this letter I was notified of the dangerous
illness of my brother at his residence in the city of New York.
I at once went to his bedside, and remained with him until his
death, at two o'clock of Saturday, the 14th of February. In his
later years, after his removal to New York, he entered into the
social life of that city. He was in demand at weddings, dinners,
parties, reunions of soldiers, and public meetings, where his genial
nature and ready tact, his fund of information and happy facility
of expression, made him a universal favorite. He was temperate in
his eating and drinking, but fond of companionship, and always
happy when he had his old friends and comrades about him. He
enjoyed the society of ladies, and did not like to refuse their
invitations to social gatherings. In conversation with men or
women, old or young, he was always interesting. He was often warned
that at three score and ten he could not endure the excitement of
such a life, and he repeatedly promised to limit his engagements.
Early in February he exposed himself to the inclement weather of
that season, and contracted a cold which led to pneumonia, and in
a few days to death. He was perfectly conscious of his condition
and probable fate, but had lost the power of speech and could only
communicate his wishes by signs. His children were with him, and
hundreds daily inquired about him at his door; among them were
soldiers and widows whom he had aided.

During the last hours of General Sherman, his family, who had been
bred in the Catholic faith, called in a Catholic priest to administer
extreme unction according to the ritual of that church. The New
York "Times," of the date of February 13, made a very uncharitable
allusion to this and intimated that it was done surreptitiously,
without my knowledge. This was not true but the statement deeply
wounded the feelings of his children. I promptly sent to the
"Times" the following letter, which was published and received with
general satisfaction:

"A paragraph in your paper this morning gives a very erroneous view
of an incident in General Sherman's sick chamber, which wounds the
sensitive feelings of his children, now in deep distress, which,
under the circumstances, I deem it proper to correct. Your reporter
intimates that advantage was taken of my temporary absence to
introduce a Catholic priest into General Sherman's chamber to
administer the rite of extreme unction to the sick man, in t