer. Sherman, however, declares that this was not the reason for his act of injustice to Logan. What else could it be ? Sherman contents himself with various palpably insufficient excuses for his conduct. He will not tell. But Logan al- ways imputed it to West Point favoritism and prejudice — which Sherman denies. As the case now stands, it looks as though there were some other secret reason which Sherman dare not avow lest his own reputation might suffer in the avowal. However that may be, until Sherman, or some other person having knowledge of that suppressed reason, does avow it, the public will settle down to the conviction that Sherman's inexcusable act of injustice to Logan was due not alone to West Point favoritism and West Point preju- dice, but to West Point jealousy as well. ADDENDA. 525 LOGAN "THRICE" REFUSES "THE CROWN," IN l88o — HIS WON- DERFUL FORTITUDE UNDER A REVERSE — SEVERAL BITS OF HITHERTO UNWRITTEN HISTORY. A Chicago " special " to the New York Tribune, Janu- ary 19, 1887, tells the following story, which is, in its main features, substantially correct :* The statement is made here, and vouched for as authentic, that John A. Logan " refused the crown " at the national convention held in Chicago in 1880, before Garfield was nominated. Weary with working for Grant, and worn out with excitement, Logan lay down in his room in the Palmer House during the recess on the last day of the conven- tion, to rest and recuperate for the renewal of the struggle in the after- noon. There was a knock on the door. Mrs. Logan answered it. Senators Frye and Hale stood outside. They requested an interview with Logan. They were admitted and without unnecessary words an- nounced their mission, stating that Mr. Blaine could not be nominated, and that they had come to offer their support to Logan, winding up their remarks by asserting that he could be nominated immediately after the recess. "Logan said: ' Gentlemen, you are extremely kind, but I cannot * In his eulogy of Senator Logan, on the floor of the United States Senate, February 9, 1887, Senator Frye said : " I have seen within a few days an item floating in the press that in that ever to be re- membered convention, where it was apparent that Mr. Blaine could not be nominated, Senators Hale and Frye visited General Logan and tendered to him the support of their friends for the nomination if he would accept the candidacy. Of course it was a myth. Senators Hale and Frye both knew John A. Logan, and had known him for years, and even if they had been vested with the authority, which they were not, they never would have dreamed of undertaking to bribe him from his allegiance. They knew that no gratifi- cation of personal ambition (and it is the greatest temptation to a man on earth) would move him from his allegiance to Grant in that fight any more than a summer breeze would stir a mountain from its base." Senator Frye' s denial of the "item" — so far as himself and Senator Hale were con- cerned — is given as a matter of fairness to both senators, but the fact still remains that the proffer was made, and presumably by those having authority to do so. General Logan himself told the writer of it. "I could have had the nomination myself," he said, " instead of Garfield, if I would have taken it. It was offered me." Before Senator Frye's denial, the writer was also assured, from an authoritative source, that not only was the proffer made, but that it was made by Messrs. Hale and Frye. Since that denial the assurance has been repeated. 526 LIFE OF IOGAN. accept your proposal. I have been for Gen. Grant, I am for him now, and he will always have one vote from Illinois in that convention so lung as I am in it and his name is before it. Grant's name cannot be withdrawn with my consent and he will be voted for to the last.' " Messrs. Hale and Frye, finding him inflexible, left him." A few words more will suffice to complete the record of this incident, which is given as a practical illustration of Lo- gan's lofty spirit of self-sacrifice, unwavering loyalty to his friends, and power of resisting temptation even when pre- sented in its most alluring form to an American patriot. It was the day before Garfield's nomination, while Wash- burne and others were outside, negotiating and trying to make, in the manner common to politicians, some "arrange- ment " which would break the " deadlock," and defeat Grant, that Logan was first approached, while on the floor of the convention, with the proposition above alluded to. He in- stantly and positively refused to listen to it, declaring that he was "for Grant, first, last, and all the time " — or words to that effect, and, at once resumed the gallant fight for Grant, which he and Conkling and Cameron were leading ; and the writer has heard, from those who were present, that there was no grander figure in all that great National convention than that of General Logan, when, mounted on a chair, with the banner of Illinois waving in his strong hands, his eyes flashing with fierce energy, his clarion voice rang out clear and distinct throughout that vast hall, so that all the assem- bled multitude could hear, the battle-cry of the " stalwart " Grant column — the inflexible "306." After the adjournment that day, — which had been carried by the anti-Grant men for the purpose of making a " combina- tion " upon some other man in order to beat Grant, Logan was resting at the Palmer House, when Blaine's most conspicu- ous friends and managers, to wit: Messrs. Hale, Frye, Jer- ome B. Chaffee, Stephen B. Elkins, William H. Chandler, and others, visited Logan and again laid before him the ADDENDA. 527 tempting proposal mentioned, — Mrs. Logan and Levi P. Morton being in the rooms at the time, — which he again re- fused to entertain for a moment. The final result was that, after being engaged in anxious and heated discussion and banraininof most of the niidit, the anti-Grant men, by three or four o'clock in the morning reached an agreement. The " combination " had fixed upon Garfield in order to beat Grant. What followed on the floor of the convention that morn- ing — so far as the nomination of Garfield is concerned — is known of all men ; but it remained to the Boston Ad- vertiser, soon after the General's death, to tell " How Lo- gan bore defeat."* He seemed more like victor, than van- quished. As a part of the hitherto " unwritten history " of this famous convention, it may be interesting to mention that, after consummating the bargain they had made, by nominat- ing Garfield, the anti-Grant men became frightened over their " victory ! " They determined, therefore, to put some * It said : General Logan had the quality of fortitude, or what is sometimes called nerve, in an extraordinary degree. This was shown conspicuously in the National Republican Con- vention of 1880. He and Mr. Conkling and the Hon. Don Cameron were the leading sup- porters of General Grant in the great contest there waged. When their hopes were destroyed by the nomination of General Garfield, Mr. Conkling and Mr. Cameron appeared "all broken up." It was Mr. Conkling' s duty to make the motion to make the nomination unanimous. The convention waited for him, while he remained a long time as if glued to his chair, his face buried in his hands resting on the chair in front of him. Nobody dis- turbed him until he recovered sufficient command of himself to move out into the aisle to make the expected motion. He seemed like another and different man from the one who had led so bravely the Grant forces. His hair was dishevelled, his face was woful, a white handkerchief was tied loosely about his neck, his voice was low and quavering, and his speech was plainly a perfunctory courtesy uttered with difficulty. General Logan seconded the motion. Doubtless he was as much disappointed as Mr. Conkling but he promptly mounted a chair, stood for a moment magnificently erect and calm, as if he were the spokesman of the satisfied victors instead of the defeated, and when he spoke his voice rang out clear and strong, without a suggestion of weakness. He never appeared in the Senate or on the battlefield more completely master of his emotions. The convention regarded him with universal admiration. There was not a suspicion of weakness, or even of disappointment, in attitude, manner or speech. It was an exhibition of imperturbable fortitude that under the circumstances was simply heroic. 523 LIFE OF LOGAN. Grant man upon the Presidential ticket with Garfield. Their spokesman came to Logan and begged him to allow them to nominate him for Vice-Presidency. Logan indignantly re- fused, adding to his refusal substantially these words : "If you do not at once nominate, for the second place on the ticket, a New York man, I will myself put Oglesby in nomination." Accordingly, Chester Allan Arthur of New York was nom- inated for the Vice-Presidency. Thus it will be seen that Fate ordained that Logan should " thrice refuse the crown " at this National convention : — ■ once on the floor of the convention, once again at the Palmer House, and once more when he declined that Vice-Presiden- tial nomination which would have brought to him, as it did to Arthur, the succession to the Presidency after Garfield's sad death ! logan's last Christmas souvenir — A POEM. It may not be without interest to the reader to recall, for the purpose of completing, the story of the Christ- mas Eve' incident already briefly touched upon in these pages. It was the day before Christmas, 1886, that the writer, having, as was customary with him at Christmas-tide, procured a little souvenir of the holy season — which, on this occasion, was a card, somewhat larger than this page, bearing upon its face wreath-like sprays of grass, flowers, and shells from the Holy Land, partly encircling the inscription " God guard you and God guide you," — for presentation to General Logan, sat down in his own parlor and wrote the following lines * to accompany it : VGTwdWiu- * Inserted in this volume at the personal request of Mrs. Logan. ADDENDA. 529 TO GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN, XMAS EVE, 1886. {With a card of grasses, flowers, and shells from the Holy Land, inscribed " God guard you and God guide you."] As on your couch of suffering you lie And feebly turn — while dreadful spasms of pain Dart through your every limb — to look on this Reminder of the Holy Christmas-tide, I hear you in my fancy, faintly say : " What are they ? Mere dead grasses, flowers, and shells ! " And I, though absent, fain would answer you, That each of these, though dead, is living yet ; And though you see in them no moving tongues, Yet each and every one of them can tell A tale miraculous and wonderful, Which, opening nineteen centuries ago, Has shed a glory on the Ages past, And, vitalizing Ages yet to come, Shall wax resplendent to the very end ! They come from Palestine ! Those pimpernels, Scarlet and white, violet and olive-green— Symbolic colors in The Church's rites, Grew in the very air the Christ-child breathed ! That shell, perchance, is one that closely roofed The home of some old mollusk, on the beach, When Christ, the Lord, stood by the raging sea— The sea of Galilee— and stilled the storm ! That spray of grass, or this, may chance have grown From the same stock as that which proudly felt At Olivet, or elsewhere, thereabout, The pressure of the sacred feet of God ! Those modest flowers— how beautiful are they ! — Boast for their ancestors, the very ones Our blessed Lord forever sanctified, When, touching on King Solomon's grand state As having less of glory than had these, He taught us that the humblest of God's works Are greater than the greatest of mankind's. Aye, all of these dead grasses, flowers, and shells, Gathered, with care, in that far Holy Land, Had birth and death, where Christ was born and died ; 35 53 o LIFE OF LOGAN. Some, from the modest fields of Bethany ; Some, from the beaten paths near Bethlehem ; Some, from the sacred banks of Jordan's stream ; Some, from the hillsides, near Jerusalem ; All, from some spot made holy by the feet And trailing garments of the Son of God, — All from the soil once watered by His tears ! " What are they ! — these dead flowers, grasses, and shells ? " Reminders, teachers, showing all of us That even dead things may teach living truths. Sick soldier, lying on thy bed of pain, What are thy ills, to His who died for thee ? Thy agonies are great, and bravely borne ; O, may they also be borne thankfully ; For sufferings bring thee nearer to thy God — And make thee dearer to His loving heart, — Who, through His Holy Angels, guards thy couch, An', if thou wilt, shalt guide thy future paths. G. F. D. On second thoughts, however, the writer, fearing that the reading of these lines to the General might have a de- pressing effect upon him, concluded to suppress them — at least for awhile. Proceeding to Calumet Place in the even- ing he found the General suffering less acute pain. It had left his right arm and, Mrs. Logan — who was the only other person then present at the bedside — said, had gone to the left side, now useless. She held the open box containing the card before the General's eyes as the writer clasped his hand. The General looked his thanks, uttered a few words, and seemed to fall into a half-conscious doze. It was 5.30 p.m., when, as before mentioned, upon rising to leave him, the General twice pressed the writer's hand warmly, while the latter said : " General, it would be a mockery to wish you a merry Christmas, but I do wish you a quiet and peaceful one ; " and when the General replied slowly, and as if well weighing the words, " No ; not a merry Christmas, but I hope a quiet and peaceful one." Those were the last words the writer ever heard from the lips of Logan. ADDENDA. 531 LOGAN S BRAVE SCOTTISH ANCESTRY — MEANING OF THE NAME — ROBERT, THE BRUCE's, VOW SIR JAMES DOUGLAS AND THE BRUCE'S HEART — HEROIC CHARGE AGAINST THE SARA- CENS IN SPAIN VALOR OF SIR ROBERT AND SIR WALTER LOGAN — ESTATES FORFEITED, AND THE NAME PROSCRIBED THE LOGAN ARMORIAL BEARINGS. From Vol. II. of " ' Costumes of the Clans,' by R. R. Mclvan, Esq., with accompanying description and historical memoranda of character, mode of life, etc., by James Logan, Esq., F.S.A., Sc. Cor. Mem. Soc. Ant., Normandy, etc.," which contains much other information touching- the Clan- Logan and its chiefs, the following extracts have been taken, bearing upon the meaning of the name, and characteristics of the remote ancestry of General Logan. They doubtless will prove interesting to all who read them, especially in view of the fact that the General was directly descended from the valiant crusader, Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig, (or Lastal- rig,) whose chivalric and romantic death is here recounted, and was entitled to the armorial bearings described : " Siol Loganich — The Logans. It is accounted most honorable to be distinguished by a local appellation, as it is an indication that the prop- erty from which it is derived was in possession of the founder of the tribe or family. Logan and Lagan signify a low-lying or flat tract of country, and these terms occur in various parts of Scotland, in some cases giving name to a parish, as Logan in Ayr, and Laggan in Inver- ness-shire. " When an individual receives a crown-charter, it is evident that he must have been a person of some consideration. It is not, however, to be supposed that he was the first who bore the appropriate name, al- though, in this manner, the erudite Chalmers, in his elaborate ' Cale- donia,' derives the most distinguished families in Scotland. " Guillim, the celebrated writer on English heraldry, gives this ac- count of the origin of the name : 'A certain John Logan, serving with the English forces in Ireland, whom the historian Balfour calls one of the lords of that country, having, upon the defeat of the army which had invaded the island under the command of Edward Bruce in 13 16, taken prisoner Sir Allan Stewart, that nobleman gave his daughter, with sev- 532 LIFE OF LOGAN. eral lands, to li is conqueror's son, and from this union, our genealogist says, came the Logans of Scotland, who were then represented by those of Idbury in Oxfordshire ! ' Unfortunately for the accuracy of this deri- vation, we find various individuals of the name, in Scotland, witnessing royal grants, and giving charters themselves, one hundred and fifty years before this period. In the former capacity Robertus de Logan appears frequently in the time of William the Lyon, who reigned from 1165 to 1 214. As a Gaelic cognomen, Logan was found equally in Ireland, . . . and there seems good reason to believe that these were emi- grants from Scotland. " The signatures of Walter, Andrew, Thurbrand, John, and Phillip de Logan are found among those attached to the celebrated " Ragman's Roll," a bond of fealty exacted by Edward I. of England, in 1296. The Scottish chiefs, whom that crafty monarch suspected of being too much imbued with the principles of liberty to be safely trusted at home, he compelled to serve during his wars in Guienne, and John Cumin, Lord of Badenach, and Allan Logan, a knight ' manu et consilio promptumj were thus disposed of. " In 1306, Dominus Walterus Logan, with many others, having been tal^en prisoner, was hanged at Durham, in presence of Edward of Car- narvon, the king's son. " In 1329, a remarkable occurrence took place in Scottish history. Robert the Bruce had made a vow of pilgrimage to the city of Jeru- salem ; but the continued wars, and unsettled state of the kingdom, rendered it impossible for him to carry his long-cherished intention into effect, and, on finding death approach, he willed that the heart which had so long panted to view the scene of his Saviour's sufferings should be taken there, and deposited in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. "For this purpose, preparations were made on a scale very magnifi- cent for the age, and a choice band of the most chivalrous Scottish no- bility was selected as a becoming escort for the princely relic. To 'the good Sir James Douglas ' was assigned the command, and Sir Robert and Sir Walter Logan are particularly noticed as being among the most dis- tinguished of his companions in the pious embassy, which was unhaply fated to abortion. Passing by Spain, the gallant Scotsmen learned that the Saracens had devastated that country, and were then employed in the siege of Grenada ; when it was at once resolved, that as the Moors were bitter enemies of the Cross, the duty of the expedition was to land and fight against them. In the heat of the attack that speedily followed the debarkation, Douglas, taking from his breast the silver casket which contained the precious charge, threw it into the thickest rank of the foe, exclaiming : ' There, go thou valiant heart as thou were wont to lead us ! ' ADDENDA. 533 — when the heroic troop dashed after it with a fury irresistible. The casket was regained, but in attempting the rescue of their friend, Lord Sinclair, both Sir Robert and Sir Walter Logan were slain. " The Logans of Lastalrig were chiefs of the name in the south of Scotland, and this property, with other lands near Berwick, they held prior to the thirteenth century. ... " The preceptory of Saint Anthony, the picturesque ruins of which are to be seen on a small level in the precipitous ascent of Arthur's Seat, beside Edinburgh, was founded, in 1430, by Sir Robert Logan of Lastalrig, and it was the only establishment of this order in Scotland. The collegiate church of Lastalrig, a fine Gothic structure, restored and made the parish kirk at South Leith, is mentioned as early as n 70. If it was not founded by the Logans, whose castle was close adjoining, they were great benefactors thereto, and were patrons of the valuable living. " The Lairds of Lastalrig, which has been generally spelt Restalrig, although always pronounced Lasterrick, were barons of considerable note, most of them having received knighthood for national services. Some of them, also, were sheriffs of the county, and others held the dignity of Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Sir Robert Logan of Lastalrig married a daughter of King Robert II., by his wife Euphemia Ross ; and a successor, of the same name, was one of the hostages given for the ransom of James I. " Leith is the flourishing sea-port of the Scottish metropolis. The land on which it is built, and the harbor itself, belonged to the Lairds of Lastalrig, and, in 1398, Sir Robert Logan granted a charter, confer- ring on the city of Edinburgh free liberty and license for ' augmenting, enlarging, and bigging, the Harbour of Leith.' . . . In 1413, he gave an additional grant of land, on which to build a free quay, and both of these charters were afterward ratified and extended by the crown." The historian proceeds, at some length, to state substantially that, owing to the close proximity of the Logan estates to Edinburgh, and the jealousies occasioned thereby, the corporation of that city and the barons of Lastalrig were on bad terms ; and "finally, that mysterious affair, the Govvrie conspiracy, ' afforded an opportune occasion for the citizens to get rid of their superiors, and the crafty James VI. to gratify his own revenge for the raid of Ruthven, and reward his grasp- ing favourites with the forfeited estates.' A series of letters addressed to the Earl of Gowrie were produced, alleged to have been ' written everie word and subscribed by' him (Logan of Lastalrig), in which he is implicated as a zealous partisan in the alleged treasonable plot. 5 34 LIFE 0F LOGAN. " Logan had been dead nine years, but, as by the Scottish law a traitor was required to be present at his own trial, the mouldering re- mains were exhumed and produced in court ! . . . The Lords of the Articles were, (notwithstanding the suborned evidence of an infa- mous witness), prepared to bring in a verdict of acquittal, but the Earl of Dunbar, who got most of the Logan's estates, 'travailed so earnestly to overcome their hard opinions of the process,' that they at last ac- knowledged themselves convinced ! The forfeiture was accompanied by proscription, so that it was illegal for anyone to bear the name of Logan. "The Logans of Lastalrig had ample lands, either in their own possession or as superiors, in the counties of Ayr, Renfrew, Perth, Lanark, Aberdeen ; and even so far north as Moray, where they held the barony of Abernethie, in Strathspey. " The armorial bearings are allusive to the expedition with The Bruce's heart to the Holy Land, being : or, three passion-nails conjoined in point, sable, piercing a man's heart, gules. Crest: a heart, gules, pierced by a passion-nail, proper. Motto : ' Hoc majorum virtus' The Logans of England have not the piles conjoined, nor the heart, but carry a lion passant in nombril. After the above mission, the piles were conjoined (in the heart), and termed passion-nails, as symbolical of the three nails wherewith the Saviour's feet and hands were nailed to the Cross. In the manuscript collections of Sir James Balfour is a drawing of the ' Sigillum Roberti Logan de Restalrick,' 1279, in which the piles are simply conjoined in base. The Douglases bear, in com- memoration of the mission of their renowned ancestor, a heart ensan- guined, with an imperial crown, proper." logan's swarthy complexion — now he probably came BY IT. We have seen that General Logan was descended from the Logans of Lastalrig. No mention, however, is made by the chronicler of any marked swarthiness of complexion among these. But there was another clan of Logans in the north of Scotland, from which most of the Logans north of the Grampian Hills claim descent, that inhabited East Ross, its chiefs living at Ellan-dubh, or the Black Isle ; and it appears ADDENDA. 535 that, like "the Black Douglas," one of these derived his name from his swarthy skin. Says the chronicle from which we have already quoted : One of these chiefs, who was called Gilliegorm, from his dark complexion, was renowned for his warlike powers. He married a rela- tive of the Lord Lovat, but he fell into an unfortunate misunderstand- ing with the Frasers, arising from some claim . . . which he en- deavored to make good by force of arms. Hugh, the second Lord Lovat, determined to settle the matter of dispute, summoned to his as- sistance twenty-four gentlemen of his name from the south, and, being joined by some McRa's and others, he marched with his clan from Aird, against Gilliegorm, who had mustered his forces, and was fully prepared to meet his enemies. ... A sanguinary battle took place on the muir above Kessock, where Logan was slain with most part of his clans- men. Lovat plundered the lands and carried off the wife of Gilliegorm, who was then with child ; but the barbarous resolution was formed, that if it were a male it should be maimed or destroyed, lest, when* grown up, the son might avenge the father's death. The child proved: a male, but humanity prevailed, and he was suffered to live, there being the less to be apprehended from his sickly and naturally deformed ap- pearance, from which he received the appellation " Crotach," or hump- backed. He was educated by the monks of Beauly, entered holy orders, and travelled through the Highlands, founding the churches of Kilmor in Skye, and Kilichrinan in Glenelg. He seems to have had a dispensation to marry, for he left several children, one of whom, accordr ing to a common practice, became a devotee of Finan, a popular High- land saint ; and hence he was called Gillie Fhinan, his descendants being MacGillie Fhinans. The Fh being aspirated, the pronunciation is Ghilli'inan, which has now become McLennan. Instead, therefore, of the very improbable story which has recently been making the rounds of the press, that the Gen- eral owed his swarthiness of complexion to some Indian half- breed woman who was not his mother, it is much more likely that it, together with his genius for war, was inherited from some remote common ancestor of " Gillieo-orm " and' the Logans of Lastalrig, or from some less remote ancestor de- scended from a later union of those two houses, or possibly from a union of the Logans of Lastalrig with the family of the " Black Douglas." 