The North American Review Engages Me to Edit Several Chapters of the Sherman Correspondence--Sherman Writes as to Magazines and His Book--The General Invites Me to Come and Stay at His Home in St. Louis--He Offers Me the Use of All His Papers--I Publish Also in the Review a Prose Narrative of the March to the Sea--Mrs. Sherman Reads It to the General--Buffalo Bill--General Gives Me His Army Badge-- Nights in Sherman’s Office--Conversations with Him--Life in the Sherman Home--The General’s Complete Reconciliation with His Son Tom--Interesting Letters from Sherman as to Magazines--His Forthcoming Book--Farms and Taxes--War Histories--Grant’s Book--Newspapers--Christmas Letter. 274 CHAPTER XXIX. 1887-1890. An Interesting Letter from General Grant--Sherman Living in New York--His Immense Popularity with All Americans-- Letters from Him--Exhibited Like a Circus--No Union Man Left in Foreign Service by Cleveland--He Writes for the Magazines--Magazines Again--Approves My Article in the North American Review on the March to the Sea--Humblest Union Man Better Patriot than the Proudest South Carolina Rebel--Sheridan Dying--Congress Should Make Rank of Lieutenant General Permanent--His Reception at Columbus-- Death of Mrs. Sherman--About His Memoirs--No Profit--The Army of the Tennessee at Cincinnati--My Poem There--An Odd Interview at the White House--Conversations with Secretary Blaine--Death of the Great General--Speeches About Him in the Senate--I Am Again Appointed to Switzerland. 287 CHAPTER XXX. 1891. Go to Switzerland as Consul General--An Ocean Voyage Then and Now--A Glimpse of Burns’ Home--The Highest City in Europe-- A Novel Republic--Life in the Higher Alps--Headquarters for Embroidery--Princess Salm-Salm--An Open Air Parliament-- The Upper Rhine--At Hamburg--A Summer on the Baltic-- Interview with Prince Bismarck. 304 TWENTY YEARS IN EUROPE CHAPTER I 1869 A LITTLE WHITE CARD WITH PRESIDENT GRANT’S NAME ON IT--A VOYAGE TO EUROPE--AN ENGLISH INN--HEAR GLADSTONE SPEAK--JOHN BRIGHT AND DISRAELI. In the State Department at Washington, there is on file a plain little visiting card, signed by President U. S. Grant. That card was the Secretary’s authority for commissioning me Consul to Zurich. “I would much like to have that little card,” I said to an Assistant Secretary, long years afterward. “Most anybody would,” replied the official, smiling. “You may copy it, but it can not be taken from the files.” That card, in its time, had been of consequence to me. It took me from a quiet little Western town to a beautiful Swiss city, where I was to spend many years of my life, and where I was to meet people, look on scenes and experience incidents worth telling about. And now it has led to my writing down the recollections of them in a book.