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| Riverside Park and Grant's Tomb |
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| Grant's Tomb |
The Cortland
News, Friday, July 31, 1885.
TO LIE AT RIVERSIDE.
A Commanding Site Chosen for Grant’s Last Resting
Place.
Some of Its Advantages.
The Place Mayor Grace’s Choice, for Reasons He
Points Out.
NEW YORK. July 28.—Mayor Grace this morning received a
telegraphic dispatch from Colonel Fred Grant saying that the family would
prefer that the General be buried in Riverside Park, this city. The board of
Aldermen accordingly held a meeting and adopted resolutions to that effect. In
the letter that Mayor Grace sent to Col. Grant, suggesting Riverside Park as
the best place for the General's tomb, the writer made the following points in
favor of that site:
"Because
of the peculiar beauty of the place in its location on the river, and the fact
that a monument in it would be visible far and wide. It would give a distinct
characteristic to this quiet and beautiful park, and such a monument as would
probably be erected there would lie in beauty and fitness of location with the
famous statue of Germania on the Rhine. The entire park would become
peculiarly, in a sense that Central park never can become, sacred and devoted
to the memory of your father. The park is so young that the character of its
development would be largely determined and its whole future dominated by this
fact. The monument would be visible from two states and for miles both up and
down the Hudson River, and would not only borrow from but lend beauty to the
noble stream, and at no time could your father's remains be regarded as lying remote
from nature. In the heart of a great busy city, in the rush and hurry of the
life of which death and its sacredness may be forgotten, the remains of the great
may be passed in thoughtlessness."
IT IS NOW DETERMINED
that the funeral obsequies will begin on Mt.
McGregor. The family fully recognize the claim of the people and the nation to
do honor to the remains of Gen. Grant, but there is a feeling that before all
the pomp and pageant of burial the family should have their dead all by
themselves for a season of service. The family should be alone when their
funeral service is held, and before the remains go out to the people to mourn
over.
Thus
the funeral ceremonies for the family will be held here in the cottage at such
time as may seem best. Dr. Newman will be with the family and conduct with them
the service on the dead General. The President is anxious that there should be
a national funeral under the direction and care of the War Department, beginning
when the remains are started from the mountain, and ending at the place of
sepulchre.
It is
desired that the friends and the public should know that on the morning of
Tuesday, August 4, they will be free to view the remains of General Grant in the
cottage parlor, where they will be in state that day. On that day the principal
funeral services will be held at the cottage, where Dr. Newman will deliver the
funeral oration and at that time the President and State Governors are expected
to be present. The interment service in New York will be confined to the
Methodist ritual service.
The
programme of the funeral train will be as follows: Next Tuesday, August 4, leave
Mt. McGregor at 1 p. m.; arrive at Saratoga at 2 p. m.; leave Saratoga at 2:30
p. m.; arrive in Albany at 4:30 p. m.; leave Albany at 12 o'clock noon,
Wednesday, August 5th; arrive about 4.30 p. m. in New York. In the interval
from 5:30 p. m., Tuesday, to noon Wednesday, August 5th, the remains will lie
in state at the Capitol, and from the time of arrival in New York on Wednesday
afternoon until Saturday, August 8th, the body will lie in state at the City
Hall. The public obsequies of the funeral will take place Saturday at such time
as the civic authorities may arrange, and the interment will then follow in
Riverside Park.
General
Grant's body when finally interred will have seven distinct coverings. It has
not yet been decided upon, whether his body will be covered in his uniform, as
general, or in civilian's garments. It is possible that the body will be
clothed in a uniform, if one is furnished by the War Department, as the family
has none in its possession. Over the outer dress of the body there will be a
covering of tufted satin, when the final interment is made. Over this there
will be a case of polished copper. The third case will be of red cedar. Then
will come a covering of royal purple velvet; then a lead lined cedar box, with
heavy nickel corners. Over all
these will be a solid steel case.
The
seven cases will weigh in all about three hundred pounds. The adornments of
case in which he will lie in state will be of silver. The inscription will be simply
“U. S. Grant." This will be engraved on a silver plate.
Since
the General's death Mrs. Grant keeps her room, not having left it since the
morning of the death scene. Her grief is seldom violent; it is beyond
expression. She feels separation from her life companion every moment. He was her
mainstay, as she was his. The letter found on the general after he had passed away,
sealed and addressed to her, is always with her. It is her only comfort, though
the sight of it evokes frequent outbursts of grief. The blow of death yet stuns
her. This note, tender and pathetic, full of devotion and love, pricks the benumbed
emotions and gives them relief. The family are dreading what the effect of
her seclusion may be. She will not leave her room, scarcely her bed. They will
not try to persuade her to look upon [the] General until Wednesday, when he
will be placed in the coffin. As pitiable as anything can be are her efforts at
times to appear reconciled. She tries it more rarely, now that her sorrow has
had some outlet, than she did at first.