536 LIFE OF LOGAN. MRS. GENERAL LOGAN HER PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND AN- CESTRY THE STIRRING EVENTS OF HER VARIED LIFE — A BRAVE, KIND, DEVOTED, SELF-SACRIFICING, TACTFUL, WOMANLY WOMAN. The life of General Logan would scarcely be complete without more than a casual mention of his estimable wife, — now, alas, his inconsolable widow, — who, from the days of his earliest Congressional career, proved herself a worthy helpmate of her illustrious husband, and besides being most self-sacrificing in her devotion to that husband's best inter- ests, was also a most affable, charming, bright, and clear- headed leader in society. Always at ease herself and pos- sessed of great tact, she sets all others in her presence at ease — at once a womanly woman, yet with those vivid and just perceptions in and knowledge of public affairs befitting a statesman's wife. She was thus personally described — prior to the General's death — by a recent writer : In appearance and manners Mrs. Logan does not at all justify the slighting newspaper reports which have appeared concerning her. She is a trifle above the medium height, and her figure may well be de- scribed as stately ; her movements, too, are graceful and elegant, such as become the most polished society. But it was her face, beaming with smiles and reflecting in the play of the features her kindness of feeling, that revealed the secret of the fascination which she possesses for her friends and acquaintances — not merely her intellectual accom- plishments, but the amiability of her disposition, her apparent good- ness of heart, and those qualifications in general which we are accus- tomed to regard as essentially womanly. Mrs. Logan's face, which is round rather than oval, and shows decision in the chin, is very animated when in conver- sation! The forehead is broad at the base, and high, with luxuriant hair, once brown, but now a pearly gray, drawn to the back of the head, where it is coiled and held by a comb. The eyes are light brown, and, in repose, are earnest and grave. While much more attractive-looking, she always re- ADDENDA. 537 minds the writer of Lady Washington. She is very sympa- thetic and kind-hearted. Her father, Captain J. M. Cunning- ham, who died in 1873, and for whose memory she entertains the greatest possible affection, was of Irish ancestry, and born in Tennessee, removing while a young man to Peters- burg, Boone County, Mo., where he married a Miss Foun- taine, a lady of French descent, and where his daughter Mary, the subject of this sketch, was born August 15, 1838, the eldest of thirteen children. He subsequently with his family settled in Illinois. He had as a youth been in the Black Hawk War, and when the war with Mexico broke out, served in it as Captain of Company B, First Illinois Volun- teer Infantry. It was during this war, as we have seen, that he became intimate with John A. Logan, then a lieutenant in another company of the same regiment. Upon his re- turn from Mexico, Captain Cunningham was among the old " forty-niners " who went to California. Subsequently, upon his return to Illinois, he held the position of Land Register at Shawneetown. Besides this position, he held others. He was, at various times, sheriff of his county, clerk of the court, United States Marshal of the Southern District of Illinois, and was a member of the Illinois Legislature in 1845, at the same time that General Logan's father, occupied .a seat in that body. In fact he was a prominent representative man in his part of the country, and was honored and beloved by all who knew him. He was always a devoted friend to Gen- eral Logan, and did much toward starting and helping him in his early career. His daughter Mary was carefully and well educated at a convent school, whence she graduated in 1855, and assisted her father as secretary in the land office at Shawneetown, where the General won and wedded her. From her earliest childhood, as might be expected in so large a family, she always had more or less to do with "minding the baby," and looking after the other numerous little ones. At the death of her mother, in 1866, five of them r 3 8 LIFE 0F LOGAN. were left to be looked after; and although what with the cares of her own family and of her husband's position, her hands were already full enough, she assumed the charge of, and became a second mother, as the General was a second father, to them, educating and providing for them as if they were their own children, until they were all established. After the General was elected to Congress, Mrs. Logan came to Washington. A careful and well-informed writer in the National Tribune, some two years since, sketched the interesting story of her life from this time forward as fol- lows : In i860, the General was re-elected to Congress, and Mrs. Logan spent that memorable winter at the capital with him. Scarcely had they returned than the news came of the fall of Sumter, and in re- sponse to President Lincoln's proclamation convening the new Con- gress in extra session, the General was forced to hurry back to Wash- ington. Mrs. Logan remained at home at Marion, whither the family had removed from Benton, and her position now became one of extreme difficulty. The General's constituents were largely Southerners or persons of Southern descent who had settled in that part of Illinois, and were thoroughly in sympathy with the Southern cause, and they were all im- patient to know what the General's course would be. His speeches in the House of Representatives had already revealed his determination to adhere to the Union, and at the battle of Bull Run, instead of remaining at Washington, he had joined Colonel Richardson's Michigan Regiment and fought with it all day. He was in citizen's dress, and Mrs. Logan tells me that she still has the suit he wore on that historic day. When it became known, therefore, after the battle, that the General was about to return to his district and publicly announce the course he intended to pursue, there was the greatest excitement among his con- stituents. People even forgot to attend to their ordinary vocations, business was suspended, and the farmers, neglecting their crops, came pouring into Marion — then a little town of one thousand inhabitants — to await their Representative's return, and hear what he had to say. Mrs. Logan foresaw that in the excited state of the public mind every- thing would depend upon the circumstances under which her husband made announcement of his intentions. She could not venture out of doors without a crowd collecting about her and questioning her con- ADDENDA. 539 cerning her husband, and she felt that it was of the utmost consequence that he should be able to secure a fair audience and be able to exert his personal influence to stay the threatened stampede of the secession- ists. Many who afterwards were stanch supporters of the Union were then undecided in opinion, and she knew that the slightest untoward event might turn the scales. It was essential, indeed, for him to retain their confidence, and convince them that his was the only reasonable and patriotic course to pursue. Already resolutions of secession had been passed at meetings in his district, and Mrs. Logan, and her hus- band's -friends, in endeavoring to restrain public opinion until their Representative could personally appear and declare his views, had a most delicate and dangerous role to play. On the day set for his arrival, she drove in a buggy all the way to Carbondale, the nearest railway station, twenty-two miles away, to meet him, but learning there that the train by which he was to have arrived had "missed connections," immediately turned about and drove back to Marion. It was evening when she reached there, and the streets were still full of people. They crowded in a mass around her buggy and demanded to know why her husband had not accompanied her. Colonel White, then clerk of the court, and her father, Captain Cun- ningham, exerted themselves to pacify the mob, but it was not until the sheriff, Mr. Swindell, stood up in her buggy and urged the crowd to disperse, assuring it that Logan would surely be there in the morning and address them, that the clamor could be quelled. Once released from her unpleasant if not perilous position, Mrs. Logan turned her horse around, and in the darkness pluckily set out again on that long ride to Carbondale. It was two o'clock in the morn- ing when the train which bore her husband rolled into the depot, but without waiting to rest and refresh themselves, they secured a fresh horse and by daylight were once more at Marion. The town was still full of people pacing the streets, but on perceiving that General Logan had really arrived, and on receiving his promise to address them at eleven o'clock, they made no demonstration. What occurred afterward, on that memorable morning at Marion, when Logan commenced to raise his Thirty-first Illi- nois Regiment, has already been given to the reader in the earlier pages of this work. But the sketch of Mrs. Logan continues thus : During this period, and while the regiment was being organized, Mrs. Logan acted as his aid-de-camp, frequently carrying his dispatches 540 LIFE OF LOGAN. between Marion and Carbondale and making the long and wearisome journey with no other companion than a little boy named Willie Chew. From what I have said, you will be prepared to believe that Mrs. Logan took every opportunity that offered, to be with the General dur- ing his campaigns. She followed him to Cairo, where the troops ren- dezvoused, and where his regiment suffered from an epidemic of measles. Five hundred of the men were attacked by the disease, and the pur- veyor's office and the medical branch of the army were at that time so poorly organized that the proper attention could not be given them. A hotel had been taken possession of and converted into a so-called hospital, but the boys were without cots or beds, and compelled to lie on the bare floor with only their knapsacks for pillows. The General was naturally solicitous about their condition, and at the first sugges- tion from him that something ought to be done, his wife took the train for Carbondale, and soon had the kind-hearted ladies of that place, and Marion, busily engaged in preparing the necessary supplies, so that within thirty-six hours the bare and cheerless hospital was entirely revolutionized in appearance. The General succeeded in obtaining some cots, and the ladies furnished bountiful supplies of blankets, pil- lows, etc. Up to this time, eight or ten poor fellows had died of the disease, but after this transformation had been effected in the hospital not a single life was lost. Of course the blankets supplied by these loyal women were of many colors and patterns, and thus this infirmary came to be known as " the Striped Hospital." General Logan's boys never forgot her kindness and thoughtfulness on that occasion. Mrs. Logan remained at Cairo until the embarkation of the troops, and from that city heard the cannonading at Belmont in November. In January, 1862, she returned to Marion, but after the battle of Fort Donelson, where the General was wounded, she joined him on board the Uncle Sam, then lying in the Tennessee River, and afterward had him removed to a neighboring house which had been appropriated for hospital headquarters, where she tenderly nursed him until he was able to rejoin his command, which he did on April 7th, reaching the field of Shiloh on the evening of the second day's battle. Mrs. Logan again followed him, but upon the movement of the army on Corinth returned home. The February following (1863) she saw him again at Memphis, where she also ministered to the sick and wounded in the hospital. She was particular to look after the comfort of the boys of her hus- band's regiment, who were, as she has often told me, every one of them " fit to be invited to any gentleman's house." But the time came when the troops were ordered off to Vicksburg, and she once more returned to Marion. ADDENDA. 541 So bitter had become the feelings of the Southern sympathizers there at that time, however, that she decided to remove to Carbondale, where she remained until the close of the war. For a long time she had no one to help her except a young lady who has since become the wife of General Pearson, and these two, I know, used to personally take, care of the six or seven head of horses that she had brought from Marion. At last she picked up an old colored man — a refugee — and was promptly notified by her rebel neighbors that if she did not at once dismiss him they would raid her house. The old man was badly scared, but she told him that if they ventured to carry out their threat they should have the best she had in the shape of shot, — she had pro- vided herself with arms and ammunition, — and they prudently refrained from molesting her. Fortunately, she was kept well-posted as to what was going on. On one occasion she was informed that one of her neighbors, to whom she had been particularly kind and obliging, was about to lead a party in a night attack on her house with a view to capt- uring her colored servant. Not disconcerted in the least, she went straight to the ringleader and told him that if he touched a hair of the old darkey's head she would see that he was arrested and brought to justice ! She was never afterward molested and when her friends urged her to leave Southern Illinois for a less turbulent section of the country, she always declared that this was a free country, and she was deter- mined, whatever came of it, to stay where she was. It required a good deal of genuine grit to maintain that position in those troublous times in Southern Illinois ; and Mrs. Logan, I know, cannot even yet think of them with composure ; yet she lived to see the day when the old friendships were re-established, and she says very truly that almost any of the people of that section would die for General Logan now, and that she retains the strongest affection for them. It was not until after the fall of Vicksburg that Mrs. Logan again saw the General. He came North early in August to fight the enemies of the Union at home, and for a month participated in the exciting campaign of 1863, returning to Chattanooga toward the close of Sep- tember, and assuming command of the Fifteenth Corps. Then fol- lowed that brilliant campaign which terminated in the fall of Atlanta. The General had won his brigadier-general's stars at Donelson and his major-general's at Vicksburg, and in the Atlanta campaign he once more covered himself with glory. At its close, however, in the autumn of 1864, he was needed at home to rally our faint-hearted citizens to the support of President Lincoln, and husband and wife were once more united. When the General again took the field it was to find his command at Savannah, at the conclusion of its famous "March to the 542 •LIFE OF LOGAN. Sea." The Confederacy was then on the eve of dissolution, and soon the fall of Richmond and the surrender of Lee were followed by the capitulation of Johnston and the general dispersion of the Confederate armies. Then came the grand review at Washington, regarding which Mrs. Logan has often told me that it is one of the regrets of her life that she was unable to witness that magnificent procession of returning heroes. At the time she was at her home in Carbondale, 111., and John A. Logan, Jr., was only three days old. The war over, General Logan returned home with the intention of resuming the practice of his profession. Prior to the outbreak of the rebellion he had already acquired an enviable reputation at the bar, and on entering the service he had paid over to Mrs. Logan, as I hap- pen to know, $10,000 in $20 gold pieces as the sum of his gains. But he was not allowed to carry out his plans. He consented to accept the nomination for Congressman-at-Large, and his public career from that date to this is known to everybody. I allude to it only because it af- forded a wider field for the display of that wifely devotion in which during the trying times of the war Mrs. Logan had never faltered. She has often been the subject of comment because she participated in her husband's campaigns ; but the fact is that she accompanied him solely because of the profound attachment that existed between the two and their mutual unwillingness to be separated from each other. Naturally, his friends became hers, and she acquired such a familiarity with his affairs as to be able to lighten his cares and share his burdens with him. It is so unusual to find a woman of domestic tastes taking such an intimate interest in her husband's public career that it is not strange that she should be thought masculine in temperament and dis- position ; but nothing could be farther from the truth. Education and experience have fitted her to be in the truest sense a helpmate to her husband, and if she has undertaken at times to conduct a part of his correspondence, in addition to discharging those domestic and social duties which her position imposed upon her, it is because it is a labor of love with her, prompted by no unwomanly ambition, but simply by her affection for her husband. A happier couple I do not know, and their happiness is in one sense the result of making other people happy. Mrs. Logan, as I have said, was the eldest of thirteen children, — seven girls and six boys, — and upon her largely fell the burden of their education and support. Lovingly she fulfilled the trust, "unselfish in that as in everything else. Three sisters and two brothers are still living, but Captain Cunningham died in 1873 an d her mother in 1866. Mrs. Logan has had three children born to her. The first — a boy — died in infancy ; the second is now the wife ADDENDA. 543 of Paymaster Tucker ; while the third, " Manning," or, as he is called since taking the full name of his father, John A. Logan, Jr., is a cadet at West Point. Her religion is that of the Methodist Church, of which she became a member shortly after her marriage, although her family were all connected with the denomination known as the "Christian Church." General Logan joined the Methodist Church at Carbondale in 1869. It is unnecessary for me to say that the General's and Mrs. Logan's attachment for the people of Southern Illinois, among whom their youth was passed, has but strengthened with time. One of the first acts of the General on becoming firmly established at the bar was to purchase the old homestead in Jackson County, where he was born, and he still owns it, although his brother Tom is now occupying the place, which consists of about five hundred acres. The house, I remember, was built of logs, weather-boarded, and was considered quite a preten- tious mansion in its day, but only the ruins are now to be seen. It was burned to the ground some three years ago. But I am at the end of my story. I only wanted you to know what Mrs. Logan's life has really been — how full of self-sacrifice, of womanly devotion, of brave actions and kindly deeds. Such is the story, told by another, of Mrs. Logan's stir- ring life from the winter of 1860-61 down to two years ago. But, since then, how dramatic have been the changes in it, ordained by Fate ! A comfortable, spacious, beautiful home established at Calumet Place, overlooking the National capi- tal ; the assurance of a long . period of increasing political power and social influence ; opportunity for lengthy and pleas- ant sojournings throughout the States amid the joyous greet- ings of the people ; the fast ripening prospects of Presidential probabilities ; and then, alas, all blighted and blackened by the dread shadow of the Angel of Death ! Truly, the glory of her life has departed. APPENDIX. PART I.— SENATE EULOGIES UPON LOGAN. TRIBUTES OF UNITED STATES SENATORS CULLOM, MORGAN, EDMUNDS, MANDERSON, HAMP- TON, ALLISON, HAWLEY, SPOONER, COCKRELL, FRYE, PLUMB, EVARTS, SABIN, PALMER, AND FARWELL, TO LOGAN'S CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS. On February 9, 1887, the sixty-first anniversary of Logan's birth, immediately after the reading of the journal, Senator Cullom introduced, in the United States Senate, the follow- ing resolutions : Resolved by the Senate, That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of John A. Logan, long a Senator from the State of Illinois, and a distinguished member of this body, business be now suspended, that the friends and associates of the deceased may pay fitting tribute to his public and private virtues. Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to communicate these resolutions 10 the House of Representatives and to furnish an engrossed copy of the same to the family of the deceased Senator. SENATOR SHKLBY M. CULLOM [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, THEREUPON SAID : To-day we lay our tribute of love upon the tomb of Logan. Suffering from a sense of personal loss too deep to find expression, I despair of being able to render adequate praise to his memory. But yesterday, as it were, he stood among us here in the full flush of ro- bust manhood. A giant in strength and endurance, with a will of iron, and a constitution tough as the sturdy oak, he seemed to hold within his grasp more than the threescore years and ten allotted to man. No one thought in the same moment of Logan and death — two conquerors who should come face to face, and the weaker yield to the stronger. It seemed as if Logan could not die. Yet, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as it were, "God's finger touched him, and he slept." . . . Had he lived until to-day, sixty-one years — eventful, glorious years — would have rested their burden as a crown upon his head. Life is a crucible into which we are thrown to be tried. How many but prove the presence of alloy so base that refining " seven times " cannot purify. But here was a life generous and noble, an open book from which friend and foe alike might read the character of the man. Placing party and platforms under his feet, he was first of all for the Union and the flag, which were dearer than all else to him. With the flash of the first gun which thundered its doom upon Sumter he was up and in arms. Consecrating all the energy of his ardent nature to the cause of the Union, he left his seat in Congress, saying he could best serve his country in the field. Falling into the ranks of the Union army he took his part as a civilian volunteer in the first battle of Bull Run. During the war General Logan rose by regular promotion through every grade from colonel to the highest rank, save that of lieutenant-general, that the nation could bestow in recognition of his bravery and great capacity as an officer. Is it enough to say of Gen- eral Logan that he was the greatest volunteer general of the Union army? By no means. A quarter of a century and more has passed since that terrible struggle, and civil honors were won by him during that period as rapidly as military ones were won during the war. You will call to mind, Mr. President, General Logan's speeches on education, on the needs of the army, his defence of General Grant, and his arraignment of General Fitz John Porter. These constitute an important part of the records of senatorial debates, and should be classed among the ablest and most exhaustive speeches ever made in the Senate. As a political leader General Logan was conspicuously successful. He was naturally in the front rank, whether on the field of battle or in political contests. Living in an era when 54^ LIFE OF LOGAN. corruption was not uncommon, when strong men of both parties sometimes stood agl.ast and saw their reputations Masted by public exposure, he remained throughout his long public career above suspicion. Wealth could not tempt him to soil his spotless name. He never used the opportunities of his official position as a means of obtaining gold. He died as he had lived, a poor man. In the last national campaign, when he bore aloft so valiantly the colors of his party, there was no ghost of dishonor in his past to rise up and cry upon him shame. May his children " rejoice and be glad " in the example of a father of whom the whole nation could rise up and say, "There was an honest man." . . . Mr. Presi- dent, few men in American history have left so positive an impress on the public mind and so glorious a record to be known and read of all men as has General Logan. The pen of tin historian cannot fail to write the name of Logan as one prominently identified with the great movements and measures which have saved the Union and made the nation free and great and glorious within the last thirty years. . . . SENATOR JOHN T. MORGAN [DEM.], OF ALABAMA, SAID: Mr. President: . . . John A. Logan was, more than almost any man in my remem- brance, the typical American of the Western States. He was born and reared in the West, that country of marvellous strength, power, and progress. All of his efforts were given to the service, first, of that particular section, and afterward to the more enlarged service of the general country. But Logan seemed to be the embodiment of the spirit and power of that w tnderful West, which has grown and strengthened in our country as no other section of this Union ever has within a given time. The energy of his nature, the fortitude, the per- sistence, the industry, the courage with which he encountered every question that arose, seemed merely to exemplify the pervading spirit of the western part of the United States, and he will go down to posterity, not because we describe him in our speeches here to-day, but because he has described himself in every act of his life as a man perfectly understood and the recognized exemplar of one of the strongest and most splendid types of American character. . . . Men who thought and felt as I have thought and felt always gladly stretch forth the hand of honest brotherhood to men like John A. Logan. We were never afraid of such men because they were candid and true. No guile beset that man's life, no evasion, n > finesse. No merely political strategy ever characterized his conduct in public life or marred his honor in private life. He was a bold, pronounced, dignified, earnest, manly, firm, generous, true man, and I value the opportunity to express these sentiments about such a man on the floor of the Senate on this solemn occasion. ... I believe that no man has died in this country in half a century for whom the people of the United Slates at large had a more genuine respect or in whom they had greater confidence than in General Logan. The Senate has witnessed on various occasions his antagonism even to his best friends when his convictions led him to separate from them upon political and other questions that have been brought before the Senate. Always courageous, always firm, always true, you knew exactly wnere to place him ; and when his manly form strode across the Senate Chamber and he took his seat among his brethren of this body this country as well as this august tribunal felt that a man had appeared of valor and strength and real ability. . . . lie was a true husband, a true father, a true friend, and when that is said of a man, and you can add to it alsj that he was a true patriot, a true soldier, and a true statesman, I do not know what else could be grouped into the human character to make it more sublime than that. SENATOR GEORGE F. EDMUNDS [REP.], OF VERMONT, SAID: Mr. President: I first' knew General Logan about twenty years ago. He was then a member of the House of Representatives, and I had just come to the Senate. His fame as a s tidier, "I i ourse, was well known to me. His personal characteristics I then knew noth- ing of. 1 soon nut him in committees of conference and otherwise as representing the opinions of the House of Representatives in matters of difference with the Senate, and 1 was struck, as everybody has been who has known him, with the very extraordinary char- acteristics that he possessed. They have been stated by his colleague who first addressed y hi, and by my friend on the other side of the Chamber — the characteristic of candor, the characteristic of simplicity of statement, the characteristic of clearness of opinion, the char- acteristic of that Anglo-Saxon persistence in upholding an opinion once formed that has made our British ancestors and our own people the strongest forces for civilization of which wi havi an) account in the history of the world. There was no preteno about the man; there was no ambuscade ; there was no obscu- rity. Wli i or, he understood his reason for being for, stated it briefly and clearly, APPENDIX. 