General William T. Sherman to Senator John Sherman, December 4, 1884

ST. LOUIS, Mo., Dec. 4, 1884.

Dear Brother: . . . We have several posts of the Grand Army here, one of which, Frank Blair Post No 1, invited me to assist in the dedication of their new hall. I could not well decline, and attended. The hall was well filled, but it is against the customs and rules for reporters to be present. I saw none, but there must have been two at least who reported what little I had to say differently. Still my speech was most imperfect and condensed, emphasizing what I said of Jeff Davis, and induced somewhat by the regular speaker of the evening, who preceded me.

I congratulated them upon having secured so good a hall in so good a neighborhood; said that I was glad to see the interest manifested; that it was well for old soldiers thus to meet to interchange the memories of the war, and to impress its lessons on the rising generation; that I noticed a tendency to gloss over the old names and facts; that it was not a war among the States," a war of "secession," but a "conspiracy" up to the firing on Sumter, and a "Rebellion" afterwards; that, whilst in Louisiana long before Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated, I saw evidences of the "conspiracy," among them the letter written in January by Slidell and Benjamin, then United States Senators under the oath, written on paper dated "United States Senate," etc., addressed to T. O. Moore, Governor of Louisiana, to seize the United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge; that afterwards, during the progress of the war, I had seen letters of Mr. Davis—a chest full at Jackson, Miss., sent to Washington—proving such "conspiracy," and subsequently I had seen a letter of Mr. Davis showing that he was not sincere in his doctrine of secession, for when some of the States of the Confederacy, in 1865, talked of "separate State action," another name for "secession," he, as President of the Confederacy, would resist it, even if he had to turn Lee's army against it. I did see such a letter, or its copy, in a captured letter-book at Raleigh, just about as the war was closing.

Mr. Davis, in a card addressed to the "Republican¹" of this city, published by it and generally copied, pronounced this false, calls on me to produce the identical letter, or to stand convicted of being a slanderer. Of course I cannot for an instant allow Mr. Davis to call on me for any specific document, or to enter up judgment on the statement of a newspaper. Still, I believe the truth of my statement can be established. I will not answer Mr. Davis direct, nor will I publish anything over my signature, but I will collect evidence to make good my statement. The particular letter shown me at Raleigh may be in the public archives at Washington, as I am sure that the box or chest was sent from Jackson, Miss.; but I apprehend that the papers gathered at Fayetteville, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill University were of those taken in hand by my two adjutants, Generals Sawyer and Rochester, brought to St. Louis, assorted and arranged as part of the records of the "Division of the Missouri," and sent to Chicago at the time General Sheridan relieved me. These records were consumed in the great fire of Chicago, 1871, but of the existence of such a letter I have not a particle of doubt. Of course I cannot recall the words, but the general purport was such as to recall to my mind the old fable of the Farmer and the Ox: "It makes all the difference in the world whether your bull gores my ox or mine yours."

I have made some inquiries of Col. R. N. Scott, in charge of the Rebellion Records, Union and Confederate, and if the correspondence between Mr. Davis and the State Governors is among these records, Mr. Davis will have his letter. I am not the custodian of the records of the war, which fill many buildings in Washington. As to Davis' opinions at that date, January and February, 1865, I can, I think, obtain secondary proof, being promised an original letter from Thad. Stevens² to Herschel V. Johnson, captured and still retained by a sergeant in the Union Army.

As to the "conspiracy," the proof is overwhelming. As to Davis' opinions in the winter of 1864-65, I am equally satisfied, but may not be able to prove by his own handwriting. . . .

Affectionately yours,

W. T. SHERMAN.

_______________

¹ Newspaper.

² See following letter.

SOURCE: Rachel Sherman Thorndike, Editor, The Sherman Letters: Correspondence Between General and Senator Sherman from 1837 to 1891, p. 362-5

General William T. Sherman to Senator John Sherman, December 7, 1884

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 7, 1884.

HON. JOHN SHERMAN,
        Washington, D.C.

Dear Brother: In my letter a few days since, I referred to a letter of Hon. Thad. Stevens. I meant, of course, Hon. A. H. Stephens of Georgia. I now enclose a copy of that letter under cover of a note to Col. R. N. Scott, in charge of the General Records. I want you to read that letter carefully and then send it to Scott to be preserved among the archives. Such letters contain more real truth than official papers. It was from such papers that I gained the most valuable information of the actual condition of facts. Hundreds of similar letters reached me, and I fear we were not careful enough in their preservation.