Col.
Fred Grant and General Horace Porter are in New York having a conference with
Gen. Hancock and Mayor Grace in regard to arrangements for the public ceremonies.
Gen. Hancock's instructions are to consult the family about the plan of
movements that he is to control. The Colonel will stay in New York all of
tomorrow, and possibly longer. The precise character of the services in New
York at the interment will be determined. Offers of a chorus have been made,
and other things that seem incongruous at a military funeral, such as it will
be in New York.
The
present plan is to make the service here of a domestic character, as though it
were a private funeral, with friends about. There will be the church services
and an address. This will be enough, it is now thought, of elaborate speaking.
Neither the family nor the Rev. Dr. Newman think that anything more than the
prescribed church service should be performed at the grave in addition to the
military ceremonies.
Plans
will be submitted, on Col. Grant's return, for the removal of the body horn here.
Manager Fonda is ready to prepare either an open car or a regular coach for the
coffin. In the former case he will build a funeral structure on a flat car and give
the car appropriate decorations. Otherwise he will remove seats from one of the
passenger coaches and fit it up for the occasion. The wishes of the family will
govern the method of removal. An engine of the Delaware & Hudson Company will
await the mountain train at the Mt. McGregor station at Saratoga. It will have
in tow the two cars in which the General and the family were brought to Saratoga
from New York. One was Mr. Vanderbilt's private car, the other the private car
of President Webb, of the Sleeping Car Company. Other cars will be attached to
the train for the guard of honor and proper attendants. The same train will
wait at Albany during the stay of 20 hours there.
Arrangements
for ceremonies on the arrival at New York will develop during the coming week.
It is likely that Hawkins, the White House coachman, will drive the hearse at
the funeral. He is a coal black giant. The General took him as his driver
during Johnson's Administration while in charge of
the War Department. Then he went to the White House with the General and has since
remained there. He was very devoted to his benefactor. The General liked him.
Hawkins wrote as follows:
Gen. Horace Porter:
As the dear General's old coachman for years,
can you not aid in arranging that I may drive for him for the last time at the funeral?
I would like to do something in his honor and would like to do that.
ALBERT HAWKINS.
In
connection with this it may be said that the contemplated transfer of the
cottage to the State or National Government will probably secure Harrison, the
General's last colored attendant, a position to take charge of the cottage in
coming years.
Gen. Porter
is the possessor of Gen. Grant's last headquarters flag, which was displayed at
Appomattox. The flag was presented to Gen. Porter by Gen. Grant, and by Gen.
Porter [the flag] has been loaned to the Union League Club, of New York, for use
in its display of mourning.
The
preservation of Gen. Grant's remains during the heated term for a period of ten
days is a matter of no little importance. Two days were occupied in thoroughly embalming
the remains, the cavities and arteries being supplied with the embalming fluid
which displaced the blood as it was introduced. In order that the present favorable
condition of the remains may be preserved the embalming fluid will to-morrow be
replaced by another operation with fresh fluid. The process of absorption also
renders frequent treatment of the remains advisable, if not necessary.
Messages
of condolence in untold numbers have been received by the family of the
deceased, among which is one from Emma Thursby, offering her services for the
funeral.
The
following proclamation was issued by Governor Hill on Wednesday, making Saturday.
August 8th, a legal holiday:—
WHEREAS, The
funeral of the late General Ulysses S. Grant has been appointed for Saturday,
the eighth day of August next, and
WHEREAS, The whole people of the State are desirous of laying aside their usual occupations at
that time, to do homage to his memory, and it is fitting that such day should be a
public and legal holiday, therefore, in pursuance of the power in me vested, I
hereby appoint and set apart Saturday, the eighth day of August next, as a day for
such religious observance as may be appropriate to the burial of the
distinguished dead, and said day is hereby declared a legal holiday.
[Signed]
DAVID
B. HILL.
Given under my hand, and the privy seal of
the State of New York, at the Capitol in the city of Albany, the twenty ninth day
of July, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and eighty-five.
By
the Governor,
WILLIAM
G. RICE,
Private
Secretary.
By
order of the Postmaster-General all post offices in the several States and Territories
of the Union will be closed between the hours of one and five p. m., on Saturday
the 8th of August, the day of the funeral.
References:
1) Niederwalddenkmal, or statue of Germania on
the Rhine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niederwalddenkmal
2) Emma Thursby: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Cecilia_Thursby
3) Grant’s Tomb: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant's_Tomb
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