THE SOLDIERS' FRIEND.

The monument erected to the memory of the late Vice-President Henry Wilson in the rear of the chapel at the Soldiers' Home, Washington, D. C., is a tribute of gratitude from the army of the United States to one of its most devoted friends. As chairman of the Military Committee of the Senate for twelve years, from 1861 to 1873, he never failed to stand by the brave defenders of the Union. In recognition of those services the enlisted men at Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory, started the subscriptions January 28, 1876, and the various regiments of the army soon gathered sufficient money, and a month ago the monument was completed. It is of granite, and is five feet high, and seven feet six inches by four feet three inches at the base. It is a chaste and substantial structure, and is the work of D. M'Menamin & Co., of Washington, D. C. On the front face, in large raised letters, is the inscription: “Henry Wilson, the Soldiers' Friend;” on the opposite face: “Erected by the Enlisted Men of the Army;” and on the end: “Died, Vice-President of the United States, November 22, 1875.” The executive committee — viz., the General, Lieutenant-General, and the three Major-Generals of the army — approved the plan, which was executed by General Benjamin Alvord, Paymaster-General and custodian of the Monument Fund.

The Soldiers' Friend, Harper's Magazine November 9, 1878, Volume 22, Issue 1141.