547 and stuck to it ; and that, as we all know, and as it always ought to be, means in the great majority of instances success, and where success fails it is an instance of honorable defeat. His industry, Mr. President, which I have so long had opportunity to know, and to know intimately, for later when he came to the Senate it was my good fortune to serve with him in one of the committees of the Senate having a very large amount of work to do — his industry, as well as these other characteristics that I have spoken of, was of the greatest. His was the gentlest of hearts, the truest of natures, the highest of spirits, that feels and considers the weaknesses of human nature and who does not let small things stand in the way of his generous friendship and affection for those with whom he is thrown. And so in the midst of a career that had been so honorable in every branch of the public service, and with just ambitions and just powers to a yet longer life of great public usefulness, he disap- pears from among us — not dead — promoted, as I think, leaving us to mourn, not his de- parture for his sake, but that the value of his conspicuous example, the strength of his con- spicuous experience in public affairs, and the wisdom of his counsels have been withdrawn. And so I mourn him for ourselves, not for himself ; and so I look upon an occasion like this not so much — far from it — for the regrets that belong to personal separations as the testimonial that a great body like this should make for ourselves and for our people of a recognition of the merits and of the examples and of the services that are to be not only a memorial but an inspiration to us all and to all our countrymen as to the just recognition and worth of noble deeds and honest desires. And so I lay my small contribution upon his grave in this way. SENATOR CHARLES F. MANDERSON [REP.], OF NEBRASKA, SAID : Mr. President : As I stood a few weeks ago by the vault that received within its gloomy walls the honored remains of John Alexander Logan, . . . the familiar bugle-call brought most vividly to my recollection the first time I met our friend and brother, nearly twenty-five years ago. The disaster to our arms on dread Chickamauga's bloody day — the only battle approaching defeat that the Army of the Cumberland had ever known — had been redeemed by the glorious and substantial victories of Mission Ridge and Lookout Mountain. These battles had been won with the aid of the Army of the Tennessee, and Sherman, its leader, had come to fight by the side of Thomas, "The Rock of Chickamauga. '' With Grant, the great captain, to direct the movements of these most able lieutenants, the victory was assured, and with the capture of the rebel stronghold upon the frowning heights of Mission Ridge and lofty Lookout the Georgia campaign, that ended in the capt- ure of Atlanta and the march to the sea, that "broke the back of the rebellion," became possibilities. The fair fame of our brethren of the Tennessee was familiar to us of the Army of the Cumberland. We had fought by their side at Shiloh. We knew of their high emprise at Corinth, Champion Hills, and Vicksburg. We had heard and read of Sherman, McPherson, and Logan. I do not disparage the bright fame of either of the first two when I say that the chief interest centred at that time about the name of the third of these famous leaders of the Army of the Tennessee. I first saw Logan in front of the Confederate position on Kenesaw Mountain, when his corps made that desperate assault upon Little Kenesaw — so fruitless in results, so costly in human life. The sight was an inspiration. Well mounted — "he looked of his horse a part." His swarthy complexion, long black hair, compact figure, stentorian voice, and eyes that seemed to blaze "with the light of battle," made a figure once seen never to be forgotten. In action he was the very spirit of war. His magnificent presence would make a coward fight. He seemed a resistless force. The sword Of Michael, from the armory of God, Was gtven him, tempered so that neither keen Nor so'id might resist that edge. The splendid record of achievements won along the Mississippi was to remain unbroken. His name is written upon every page of the Georgia campaign of over one hundred days of constant fighting. Says one of the historians of the Army of the Cumberland : "As the united armies advanced along the battle-line, where for four months the firing never wholly ceased by day or by night, everybody came to know Logan. Brave, vigilant, and aggressive, he won universal applause. Prudent for his men and reckless in exposing his own person, he excited general admiration. 543 LIFE OF LOGAN. When the lines were close his own headquarters were often scarcely out of sight of the pickets, and he generally had a hand in whatever deadly work might spring up along his front. At Resaca, at Dallas, in front of frowning Kenesaw, at Peach Tree Creek and New Hope Church his corps under his leadership added to its fame. When McPherson was killed Logan assumed temporary command of the Army of the Tennessee, and "wrested victory from the jaws of defeat. " We of the Cumberland heard the noise of the cannon and the rattle of ihe musketry that told of the severe assaults made by the desperate foe on Logan's line. I visited the field the next morning and saw the terrible results of the deadly struggle. The ground was thickly strewn with the slain, and the face of nature had been changed by the conflict as though Men had fought upon the earth and fiends in upper air. Logan's battle presence here is said to have been sublime. The death of his beloved comrade-in-arms seemed to transform him into a very Moloch. Bareheaded he rode his lines, encouraging his men by word and deed his battle-cry, "McPherson and revenge." Sherman's official report of the battle says : The brave and gallant General Logan nobly sustained his reputation and that of his veteran army and avenged the death of his comrade and commander. I would fain speak of Ezra Chapel and Jonesborough, but lack of time forbids. On September 2d the campaign of constant fighting that began May 2d closed by the occupation of Atlanta, and no one man did more to bring about the glorious result than he whose death we to-day deplore. Of his services during the march from Savannah through the Carolinas I cannot take time to speak. He rode at the head of the victorious veterans of the Army of the Tennessee at the Grand Review. Long its leader, he had at last be- come its commander. No more knightly figure appeared in the marching columns. No braver or truer heart swelled with the lofty emotions of the hour. Through all of General Logan's military career it is evident that he was far more than a mere soldier. Although terribly at home upon the field of battle it was not love of the life that took him there. His sensitive and sympathetic nature caused him many unhappy hours as he saw the horrors war had wrought. He was no mere seeker for " the bubble reputation." The speeches made and letters written immediately before and during the great struggle for national existence show him to have been imbued with the spirii of lofti- est patriotism. The trait in his character upon which my thoughts dwell with fondness and emotion was his generous regard for the rights of others. It shone out conspicuously in his treat- ment of that noble soldier and true patriot, General George II. Thomas, whom all men loved. There was impatience that Thomas did not move to the attack of Hood. The fact that the rain, which froze as it fell, covered the earth with ice upon which man or beast could scarcely stand was really cause sufficient for delay. Logan was ordered to supersede the great leader of the Cumberland Army. He pro- ceeded westward without haste, although the command of that splendid army of veterans was something greatly to be desired. Reaching Louisville and hearing that the thaw had e >me and Thomas ready to move, he delayed in that city. The glorious news of the great victory at Nashville soon came to him. Logan, with the older assigning him to supreme e immand in his pocket, telegraphed the glad tidings to Washington and asked that Thomas might remain at the head of the men who had followed him for so many years, and that he return to the interior command. .V. desire lor self-advancement could prompt him to disregard the rights of a comrade. With mi a murmur he had before this time seen the command of the Army of the Tennes- see pass to another when it seemed matter of right that it should be his as the natural suc- .,1 the lamented McPherson. General Hooker, with less of claim, wanted it, and in his grii \ ius disappointment asked to be relieved from duty. Logan did not sulk an instant, but, with unselfish patri >tism, went wherever dmy called. li i- n .I my purp ise to speak of the great dead in any other capacity than that of a sol- dier. I .' ' othei il I him as a citizen, lawyer, legislator, statesman, and tell of his merits a- . itizen, husband, father, and friend. I was his recognized comrade, as was every othei man who wore the blue. He never forgot them. They will never forget him. APPENDIX. 549 SENATOR WADE HAMPTON [DEM.], OF SOUTH CAROLINA, SAID: Mr. President : . . . For one, I join gladly in every mark of respect paid to the memory of General Logan. . . . As a Democrat, a Southern man, and a Confederate soldier, I am called on to speak of him, as a Republican in high and deserved honor with his party, as a Northern man who offered his life, and gave his blood to prove the sincerity of his convictions, and as a Federal soldier whose fame was as wide-spread as it was fairly achieved. ... I may say, in connection with his brilliant military service, and it is due to him that I should say it, that when war was flagrant, and the passions of men were inflamed to their highest pitch, we of the South knew of no act of cruelty, of barbarity, or of inhumanity to stain his record as a brave and honorable soldier. I shall speak of him as I knew him here, as a Senator and as a man ; and while we held opposite opinions on nearly all of the great questions which have divided parties in this country, I hope that I may be able to speak with impartiality and with truth. His ability commanded my admir- ation ; his many high qualities won my personal regard, and every feeling of my heart prompts me to do full justice to his merits. My acquaintance with General Logan began upon my entrance into this body. ... I found myself placed on the Committee on Military Affairs, of which he was a member, and over which he subsequently presided as chairman for years, zealously and efficiently. Our service together on that committee was continuous from that time until death freed him from earthly labors, and my long association with him there taught me to respect his great ability and to admire the many good and generous traits which marked his character so strongly. The characteristics which gave him marked individuality as chairman of the Military Committee were constantly illustrated on the floor of the Senate, A strong adherent and supporter of his party, he never failed to assert his independence of thought and of action whenever he deemed that his duty demanded this. Frank, fearless, and outspoken, he professed in an eminent degree the courage which springs from sincere convictions, and he had the ability to defend these convictions. While doing this he dealt heavy blows, but they were always delivered in an open, straightforward, manly manner. He never fought in am- bush ; he asked only an open field and fair play. Possessing as he did so many rare and generous attributes, it is not strange that he found warm friends even among his political opponents, nor is it surprising that he was a tower of strength to his own party. His services, his talents, commanded the position of a leader, and he fitted that posi- tion ably. The ancient Romans, Mr. President, regarded courage as among the highest virtues, and the word used by them to express this quality has given to our language its beautiful word "virtue." . . . No braver man ever lived, and the Almighty Creator endowed him with many other and great virtues. SENATOR WILLIAM B. ALLISON [REP.], OF IOWA, SAID : Mr. President : Whosoever shall hereafter faithfully write the annals of our country's history for the last quarter of a century will have occasion to speak often and in words of high praise the name of General John A. Logan. Others have spoken of his early history in Mexico, at the bar, and in the State Legis- lature, all preliminary to a larger field, opening up to him in the National Congress and upon the great theatre of war. He first appeared in the National Capitol and took a seat in the House of Representatives, to which he had been elected from the State of Illinois in De- cember, 1859. He was elected as a Democrat. . . . He arrayed himself on the side of the great leader of one faction of the Democratic party, and in the Presidential struggle of i860, espoused the cause of this great leader, with all the zeal of his strong personality, and in his own State aimed heavy blows at the Republican party, and the Southern wing of his own. That struggle ended in the election of President Lincoln, which was soon followed by the opening of a struggle of a very different nature. This conflict of arms, though long predicted by many, at last came suddenly upon the country without preparation. General Logan did not hesitate, but at once, with his great leader, arrayed himself on the side of his country. So deciding he immediately resigned his seat in Congress. . . General Logan reappeared in the Capitol as a Representative in March, 1867, and from that time until his death, except for a period of two years, he was continuously a member either of the House or of the Senate. The questions then prominent were questions growing out of the war, covering the en- tire range and scope of the powers of the General Government, the reorganization of the ceo LIFE 0F LOGAN. Army, the management of the public debt, the reduction of taxes, changes in our tariff and internal revenue systems, the currency, specie payments, the new amendments to the Con- stitution, and the restoration of the States deprived of representation because of the rebel- lion. All these questions and many others were in a brief space of time forced upon Con- gress for its consideration. General Logan had decided views npon them all, and expressed his views fearlessly and with great force and power. General Logan was transferred to this Chamber in 1871. He was then in the full vigor of his matured faculties, and brought with him the valuable experience of a long service in the House, and at once took high rank in the Senate, which he maintained undiminished to the end, always taking an active part in the discussion of the great questions constantly ap- pearing here for action. His sympathy with his old comrades, and their devotion to his personal fortunes, imposed upon him unusual labor in caring for their interests and welfare. He was assiduous and constant in the advocacy of all the measures which he and they deemed of especial interest to them, whether respecting pensions, bounty, back pay, or the reorganization of the Army itself, and he became their conspicuous advocate and friend. So that for all the years following the war whatever legislation there is upon our statute- books upon these topics bears the impress of his advocacy. . . This brief retrospect discloses that the life of General Logan was one of ceaseless activ- ity and exceptional usefulness to his country. Few men of this generation in our country have achieved a more illustrious career. Coming into active political life at the beginning of the great Civil War he has linked his name imperishably with the military achievements that resulted in the restoration of the Union. Coming into the councils of the nation soon after the close of hostilities, he bore an honorable part in the legislation which then seemed necessary for the perpetuation of the Union. When we met in December only six Senators appeared in their seats who were in this Chamber fourteen years ago, when I entered it. One of these was General Logan ; and of all the men who have come and gone in these intervening years, none were more con- spicuous, and none will be more missed by the country and by those of us who still remain. . . . In his death the nation has lost one of its ablest counsellors, his comrades in the army one of their most ardent and devoted supporters, we in this Chamber a valued co- worker and friend. SENATOR JOSEPH R. HAWLEY [REI\], OF CONNECTICUT, SAID: Mr. President : A stranger seeing General Logan for the first time and observing him in these Halls a few days ago would perhaps have said that the most prominent feature of his character was his combativeness. He snuffed the battle afar off ; he never lagged in the rear of the column ; he crowded to the front ; he never shirked the combat ; he went out to look for it. He had a matchless courage, as everybody knows, a courage not only upon the battlefield, but a high courage and spirit of self-sacrifice in politics. He had a right to suppose from all that was said to him by great multitudes, that he was a fair and honorable candidate for the Presidency, yet he cheerfully accepted a subordinate posi- tion upon a Presidential ticket in 1884 in the belief, in which he was strengthened by friends, that his influence and his acquaintance with tens of thousands of soldiers would bring some- thing of strength to his political party. . . . He went into the war. Afler Vicksburg General Grant said that McPherson and Logan had demonstrated their fitness to become the commanders of independent armies. He had a right to suppose, after the gallant McPherson had fallen, under the very feet of an advancing and temporarily triumphant Confederate force, he had a fair right to suppose that he would succeed to that officer's command. He was second in rank. The soldiers desired it. They had seen his great leadership on that battlefield as on many others. Another took the place, an honorable and gallant soldier. The manly generosity and high courtesy of his bearing when he was ordered to relieve the noble General Thomas have been described to-day. I do not contrast General Logan's action on that occasion with the conduct of certain others in similar situations, though there were examples of wonderful contrast ; but he was as obedient as a child, faithful as ever. Scandal spared General Logan from its insinuations of dishonor in private or public life. Perhaps calumnious mud was thrown at him, but nothing of it is recorded or even retained in the memi >i i<-s of men, I I I ived his country. Why, sir, that is true of sixty millions of people, I hope ; but he loved it with a devotion immeasurable and unfathomable. He believed in the justice, the I lity, ami the liberty of its Constitution and its laws. He hadno doubt whatever of the APPENDIX. 55 1 wisdom of this great experiment, universal suffrage and all. lie was no agnostic ; he had a creed and a purpose always, in every contest. He did not assume all knowledge ; but what he knew, he knew he knew ; and what he believed he was always ready to say. What- ever he wanted, he greatly wanted; he was very much in earnest, lie trusted the great jury of twelve million voters, and had no doubt about the future prosperity, honor, and glory of the great Republic. He was an ambitious man, politically ; he had a right to be, and he won a high place. He was ambitious of a great place among soldiers, and he won it. He was generous, he was frank, he was tender. Possibly that will sound strangely to many people who did not know him as we did. He had as tender a heart as entered these doors. He was one of the bravest men physically and morally that ever lived. He was a brilliant and great volunteer soldier. He was an incorruptible citizen and legislator. His patriotism was unsurpassed in enthusiasm, intensity, and faith. SENATOR JOHN C. SPOONER [REP.], OF WISCONSIN, SAID : Mr. President : The busy hand of death beckons us again to the side of a new-made grave. Amid the tears and sobs of this great people, to the music of muffled drums, and under the furled flag which he loved, we tenderly bore John A. Logan to his rest. No one need fear for Logan the cold analysis of the historian yet to come. How little de- pendent is this man's fame upon the speech of his contemporaries. It rests upon the solid foundation of glorious deeds and splendid public service. . . . It is said that " his- tory is the essence of innumerable biographies." Logan's life is of the essence of our his- tory. With him, love of country was a passion, and with him the union of States was "the country." He could see, save through the perpetuity of that Union, nothing of any worth in the future of the Republic. His star shot into the sky at Belmont, to shine fixed and unobscured forever. It would be idle for me to recount the battles which he fought and won, the precipitous charges which he led, the marvellous personal magnetism and daring which, communicating itself to a whole army, turned, as by the will-power of one man, defeat into victory. It is enough to say of him as a soldier that by common consent he stands forth the ideal volun- teer soldier of the war. He was, among a million brave men, original, picturesque, and unique. There was but one John A. Logan. But, great as he was in war, he was great also as an orator of the people, and in the councils of peace. He won as an orator a reputation which, if he had no other claim to be remembered, would keep his name alive and would satisfy any reasonable ambition. His popularity as a speaker was not ephemeral, nor was it peculiar to any section. He was everywhere welcome. Listening thousands hung in rapt interest upon his words. It is not at all difficult to account for his power as a speaker. His evident sincerity and earnestness, his commanding presence, the flash of his eye, the like of which I never saw in any other face, the boldness of his utterance, the impetuous flow of his speech, and the trumpet tones of his voice, gave to him as a popular orator a charm indescribable. As the nominee of his party for the second great office in the gift of the people, he- added greatly to his civic fame. The dignity of his bearing, the method and manner of his thought and speech, were everywhere a revelation to those who then heard him for the first time. He possessed, also, indisputable claims to high statesmanship. Look through the statutes and the records of Congress, and you will find there the strong impress of his char- acter and individuality. Though a chieftain of his party, he was not narrow or sectional as a legislator. He met more than half-way those who had but lately been his adversaries on the held of battle. No man more desired the restoration of perfect harmony between the sections or the up- building of the waste places of the South or gave readier aid to that great consummation. He demanded only in return that every man and woman and child, of whatever condition, class, or degree, should enjoy unobstructed and in the fullest measure every right given by the Constitution and the laws. With less than this he thought it moral treason to be con- tent. Logan was a leader by divine right. All the elements combined to make him such. Of resistless energy, iron will, knightly daring, lofty moral courage, quick and acute intelli- gence, fervent patriotism, unselfish loyalty to principle and friendship, and unswerving honor, it is impossible to conceive of him as other than a great leader in any held of human effort. . . . He will live, sir, in the hearts of men until the history of his time shall have faded ut- 552 LIFE OF LOGAN. terly away. With each returning May, wherever there is a soldier's grave — and where is there not a soldier's grave ? — the people now living and those to come after us will remember the name of Logan, the patriot, soldier, orator, and statesman, and will bring, in honor of his memory, the beautiful flowers of the spring-time and the sweet incense of praise and prayer. SENATOR FRANCIS M. COCKRELL [UEM.], OF MISSOURI, SAID : Mr. PRESIDENT : With profound sorrow and deep grief I join in paying the last official tribute of respect, honor, friendship, and love to the memory of our late distinguished col- league, John Alexander Logan However widely we may have differed upon many questions, I respected, admired, hon- ored, and loved him for his many noble, manly, generous, magnanimous, and chivalrous qualities of head and heart — the distinguishing attributes of the true soldier and great man among all nations and tongues. . . . Among all the many great and distinguished volunteer officers during the late war it is no disparagement of any of them to say that Gen- eral Logan was the greatest and most distinguished. Courageous, fearless, energetic, un- tiring, generous, and dashing, he was the beau ideal of the American volunteer soldiery. P"or four long, weary years, during the greatest military conflict the world has ever beheld, General Logan, as a private soldier, a commander of a regiment, then of a brigade, then of a division, then of an army corps, and then of an army, met and satisfied the highest ex- pectations and demands of the administration, the country, and the people. No man could do more. As a Representative and Senator in the Congress of the United States he was in- corruptible, faithful, diligent, and laborious, and was earnest in his convictions and forcible and aggressive in their advocacy. The name, the fame, the life, and the illustrious and successful achievements of General Logan are now the common heritage of our great country and people, and will be cherished and remembered by the present and coming generations. The life and achievements of Logan, cast upon the bosom of the public life in the United States, have started waves of influence and power for good which will widen and extend until they break against the shores of eternity in the resurrection morning. SENATOR WILLIAM P. FRYE [REP.], OF MAINE, SAID : Mr. President: Senators have brought to-day, and will bring, garlands and wreaths with which to decorate the grave of our dead soldier and Senator. I shall content myself with offering a single flower. Logan was an honest man. I do not mean by that simply that he would not steal, that he would not bear false witness, that he had not an itching palm for a bribe. ... I do not regard it as eulogistic of this great man to say that he was honest in that narrow sense. I do not cripple my declaration by any such limitation, nor sustain it by any such questionable testimony. I mean that General Logan had an honest mind, an honest pur- pose, an honest habit of thinking. I mean that he never played tricks with his mental machinery to serve his own ends and his own purposes. I mean that he never attempted jugglery with it. I mean that he permitted it, in spite of his ambitions, his prejudices, his jealousies, and his passions, to move straight forward in its operations ; and that the legiti- mate results were convictions — convictions followed always by earnest, determined, intense action. In my opinion that largely constituted General Logan's strength in the Senate, in the Army, and with the people. War came on. He believed that war was a serious fact ; that it was to be waged for the suppression of rebellion and the restoration of the Union. Hence in every council of war his voice was always for battle, and in every battle he was ever at the front. When in the midst of the war preferment was offered him, aye, more, urged upon him by his friends, he did not hesitate a moment, but with emphasis declared to them that he had enlisted for the war, and that, God helping him, he would light it out on that line to the end. When he was superseded, as he believed unjustly, as has been well said to-day, he did not sulk in his tent a single hour, but marched straight forward in the line of duty. When the war was over, the Union was restored, and peace was enthroned, and a grate- ful people showered upon him public honors he exhibited everywhere the same characteris- tics. Take the ease which lias been alluded to here to-day of General Porter. Logan be- lieved, whether justly or unjustly is not for me to say, that this man was jealous of his superiors, that criticisms and complaints subversive of discipline were made by him, that he neglected plain and open duly, that he refused to obey peremptory orders, and that his punishment was just. In this Chamber we listened to his matchless, marvellous, powerful, APPENDIX. 