SPEECH 
 
 ■ by the i 
 
 Secretary of War, Mr* Root 
 
 Upon the Unveiling of St. Gaudens' 
 Statue of General Shernian in tlie 
 City of New York, May 30th, J903 
 
 ...J 
 
SPEECH 
 
 BY THE 
 
 SECRETARY OF WAR, 
 Mr. root, 
 
 UPON THE UNVEILING OF ST. GAUDENS' 
 
 STATUE OF GENERAL SHERMAN IN THE 
 
 CITY OF NEW YORK, MAY 30, 1903. 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. : 
 
 Gibson Bros., Pkinters and Bookbinuers. 
 
 1903. 
 

 D. of A*. 
 
 ;uL H 1919 
 
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Mayor, Fellow Citi- 
 zens : 
 
 Of all the statues with which the affec- 
 tion of friends and the admiration of con- 
 temporaries ai'e adorning or disfiguring the 
 public places of the modern world, few will 
 carry any personal meaning to future gene- 
 rations, or serve to perpetuate the memory 
 of the men whom they are designed to 
 honor. The little great men of the hour 
 pass across the stage of the world's life 
 with their generations, and are forgotten. 
 Neither granite shaft nor monumental 
 bronze can confer upon them immortality, 
 or rescue them from the individual oblivion 
 which merges their achievements and their 
 sacrifices into the general progress of the 
 nation and the race. 
 
 Rarely, as the centuries pass, some great 
 national crisis, with the inspiration of strug- 
 gle and the test of requirements beyond 
 the capacity of common men, sifts the ma- 
 
terial of a nation, and reveals a man equal 
 to great occasion ; whose deeds link his 
 name forever with the decisive events 
 which determine the world's progress, 
 render his existence a fact of historic sig. 
 nificance, and make what he was, a jiart of 
 the common and familiar knowledge of 
 mankind. Such a crisis was the American 
 war for the Union. Such a man was Wil- 
 liam Tecumseh Sherman. The tremendous 
 consequence to mankind of the decision 
 whether America was to be one nation or 
 a group of small and discordant States, 
 dimly foreseen by the men of half a century 
 ago, even now only begins to be realized 
 by the world, which sees looming large in 
 the horizon of the future the immeasurable 
 possibilities for good or evil in hundreds of 
 millions of people, free, independent, self- 
 governing, Avith limitless resources, with 
 vital force and energy never surpassed, and 
 united under one government by common 
 institutions, a common sentiment of nation- 
 
ality, and general loyalty to the same 
 ideals. 
 
 The part that Sherman played in that 
 great struggle was not merely courageous, 
 loyal, devoted, brilliant. It was essen- 
 tially decisive. Erase it from the pages 
 of history and no human mind can divine 
 how the blanks would have been filled. 
 No one will dare to say another could 
 have done what Sherman did. Shiloh and 
 Corinth and Vicksburg and Chattanooga 
 and Missionary Eidge crowned him with 
 laurels. The desperate and resourceful 
 campaign which ended in the capture of 
 Atlanta established his place in histoiy as 
 a great commander. The march from At- 
 lanta to the sea, and still on from Savan- 
 nah northward through the Carolinas, to 
 Raleigh and the surrender of Johnston, 
 ranks among the great and impressive mil- 
 itary events of history. But more than all 
 these, in the general maintenance and con- 
 duct of the war, the powerful influence of 
 
6 
 
 his militaiy genius, the strong support of 
 his indomitable will, the forward impulse 
 of his tremendoiis energy, the singular no- 
 bility of his unselfish character, which, 
 meeting like characteristics in Grant, ena- 
 bled them to work together like brothers ; 
 all these made the personality of Sherman 
 an essentially decisive part of the great 
 consummation which determined that 
 America was to be free and united. We 
 cannot add to his fame ; we cannot con- 
 tribute to his immortality. The statue we 
 raise to-day can but point future genera- 
 tions to the pages of history where his 
 name and deeds are imperishably recorded. 
 Neither praise can set up nor detraction 
 pull down the immortals in that Valhalla 
 of the truly great where he has taken his 
 eternal place. 
 
 But we who knew him living can record 
 our admiration and personal affection. 
 We can tell those who come after us that 
 not only was Sherman great but his people 
 
loved him. This stern and relentless mas- 
 ter of horrid war had a heart as gentle 
 and as tender as a woman's. The vete- 
 rans who had served under his command 
 came to him in after years as to a father, 
 to find always open his sympathy and his 
 purse. His magnanimous nature accorded 
 a generous meed of praise to eveiy degree 
 of merit exhibited by others associated in 
 his great undertakings. He fought, not 
 urged by ambition or for fame or for for- 
 tune, but inspired by loyalty and love of 
 country. Befoi'e Sumter was fired upon 
 he declared : 
 
 "On no earthly account will I do any 
 act or think any thought hostile to or in 
 defiance of the old Government of the 
 United States." 
 
 And when the great struggle was ended 
 he declared: 
 
 " War's legitimate object is more per- 
 fect peace," 
 
8 
 
 and turned with alacrity and gladness to 
 the path of mercy and conciliation. He 
 was a disciplinaiian without Iteing a mar- 
 tinet, and his broad sympathies with all 
 his countrymen made him the ideal com- 
 mander of volunteer soldiers. In peace 
 he was constantly solicitous for the adop- 
 tion of measures for the future welfare 
 and greatness of his country. He ui-ged 
 on to success the building of the Pacific 
 roads which he foresaw would pacify and 
 civilize the plains and bind together oui' 
 widely separated seaboards. He founded 
 the Leavenworth School of Military In- 
 struction, and entered actively into the 
 execution of broad and far-seeing plans 
 for utilizing the lessons of the Civil War 
 and improving the military system of the 
 country, until checked and made powerless 
 by a vicious organization which now in 
 this year we are happily bringing to an 
 end. Every good and noble cause found 
 in him encouragement and suppoi't. The 
 
simplicity and directness of his mind 
 found a counterpart in the fearless frank- 
 ness of his expression. His conversation 
 and his life taught always the lessons of 
 courage, of hope, of cheerfulness, and of 
 light. He was free from all envy and un- 
 charitableness, broad-minded, loyal and 
 generous friend, good and patriotic citizen, 
 honorable gentleman. Again and again 
 he put the Presidency away from him, and 
 chose rather the independence and dig- 
 nity of citizenship than the honors of liigh 
 office which could add nothing to his lau- 
 rels. 
 
 Many of us remember the charm and 
 beauty of his declining years ; when he had 
 come to the time when men begin to live 
 over in memory the stirring scenes of their 
 youth ; when he was wont to seek a famil- 
 iar corner in the old club-house below us 
 on this avenue — the club formed to sup- 
 port him in the great conflict — and there to 
 discourse with his friends, with quaint 
 
10 
 
 wisdom and genial humor and many a 
 brilliant flash of insight, upon the days that 
 were passed. Enjoying life to the end, 
 amid universal respect and affection, secure, 
 in the consciousness of great deeds done, 
 he rested here in peaceful and honored age. 
 It is a fitting and a happy thing that here, 
 too, the genius of the great sculptor wlio 
 owns this city as his home, should make 
 imperishable l")y his art this silent witness 
 to the honor that we and our children shall 
 ever pay to Sherman, the soldier, the patriot 
 and the friend. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGREs" 
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