They make up the unwritten history or traditions of the war, one of the principal objects of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Affectionately yours,

W. T. SHERMAN.

SOURCE: Rachel Sherman Thorndike, Editor, The Sherman Letters: Correspondence Between General and Senator Sherman from 1837 to 1891, p. 365

John W. Mclaughlin

JOHN W. McLAUGHLIN, farmer and stock-raiser, living on section 30, Decatur Township, was born in Marion County, Ohio, April 24, 1840, he being the youngest in a family of six children.  His father was a native of Virginia, and was married in Ohio to Catherine Dunbar, a native of Pennsylvania.  He died in Delaware County, Ohio, in May, 1852, aged forty-eight years.  When our subject was fourteen years of age, in 1854, the mother came with her family to Decatur County, and made her home in Bloomington Township.  She is still living, her home being near the home of our subject.  John W. McLaughlin remained with his mother till 1862, when, August 15 of that year, he enlisted in Company I, Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry.  His first engagement was at Chickasaw Bluffs, under General Sherman, in December, 1862, after which he was in line at the capture of Arkansas Post, participating in that campaign which culminated in the surrender of Vicksburg.  He then went with his corps, the Thirteenth, to the Louisiana department, and was soon after incapacitated from duty by sickness, spending several weeks in hospital and convalescent camp at Factory Press, New Orleans.  He rejoined his regiment December 25, 1863, at Mattagorda Island, near Galveston, Texas.  During the Red River campaign his corps reinforced General Banks at Alexandria, and in Banks' disastrous retreat served as guard of property and baggage.  During the closing scenes of the war Mr. McLaughlin participated in the capture of Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan, at Mobile, Alabama, and was in line at the storming of Fort Blakely, at Mobile, Alabama.  He served gallantly and faithfully as a soldier till August 15, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge, and is now a member of Decatur Post, No. 410, G. A. R.  Returning to Decatur County he was married October 19, 1865, to Mary E. Woodmansee, of Decatur Township, where her parents, James W. and Rachel Woodmansee, reside.  They have four children living — Ettie G., Ann Laura, James W. and Reuben.  Their third child, John, died aged two years.  In December, 1865, Mr. McLaughlin bought 108 acres of his present farm, in Decatur Township, forty-five acres being broken, on which was erected a comfortable residence.  He soon commenced the improvement of his land, and has since added to it till his farm now contains 215 acres of upland, meadow and timber land, making one of the best stock farms in Decatur Township, his farm being watered by Grand River.  In politics Mr. McLaughlin has been identified with the Greenback party, since its organization.  He cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln.  He is a member of Decatur Lodge, No. 109, A. F. & A.M., and of Decatur Lodge, No. 102, I.O.O.F.

SOURCE: “Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa,” p. 554

Lyman Forgrave

LYMAN FORGAVE, contractor and builder at Leon, was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, July 10, 1844, son of John and Harriet (Gordon) Forgrave, natives of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The mother is still living at the age of seventy-five years. They were the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living – Andrew Perry; Louisa, wife of William Turner, of Plattsmouth, Nebraska; Robert, a resident of California; Harriet, wife of Minor Wightman; John, a resident of Mt. Pleasant, this State; Albert and Lyman. In 1862, Mr. Forgrave enlisted as drummer in Band Four, Fifteenth Army Corps, and was mustered out July 7, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky. He resided in Chicago for a time, where he built the Silver Smelting Works for the Swansy Smelting Company. He also built the court-house in Leon. He was married June 18, 1872, to Nannie, daughter of Judge Lorenzo H. and Mary A. (Wartenbe) Sales, natives of Ohio, who came to Decatur county in 1856, where they still reside. Their three children are – Lewis C., Frank R. and Mrs. Forgrave. Mr. and Mrs. Forgrave have four children – Harry S., Robert L., Leslie L. and Paul L. Mr. Forgrave owns a fine brick residence and a brick business block opposite the postoffice. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Masonic fraternity, and of the Knights Templar.

SOURCE: “Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa,” p. 548-9