55 3 convincing speech against his restoration ; and when his great captain, with a voice infin- itely more powerful with this soldier-hero than the glittering bribes of gold or fame, called him to a halt he did not hesitate a moment, but with renewed vigor, with redoubled power, urged his convictions upon the Senate. When his great commander was for a third time urged by his friends for the candidacy by the Republican party for the office of President, and it was apparent to all thinking men that it was to be a struggle fierce, full of intense bitterness, Logan went to the front in that fight utterly regardless of any effect that it might have upon his own political fortunes. I have seen within a few days ago an item floating in the press that in that ever to be remembered convention, when it was apparent that Mr. Blaine could not be nominated, Senators Hale and Frye visited General Logan and tendered to him the support of their friends for the nomination if lie would accept the candidacy. Of course it was a myth. Senators Hale and Frye both knew John A. Logan, and had known him for years, and even if they had been vested with the authority, which they were not, they never would have dreamed of undertaking to bribe him from his allegiance. They knew that no grati- fication of personal ambition (and it is the greatest temptation to a man on earth) would move him from his allegiance to Grant in that fight any more than a summer breeze would stir a mountain from its base. Sir, when subsequently Logan himself justly had aspirations for the same nomination I sat here in this seat,by the side of that which now is empty, a curious observer, and I dare assert that I never saw him trim his sail in the slightest. I never could perceive that the fact made any change in his thought or word or vote. Mr. President, Logan was a fearlessly honest man. May our dear Lord give him a blessed rest and a glorious immortality. [Manifestations of applause in the galleries.] SENATOR PRESTON B. PLUMB [REP.], OF KANSAS, SAID : Logan has gone from among us to return no more. . . . Yet Logan will not be for- gotten. No individual, no association of men is proof against the salutary teachings of ex- ample. . . . His zeal was restless, his energy intense, his industry tireless, his intellect clear and incisive, his courage unshaken in any and every circumstance, his loyalty to truth and duty undoubted, and his fidelity to friendships, in these days of self-seeking, almost phenomenal. He was a zealous friend and a sturdy opponent. His blows were delivered in honorable fashion, and those he received in like manly controversy were accepted in a chivalrous spirit. It was the crowning felicity of his association with us that, as the most conspicuous of our volunteer soldiery during the War of the Rebellion, he became the special champion of the interests of not only his immediate comrades in the field, but of all who had helped to bear the flag of the Union through trials and discouragement to final victory. With what fidelity and energy this sacred trust was discharged, the Senate and the country alike bear witness. It is given to but few to so happily unite in their own experience heroic martial achieve- ments with eminent civic successes. Yet he bore his accumulated honors mildly, and delighted more in the calm content of his home and fireside than in the loud acclaim of men. Logan fought his own way, won his own victories, made his own fame secure. Scrutinizing the list of those who, emerging from comparative obscurity, have contrib- uted the noblest service to the Republic and made themselves a record for immortality, the name of Logan will be found written not far below those of Lincoln and of Grant. SENATOR WILLIAM M. EVARTS [REP.], OF NEW YORK, SAID : It cannot, I believe, be doubted that at every stage of General Logan's life he was a capital figure. If in the first few months of the opening struggle, aftef he had taken his position in an- imating, arousing, confirming the movement of this people to sustain the Government, if in the first battle bullets had taken away his life, Logan would have been a capital figure in the memory of that great scene and on that great theatre. If in his military career, com- memorated and insisted upon so well, at any pause in his advance he had fallen in this battle or that battle, he would have been a capital figure in that scene and on that theatre. And at the end of the war, when the roll was made up of the heroes, and had he not moved before this great people in any subsequent career, if the angel of death had then taken away his life, he would have been a capital figure in the whole honor of that war. 554 LIFE 0F LOGAN. And, Mr. President, in the great civic labors and dangers that attended the rearrange- ment of our political and social condition in this country subsequent to the war, if that share and if that part of his career had been the only one to be commemorated, he would have been a capital figure in that. And if, when these strifes were composed and the country was knit together in allegiance and loyalty to the Government he loved and served, he thenceforward in this Chamber had presented for the record of his life only what should have been manifested and known and observed here, he would have been a capital figure in that single scene and theatre. We therefore must agree in what in his lifetime and so recently now after his death meets a universal concurrence, that he was of the citizen-soldiers of this great nation the greatest, and that of that class of citizen-soldiers that were numbered among statesmen he was the greatest of statesmen, and we must confess that on this larger area he still remains a capital figure which could be missed from no narrative of any portion of the story of his life. In every form of popular influence on the largest scale, near to the topmost of the cul- minating crown of a people's glory to the fame of one of their citizens, he was before us in the most recent contest for the Presidency. He, at the moment that he died, was held, in the judgment of his countrymen, among the very foremost for the future contest. And this illustration of his distinction knows no detraction, no disparagement, no flaw touching the very heart and manhood of his life and character. The loom of Time is never idle and the busy fingers of the Fates are ever weaving as in a tapestry the many threads and colors that make up our several lives, and when these are exposed to critics and to admirers there shall be found few of brighter colors or of nobler pattern than this life of General Logan. SENATOR DWIGHT M. SABIN [REP.J, OF MINNESOTA, SAID : Mr. President : . . . This session of the Senate has been dedicated to the offer- ing of a tribute to him who but recently sat with us in council, and who, it is entirely within the limits of moderation to say, has left a stamp upon the public affairs of our country during the period of his life which lime will not efface while the Republic endures. The name of General John A. Logan is at once a glory to the American people and a natural heritage to future generations. He was a Colossus among the giants of American history. The impress of his individuality and genius must remain upon the institutions for the per- petuity and perfecting of which the lives of Washington, of Hamilton, of Jefferson, of Sum- ner, of Lincoln, and of Grant were dedicated. . . . For over twenty years the untiring industry and the genius of General Logan as a statesman is to be found on almost every page of the records of the House of Representatives or of this Senate ; and it is a fact per- haps not generally known that General Logan originated and introduced more public meas- ures than any other member ; and we, his colleagues upon this floor, are familiar with that record, which is destined to grow brighter and more legible with the lapse of time. More fitting words cannot be said of our dear friend and lamented associate than his own touching and eloquent tribute to the memory of the immortal Lincoln : Yes, his sun has set forever ; loyalty's gentle voice can no longer wake thrills of joy along the tuneless chords of his mouldering heart ; yet patriots and lovers of liberty who still linger on the shoies of time rise and bless his memory ; and millions yet unborn will in after-time rise to deplore his death and cherish as a household word his deathless name. SENATOR THOMAS W. PALMER [REP.], OF MICHIGAN, SAID: When the news reached me, many thousand miles from here, that General Logan was dead, I felt that something more than a great man had passed away. I felt that a great impelling force — a bulwark whose resistance had never been overcome — a cohesive power which bound together many atoms which otherwise would have been unrelated had been eclipsed. Among the many prominent characters that have come before the public gaze in the last twenty-live years he can be assigned no secondary place, burn in the then far West, where advantages were few, he had developed from within. He had evolved what was involved. All that he appeared to be he was. His nature could not tolerate meretricious aids if proffered. If he had been caught in the eddies and cyclones of the French Revolution he would have been Danton's coadjutor, if not Danton himself; Danton the furious, the gen- erous, the unrestrainable, the untamed. His motto would have been, as was that of his prototype, to dare, and by that sign he would have saved his country if human power could APPENDIX. 555 have availed. Placed in another environment, inspired by other traditions, his daring was none the less conspicuous, and he was none the lessafactor in that memorable conflict which unified his native land. Born in Switzerland he would have been a Winkelried or an Ilofer, had the exigencies of the times demanded. If there is to be a type of the Caucasian race to be known distinctively as the American, it will have as its substructure spiritually the pronounced traits which have made the name of Logan famous — directness of aim, intrepidity of spirit, honesty of purpose, generosity for the vanquished, tenderness for the weak, and catholicity of feeling for all. Some of these qualities were at times obscured in him because of the intensity of his nature, which sub- ordinated all things to the demands of the time and occasion. He detested pretence. He denuded shams. He projected himself with such force that to me he seemed to have the dual nature of the catapult and the missile which it throws. I was thrown with him during the last Presidential contest for a season in my own State. The canvass was bitter and exhausting. His capacity for work then illustrated was marvel- lous. The methods by which he reached the hearts of the people were spontaneous, subtle, and effective. His progress was an ovation. He never appeared without evoking the most rapturous applause, and he never disappointed expectation. He carried about him an at- mosphere that attracted and cemented men to him. The secret was he was en rapport with the heart of humanity. No man so low but felt he was a brother, no man so high but felt he was his peer. In the Senate he united the valor of the soldier and the temper of the legislator to the tenderness of the child with its quick resentments quickly set aside. If in another age, under other conditions, he had died like Danton, on a scaffold raised by those whom he had helped to save (I can fancy), he would have said, as Danton said to his friend when the mob were howling for his biood, " Heed not that vile canaille, my friend ; " and again, as he stepped upon the scaffold, " O my wife, my well-beloved ;" and I believe the historian would have said of him as of Danton, " No hollow formalist, decep- tive and self-deceptive, ghastly to the natural sense, was this ; but a man — with all his dross he was a man, fiery real, from the great fire bosom of nature herself." If, like Sidney, wounded and dying, he had lain upon the battlefield he would have been equal to the re-enactment of the story which has made Sidney's name a sweet savour unto Christendom. But Providence had reserved him for a kindlier fate. The hand of affection cooled his brow, and his eye had lost its speculation and the ear its sensibility before the tears and moans of those he loved attested to others that the strong man had at last met a power that was silently, speedily, surely bearing him to the dark house and the long sleep. Amid the many heroic figures which stand out on the luminous background of the past quarter of a century none will be regarded with more affection and interest than that sturdy and intrepid form portrayed in silhouette, clear cut and pronounced in its outlines as in its mental traits. Happy the State which has born such a citizen. Thrice happy the people who, appre- ciating his virtues, shall give him a place in the Valhalla of her heroes for the encouragement and inspiration of the youth of the future. SENATOR CHARLES B. FARWELL [REP. J, OF ILLINOIS, SAID : Mr. President : After the many eloquent words which have been said upon this mourn- ful occasion, I feel that any word which I could say would be idle and vain. General Logan was the bravest of soldiers, an able statesman, and an honest man. No higher trib- ute can be paid to man than this, and this is the offering which I bring. The late Presi- dent of the United States, General Grant, said to me that he could never forget General Logan's great services to his country. In battle always brave, never faltering, always ready. He is greatest who serves his country best. And shall we not class him as one of these ? Mr. President, I second the resolutions of my colleague. The resolutions were then agreed to unanimously, and "as a further mark of respect to the memory of General Logan" the Senate adjourned. 556 LIFE OF LOGAN. PART II.— HOUSE EULOGIES UPON LOGAN. TRIBUTES PAID TO LOGAN'S MEMORY, IN THE U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, BY REP RESENTATIVES THOMAS, THOMAS H. HENDERSON, M'KINLEY, RANDALL, CANNON, BUT TERWORTH, DAVID B. HENDERSON, HOLMAN, SPRINGER, GEORGE E. ADAMS, ROGERS ROWELL, DANIEL, M'COMAS, A. J. WEAVER, CUTCHEON, WILSON, RICE, CASWELL O'HARA, GOFF, OSBORNE, PAYSON, BRADY, HITT, SYMES, LAWLER, PERKINS, PETTIBONE HAYNES, BUCHANAN, J. H. WARD, GALLINGER, PLUMB, JACKSON, AND C. M. ANDERSON On February 16, 1887, in the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Thomas the Representative from Logan's old Congressional District in Illinois, called up the reso lutions of respect for the memory of Logan, passed by the Senate and transmitted to the House, and submitted for the consideration of the House the following : Resolved, That this House has heard with profound sorrow of the death of John A. Logan, late a Senator from the State of Illinois. Resolved, That the business of this House be suspended that appropriate honors may be paid to the memory of the deceased. Resolved, That the Clerk of the House be directed to transmit to the family of the deceased a copy of these resolutions. Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of the deceased this House do now adjourn. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN R. THOMAS [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, THEREUPON SAID: Mr. Speaker : . . . Logan was a born warrior, full to overflowing with military genius, spirit, courage, and dash. His military record in the Mexican War was creditable and honorable for one of his years, but it was during the War of the Rebellion that his military ardor and genius blazed forth in peerless splendor and glory. As colonel of the Thirty- first Illinois Regiment, he was almost worshipped by his officers and men ; as the com- mander of a brigade, division, corps, and army, he was the central sun of all his command, and stood in their estimation as the invincible commander, the irresistible leader. At the battles of Fort Donelson, Champion Hills, Vicksburg, Raymond, Resaca, Kene- saw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Decatur, Atlanta, and Jonesboro' he led his forces always to victory. He was the most magnetic, romantically dashing soldier I ever saw upon the battlefield. Who of those who witnessed it can ever forget the picturesque splendor of his appearance and bearing as he dashed down the line as the new commander of the Army of the Tennessee just after McPherson fell on that terrible 22d day of July, 1864. The impetuous Hood had launched his forces upon our lines with the fury and power of an Alpine avalanche ; McPherson the chivalrous had fallen ; a half-defined panic seized our men, and they began falling back, steadily, almost doggedly, at first ; but with fast-expiring courage, and rapidly increasing speed they shrunk before the eager onslaught of the enemy. Just then Logan came tearing down the line at full speed. He was superbly mounted upon a powerful black stallion, a genuine charger, a war-horse indeed ; his long black hair floated out like a banner, his fearless eagle eyes were two flaming orbs, his face was as dark as the front of a storm-cloud, and his voice was like the battle-blast of a bugle. Instantly the re- treating half panic-stricken soldiers changed front, re-formed their line of battle, fixed bay- onets, and followed Logan in an irresistible charge against the enemy, driving them in con- fusion from the field. At the battle of Raymond it became necessary to change the position of a battery of artillery on the field. In moving to the new position the battery had to pass over a portion of the field where quite a number of the dead of both armies lay. Logan halted the battery, and while in full sight of the enemy and under fire, dismounted, and helped with his own hands to tenderly remove the dead bodies, both Federal and Confederate, from the road where the cannon had to pass. . . . I . igan was a born leader in civil, as well as in military life. As a nisi priits lawyer he i in the front rank of the profession, even before he entered Congress the first time. 1 the Illinois Legislature he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the I In Congress, both in the House and Senate, his position and works have been so impor- APPENDIX. 557 tant and conspicuous for almost a quarter of a century that the country and the whole civil- ized world must be familiar with them. Few men have held so many hearts in the hollow of their hand as did John A. Logan. He was the most conspicuous political figure in the West, if not in the country ; and in Illi- nois the vacancy caused by his death can never be filled. REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS J. HENDERSON [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID: Mr. Speaker : . . . My first acquaintance with John A. Logan began in 1840, when we were yet but boys. His father, Dr. John Logan, whom I well remember, and mine, were in that year members of our State Legislature, and we accompanied them to Springfield, the the.n new capital of our State, where we first met and formed an acquaint- ance which a little later became intimate, and finally ripened into a friendship which con- tinued uninterrupted and unbroken to the day of his death. In 1853 he must have been, if not the youngest, among the youngest members of the State Legislature, and yet he was a leading, prominent member of the House of Representa- tives ; took an active part in all the proceedings, and exhibited at that early day the same characteristics which in the last twenty-six or seven years of his life made him one among the most conspicuous figures in our national affairs ; that is, he was earnest, enthusiastic, fearless. He had opinions and the courage of his convictions, and he maintained them with an ability which 1 know made his then political friends regard him as one of the most promising young men of the State. Logan was a member of the Thirty-sixth and also of the Thirty-seventh Congress. But in 1861, before the expiration of his second term, he resigned his seat in Congress, went home to Illinois, raised a regiment, and entered into the military service of his country for the preservation of the Union. He served in the Thirty-sixth and in the Thirty-seventh Congress with ability and distinction. I shall not attempt on this occasion to follow General Logan at length in all his brilliant and wonderful career after he entered the Union Army in 1861. Nor is it necessary for me to do so, for his military service at least is well known to all persons who admire great deeds and love and honor the glory of their countrymen. The story of the many memorable inarches, battles, and campaigns in which Logan participated and won a glorious distinction and a name that will live forever, fills the brightest pages of 1 is country's history, and will be repeated by the children of the Republic, I trust, when all who now live shall have passed away. . . . Everywhere, wherever this brave, gallant, patriotic soldier went at the head of his command, he upheld and defended the flag of his country, with a heroism and a patriotism absolutely sublime. But it is not for the military service of General Logan alone, glorious as that has been, that we should honor his name. I have spoken of his service in civil life before the war. But since the war he has represented the State of Illinois in Congress, either as a member of the House or the Senate, continuously from 1S66 to the day of his death, with an inter- mission of two years, and always with great ability and fidelity. No man has ever been more faithful to public duly than John A. Logan. He has been true to every trust confided to him, and is entitled to quite as much distinction for his energy and industry, his integrity and ability in the councils of the nation since the war as he was for his heroic courage, his gallantry, and his patriotism in the military service during the war. John A. Logan was one of the most untiring, energetic, industrious, fearless men I have ever known in public life. I have often wondered how he accomplished so much work as he did, for but few, if any, of our public men have taken a more active part in all our important national legisla- tion in the last twenty years than Logan. But he has left us. This man of wonderful activity, of untiring energy and industry, of earnest patriotism, of heroic courage and distinguished ability — this illustrious citizen, sol- dier, and Senator has gone out from among us to return no more forever. He has left us, as many of us who knew him best and loved him most believed, before he had reached the zenith of his usefulness, and when we hoped higher honors were yet in store for him. Mr. Speaker, I stood at the bedside of John A. Logan when he was dying, and saw him pass peacefully away. And the scene, one of the most affecting and I may say deeply dis- tressing I ever witnessed, can never be obliterated from my memory. . . . General Logan has been greatly beloved and honored by the State of Illinois, and in return he has shed honor and renown upon the State by faithful and honorable service, and by the lustre of his great deeds. And to-day we deplore his death and mourn his loss as a calamity to the State and to the entire country. But he leaves behind him a brilliant record, a noble example, and a name and a fame which will live forever. 553 LIFE OF LOGAN. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM M'KINLEY, JR. [REP.], OF OHIO, SAID : Mr. Speaker : . . . General Logan was a conspicuous figure in war, and scarcely less conspicuous in peace. Whether on the field of arms or in the forum where ideas clash, General Logan was ever at the front. Great ami commanding, however, Mr. Speaker, as were his services in war . . . his patriotic words penetrated the hearts and the homes of the people of twenty-two States. They increased enlistment. They swelled the muster-rolls of States. They moved the indifferent to prompt action. They drew the doubting into the ranks of the country's de- fenders. His first election to Congress was in the year made memorable by the debate between Lincoln and Douglas. In the Presidential contest of i860 following he was the enthusiastic friend and supporter of Douglas. But the moment secession was initiated and the Union threatened he was among the first to tender his sword and his services to Abraham Lincoln, and to throw the weight of his great character and resolute soul on the side represented by the political rival of his old friend. His service in this House and in the Senate, almost uninterruptedly since 1867, was marked by great industry, by rugged honesty, by devotion to the interests of the country, to the rights of the citizen, and especially by a devotion to the interests of his late comrades- in-arms. He was a strong and forcible debater. He was a most thorough master of the subjects he discussed, and an intense believer in the policy and principles he advocated. In popu- lar discussion upon the hustings he had no superiors, and but few equals. He seized the hearts and the consciences of men, and moved great multitudes with that fury of enthusiasm with which he had moved his soldiers in the field. Mr. President, it is high tribute to any man, it is high tribute to John A. Logan, to say that in the House of Representatives where sat Thaddeus Stevens, Robert C. Schenck, James G. Blaine, and James A. Garfield, Henry Winter Davis, and William D. Kelley, he stood equal in favor and in power in party control. And it is equally high tribute to him to say that in the Senate of the United States, where sat Charles Sumner and Oliver P. Morton, Hannibal Hamlin and Zachariah Chandler, John Sherman and George F. Ed- munds, Roscoe Conkling and Justin Morrill, he fairly divided with them the power ami responsibility of Republican leadership. No higher eulcgy can be given to any man, no more honorable distinction could be coveted. It has been said here to-day, Mr. Speaker, that John A. Logan was a partisan, that he was a party man. So he was. He believed in the Republican Party ; but while he believed in the Republican Party, its purposes and aspirations, he was no blind follower of party cau- cuses or of partisan administrations. . . . He was not only quick to defend Charles Sumner, but he was as prompt to defend his old comrade and leader, General Grant, when a little later he was unjustly (as Logan believed) attacked in the Senate, and the warp and woof of the thought of his defence, both of Sumner and of Grant, is exactly the same. He puts the defence of both upon the ground of what they have done for their country. . . . General Logan's military career, standing alone, would have given him a high place in history and a secure one in the hearts of his countrymen. General Logan's legislative career, standing alone, would have given 1dm an enduring reputation, associating his name with some of the most important legislation of the time and the century. But united, they pre- sent a combination of forces and of qualities, they present a success in both careers almost unrivalled in the history of men. He lived during a period of very great activities and forces, and he impressed himself upon his age and time. To me the dominant and con- trolling force in his life was his intense patriotism. It stamped all of his acts and utterances and was the chief inspiration of the great work he wrought. His book, recently published, is a masterful appeal to the patriotism of the pe 'pie. His death, so sudden and unlooked for, was a shock to Ids countrymen and 1 aused universal sorrow among all classes in every part of the Union. He was the idol of the army in which he served — the ideal citizen volunteer of the Re- public, the pride of all the armies, and affectionately beloved by all who loved the Union. Mr. Speaker, the old soldiers will miss him. The old oak around whom their hearts were twined, to which their hopes clung, lias fallen. The old veterans have lost their ly friend. The Congress of the United States has lost one of its ablest councillors, the Republican Party one of its confessed leaders, the country one of its noble defenders. APPENDIX. 5 c 9 REPRESENTATIVE SAMUEL J. RANDALL [DEM.], OK PENNSYLVANIA, SAID : Mr. Speaker, I sincerely sympathize with the State of Illinois and the entire country in the loss to the public councils of General John A. Logan, whose valor and skill upon the battle-field were supplemented and rounded out by a career of great usefulness in the House of Representatives and in the Senate of the United States. He was a child of the people, and he received at their hands almost every honor that could be appropriately bestowed. He was a fair and complete illustration of the justice and the resulting strength of our form of government, in this, that it gives to the worthy and in- dustrious citizen an opportunity to reach the highest positions known to the laws. The records of our public men are the indications of the destiny of our country, either for weal or woe. They represent the moral height to which the people grew in their time. They are examples for the study of the generations which are to follow them. Therefore, when a man like John A. Logan passes off the scene, it is our grateful duty to recall every act of his which, whether in the field or in the forum, was characterized by deep conviction and by undoubted moral and personal courage. The full story of his life will be told in truthful and loving words by the members of the Illinois delegation and by his political friends on this floor ; but I cannot refrain from ex- pressing this brief tribute of my respect to the memory of a public man who deserved so well of his country. REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPH G. CANNON [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID : Mr. Speaker, whoever pays a proper tribute to the memory of General Logan must write the history of the country during the late war and the years succeeding. With Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, and Thomas he was a factor — and not the least — in the settlement of these questions which determine the fate of a nation, ay, of a civiliza- tion. The greatest popular leader in the ranks of the Democratic party for a generation imme- diately preceding the war was Stephen A. Douglas. Logan was his admirer, supporter, and trusted friend. . . . When Douglas died Logan took his place as a leader, entered the army, and did not lay down his arms until the war closed. At the commencement of the war, through the efforts of Douglas and Logan, the North was saved from the ravages of civil warfare within its borders. Logan is universally acknowledged to have been the greatest volunteer general of the late war. In effectiveness of service to the Republic history will accord him an equal meed of praise with any officer, either regular or volunteer, in the late war. Logan not only proved a great general in the field, but by placing his fingers upon his own pulse was enabled to count the heart-beats of the whole people. The people recog- nized that he was one of them. They gave him their confidence ; to confidence they added respect, and to respect love. These he retained until his death. He was a friend of the people, and the people were his friends. His death is the nation's loss. His record is the nation's inheritance. He moulded events in great crises. His achievements are examples of the value of ability when coupled with convictions. Whatever he did he did with all his might. His life will be a healthy incentive to action to the millions who are to follow after him. Logan dead will be a potent factor for good when those people who drift without convictions, priding themselves upon their culture in lieu thereof, are dead and forgotten. REPRESENTATIVE BENJAMIN BUTTERWORTH [REP. J, OF OHIO, SAID: Mr. Speaker, . . . John A. Logan sleeps with his fathers. The final audit of his life's account has been made up. What made this man a leader of men ? What gave him influential prominence through- out the country? It was, I submit, due in the main to the inherent qualities of heart he possessed ; his uncompromising devotion to what he conceived to be duty. With him, be- tween right and wrong there was no middle ground. Between right and wrong there could not consistently with the high obligations of duty be any compromise. In him there was found coupled with the unselfish and unequalled zeal of a Covenanter Calvinist, if you please, the chivalric bearing of a Cavalier. He was of the material of which martyrs are made. If a sense of duty required, he would have suffered at the stake with John Rogers. And by the same token he might not have been seriously troubled at the taking off of Servetus. John A. Logan's highest ambi- tion was to be right. 5 6 ° LIFE OF LOGAN. Up to i86r he was a Democrat in the strictest partisan sense. The Democratic Party was the agency through which all great good to our country was to be worRed out. The party horizon came down all around him — he could not or did not appear to see beyond it. Then came a time when that too narrow range of vision was extended. The veil that ob- scured the more enlarged view of portentous events was lifted by the conflict of 1861. Logan stood for the first time to contemplate what stubborn adherence to party lines meant. He saw portending in the near future a Constitution overthrown and defied, the Union dismembered, a Government disrupted and destroyed. From that moment love of party was swallowed up in love of country. His duty to him at least was clear. The integ- rity of the Union, the supremacy of the Constitution, the acknowledged sovereignty of the flag wok.- henceforth to him above all else. With what uncompromising zeal, unselfish de- votion, and undaunted heroism he served the cause of his country in the field and in the councils of the nation is known to all his countrymen. . . . The Calvinistic faith of his mother, the stern integrity of his father, blending in the son fitted him for a leader, and made him a man whose influence could not but be healthful. He would have been Moreau at Hohenlinden, but was incapable of being Moreau at Dres- den, lie would have led at Malvern Hill, and marched toward the sound of the cannon and the rising dust of battle at Bull Run. He was ambitious to be President, but in the pursuit of that worthy ambition he never practised the small arts of the demagogue nor re- sorted to the tricks which mere political expediency suggest. . . These, in my judgment, are the crowning glories of Logan's character : That in all his course he sought " to walk in the light." Inflexible adherence to duty, as that duty was revealed to him. Incorruptible integrity in every field of action, and in every employment. Unselfish devotion to country and friends. These attributes of his character shine more re- splendent now that he walks no more among us. . . . REPRESENTATIVE DAVID B. HENDERSON [REP.], OF IOWA, SAID : Mr. Speaker : The nation lingers by the grave of Logan ! . . . Weeks have passed since the bells of the nation tolled him to rest, and yet the people remain uncovered. It is no common man whose fall shocks sixty millions of people. I come to the sad duty of this hour not to speak for others, but 'to render the heart-offerings of a comrade and a friend. We first naturally think of General Logan as a soldier. So strong was he at every post of duty that history must hesitate to pronounce upon him as the greater soldier or the greater statesman. Though not trained to arms, he was a great soldier. The volunteers with one voice claim this. The leading generals of the country, those schooled for war, admit it. He fought as one who ever kept in mind the great cause that called him to the field. If true of any man, it can be said that danger and death had no terrors for Logan. Restless when the enemy was afar, he became eager and fired by the approach of battle and a consuming whirlwind when the charge was sounded. His presence drove fear from the hearts of the soldiery. He was inspiring, fearless, conquering. The tumult of battle and the roar of cannon made him the imperial personification of a great fighter. In thinking of Logan as a soldier, forget not his greatest attribute. Not for ambition did he draw his sw nd. I nit fur his country and all his countrymen. Put few men combine the qualities of a great soldier and a great statesman — Logan was both. The courage and wisdom needed for a great statesman are of a higher order than the courage and wisdom needed by a great commander. It requires a higher, mightier courage to face and control a sweeping Niagara of popular thought than it does to face death or command an" army of men. Logan was one of the few men of his time who combined both itials for these high trusts. Most statesmen, like some generals, follow their forces. The great statesman, like the great general, must lead. On any field Logan was " a born 1 of men." On both fields he kept close to the people. . . . He was a man of the people in an eminent degree. His devotion to them was as sincere as was their love for him. . . . Seldom did" wealth support the career of Logan. It was the pe 'pie who followed him from obscurity to the Senate. Bui few men come out of cruel, searching conflict of a national campaign stronger than when they enter it. • his John A. Logan did in 1S84. When nominated, his party knew him to be strong with the people, but the great strength and popularity that he developed was a surprise "to his party. In the moment of his defeat he was greater than he who wore "the" laurel. Il w fs in the country ;it large as in my own State in 18S4. His passage through Iowa was a triumphal march, ami his pathway could be traced by the surging, shouting masses of the people. The historians will tell of General Logan and of Senator Logan, but the living will APPENDIX. 56l remember him as the " Black Eagle," "Black Jack," and "Honest John." He was an open, honest, brave, powerful tribune of the people. He was one of the great commoners of his time. As a powerful, kind, untiring friend of his old comrades he had no equal, and no man can wear his mantle. You need not seek a burial-spot for John A. Logan. He is buried in and cannot be removed from the warm, loving hearts of his old comrades in arms. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM S. HOLMAM [DEM.], OF INDIANA, SAID : Mr. Speaker, the pen of history can only do justice to so great a record as that which John A. Logan has bequeathed to his country. We can pay on an occasion like this only a brief tribute to his memory. John A. Logan came into this Hall as a member of the House at one of the most anxious periods of our history, the beginning of the Thirty-sixth Congress. While not taking an active part in current business of the House, he displayed from the beginning qualities and powers that gave promise of the great career in civil and military life which he was destined to complete. The State of Illinois was then represented in the House and Senate by an unusually able body of men. Stephen A. Douglas and Lyman Trumbull were Senators ; Washburne, afterward so distinguished in this House and later as our min- ister to France during the war between France and Germany ; Lovejoy, the greatest of the anti-slavery leaders ; Farnsworth, Fouke, Kellogg, McClernand, Morris, and Robinson, of the Northwest, were the colleagues in the House, of John A. Logan — a very strong body of men. All of them were either then men of national reputation or afterward achieved dis- tinction in civil or military life. McClernand, Farnsworth, and Fouke won distinction in the Union army ; and yet with such colleagues John A. Logan was a striking and promi- nent feature of the House from the time he took the seat where my friend [Mr. Eden] now sits. His manly deportment, the fire and vigor of his occasional remarks, the resoluteness of his purpose as expressed in every gesture of his hand and tone of voice, commanded at- tention and gave promise of a great career if the occasion should arise, and of honorable distinction under any conditions of human life. He was the highest type of a strong, positive, rugged, fearless man, whose opinions, were absolute convictions, controlling and mastering. As a politician and partisan he neither gave nor asked quarter. He never hesitated in the expression of his opinions, and they were not modified during his service in the Thirty-sixth Congress or the short called session of the Thirty-seventh Congress, which met on the 4th day of July, 1S61. . . . He would have preserved the • Union by compromise, by concessions. . . . But I am satisfied that General Logan did not at any time hesitate in his devotion to the Union, hostile as he was to the principles of" the great party which obtained control of the Government in i860. No matter what party was in power, he was for the Union. When he became convinced that the Union could not be restored with African slavery, that its continued existence would be ultimately fatal to our free institutions, he freely avowed his opinions. . . . General Logan was a man in many respects of the same type with Mr. Douglas ; both were devoted friends of their country, firm, confident, and fearless when war was inevitable ; the declaration of Mr. Douglas of his purpose to stand by the Union at every hazard thrilled the country and animated his friends. General Logan and most of his immediate associates adopted at an early moment the same patriotic pol- icy. There were qualities of greatness about General Logan that necessarily made him a great character in our history. The rugged, fearless positiveness of his character, his indomita- ble strength of will, his manly integrity, made him a great man. He had the qualities that gather large bodies of men around men. His friendships were strong and warm. He did not shrink from his enemies. No man ever had more devoted friends, or those who would make greater sacrifices to advance his interests. In the judgment of the present generation General Logan has made a great record both in civil and military life, in statesmanship as well as in the field ; that judgment, we may con- fidently believe, will be confirmed by impartial history. He will occupy a large space in the history of our country. To the generations that are coming he will be a grand type of American manhood. His name, a synonym of patriotism and honor — One of the few. the immortal names, That were not bjrn to die. 36 562 LIFE OF LOGAN. RErRESENTATIVE WILLIAM M. SPRINGER [DEM.J, OF ILLINOIS, SAIO Mr. Speaker : In the language of the resolution now pending the ordinary business of legislation is suspended that the friends and associates of the deceased Senator, John A. Lo^an, may pay fitting tribute to his public and private virtues. . . . I saw him for the first time in January, 1857, just thirty years ago. He was then a member of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois, and I was a student at Illi- nois College, at Jacksonville. I had visited Springfield to witness the inauguration of Gov- ernor William II. Bissell. When I entered the legislative hall, the youthful and impetuous Logan was speaking. He at once arrested my attention. I have never forgotten the scene. There was great interest manifested, and party spirit ran high. He seemed to move upon his political foes as if charging an enemy upon a field of battle. His speech occupied two days in delivery, and in severity of language and vehemence of manner excelled, perhaps, all other off >rts of his life. He was one of the leaders of the Democratic party in the Leg- islature and had been selected by his friends as the orator for the occasion. Governor Bissell had been a prominent Democrat, but had differed with his party on the Kansas and Nebraska bills, and became the candidate of the Republicans for governor, and was elected. He was a man of great ability, and his candidacy had resulted in a political campaign of unprecedented acrimony and bitter invectives. The heated discussions before the people were carried into the Legislature. When the motion was made to print 20,000 copies of Governor Bissell' s message, Logan moved to amend so as to provide for printing but half the usual number. The debate lasted more than a week, and was one of the most memorable ever witnessed in the State, which is noted for great political contests. The body was Democratic, and Logan's motion prevailed. From that time forward his reputation as a party leader was established. During the thirty years which have elapsed he has occupied a prominent position in State and National affairs. He passed at once from the arena of State politics to the councils of the nation. ... He resigned his scat in Congress in 1861, and entered the army as colonel of an Illinois regiment. By regular promotions for gallant and meritorious conduct he reached the rank of major- general. His military record is one of the most brilliant of the late war. Had he been educated at West Point and thus relieved from the prejudice which existed in the regular army against volunteer generals, there is little doubt that he would have risen to the chief command of the army. When General Sherman denied him the command of the Army of the Tennessee before Atlanta, a position which his skill and bravery had won for him, he cheerfully submitted and urged his friends to make no complaints or protests. I cannot follow him in all his battles during the long and eventful war. Suffice it to say that he shrank from no hard- ship, he feared no danger, he faltered in nothing. Beloved by his men, and respected by his fellow-officers, he won the admiration of the people, and his memory will be cherished by his countrymen for all time to come. . . . After the close of the war he was again re-elected as a Representative in Congress, serv- ing in the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses. He was three times elected a United States Senator from the State of Illinois, and had served not quite two years of his last term when he died. His career as a statesman is scarcely less brilliant than that as a soldier. . . . The soldiers of the late war had in Senator Logan a most faithful and devoted friend. They never appealed to him in vain. They seemed to look to him for all general and spe- cial legislation in their behalf. In his death they lost their ablest advocate and truest friend. ... Mr. Speaker, nothing can be said to add to the fame or greatness of our departed friend. His work is done. His race is run. He sleeps the sleep that knows no waking. But his deeds shall live after him. Adown the pathway of time coming generations will read of his deeds of courage, of his devotion to the public weal, of his love for his mother, his wife, his children, and country, and wonder as the years glide by whether they will ever behold his like again. REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE E. ADAMS [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID: Mr. SPEAKER : . . . Logan will be regarded as the most striking figure of our civil war. He was the greatest of the Union volunteers. As such he will stand in history. Macaulay, speaking of the famous army of the Long Parliament, says : These persons, sober, moral, diligent, and accustomed to reflect, had been induced to take up arms, not by the pi '• not by the love oi novelty and license, not by the arts of recruit ins oftVers, but by religious and political zeal, mingled vwih the desire uf distinction and promotion. The boast of the soldiers was, as we APPENDIX. 563 find it recorded in their solemn resolutions, that they had not been forced into the service, nor had enlisted chiefly for the sake of lucre ; that they were no janizaries, but free born Englishmen, who had, of their own ac- cord, put their lives in jeopardy for the liberty and religion of England, and whose right and duty it was to watch over the welfare of the nation which they had saved. Such, in the main, were the volunteers of our civil war, and such, in a high degree, were the regiments of the Northwestern States, who made up the famous Fifteenth Corps. They were more effective, perhaps, as a military force under the command of Logan than they would have been under a merely professional soldier. They recognized in him not merely an accomplished commander, but a fellow-citizen and a friend, whose hopes, feelings, and pur- poses accorded with their own. As they knew that he would spare neither them nor himself in the service of the Union, so they knew that he would expose them to no unnecessary danger, or sacrifice their lives to his own military ambition. Therefore it was that after his troops had come to understand his character as a commander, a regiment under his lead seemed sometimes to become a brigade, a brigade seemed to have the strength of a division, and wheresoever Logan thought it his duty to lead, fifteen thousand thinking bayonets were ready to follow. History will take no leaf from the laurels which Logan won in the civil war, because he was reluctant to believe that civil war was necessary. . . . But the time came when Logan's attitude toward the administration of Mr. Lincoln and his war policy changed as if in the twinkling of an eye. It was by no elaborate course of reasoning ; it was by a sudden flash of insight that he saw that the war was inevitable, and that the North was resolved. He saw, he understood, he obeyed, as unhesitatingly as did the apostle to the Gentiles when he beheld the great light that shone on the way to Damascus and heard the voice crying " Saul ! Saul!" . . . He saw his own duty also. He could thank God, as Wendell Phillips had, for every word he had spoken counselling peace, but his heart told him that henceforth the only place of honor and duty for him, the only place where his spirit could be at peace with itself, would be in the camp, or on the march, or in the line of battle with the volunteers of Illinois. . . . He went into his district. He made as brave a charge upon the prejudices of Southern Illinois as he ever made upon the Confederate lines. He made his people see what he had seen on that July morning in Washington, that the safety of the great Republic, the freedom and happiness of millions yet unborn, in the South as well as in the North, must be sought by the dreadful path of civil war. Thus the first service which Logan rendered in the war for the Union was a victory won by his eloquent tongue before he had drawn his sword. I shall not try to recount Logan's military services in the Union cause during the next four years. There are many others in this House more competent than I to recall the his- tory of these stirring events, of which they were themselves a part. One trait of Logan's character has attracted the attention of all who met him in public or private life. He was a sincere and devoted friend of his friends, and he was not the secret enemy of any man. Open, straightforward sincerity in word and action was such a prominent characteristic of his demeanor toward friend and enemy alike that we may not unfairly apply to him the description which Clarendon gives of the great Duke of Bucking- ham : His kindness and affection to his friends was so vehement that it was as so many marriages for better and worse, and so many leagues offensive and defensive, as if he thought himself obliged to love all his friends and to make war upon all they were angry with, let the cause be what it would. And it cannot be denied that he was an enemy in the s.ime excess, and prosecuted those he looked upon as his enemies with the utmost rigor and animosity, and was not easily induced to a reconciliation. And yet there are some examples of his reced- ing in that particular And in the highest passion he was so far from stooping to any dissimulation whereby his displeasure might be concealed and covered till he had attained his revenge (the low method of courts), that he never endeavored to do any man an ill office before he first told him what he was to expect from him, and re- proached him with the injuries he had done, with so much generosity, that the person found it in his power to receive further satisiaction in the way he would choose for himself. When a great man dies in the maturity of his intellectual powers, before he has even reached the threshold of old age, we are apt to deplore not merely our loss, but his own. . . . Logan's death is our loss rather than his own. Better, perhaps, for this keen, ambitious spirit to pass from life in the full maturity of his mental powers ; his career not yet completed ; the last and brightest goal of his ambition still before his eyes and almost within his reach. 564 LIFE OF LOGAN. