t excited profound sympathy for
the President, and unusual detestation for the murderer. The
personal qualities of Garfield have been already mentioned. After
his untimely death his enemies became silent. At this distance of
time we can properly fix his place in the calendar of those who
have gone before. In many respects, Garfield was like Blaine, but
in his personal intercourse with men, and in the power of will, he
was not the equal of Blaine, while, in style of oratory, in imagery
and expression, he was superior to him. Both were eminent in their
day and generation. They were my juniors about eight years, yet
they lived long enough to permanently stamp their names upon the
history of the country.

On the 20th of July General Sherman arrived at Mansfield as my
visitor. There was much curiosity to see him, especially by soldiers
who had served under his command. I invited them to call at my
house. On the evening of the 21st a large procession of soldiers
and citizens, headed by the American band, marched to my grounds.
The general and I met them at the portico, when Colonel Fink stepped
forward and made a brief speech, saying:

"General Sherman:--We, the old soldiers of the war for the Union,
of Richland county and its surroundings, together with our citizens,
have come to-day to pay our respects to you.

"We come, with feelings of profound regard, to see and welcome you,
our great strategic war chief, and the hero fo the glorious 'March
to the sea.'

"We greet you as the general and leader of all the armies of our
country; we greet you as the gallant defender of the flag; we greet
you as the brother of our beloved Senator; we greet you as an Ohio
man, but, above all, we have come to greet and honor you for your
worth; the man that you are."

General Sherman replied briefly, and as this is the first speech
I ever heard him make I insert it here. He said:

"Fellow-Soldiers of the late war and Fellow-Citizens:--It gives me
pleasure to meet you here to-night, in this beautiful grove; in
this inclosure, at my own brother's home. I am glad to meet you,
his neighbors and his friends. The situation is a novel one to
me, and I am deeply moved by it. As I look over you I do not
recognize the faces that I used to know, and when riding about your
city to-day, I only found some of the names I then knew--your
Hedges, your Parkers, and your Purdys; for the rest I had to go to
your cemetery, over yonder, and re