Sherman took hell for his generous terms to the Rebels in his first negotiations with Johnston and Breckenridge. But by the time of the Grand Review, even Edward Stanton let it go and enjoyed the great show. What a glorious sight it must have been!
Posted on 05/24/2021 3:41:46 PM PDT by NohSpinZone
On May 23 and 24, 1865, before the soldiers were mustered out of the Union Army, a Grand Review of the Armies was held in Washington, D.C., to honor the victorious troops. President Andrew Johnson also hoped to elevate the mood of a city that was devastated by the loss of President Abraham Lincoln. Over two hundred thousand soldiers marched from the Capitol to the White House before the largest crowds ever seen in that city. In a letter to Anna, Edwards estimated the number of spectators to be around fifty thousand.
[SNIP]
On the second day, General William T. Sherman led both the Army of Georgia, which had just completed a two thousand mile march through the heart of the Confederacy, and the Army of Tennessee that had arrived at Washington by train. Though tattered and worn, Sherman and the approximately sixty-five thousand troops were met with excitement and interest.
(Excerpt) Read more at ahec.armywarcollege.edu ...
Sherman took hell for his generous terms to the Rebels in his first negotiations with Johnston and Breckenridge. But by the time of the Grand Review, even Edward Stanton let it go and enjoyed the great show. What a glorious sight it must have been!
Great, great, great, etc Lurkin is in the photo somewhere.
Probably waaaaay in the back.
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Awesome! In which Corps did he serve?
Dunno. He marched with Sherman is the family story.
Let me check with a relative who is more detail oriented than am I.
The troops must have been exhausted from carrying all the stolen loot.
And guilt.
One of my second great -grandfathers might have been there. He served in the 30th Illinois for the entire war, and marched with Sherman to the sea.
Sherman’s bummers were certainly not going to win any popularity contests in GA, SC, or NC. In fact a few of them ended up lynched with “death to foragers” signs adorned on them until Sherman vigorously enforced the policy of executing one rebel prisoner for every raider killed. A few raiders went so beyond the pale, their own army court-martialed and executed them.
Fantastic. The 30th was involved in the capture of Fort Henry and then Fort Donelson early in the war. These victories helped elevate Grant (and Halleck) to their eventual lofty positions.
One of the things I like about doing genealogy is having connections to that kind of history.
“...even Edward Stanton let it go and enjoyed the great show.” Sherman snubbed that nasty bastard during the reception, and everyone there noticed it.
Right! Gave him the old, “going to brush my hair with my hand” routine when Stanton offered to shake his hand 😅
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