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN H. ROGERS [DEM.], OF ARKANSAS, SAID: Mr. Speaker, integrity is the basic principle of all moral character — integrity in its Ii a> lest sense, integrity of thought, integrity of word, integrity of deed. Laborious indus- try is the indispensable condition of all success which is honestly achieved. No less an im- portant element in human greatness is courage. My personal relations with General Logan were limited to a passing acquaintance and a few meetings on matters of public business. But I am persuaded from all 1 knew of him that he possessed all the qualities I have mentioned and to a pre-eminent degree. At a time when others holding similar positions of honor and trust lived sumptuously and grew rich General Logan kept his frugal and simple ways, and finally died compara- tively poor. That he was indefatigably industrious, zealous, and scrupulously faithful in the discharge of every public duty those who knew him best cheerfully attest, and this I believe to have been the key to his great success. Few men are born great. The truest, the safest, the wisest are the plodders. I do not believe General Logan was either brilliant or in any sense what the world calls a genius. But he was more ; he was a great worker, an honest thinker, and a courageous actor. He was by nature self-reliant, but circumstances had wrought no small work in the for- mation of his character. He had grown up and lived his whole life in the great West. That great section of our country gives to history no better specimen of its pro- ductions than General Logan. Open, frank, without finesse, his methods were direct, and his purposes unconcealed. He was ambitious, but it was a laudable ambition guided by patriotism and inspired by a desire to benefit his fellow-men and promote the welfare of his country. I have ventured to speak only of his personal characteristics and his private and public worth. All understand his public services, extending through a long, eventful, and honor- able public life. These belong to history and are the proud heritage of his country which he served and honored and which in turn honored him. It is difficult to determine whether his greatest achievements were in war or in peace. They were great in both. His long and honorable career is a tribute to our institutions and an honor to our marvellous civilization. His life furnishes a bright example for the ambi- tious youth of the Republic. He went out from among us in the prime of his usefulness and in the zenith of his influence and power. In the great State of Illinois his place will not be easily filled. In the councils of his party he will be missed. In the Senate of the United States he will be long remembered. In the hearts of the citizen soldiery of the Union he is already enshrined. Mr. Speaker, I esteem it a privilege, as a pleasure, to unite in paying this last tribute of respect to his memory. REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN H. ROWELL [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID : Mr. Speaker, with no hope of adding anything to what has already been said in the way of correctly delineating the character of General Logan, I am still unwilling to let this occasion pass without paying my tribute to his memory. It was my fortune to serve under him during the War of the Rebellion for more than a year, and in the same army — the Army of the Tennessee — for a much longer period. Since the return of peace I have been one of those who believed in him as a political leader — as safe in council as he was heroic in war. . . . I have felt that the annals of Illinois and her connection with the grandest and saddest periods of our national history would not be complete until the greatest of our volunteer soldiers should be called to the chief magistracy of the nation, and so complete in that great office the triumvirate, Lincoln, Grant, Logan — each with his own peculiar greatness — Illinois' contribution to the world's great names " that were not born to die." It has seemed to me that the grand army of volunteers would never be fully honored and rewarded until the whole nation should do them homage by elect- ing to the Presidency their recognized chieftain. But Providence has ordered otherwise, and we bow in humble submission, still protesting that one page of our history remains incom- plete and must ever so remain. The death of General Logan is especially mourned by Western soldiers. The young men of the great West who sprung to arms at the first note of impending war formed the nucleus of that great division of the Army known as " the Army of the Tennessee." That army was almost exclusively composed of the men of '61 and '62 from the West and North- APPENDIX. 565 west. It was the army that won the victories which made Grant commander-in-chief and Sherman his chief lieutenant. With that army the knightly McPherson won his triumphs and rode to his death. With that army was all of General Logan's service from tlie lie- ginning to the end of the war. The injustice which kept him from being its commander after McPherson fell gave him also the opportunity of showing to the country how great he could be in unselfish patriotism. At Belmont and at Fort Donelson he gave token of the future great commander. But it was in that remarkable campaign in the rear of Vicksburg, when Grant cut loose from his base, and by a series of brilliant battles and victories, equal to any Napoleon ever won, forced Pemberton within the works at Vicksburg and finally compelled his surrender, that General Logan became the idol of his men and proved himself worthy to stand with Sherman and McPherson, safe on any field and equal to great occa- sions. Thenceforth where Logan led, his soldiers followed with implicit faith. Remember- ing Raymond and Champion Hills, from that time on they followed Logan into battle with full faith in a victorious ending. The war over, he remained their leader still. I speak as a member of that old Army of the Tennessee — glorying in its volunteer hero ; rejoicing in all his successes in the field, at home, in this House, and in yonder Senate Chamber ; mourn- ing Iris too early death. Pure in public and private life, honest in thought as well as deed, he has left to mankind an example worthy of emulation ; to the nation, his untarnished name and fame — the best of legacies. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN W. DANIEL [DEM.], OF VIRGINIA, SAID : Mr. Speaker, in the full vigor of his life, in the rounded fame of achievement, and in the high career of his distinguished office John A. Logan has heard the Master's call. . . . As said of him in the Senate Chamber by one who confronted him in the first and last battle which he fought, he was marked by "grand individuality and striking characteristics." And by another not less His opponent in the forum and the field : " No braver man ever lived, and the Almighty Creator endowed him with many other and great virtues." No glint is given us in these words alone of his long, varied, and brilliant services ; but they constitute an epitaph chiselled by the hand of truth upon the marble tablet of enduring memory, and they will live as the unaffected tribute of sterling men to one who was himself a sterling man and leader of men. The reason that Logan's name is so universally honored lies in the fact that he lived his life in the light, and had no cause to fear the light. In his character and in his record there are no dark mysterious phases. In an era fertile in the production of distinguished men, and that brought men to the front according to the strength that was in them, he stands upon a pedestal high and erect, a clear-cut, magnificent individuality, purely American in its type, heroic in its mould, marked by the masculine lines of power in thought and power in action, bespeaking the will to do, eloquent of the soul to dare. Did he accomplish much? Yes ; he possessed a robust mind, he knew that a straight line was the shortest distance between two points, and he went that line, " horse, foot, and dragoons," from purpose to object. He was a tireless worker, difficulties and dangers did not deter him, and he has left behind him lasting memorials of his work with sword and tongue and pen. Was he a great orator ? Yes ; not in the grace of classic art, not in the polish of rounded period, but in the earnestness of his utterances, the cogency of his thought, and in the power to persuade. Was he a great soldier ? Yes ; great in the personal prowess of the brave knight who faces those not less brave with valor that does not hesitate or flinch from the encounter, and great in abilities to inspire, marshal, and lead hosts to battle. Was lie beloved by his soldiers ? Yes ; he was thoughtful of them, he was reckless of himself, and he fought in front of them. Was he a great political leader ? Yes ; he believed in his own side, and espoused it with enthusiasm ; he stood up to it with fidelity whether it won or lost ; he never took two sides at thesametime, or wabbled between them ; he was strong in council ; steady in the conflict, and powerful before the people. Was he respected by his opponents ? Yes ; even though they thought that he was severe in his judgments and bitter in his expressions, they sincerely respected him, because they realized that in him was the upright, fearless spirit that said its say and did its deed, and left to God the consequence. They respected him because he was candid and outspoken, and did not wreathe his sword in myrtle-boughs. They respected him because they knew he did not carry political hostility into private relations ; because he was often kind and generous to 5 66 LIFE OF LOGAN. his political opponents, as I personally know and am pleased to testify, and because he never prostituted his public place to private gain. So high is honesty among the virtues that it condones all errors of judgment. So splen- did is courage that when it stands by honor's side it makes the man seem godlike. The man who has been laid by loving hands to his final rest was honest and he was brave, and mankind will honor his name and memory. . . With humble spirit I commune with you to-day who pronounce blessings upon the dust of him who was a chief among your chieftains, and who won by his valorous hand and up- right heart the honors paid him by the people. If errors he committed, may the good God forgive them. His virtues they were many and they were great. May they live forever, the well-spring of pride and inspiration to all his countrymen. To his memory, honor. To his ashes, peace. REPRESENTATIVE LOUIS E. M'COMAS [REP.], OF MARYLAND, SAID : Mr. Speaker, on the last evening he was in the Senate Chamber I conversed with John A. Logan. His business with the world was done. I recall his face now, a noble image of the intrinsic Logan, as we here to-day speak of his pilgrimage through life. Sixty years of life, a brief section of swift-flowing time, but in it for true, hard labor and valor of action there has been none truer or braver than he. A farmer boy, at school in Southern Illinois ; before manhood, a soldier in our battles with far-off Mexico eager for glory-winning honors. A lawyer, a prosecuting attorney, and yielding to his bent for poli- tics, a member, a leader in the Illinois Legislature. At thirty-two, a Democratic member of this House, elected and re-elected as a Representative of the States-rights party. In his place here, true to it, until convinced that loyalty to party was disloyalty to the Union, when he closed his desk, left his seat, though not mustered in, fell in line with a regiment marching over the Potomac yonder, and fought for the Union in the first battle as a private soldier. Then, doing manifold victorious battle as he went along, he emerged at the tri- umphant close of war, from among a million volunteers, the foremost, the ideal volunteer soldier. While his hand was still familiar with the sword-hilt, while the habits of the camp were still visible in his port and swarthy face, he was returned to his seat in this Chamber, a man who knew in every fibre — who, with heroic daring, had laid it to heart — that it is good to fight on the right side. . . . He was the nearest, best friend of the volunteer, the peer of the highest officer, a brother to the humblest soldier, the sponsor of the Grand Army of the Republic, the founder of "Memorial Day." Faults and prejudices he had, but he was always loyal to truth and duty. Frank, impetuous, decisive, honest, he advocated his convictions with a scorn of personal consequence, in peace as in war, whether as a manager of the impeachment of President Johnson, defending Senator Payne, condemning General Porter, legislating for the recon- struction, or laboring for the education of an enfranchised race. The manliest of men, a marvellous leader of the people, a famous, popular orator, a great general, a statesman. Unsullied lie bore his crowding honors worthily in public life, and rejoiced in the sweet contentment of an almost ideal home-life. The friend of Lincoln and Grant, with their greater names posterity will associate Logan's heroic face, painted now, as on the azure of eternity, serene, victorious. God grant that the light he leaves behind him may illumine the path of those who may serve our country in her need for generations to come. REPRESENTATIVE ARCHIBALD J. WEAVER [REP.], OF NEBRASKA, SAID: Mr. SPEAKER : . . . The noble traits of character of John A. Logan have been ily tamped upon the hearts of the American people. His whole life as warrior and statesman was dedicated to giving full force and significance to that affirmation of the Dec- laration of Independence, " That all men are created equal ; that they are endowed by their ir with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." ire the bugle-blast of war had called any of our country's defenders to the field, but when every movement of the discontented elements attested to the fearful truth that civil war with all it> dire consequences was about to test the national bond, upon this floor, iu February, 1SG1, John A. Logan said : APPENDIX. 5^7 I have been taught that the preservation of this glorious Union, with its broad flag waving over us as ihe shield of our protection on land and sea, is paramount to all parties and platforms that ever have existed or ever can exist. I would to-day, if I had the power, sink my own party, and every other one, with all their platforms, into the vortex of ruin, without heaving a sigh or shedding a tear, to save the Union or even to stay the revolu- tion where it is. This was but a patriotic declaration before the clash of arms, but in confirmation of his entire consecration and devotion to the preservation of the Union we have only to let impar- tial history hear witness. Not content to serve his country in the Halls of Congic^s, away from the exposure and danger of shot and shell, this brave man rushed into the thickest of battle. . . . In that contest for the preservation of the nation — for right against wrong, for freedom against slavery, for all that was good and pure and noble against all that was wicked and wrong and oppressive, wherein from the beginning of the contest to the close more than two and one-half millions of citizen soldiers placed their lives upon the altar of their country in that contest — we do know that John A. Logan was the greatest volunteer soldier, the greatest commander taken from civil life. He was the recognized leader of that great aimy of volunteer soldiers, and from the close of the war has been the defender and champion of the cause of the common soldier in the Congress of the United States. John A. Logan has been in the public service, almost continuously, for more than thirty years, and during all these years of faithful service his conduct has been so pure that not even a suggestion of corruption was ever associated with his name. . . . His whole life was dedicated to his country, to human rights, to making more firm and lasting the founda- tions of this Republic. He has woven his name in history with illustrious and praiseworthy deeds. Oh, that we had more Logans in the public service ! . REPRESENTATIVE BYRON M. CUTCHEON [REP.], OF MICHIGAN, SAID: Mr. Speaker, when on the 26th day of December last the intelligence was flashed across the land and under the seas that John A. Logan was dead, to millions of men it came with a sense of personal loss and bereavement. . . . His was a masterful nature that bends circumstances to his will, and brought men around him to work with him and for htm. It is given to but few men in a generation to become so positive a force among his fellow-men as Logan was. Perhaps few men were ever more strongly attached to a party than Logan was to his, but when it came to a question between party and country he knew no such thing as party allegiance. The first shot that cleft the stillness of Charleston Harbor as it boomed across the bay against Sumter, severed the last tie that bound him to a party he had loved and labored for until he had reached one-half the allotted age of man. In the fierce heat of his patriotism everything that might hold him back from supreme devotion to his country was burned away — utterly consumed. He at once resigned his seat in Congress, and returned to his State. Belmont, Donelson, Corinth, Champion Hills, Jackson, Raymond, and Vicksburg wit- nessed his valor and took reflected lustre from the gleam of his sword. Resaca, Kenesaw, Atlanta, and Jonesboro' are linked with his fame, and in large part owe their glory to his prowess, lie never elbowed his way to promotion, but promotion came to him almost of necessity. The eagle of the colonel gave way to the star on his shoulders after Uonelson, and that again was replaced by the double stars of the major-general, and these were but imperfect indices of his growth. As a soldier he was the very impersonation of intense energy. Men followed him be- cause they had no choice but to follow him. He was first of all intensely patriotic ; he was as brave as patriotic, and as magnanimous as he was brave. He possessed the confidence of his superiors, and the enthusiastic love of his soldiers. Of his return to Congress after the war and his career here for almost twenty years. I have not time to speak. Others have done that far better than I could. But during the four years that I knew him here it seemed to me that his life as a Senator and statesman was but the projective into another sphere of the traits that made him the splendid soldier that he was— intense patriotism, unlimited courage, strong virile force, honesty that was un- assailable, devotion to duty that took little account of consequences to self. . . . Does anyone doubt that Logan was great ? No one but a great man can fill a conti- nent with his name, can hold a great commonwealth in his grasp, can bind unknown millions to him who have never seen his face, so that his loss shall seem to each a personal bereave- ment. This Logan did. But he is discharged the service of this life— mustered out for promotion. S6S LIFE OF LOGAN. Mr. Speaker, the devoted patriot, the brave soldier, the courageous statesman, the un- soiled Senator, the devoted husband and father, tiie soldier's friend, the peerless volunteer — he shall walk with us here no more. The tender (lowers we laid upon his coffin on that last, sad day of the old year have long since withered, and their fragrance passed away. Neither their loveliness nor their perfume had power to hold him hack from the dissolution of mor- tality nor from the corruption of the giave. And so with our eulogies to-day. They will fade with the passing hour. "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what he did here." Kl 1UKSENTATIVE WILLIAM L. WILSON [DEM.], OK WEST VIRGINIA, SAID : Mr, SPEAKER: . . . What was the trait in General Logan's character that drew and fastened to him as a permanent possession the favor of his fellow-citizens? . . . The "cap-stone and crowning virtue of his character was its brave and transparent singleness. Men saw his robust virtues and admired them ; they likewise saw the faults allied to them, and forgot them, because he wore them both upon his breast. They believed him to be just what he seemed to be, nothing more and nothing less. ... In this rare and noble virtue lay the germ of General Logan's hold on public favor, confidence, and his ever widen- ing popularity. But, sir, General Logan was not only, and perhaps not chiefly known as a civilian and Senator. When the seed of discord planted, or, rather should I say, consciously and help- lessly left in our Federal Constitution by its framers, had before the lapse of a single cen- tury of national existence, under the forcing heat of the slavery struggle, burst forth in the blood-red flower of civil war. General Logan was among the first, and most eager, to take part in the conflict. Of all the men that went forth from this Capitol, to range themselves on the one or the other side in that Titantic struggle, of all the men that entered either army from civil life, he came back bringing the greenest laurels and having the most unfad- ing glory, and, in the more than twenty years that have since elapsed, the lustre of that mar- tial glory added much to his power and influence in the councils of his party and of his country. .Sir, it is a noteworthy fact that in the memorial services, one week ago in the Senate, no heartier tributes were offered than those which came from men who had met him, not only in the hot contests of partisan strife, but in the fiercer combats of real war. They were sincere tributes of manly men to a manly man. No prouder boast was ever made than that of the old Ithacan, when he said that his little island was " a rough, wild nurse-land, but its crops were men." Nothing in American history has been more manly and more pathetic than the prayer that mingled so often with the dying breath and dying thoughts of the successful warrior, when he, too. surrendered to a warrior stronger than himself at Mount McGregor, for the complete return of harmony and good-feeling among his once-divided countrymen. When after centuries of stubborn contest the strife between the two orders at Rome had finally ceased, that strife that so often threatened to dissolve the state and quench forever its rising star, and plebeian and patrician, turning from the bitterness of the past and remembering only its glories, joined in that career of greatness that has as yet no counterpart in his- tory, the old warrior Camillus vowed a temple to Concord, and a later generation built that temple, whose remains are yet seen in the Roman forum. Mr. Speaker, was not the dying prayer of General Grant such an inspiration, such an injunction, such a vow? And will not some generation yet to come, it may be sooner than we expect, a generation freer from the passions and prejudices of the strife than we dare to be, build a temple to Concord, and in it place the marble statues of Grant and Lee, of Stonewall Jackson and Thomas, of Stuart and Hancock, McClellan and Logan, and others ntmed because yet among the living? Then, when future generations of American citizens shall come to view the temple, . . . they will stand uncovered in that presence and exclaim': " Though we have much that our fathers have not. though we know much that our fathers knew not, yet in this august company let us admit that their crops were men." REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM W. RICE [REP.], OF MASSACHUSETTS, SAID: Mr. SPEAKKR, 1 bring a tribute from Mnssachusetts and place it reverently on the grave of Logan. lie had not, I believe, a drop of our blood in his veins • I do not know that he was ever within our borders excepting once or twice briefly in transit. His manners, his method of thought and speech, his political ideas, were not always by any means in accord with ours, yet I venture to say this soldier and statesman of the West, at the time of his APPENDIX. 