Life of Wm. Tecumseh Sherman.: Late Retired General. U. S. A.Johnson, Willis Fletcher
History
Life of Wm. Tecumseh Sherman.: Late Retired General. U. S. A.
Johnson, Willis Fletcher
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891
The long procession wound its way through the streets of New York
to the Jersey City ferry. There the coffin and its immediate escort
were taken across the river and placed on the funeral train. General
Sherman's horse, which with empty saddle had followed the funeral
caisson, was led up to the train and the saddle and boots were placed
by the coffin in the funeral car. The train consisted of an engine and
eight cars. Generals Howard and Slocum, and Surgeon Alexander, besides
six sergeants of the regular army, acted as a guard of honor. The
Governor of New Jersey through his staff acted as an escort through
Jersey City; and the Governor of Pennsylvania and his staff in a
special car went through to Harrisburg.
It was early in the evening when the train left Jersey City. At almost
every station that it passed vast throngs assembled and bands of music
played solemn dirges. It was midnight when it reached Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, yet a multitude stood in the darkness in the open air to
do it honor. In the morning it passed through Pittsburg in the midst
of a heavy rain storm. Later in the day the sky was clear and the sun
shone brilliantly. At Steubenville, Ohio, seventy-five veterans of the
army stood on the platform as the train went by, nearly all of them
old comrades of Sherman. At Columbus, Ohio, the train paused for a
few minutes while Grand Army veterans were allowed to gaze upon the
casket. At Indianapolis another stop was made while many distinguished
people paid their tribute of honor to the mighty dead.
It was Saturday morning when the train reached St. Louis. For several
days the weather there had been stormy, but this morning the skies were
clear and the sunshine bright. Thousands of people thronged about the
station, waiting there for hours before the arrival of the train. At
last, at a little before nine o'clock, the funeral cars slowly rolled
into the station, the engine bell solemnly tolling.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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