THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORT SHERIDAN AT CHICAGO

There had been in early times a military reservation at the mouth
of the Chicago River, on which old Fort Dearborn was located. But
that had become far too valuable to be retained for military use,
and no longer suitable for a military post, being in the heart of
a great city. Hence it had passed out of the hands of the government.
Upon consultation with Senator Logan and a few others, it was not
thought possible to obtain from Congress the large sum of money
necessary to buy ground for a post near Chicago; but that if the
United States owned the ground, the appropriations to build a post
could readily be obtained. Hence the subject was mentioned to a
few prominent citizens, with the suggestion that a site be purchased
by subscription and presented to the United States. I was soon
invited to meet the Commercial club at one of their monthly dinners,
where the matter was fully discussed. At another meeting, some
time later, it was made the special subject for consideration, and
this resulted in the organization of the plan to raise the money
and purchase the ground. All the eligible sites were examined,
the prices obtained, and the purchase-money pledged. Then the
proposition was submitted to the War Department and approved.
General Sheridan was sent out to select the best of the sites
offered, and his choice fell on that which all, I believe, had
esteemed the best, though the most expensive--a beautiful tract of
land of about six hundred acres, situated on the shore of Lake
Michigan twenty-five miles north of Chicago. The cost was nothing
to the broad-minded and far-sighted men of that city. The munificent
gift was accepted by Congress, and appropriations were made for
the finest military post in the country. It was appropriately
named Fort Sheridan, not only in recognition of the great services
the general had rendered to the country, but as a special and
graceful recognition of the services he had rendered Chicago in
the time of her sorest need.

During my brief service--two years and some months--in the Division
of the Missouri, I traveled many thousands of miles, and visited
nearly all parts of that vast territory, from the Canadian line to
the Gulf of Mexico, some of which was then new to me, attending to
the ordinary routine duties of a time of comparative peace. Nothing
else occurred at all comparable in importance, in my judgment, to
the establishm