sider it a great honor to have been associated with them during their grand career. I have the honor to remain, very respectfully, FRED. E. FARNSWORTH, Your obedient servant, DAVID D. PORTER, Admiral. Secretary of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee. GENERAL O. M. POE: NEW YORK, September 8, 1887. MY DEAR GENERAL:-Circumstances over which I have no control prevent me from attending the reunion of the Army of the Tennessee on the 14th instant. I trust that I shall be remembered by all my friends present upon that occasion, and that you and they will regret my absence, with a small portion, at least, of the disappointment which I feel at being compelled to deprive myself of the pleasure of attending. For the courtesy of your invitation, I beg to thank you and your committee. Very truly yours, C. W. MOULTON. LA MOILLE, ILL. GENERAL FRED. E. FARNSWORTH, Secretary Local Executive Committee, Detroit, Mich.: SIR: I beg to acknowledge receipt and notice of invitation to the twentieth annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, on the 14th instant, and exceedingly regret my inability to attend. The yearly depleting of our numbers by death, makes one feel more and more the importance of regular attendance. Wishing the Society a pleasant and enjoyable reunion, and that all may be prepared to make hearty response when the last great roll-call shall come, Am respectfully, R. B. FRARY. FORT SILL, IND. TER., September 4, 1887. COLONEL O. M. POE, U. S. Army, Chairman Local Executive Committee Society Army of the Tennessee Detroit, Mich. : DEAR SIR:-I regret that I will be unable to attend the twentieth annual reunion of the Society at Detroit on the 14th and 15th instant. As time adds its halo to heroic deeds, I trust that memories of the past will be your inspirations to a very happy reunion. Sincerely yours, B. M. CUSTER. FRED. FARNSWORTH, ESQ., THE MEADOWS," CARLINVILLE, ILLS., September 11, 1887. Secretary Executive Committee, Detroit, Mich.: DEAR SIR:-The invitation to the twentieth annual reunion of the Army of the Tennessee extended to General Rowett has been received. It is with sorrowful memories that I need inform you to make no provision for his entertainment. He has joined the ranks of the immortal; he has at last had to succumb to the death wound received at the battle of the Alatoona Pass the later, but more fortunate Thermopylae. It was in this bloody and hotly contested battle that General Rowett won for his country lasting benefits, and for himself the meed of praise of those who stood with him on that memorable occasion. General Corse, in his official report, says: "Colonel R. Rowett manifested such zeal, intrepidity and skill, as to induce us all to feel that to his personal efforts, we owed, in an eminent degree, the safety of the command. Twice wounded, he clung tenaciously to his post, and fully earned the promotion I so cheerfully recommend." It was his pride that he could claim comradeship with the noble men of the Army of the Tennessee. "And in keeping the feast, If you want a great song for your Italy free, Let none ask me-let none ask me." Hoping the Society may have a pleasant and interesting reunion, I am, Respectfully, ELLA ROWett. These letters are in response to citizens' (local committee) invitation sent out to those other than members of the Society: STATE OF FLORIDA, EXECUTIVE OFFICE, MESSRS. O. M. POE, M. H. CHAMBERLAIN AND OTHERS, Committee on Invitation, Detroit, Mich.: GENTLEMEN:—I have the honor to acknowledge your courtesy in extending to me, with a polite invitation in behalf of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, the hospitality of your citizens on the occasion of the "twentieth annual reunion" on the 14th and 15th days of September proximo, at Detroit, Michigan. Gratefully appreciating the honor your committee do me, I regret that it will not be possible for me to avail myself of the generous hos. pitality offered and to participate in a celebration which cannot fail to be interesting, not only to the gallant survivors who compose your Society, but to all who are fortunate enough to be present. Very truly yours, E. A. PERRY. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 14, 1887. GENTLEMEN:-I am honored by the invitation to be one of the guests of the Society of the Tennessee at its reunion in Detroit, on the 14th and 15th instants. It would give me more than ordinary pleasure to be present on that interesting occasion, but other engagements, I regret to say, prevent my enjoying that pleasure. During the week of the Society's reunion, I will join with others, at Philadelphia, in celebrating the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, for the maintainance of which against armed force so much was done by the brave men of the Army of the Tennessee. It is, perhaps, too much to say that the Union established by that Constitution would have perished but for the heroic deeds of the soldiers of that Army in the great conflict of 1861-5. But it is certainly safe to say that no equal number of soldiers did more than they for the suppression of the rebellion which sought the overthrow of the National Government. Your obedient servant, JOHN M. HARLAN. To O. M. POE, T. W. PALMER, JOHN ATKINSON, M. H. CHAMBERLAIN, J. LOGAN CHIPMAN, W. W. Leggett, Committee. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF MICHIGAN W. R. C., FRED. E. FARNSWORTH, LANSING, MICH., September 13, 1887. Secretary of Society of the Army of the Tennessee: DEAR SIR AND COMRADE:--Your invitation to attend the twentieth annual reunion of the Society Army of the Tennessee is hereby gratefully acknowledged. With regret that office duties connected with the near approach of St. Louis convention compel me to decline. As Department President of Michigan's W. R. C., I send my love to the only and original General Wm. Tecumseh Sherman, accompanied by the love of three Past Department Presidents, thirty-three past and present staff officers, one hundred and twenty corps presidents, and four thousand loyal women of Michigan. Say to him, and to your other heroic and historic guests, that the Woman's Relief Corps extends to them a welcome, and would gladly give them the salute of the Order. MY DEAR GENERAL:-It would give me very sincere pleasure to attend the twentieth annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee at Detroit on the 14th and 15th proximo, in accordance with your very kind in vitation, and so to share in the hospitality of the citizens on that occasion. I am debarred, however, from doing so by another conflicting engagement, and can therefore only express my regrets with wishes for the abundant success of your meeting. DEAR SIR:-I greatly regret that your invitation, on the part of the citizens of Detroit, to attend the annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, reached me too late (being received only to-day) to permit of my accepting it. As an undistinguished member of the Army of the Cumberland, I shall always have a kindly feeling for those who came to our relief at Chattanooga-bringing security and hard tack—and then marched shoulder to shoulder with us "down to the sea," winning victory by hard knocks-at least I always thought they did—until of late. The recent newspapers, which seem to have been especially planned to excuse Confederate failure, have thoroughly satisfied me that we won only by Confederate mistakes, and I am about ready to believe that we did not win at all. I trust that the old "boys" -I know they are getting old by my own reflected phiz—may have an enjoyable time, and that the sad fact that they were whipped all over the Southern Confederacy by a force so insignificant as to make good the ancient Southern boast, of one Southern being “able to whip five Yankees," may not be entirely proved nor universally accepted, until the last one of the old veterans has answered to roll-call "on the other side of Jordan." With thanks for the distinguished honor accorded me by your invitation, I remain, Your obedient servant, ALBION W. TOURGEE. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, SECOND COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, CAPTAIN FRED. E. FARNSWORTH, Secretary of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee: DEAR SIR:-Returning from the office yesterday from Harper's Ferry, W. Va., I found your kind invitation to the twentieth annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee. I would that I could go; it would be a great pleasure to me. I thank you for doing me the honor of asking me. The Army of the Tennessee! How resplendent with heroes and patriots. You will have with you at this reunion men whose deeds of valor will be re membered forever. All honor to them; and to their gallant commander, the statesman-soldier, fearless, upright, golden-hearted Sherman. Very sincerely yours, R. P. MCMAHON, NEW YORK, September 10, 1887. Gentlemen:—Having been absent from the city for a fortnight, I have your invitation to attend the twentieth reunion of the Army of the Tennessee. It is difficult to realize that twenty years have passed since so much depended on the valor and achievements of that Army! But time has not faded its laurels; not lessened the gratitude the nation owes it. I wish I could be present and join in praises and acclaim. I cannot come, however, but my earnest wishes go with the reunion and with those to whom it will recall so much. DEAR SIR:-Your kind invitation to be present at the twentieth annual reunion of the Army of the Tennessee is received. Absence from home prevented an earlier response. I regret that my engagements are such as to prevent my acceptance. If present, I could not relate any war incidents from personal experience. I was not "in the imminent deadly breach," and never "felt the shock of contending hosts," never heard the “rebel yell,” nor the “Yankee cheer." I only smelled the smoke of battle afar off. But I am a good listener, and nothing affords me more pleasure than to listen to the talk between two old veterans as they relate their war experiences. Like Desdemona, I sigh and wish that God had made me such a man. But it is too late now to enlist, or gather together the necessary "influence" for a commission, and must content myself with listening, admiring and loving the "brave boys that went forth at their country's call." I bespeak for the comrades of that noble army who may assemble on that occasion all the happiness and enjoyment which such a reunion inspires. God bless them and make their camp-fires a source of social pleasure long to be remembered is the prayer of Your obedient servant, J. W. CHAMPlin. |