569 death, held the first place in the hearts of the soldiers and common people of Massachusetts, who are her chiefest pride. Few men in t his age and country combined in so marked degree the characteristics which go to make up personal popularity. His massive frame, his glaring eye, his splendid strength, his undaunted courage would have made a hero of him at any time in any land. He would have "held the bridge" with Horatius, "in the brave days of old; " he would have led, amid clashing swords and spears, the wild warriors who came down from the north to the sack of Rome ; he would have couched lance in battle or in tourney with the toughest of Froissart's knights. As a patriot soldier he was bravest among the brave. At Belmont, at Donelson, at Vicksburg, at Atlanta, he led where any dared to follow. He never dodged a bullet or turned his face from the front. Had he been colled to do it, he would have scaled Wagner by the side of Shaw, or have kept his saddle, as Lowell did in the valley, after his death-wound, to lead one more charge against the breaking but still stubborn foe. But this was not all. By the sword peace had been won, but peace as well as war was to have work and triumphs for Logan. For more than twenty years he served in Congress, making his way by force of will, by clearness of judgment, by appreciation of popular in- stincts, and by honesty of purpose and action in such a degree that at his death his fame as a Senator was scarcely eclipsed by his old fame as a soldier. All his life he was a public man. . . . Let the young men of the country be en- couraged by the example of Logan and learn that there is no higher ambition than to fill worthily positions of public trust. Logan was a strong man. He never counted his friends or his foes. He knew his own position, and if he could not win others to it he was ready to defend it alone. He is dead — dead in the maturity of his strength and the plenitude of his powers — but his example lives. He has won a high place in our national Pantheon ; his name will live in history ; his memory is a precious legacy to those whom he has left behind him. Is this all ? Has the strong man utterly passed away ? Stands he no longer as a tower of strength for refuge and defence? Not so. It cannot be. The bugle-call should not sound "lights out " at his tomb. His light is not out ; though invisible to us, it still shines. REPRESENTATIVE LUCIEN B. CASWELL [REP.], OF WISCONSIN, SAID : Mr. Speaker : . . God gave Logan a talent and force of character seldom found among men. . . . Logan was a natural leader, both as a soldier and as a statesman. He had few equals in either sphere, and still less in the two combined. It is difficult to determine in which character he excelled most. But in either he served his country nobly and well. As a soldier he was fearless, and he was as gallant as he was brave, as generous as he was firm. In the House of Representatives, and afterward in the Senate, he was the author and ad- vocate of measures of great national interest. He took front rank as a legislator, always advocating whatever he believed to be right and for the interest of the people. If he erred, it was an error of the head and not of the heart. When the late war broke out he was not politically identified with the administration then in power. . . . It was enough for him that his country was in peril. Whatever party couid suppress the rebellion was the party of John A. Logan. The memories of his youth when he marched with the old flag to the capital of Mexico revived his love and devotion for his country, and again he was found in the front ranks of our Army. He went not as a stranger to battle but with a practical experience that well fitted him for the occasion. We had generals, trained in the arts of war, men of experience, educated for the purpose, men with commissions and arms already in line. But these were not sufficient. Our country called for volunteers. With them and the millions behind them, everything was possible; without them, nothing. General Logan was the representative of that element. He was early in the field. Thousands followed him, and the Union army was swollen to enormous proportions. These were the soldiery that saved the Union; without them it could never have been saved. . . . His military career was a success, and history will record him as a great leader of men. When the war was over he . . . obeyed the summons that sent him to the national Capitol. Here he made a record of which we are proud, a record that places him beside the great commoners whose names will be fostered and revered by generations yet to come. 5 ~ LIFE OF LOGAN. His death carries sorrow and grief into the homes of the millions, and they join us to-day in these words of praise. His great service as a soldier in two wars, his distinguished abil- ity a> a statesman, his power and eloquence upon the rostrum, his devotion to the poor and the suffering, have made him conspicuous and dear to the American people, and he will he remembered and loved by them as the great soldier statesman by generations yet to come. REPRESENTATIVE JAMES E. O'HARA [REP.], OF NORTH CAROLINA, SAID : Mr. Speaker : ... If there was any one trait of the late General John A. Logan's strong character that appeared stronger than the other it was his great love for his country and the deep and abiding faith that his country was destined by God himself to be that country in which liberty in its broadest and most comprehensive term should find its greatest fulfilment. ... No greater example of love for one's country can be found than Logan's patriotic act when he exchanged a seat upon this floor for a common soldier's lot amid the stern realities and severity of camp-life when the well-being of his country was threatened, the Union en- dangered, and the sound to arms for the right was heard all over the land. How well he kept that pledge he then made let the answer be given by the fifty-two well-fought battles in which he was successively engaged from July 21, 1861, to April 26, 1865. Deeds like these will live in song and story and be recounted when and wherever the bards or historians gather to recite noble deeds for the emulation of the youth of this or any other land. . . . Mr. Speaker, this ceremony is not solely in honor of the dead, for neither " storied urn nor animated bust ; " but, sir, it is that, the lesson of this noble life, ended so suddenly, yet filled with honor and usefulness, may be emphasized and adorned as far as we are able to emphasize and adorn them ; that the same love of country, and love for one's fellow, may be held up as a noble example to those who may come after us ; and that posterity may know that the American Republic has heroes equal to if not surpassing in valor, fidelity, and patriotism, the fabled heroes of ancient Greece or Rome. REPRESENTATIVE NATHAN GOFF, JK. [REP.], OF WEST VIRGINIA, SAID : Mr. Speaker, we honor ourselves in honoring the memory of John A. Logan. Noth- ing that we can say or do to-day can add to nor detract from the renown of our distinguished dead, for it is no less than fame proclaims it, and it could be no greater than it is. . . . General Logan was the idol of the citizen soldiery of the war for the Union, and he was worthy of their admiration, for he was as grand as his cause and as true as steel. It is not disparagement to our grand galaxy of volunteer heroes to say that among the many he was the one. As the magnificent image of the Christ-God, in the great cathedral of Monreale, dominates the immensity of the building, as Pallas ruled supreme in the Parthenon, and Zeus in his Olympian temple, so does the name of Logan alone transcendent stand among that throng of heroes, dominating as with a single impulse the hearts of those who, neglect- ing all pursuits, abandoning all professions, leaving home, wife, children, all, of every creed and all parties, marched under the banner of the Union " into the very jaws of death " and tasted of the bitter dregs of the cup of sorrow and of pain in order that republican institu- tions might not perish from the face of the earth. General Logan lived in an eventful period and died in the fulness of his glory. He was an active participant in the memorable struggles that will render the nineteenth century I mi ms in battle and in history. He was no laggard in the strife, but he was always to the front with t he banner in his hands. He was determined in his purposes, sincere in his con- victions, and grand in his achievements. Contending for republican government, he lived to see the Constitution of his country cleansed of impurities and firmly established on the eternal principles of truth and justice. He was a devotee at the shrine of human liberty, and he lived to see all men free. He believed in the education of the people, and he lived to see his country blessed with the grandest system of free universal education that a propi- tious Providence has ever permitted the children of men to enjoy. With all the earnestness of his impulsive nature did he love the starry banner of our independence, the emblem of our n.it i )n's power, and he lived to see it typify, at last, all that is great in human action, all that is grand in human thought. It is not laudation for us to say that in all these stirring scenes and wonderful changes he played a leader's part and that he stamped his strong individuality on these pages. Hon- APPENDIX. 571 ored statesman, grand soldier, true friend, honest man, may your sleep in the quiet city of the dead be the rest of those who, Sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach their grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. . . . He is dead ; he has gone, . . . and yet he will live here for all time. He will he with us, Mr. Speaker, while we tarry, and he will stay after we have gone. His is one of those illustrious lives that death cannot destroy. REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN S. OSUORNE [REP.], OF PENNSYLVANIA, SAID : Mr. Speaker, we come to pay tribute to the memory of John A. Logan, whose name has rung through the world and won its meed of praise. Living men may contemplate his character and draw from it lessons of purest virtue and loftiest patriotism. His whole career was a bright example of unselfish devotion to duty. Indeed the Republic drew profit from his life. In centuries to come, amid the grandeur of its power and the unclouded splendor of its renown, the historian of our country will point to Logan as one who did much in his day to save the Republic from death. Sounding words cannot tell the strength of mind, the physical courage, the daring and fortitude that made up his character. When he led our flag to victory and gave to glory and to fame the fields on which armies struggled, when amid the carnage of the hour he rode along his line, suffering with pain from bleeding wounds, inspiring his troops with his own brave spirit, until like a restless wave they swept away every obstacle, the selfish and ungen- erous may have spoken unkindly of him, but now that he is beyond the reach of ambition the man does not live who would have the name of John A. Logan forgotten. His is a name that the world will not willingly let die. He needs no splendid arches of victory, no monumental pile pointing toward heaven and covered all over with the story of his deeds to perpetuate his memory, for he is enshrined in the hearts of the people, there to remain as long as a sentiment of justice is felt or a cord of sympathetic virtue vibrates in a human heart. REPRESENTATIVE lewis e. payson [rep.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID : Mr. Speaker, . . . General Logan was my friend, and I perform a sad duty to the memory of one whose good-will and confidence was so prized in his lifetime by me when I attempt to add a single leaf to the garland of tribute which shall be rendered to him and his memory this day. His chief characteristic to me was his earnestness in whatever he was engaged. His devotion to his friends was conspicuous for its intensity. His love for the soldiers of the civil war— his companions in arms — was best evidenced by his labors for their interests and by their affection for him. His affection for his State was as that of the Roman for " the city of seven hills." Duty, honor, and integrity were active principles in his daily life, and he squared his conduct by their requirements. In his affections he was generous and ardent ; his bravery, his courage was always conspicuous ; true in his nature and of gentle heart, and magnanimous in all his dealings. Patriotism with him was more than a sentiment ; it was a deep-seated principle. Love of country, its institutions, its Constitution, and its laws, was his inspiration from the days of his early manhood. To insincerity he was a stranger ; to him conviction carried with it the sense of duty to follow it ; and with his bravery, his frankness, no one was ever in ignorance as to his position on any question. To such a degree was this carried that at times his position in his party was hazarded by fearless asser- tion of his ideas of right as opposed to those of mere temporary policy or expediency. General Logan was a born leader. He was endowed by nature with all the attributes and qualities for such a position. . . . He had the aggressiveness which always comes from a true courage. . . . His life was a success. . . . He died the deserved possessor of these honors and left his family that best of heritage, a reputation untarnished, an integrity unimpaired, and a feeling on the part of the whole people that the loss in his death was one common to all. ... REPRESENTATIVE JAMES D. BRADY [REP.], OF VIRGINIA, SAID : Mr. Speaker, the heart that would not be sad and the eye that would not be dim while memory in its many forms clusters around the dead patriot, soldier, and statesman in whose honor the nation's Representatives are to-day assembled must be hard and dry indeed. 572 LIFE OF LOGAN. Amid grief so deep and so universal no words of mine can fitly portray tlie sorrow of the volunteer soldiers of the war for the maintenance of the Union over the irreparable loss of their grand chieftain. The heart speaks loudest when the lips will not move. John A. Logan was regarded as national property. His genius, his virtues, his great services in peace and in war, were esteemed a part of the inheritance of the whole people. Bold and direct in his opinions and actions, however they were sustained or combated, he was nevertheless admired liy all for his great abilities as he was honored and respected for his purity of character. Mis fame was national, and his loss has been felt as national. The whole country, not only his State which loved and honored him, mourns over his sad death. The evidences of genuine sorrow in all sections of our country, when his demise was an- nounced, indicates a strong national sympathy, a bond of union which political differences cannot weaken, much less destroy. General Logan was at the top among the great heroes of the Union during and since the war ; he won immortality on the field and in the forum ; lie had impressed himself upon the age, and he is missed as a shining light extinguished in the darkest hour of the night. . . . I shall not recount the splendid story of his life. His deeds in war and in peace have gained for him imperishable renown. . . . Alas, John A. Logan, the foremost general of volunteers, is dead. I think I hear some comrade say, " Would that he had fallen on the battle-field with the flag he loved so well waving over him, and the shout of triumph ringing in his ears " No ; his task at the close of the war was only half finished. He has since bravely fought on other battle-fields, and in the press of the continued conflict he conquered peace, prosperity, and happiness for his country. His journey from the cradle to the grave is done. He it was that originated the beautiful memorial services over the graves of the soldier dead. Crippled veteians and stalwart soldiers, aged mothers — ye whose sons were sacrificed upon the country's battle-fields — broken-hearted widows, comrades of the Grand Army and Loyal Legion, sons and daughters of the Boys in Blue, upon each observance of that day gather the most beautiful, the most fragrant flowers of May and deck the grave of John A. Logan ! REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT R. HITT [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID : Mr. Speaker, the death of General Logan has suddenly removed the greatest of the volunteers who survived. The shock of surprise and sorrow was scarcely greater here, where we suddenly missed him from each day's action, than it was throughout the whole country, so closely was he knit to the hearts of tens of thousands who watched from day to day all that he did — and he did more than other men all the time. His abrupt taking off in the midst of greatest activity was something akin to falling in battle; for there was no sign of coming age or decaying strength in his thick jet-black hair, his keen eye, and his powerful frame that stood four-square to all the winds that blow. He was, as he looked, a hearty man, of sturdy, tenacious, Scotch-Irish stock. He drew his blood from positive, indepen- dent characters, both father and mother. The minor features and details in the long story of his life and its work will gradually lose some of their interest as those who have known him pass away with advancing time. But there are some immense facts which will last in history and preserve his name through many centuries, keeping it fresh in the knowledge of men. First. The great service he rendered to his country as a soldier in the most critical period in the life of the Republic. Second. His incessant labors as a legislator for over thirty years in behalf of every meas- ure that ne believed to be for the elevation of all the people. He made a mistake sometimes, but as soon as he discovered it he promptly changed and frankly avowed it. His whole life was progress. He wanted to see the children of the poorest man educated. He encouraged love of country and care for those who suffered for it. He strove to build up and develop every interest and every industry that would tend to make the lives of men comfortable, intel- ligent, and happy. He gave in his own life an example of spotless integrity as a public man. 1 le was full of ambition, but nothing in it was sordid or venal. His ambitions were all noble. He gave the best years of his life to the cause office government and human liberty. I . toking back to-day over his splendid career, cut off when he was in his highest usefulness, everyone feels the great loss the nation suffered on the day when that incompleted life was abruptly terminated. There seemed many years before him still to serve the country he hived so well with his great powers matured by long and varied experience. APPENDIX. 573 But it is over. His work is done. The story of Logan's life will illumine the brightest pages of our history, and the fruits of his incessant labors, all devoted to his country and his fellow-men, and known to all the world, will preserve his name and perpetuate his influence beyond his life through all the long hereafter. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM R. COX [DEM.], OF NORTH CAROLINA, SAID: Mr. Speaker and Representatives : . . . We are all citizens of a great and glorious country, having common hopes and aspirations. . . . And it is the inspiration arising from the freedom of our institutions and the progress of our people that made possi- ble the successful career of John A. Logan. Seldom in history do we behold illustrious examples of success achieved through indi- vidual efforts in more than one special calling, and thus is made more emphatic the blended triumphs we in him behold. Without the heritage of fortune or the prestige of an illustrious name, John A. Logan sprang from the loins of the people ; he claimed leadership among men, and by industry, integrity, and high resolves the ranks were open to him; he marched to the front, and held his position until the last dread summons came. . . . When he believed it necessary to assert the right and expose the wrong, his blows fell as unrelent- ingly on the head of a party friend as on that of a political adversary. To maintain a politi- cal leadership under such circumstances required commanding talents and distinguished virtues. A volunteer soldier, he looked not so much to the method as to the object to be accom- plished. He wielded not the high-tempered cimeter of a Saladin, but rather the trenchant, two-edged sword of Richard the Lion-Hearted. In writing and speaking he was not always considerate of the feelings of those to whom he was opposed in the war. Yet while they would have preferred to applaud his magnanim- ity toward the vanquished, they are not strenuous to condemn the natural impulses of his ardent nature. . . . My personal acquaintance with him was limited, and I speak only from impressions entertained by those among whom I live. From Southern Representatives with whom he served in Congress I have heard of his liberality, sincerity, and honesty in dealing with Southern men and measures, and I was gratified to know of this phase of his character. In conclusion I place this garland upon the tomb of General Logan, and will add this, though he walked amid temptations his character was stainless, and that while he served his country faithfully he died poor. It is pleasing to reflect that in the hearts and abundance of his appreciative countrymen his family are not forgotten. REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE G. SYMES [REP.], OF COLORADO, SAID : Mr. Speaker : . . . Many have denied that John A. Logan was a great man. But, sir, great acquirements, learning, and accomplishments . . . never made a great man. If, while General Logan was battling to overcome the hardships of pioneer life his time had been spent poring over books in Eastern colleges; if, when the war with Mexico broke out and he was twenty years of age his own taste or ambition or that of his parents had sent him to seats of learning in Germany, to be filled with all the knowledge that books and professors could impart, instead of going to the battle-fields of his country ; if, during the years intervening between the Mexican War and 1858, when he was elected a member of this House from Southern Illinois, his time had been divided between reading polite literature, travelling in Europe, visiting art galleries, and mixing in the highest society, and the remainder of it only devoted to the profession of the law in some large city, it is certain he never would have rendered the great services to his country in her time of need which his countrymen now universally acknowledge ; and he never would have died uni- ver.-ally mourned as the champion and friend of the American people. He never would have passed down to history as one of the great statesmen and the greatest American citizen- soldier of his time. As that brilliant orator and statesman from Virginia, John Randolph, of Roanoke, once said in this House : The talent for government lies in two things, sagacity to perceive and the decision to act. Genuine states- men were never made by such training. . . . Let a house be on fire and you will soon see in that confusion who has the talent to command. . . . Who believes that Washington could write as good a book or report as Jefierson. or make as able a speech as Hamilton ? Who is there that believes that Oomwel! would have made as good a judge as Lord Hale? No, Mr. Speaker, these learned and accomplished men find their proper place under those who are fitted to command and to command them among the rest. . . . Great logicians and great scholars are for that vsry reason unfit to be riders. Would Hannibal have crossed the Alps where there were no roads, with elephants, in the face of the warlike hardy mountaineers, and have carried terror to the very gates of Rome if his youth had been spent in poring over books? "Are you not ashamed," said a philos- 574 LIFE 0F LOGAN. oplier, to one who was born to rule, "are you no: ashamed to play so well upon the flute?" There is much « in, i he* miii's a secondary man to know, much that it is necessary tor him to know, that a first-rate man ought to be ashamed to know. No head was ever clear and sound that was stuffed with book-learning. . . . Alter all, the chief must draw upon his subalterns for much that he does not know and cannot perform himself. Mr. Speaker, John A. Logan was a great orator. . . . When we test the speeches of John A. Logan, delivered on public and important occasions, by their results, we cannot deny to him the distinction of being a great orator and an eloquent man. As has been said by Webster : True eloquence indeed does not consist in speech. It cannot be brought from far. Labor and learning may toil for it, but they will toil for it in vain. It must exist in ihe man, in the subject, and in the occasion. . . . Thegraces taught in the schools, the costly ornaments and studied contrivances of speech shock and disgust men when their own lives and the fate of their wives, their children, and their country hang on the decision of the hour. Then words have lost their power, rhetoric is vain, and all elaborate oratory contemptible. . . . Then patriotism is eloquent : then self-devotion is eloquent. The clear conception outrunning the deductions of logic, the high purpose, the firm resolve, the dauntless spirit speaking on the tongue, beaming from the eye, in- forming every feature and urging the whole man onward, right onward, to his object. This is eloquence; or rather, it is something greater and higher than all eloquence ; it is action, noble, sublime, godlike action. Sir, are not these words of one of the great masters, whose eloquence and oratory adorned and influenced both Houses of Congress for so many years, specially applicable to the ora- tory of John A. Logan ? Have we a man in this generation who, at critical periods in our country's history, at times, sir, when the fate of our country was at stake and " the die seemed to spin somewhat doubtful," threw himself into the breach with a more dauntless spirit, with a more firm resolve speaking on his tongue or beaming from his eye and urging him on with a more sublime and godlike action than John A. Logan? It is matter of his- tory that at such times he changed the opinions and convictions of thousands of men by the power of his oratory. . . . • Mr. Speaker, he has passed away, and we poor mortals can do nothing more than mourn his loss and revere and keep the memory of his many virtues for our own bright example. No American has died in this generation who will be so universally missed by all classes and conditions of men as John A. Logan. The Grand Army of the Republic soldiers will miss him when endeavoring to obtain their rights. The statesmen will miss his cool and unfaltering intrepidity in the support of measures for the good of our country. The great mass of the people will miss and mourn him when their rights require courageous defence. REPRESENTATIVE FRANK LAWLER [DEM.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID : Mr. Speaker : . . . I have not awaited the hour of his death to praise John A. Logan for it was my fortune to know him, perhaps not intimately in the social sense, but measurably as we were brought into contact and collision in the various political conflicts in Illinois. He was a foeman worthy of the foeman's steel, but withal generous and consider- ate in the hour of victory, submitting to defeat without murmur or complaint. My respect for John A. Logan augmented into admiration when the grand spectacle was presented of his graceful submission to the will of the majority expressed adversely to his election to the Vice-Presidency in November, 1884. I have often instituted a comparison in my own mind of like traits of character possessed by General Logan with some of those of Samuel Adams, of Revolutionary fame. I can well imagine that had Logan been a member of the Continental Congress, when that body dei 1 ired the colonies free and independent of England's domination, he would have boldly proclaimed with Samuel Adams : 1 1 should advise persisting in our struggle for liberty, though it were revealed from Heaven that nine hundred ii'.ty-nnie were to perish and only one of a thousand were to survive and retain his liberty ! One such ■ 11 must possess more virtue and enjoy more happiness than a thousand slaves; and let him propagate his like, and transmit to them what he hath so nobly preserved. Like Samuel Adams, John A. Logan combined in a remarkable manner those qualities of firmness and aggressiveness that qualify a man to be the asserter of the rights of the people. Like Samuel Adams, he was superior to pecuniary considerations, and proved his cause by the virtue of his conduct. Like Samuel Adams, the service he rendered his coun- try in the national councils was not by brilliancy of talent or profoundness of learning, but through resolute decision, unceasing watchfulness, and heroic perseverance. General Logan's military achievements are written in living light upon the pages of his- tory. . . APPENDIX. 575 A great American lias fallen in the very plenitude of his usefulness, and the Republic mourns the loss, as it has mourned the loss of other patriots gone before. . . . Our friend died as he had lived, honored and respected, not alone by the people within the broad boundaries of the American Republic, but by man and woman in all lands where liberty or the hope of liberty throbs within their besoms. REPRESENTATIVE BISHOP W. PERKINS [REP.], OF KANSAS, SAID : Mr. Speaker: ... It was in this Chamber that John Alexander Logan first be- came known to the people of this country, and it was from this Chamber that he went as a volunteer to tight. . . From his first enlistment until the last gun was fired he was the incarnation of war. War to him was a terrible, a cruel reality, but that lives might be spared, peace secured, and tranquillity restored, he would make war with the heaviest guns, the strongest battalions, the best equipped divisions, and prosecute it with all the energy and earnestness that could be given to human organizations. But when the belching of cannon ceased, when victory crowned our arms, and peace was restored to our bleeding country, it saw General John A. Logan crowned by the plaudits of the people the greatest volunteer soldier of the Republic. At the close of the war when the armies of the Republic were disbanded and martial strife had ceased, General Logan returned to his home. But there was no repose for him. By divine right he was a leader of men. At the forum, in the council chamber, and upon the hustings it was his imperial right to lead as well as upon the field of conflict and carnage, and after a short respite from public duties he was returned to this Chamber as the Rep- resentative at Large from the State of Illinois, and from that time on until the day of his death he was one of the most distinguished figures in our political history. Mr. Speaker, few men in American history have left such an impress of their individual- ity upon the public mind and such a brilliant record of grand and glorious achievements as General John A. Logan. . . As citizen, as lawyer, as soldier, as legislator, as statesman and orator, as husband, father, and friend, we honor him, and his glory is a part of the resplendent and imperishable history of our country. On the last day of the old year, with muffled drums and drooping flags, General John A. Logan was laid to rest. It was a raw, cloudy, December day, and the snow lay white on the country hills and crunched under the feet of the walkers in the streets of the city. A dull, gray sky hung overhead and at times the winter rain poured in freezing torrents upon the ground. All nature seemed touched with sympathy at the nation's loss, and joined in the tears and sobs of the mourning multitude. He had died the Sunday before, and how fitting that this closing scene in the soldier's life should come with the close of the year. John A. Logan and the old year went out together. That dark but handsome face, that manly bearing, will be seen no more on this side the " dark river " to whose cold tide we are all hastening. But his memory will endure as long as the English language, and the remembrance of his great deeds will be as imperishable. Honest, incorruptible, and true, tender as a woman, brave as a lion, trusting as a child, his life passed to its ending without stain and without reproach. REPRESENTATIVE AUGUSTUS H. PETTIBONE [REP.], OF TENNESSEE, SAID : Mr. Speaker, in one of his most brilliant lectures delivered during the time of our civil war at the University of Cambridge, Goldwin Smith, speaking of that splendid Puritan corps known as the Ironsides, which Oliver Cromwell organized and disciplined, uses in sub- stance this language; " That splendid yeomanry, with high hopes and comictions of their own, who conquered for English liberty at Naseby, at Worcester, and at Marston Moor, in their native England, are now seen no more. Here they have left a great, perhaps a fatal, gap in the ranks of freedom." "But," he adds with something of pride and enthusiasm, "under Grant and Sherman they still conquer for the good old cause." And what, sir, is that good old cause? Do we not know that it is the cause of Liberty against Slavery? That it is the cau*e of freedom against privileged usurpation ? " That splendid yeomanrv" which the historian thus eulogizes, transferred over sea, be- came the fathers and founders of this great Republic of the West. The heart and core, as we know, came from England. It was re-enforced from Scotland and from Ireland. In later years it has welcomed German and Scandinavian auxiliaries. When the time came to /6 LIFE OF LOGAN. sever the political connection between the colonies and Great Rritain, a hundred years ago, it was the yeomanry, informed and instructed by Franklin, and Samuel Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, and led and disciplined by Greene, and Wayne, and Washington, who won the independence of these States and established this Union. And when, in 1861, the storm of civil war " blackened all our horizon," it was the yeo- manry, we know, who furnished the volunteer soldiers who filled the ranks of the Union army, and in the most desperate of campaigns, in the direst civil war of all time, by their persistence, and steadiness, and valor, carried the starry flag to victory and saved to the cause of civil liberty and forthcoming generations this land of our love and devotion ; and by universal consent first of these volunteers was John Alexander Logan ! . . . He re- signed his seat on this floor. He spoke with a tongue of fire to the yeomanry of his district and his Slate. He rallied around him a regiment. With his thousand comrades in arms he swore to maintain, to preserve, and to protect the Constitution of the United States, and he went forth to the dangers of uncertain war animated by the very spirit in which the angel of freedom speaks in the magnificent language of Whittier : Then Freedom sternly said, "I shun No strife nor pang beneath the sun When human rights are staked and won. " I knelt with Zisco's hunted flock, I watched in Toussaint's cell of rock, I walked with Sidney to the block. " The Moor of Marston felt my tread, Through Jersey snows the march I led, My voice Magenta's charges sped." It was to maintain, not to disintegrate ; to preserve, not to destroy, that Logan donned his country's uniform of blue. With reluctance, and almost with heart-break he took up the gage of battle. He knew what war is. He knew its horrors, and all its blighting curses. But he was a man of the people. He was simply and always one of the plain peo- ple on whom Abraham Lincoln relied. He was ever king of hearts. His comrades loved him because they could not help it. And sir, ever since the war-drum has ceased to beat he has been enshrined in the very hearts of the old soldiers of the Union. We loved him as we really loved no other great soldier of the war, and we know how he loved the boys in blue in return. On the 3d of Tuly, 1863, at Vicksburg, between the lines, it was my fortune, as it was of thousands of othe'rs, to see the meeting of Grant and Pemberton when the terms of the fa- mous surrender were agreed to. Accompanying his great commander was Logan, then in the prime and very flower of his magnificent manhood. His long, black hair, how it shone in that sunlight! I seem to see him to-day as he then stood on that open ground in the clear light of that hot July sun. His every unconscious pose and movement seemed instinct with his character and heroic purpose. Ami so, sir, he will ever stand out in the clear perspective of history. As he stood that day, out against a background of clear blue sky. the observed of all who saw that scene, so forever — fit comrade of his chieftain, Grant — Let his great example stand Colossal, seen of every land, To keep the soldier firm, the statesman pure, Till through all lands and through all human story, The path of duty be the way to glory. REPRESENTATIVE MARTIN A. HAYNES [REP.], OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, SAID: Mr. SPEAKER, if I were asked what element in General Logan's character I most ad- mired, I should answer his constancy and his consistency. It was his high distinction to be gen- erally recognized as the most illustrious example the war produced of the citizen soldier as distinguished from the professional ; and when the great citizen armies disbanded and turned their faces so joyfully to their homes and the pursuits of peace, he maintained an equal dis- tinction as the soldier's friend in the legislative councils of the nation. . . . There is in the hearts of brave men who with their lives in their hands battle for their con- victions a chord which vibrates with admiration and respect, and even with a sort of affection, for those among their opponents who deal the hardest blows in honorable warfare. Such a man was Logan the soldier, and it is a matter of common knowledge and observation with those of us who wore the Union blue that our regard for the manly, soldierly qualities of our fallen chief was shared in an almost equal degree by those who wore the Confederate gray. As he commanded the admiration of his comrades in war, in peace he won their love and APPENDIX. ^yy their affection. On the battle-field he was their trusted leader. In the council-halls he was their steadfast champion and friend. When the tidings of his unexpected death was flashed over the country it brought mourn- ing to the humble home of many a soldier to whom Logan was known only by name and by reputation. A million of these, who never met him, who never saw him, felt that they had suffered a personal loss which could never be replaced. It is a proud record that Logan has left as a soldier. It will be quoted that after a long public career he leaves a name un- stained even by a suspicion of dishonor. But there will be no prouder monument to his memory than the love and affection which so long as life shall last will dwell in the hearts of those who were his comrades in the war which assured the perpetuity of the Union and the grandeur of our common country. REPRESENTATIVE JAMES BUCHANAN [REP.], OF NEW JERSEY, SAID: Mr. Speaker, it did not seem like Logan to die. That well-knit frame, piercing eye, and elastic step, all spoke of life and vigor, and added years of activity. But even as we looked with admiration upon his strength and vitality, the conqueror came, strength became weakness, and life was death. Others have spoken of his early life and its trials and triumphs, of his deeds of valor as the citizen soldier, and his long and brilliant career as a statesman. Mine the lot for a few brief minutes to speak of him as an orator and a scholar. He had the best of all attributes of the orator, an intense conviction of the truth of his utterances, and an earnestness of manner born of that conviction. . . . This it was which gave him such power as an orator. This it was which enchained the attention of his fellow-Senators and thronged the halls where he spoke. The world will always listen to an earnest and sincere man. Rhetoric and grace and sweetness, rounded period, and swelling peroration, all these please the ear, but Logan hurled rugged truth, in impassioned utter- ance, at the mind and conscience of his hearers. He did not stop to parley, but thundered out his thought and moved straight upon the enemy's works. A debate was with him no dress-parade, but a battle as real and earnest for the time being as any he had helped to win as a soldier beneath his country's flag. And yet when the occasion came he could be gentle as a child and tender as a woman. Let a comrade fall by the way and no tenderer or kinder voice spoke his virtues than the voice of Logan. Less than one year ago, standing beside the tomb of his great leader, Grant, he uttered these words : Friends, this noble man's work needs no monument, no written scroll, in order that it may be perpetuated. It is higher than the dome of St. Paul's, loftier than St. Peter's, it rears itself above the Pyramids, it soars be- yond the highest mountain-tops, and it is written in letters of the sunbeam across the blue arch that forever looks down upon the busy tribes of men. Logan was a scholar. Go to the library in yonder lonely home. Look over the volumes which fill its shelves. The best thought of ancient and modern times is there. The treas- ures of Greek and Roman stand side by side with the gems of German, French, and English literature. His books were read, studied, mastered. No idle ornaments these. Daily com- panions of the master were they. No delight so keen after his years of activity in camp and field as to sit surrounded by these mighty minds and hold deep converse with them, and as the years rolled by their influence was shown more and more with each successive utterance, until his great "oration at the tomb of Grant " showed how ripe a scholar he had become. Human utterances pass away with the occasion and are forgotten. Here and there one survives and passes into the world's treasure-house of thought. That oration of his will live. It contains the seeds of immortality. None but the mind of a scholar could have con- ceived it, and wrought it into form with its wealth of illustration and allusion. As he pict- ures the Pyramids of Egypt, the Tombs of Mexico, the Sculptures of Yucatan, and the Mounds of North America as mute witnesses of man's yearning after immortality, we think with what a wealth of effort these material structures were wrought, and forget the years of patient thought and unwearied study which qualify a mind to give to the world an immortal thought. That patient thought, that unwearied study was his. Shall his work survive the coming centuries? The pyramid-builder mouldered into dust almost ere history began, and his work yet stands. So, too, the child rescued from " the marshes of the Nile" has left his impress on thirty centuries of mind and thought. A yearning for immortality, a desire to leave an impress upon the thought of his age, seems to have been upon Logan as he penned that ora- tion, and it will take its place among the works the world will not let die. . . . 573 LIFE OF LOGAN. REPRESENTATIVE JAMES H. WARD [DEM.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID: Mr. Speaker : . . . there is an immortality beyond this life. The power of a great mind, the success of a superior human intellect, cannot be buried in death, and Logan will live forever in memory's world. His civil services began in 1S49 as clerk of his county court; he served his people in the Illinois Legislature in 1852, 1853, 1856, and 1857, and served in the Thirty-sixth, Thirty- seventh, Fortieth, and Forty-first Congresses, and in the United States Senate from 1871 to 1S77. Again he obeyed the people's call and was returned to the United States Senate in 1879, and was re-elected in 1885, where he was found busy when the great summons came, " Cease from labor." It would appear difficult to add to this lifetime of public service. When the boy had barely merged into the man he left home and its comforts, profession and its ambition, to enter the United States Army as a private in the war with Mexico. Again with his loyal fellow-citizens he volunteered to defend his country against internal enemies. lie served throughout that war, starting in as colonel, coming out as major-general. His work was done amid the smoke and iron hail of Belmont, Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, and in the march to the sea. By the brilliancy of his movements, by the chivalry of his conduct, he unconsciously made himself the idol of the American soldiery. The peer of the highest, the friend of the humblest in the land, John A. Logan was a model American citizen. He was a statesman whose pu- rity of character prevented his being a mere politician. Firm in his political convictions, as he was in all his opinions after due consideration, he was also as invincible a warrior in the arena of politics as when a soldier in the field of actual war, and as cowardice was impossible to him in the latter, so neither was he unjust or malicious in debate. Successful or defeated, he came out of his public contests without the shadow of malice or revenge. In private life his character was as unspotted as in public. Viewing such a character in all its rounded grandeur, I may close my remarks by hold- ing that character up as a picture-lesson to the young men of our country. REPRESENTATIVE JACOB H. GALLINGER [REP.], OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, SAID: Mr. Speaker : when a few weeks ago, in the solitude of my own home, bowed down by a great personal sorrow, the news of the death of John A. Logan flashed over the wires, I could not but feel that another personal grief had come to my heart. For every man in this nation who loves liberty and loyalty and law loved him in whose memory these words of eulogy are being spoken to-day. . . . His record is written on every page of the history of his country, especially since the troublous times commencing in 1S60. When the nation needed brave men to defend it Logan threw all his energy, strength, and heroism into the scale and came out of that terrible struggle with a record for bravery and military skill equal at least to that of any man who fought on either side. Rapidly rising from a private to major-general, he was the pride and glory of the men whom he com- manded. But Logan was not only a great soldier — he was equally a great civil leader. Examine the long record of his public life, and not a blot is on the page. Earnest, aggressive, and eloquent, his words always reflected honest convictions and high purposes. . . In every department of life — whether as soldier, legislator, councillor, or friend — in the army, in the Senate, or anywhere among his fellow-men, he was the circle of profound re- spect and loving admiration. In my own State, on a lofty mountain-peak, is the perfect face of a man, formed by the rocks without the aitl of human intelligence or human effort. Tourists from distant lands come to gaze upon " the great stone face," and go away with feelings of awe and admira- tion. It is a grand face — grand in its dignity and its impressiveness — a face that haunts one in after years, and tells the story of nature's grandeur and glory. And so, too, there are men who tower to the mountain-tops of human experience and acquirement, and look down upon their fellows in the valleys below. Such a man was Logan — a great, strong, noble soul — a natural leader of men, and utterly incapable of the petty meannesses that mar so many lives. . . . REPRESENTATIVE RALPH PLUMB [REP.], OF ILLINOIS, SAID: Mr. Speaker : . . . from the sparkling waters of the Aroostook to the murky Rio Grande Del Norte, from the Everglades of Florida to beyond the Olympic Mountains to far- APPENDIX. 579 off Alaska, there is no city or town, and scarce a rural neighborhood, where the thoughts and emotions of people have not been profoundly moved by the event we are here to con- template. . . . General Logan lived in a period of our national history replete with remarkable events a period in which men in public life encountered those crucial tests that not only developed characters, but decided whether they were to live in the hearts of their countrymen as bene- factors of the race, or, on the contrary, to be either entirely forgotten or remembered only to be execrated. The shock of the rebellion revealed young Logan to himself; it found him a politician, it made him a statesman. . . . He knew that the true patriot would give his life, if need be, to his country ; and without hesitation or delay he entered the service, was a true and gallant soldier, an able and successful commander. . When the rebellion had been crushed, and Logan was once more in his place in the councils of the nation, he met each question that arose in the trying work of reconstruction in the same way that he decided to change his political course — by choosing what was right, and going straight forward to accomplish it. Sir, the State which I have the honor in part to represent on this floor has furnished her full quota of the illustrious men who have been great actors in the period in our national history to which I have referred. That grandest of Presidents (Lincoln) and that greatest of captains (Grant) both matured their manhood as citizens of Illinois, but Logan, worthy to have been the Chief Magistrate of the nation, the great volunteer general of the war, whose name and memory will be linked with Lincoln and Grant as long as history shall be read, Illinois proudly claims as her son, . . . Let monuments be erected to his memory, let orator and poet chronicle his worthy deeds ; but when the marble no longer depicts to our eyes his manly figure, when eloquence and song can no longer charm us with the recital of his noble qualities, coming generations will speak of his worth and be influenced by his example. REPRESENTATIVE OSCAR L. JACKSON [REP.], OF PENNSYLVANIA, SAID : Mr. Speaker: . . . we do not, perhaps, fully realize that we have ourselves been eye-witnesses and, in part, humble participants of the most important part of our country's history. For no matter how grand or glorious a future lies before us, to the generations yet to come, the history of our country for the past thirty years must for all time be the most interesting and important to the student and patriot. During all this time the record of the life and services of John A. Logan is so blended with the history of our country that they are inseparable. It is not that in any quality of mind or capacity for service he excelled each and everyone of his associates, but it is because in every position he has occupied, from the lowest to the highest, he has acquitted himself as one of the best representative citizens of his age. Since the death of Grant, the great chieftain whose soul went up to God from Mount McGregor, no citizen of the United States was so well known as Logan. His name was in very truth a household word throughout the land. His every act was open to inspection and criticism. How honestly, how wisely, how modestly he has borne himself in every condition and under every circumstance let history answer ; yea, more, let those who were from time to time his opponents be his judges and his reputation is safe. It was my fortune to serve for four years as a soldier in the Army of the Tennessee, of which General Logan was from the first a prominent leader, and at last its commander. Long before he became its commander he was as well known to the Army of the Tennessee as either Grant, Sherman, or McPherson. I do not mean to say he was superior to either of them. But he was a real soldier, a man of immense force and power. He had the confidence of the army, and I can recall more than one occasion when his presence on the field under fire was, in my judgment, worth "more than a thousand men." . . Logan was honored in his death by municipal and civil organizations, by army societies, and Grand Army Posts as few men have ever been. From all over this broad land came resolutions of sincere condolence to the afflicted family. Each year hereafter on Memorial Day, in every cemetery, church-yard, and God's-acre throughout our country, where a soldier's grave is made green, there will be a wreath for him. In every neighborhood where they meet to " bedeck the soldiers' graves with flowers and be- dew them with tears," when they give a double portion to the little mound that represents those who sleep in unknown graves, someone "most loving of them all" will strew the flowers in memory of the man who instituted this beautiful ceremony. . . . 5 So LIFE OF LOGAN. REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES M. ANDERSON [DEM.], OF OHIO, SAID : Mr. Speaker : . . . John A. Logan imbibed from the wide-stretching prairies sur- rounding his humble home broad views and the true idea of freedom. He was a man pos- sessed of profound convictions and of unbending will if he believed he was in the right. All his personal and intellectual qualities were positive. In debate he was direct, intense, fearless. Bold in the assertion of his convictions, im- petuous in their vindication, he scorned evasion and despised hypocrisy. In the performance of duty he took no account of results and feared no consequences. He was familiar with all the weapons of debate, and he at times wielded the gentle power of persuasion, the convincing force of logic, and the strong blows of ridicule, often sweep- ing before him in a tempestuous outburst of eloquence all opposition to the high resolves and earnest convictions of his mighty soul. If he lost anything by neglected education his great genius supplied the defect. He always had his armor on, and Logan, either in the forum or on the battle-field, was ever ready for the rencounter. He was the advocate of liberty, and the devoted friend of the human race. He loved his friends with unswerving fidelity and never deserted them. He was a friend of I nth, and hated treason whether against his country or his friend. He sought to preserve the Union and maintain the Constitution ; he was the advocate of the universal freedom of man. He labored to restore peace and amity between the sections of our country, and performed his full share in healing the animosities engendered by the war. He sought to cherish industry and protect labor. He encouraged the settle- ment of our vast domain and the development of our resources. He came from the humbler class and his sympathies were always with the poor and the sons of toil. He was from them and one of them. Along the highway over which our country and people have journeyed during the past quarter of a century John A. Logan may be seen and traced. If he was your antagonist, he was an open one, scorning to attack by stealth or fight from ambush. He struck his blows in front and in daylight. Ready to forgive and forget a slight or insult done him, he was as eager to repair an injury done another. Wherever he was found he was stolid, sincere, intense, firm, honest, and courageous. If lie was a brilliant figure in the political arena, he was none the less so in the ^military. It mattered little to Logan whether on the field of battle, or in the halls of Congress; whether conducting his troops at the assault of Donelson, or maintaining a debate in the Senate of the United States ; whether managing a great Presidential campaign, or leading his army through Georgia ; whether caressing his loved ones at home, or enduring the privations of army life ; whether trudging along the ranks as a private soldier, or riding his charger at the head of his army. When our civil war burst like a terrible tempest upon the nation Logan buckled on his sword, rushed to battle and never halted until slavery was dead, freedom reigned trium- phant, and the union of all the States secured. As resistless against the foe as an avalanche rushing headlong from Alpine heights to desolate the plains below he combined the des- peration of Charles XII. with the generosity of a Cffisar. ... In peace he had no fortune but his genius, courage, and faith ; in war, no friend but Lis valor and sword ; yet we see him measuring arms with men of experience, rank, and power, and writing his name high on the escutcheon of fame, leaving the world better for having lived in it. He is dead ; dead to his State, but he lives to the nation ; dead to the family, but he lives to every lover of freedom on the globe. This great man will not be forgotten. His name and deeds are enrolled in the history of his age and he lives in the affections of a patriotic people. He will be remembered while liberty has a shrine and freedom a votary. His name will be cherished until the clouds forget to replenish the springs, the fountains to gush, or the rills to sing. In ages hence his lofty deeds will "be acted o'er in the nations yet unborn and accents yet un- known." Mr. Speaker, from the tears which this day fall on the bier of Logan the patriot, war- rior, and statesman, there springs a rainbow spanning our heavens, giving hope and prom- ise of the immortality of the Republic. The eulogies being ended, the resolutions offered by Mr. Thomas were adopted unani- mously ; and, in accordance therewith, the House of Representatives adjourned. ko* .<£ 9* # ^ A & <«* -^ <•* ■. %