M imir-^i'ta, and had rlia)-.i^r nf i^vuiii.i^' vupplit's td lliat Irilic. In 

 1S3'' wliilr rr-idin.L; in I'iwa. lir l>in\nnr ar(]naintcd with hihn 

 l'.i-(i\vn. and Mi', d'ahri' ihnrd with him thr day I'.rdwii Icll lor 

 liis raid al Harper's l'"crry. and tn whom r.mwn imlhiicd his plans 

 tor lilKM-alinij the slaves. Durin*,' ihr C'i\il War. Mi'. I'aher had 

 charge nf the (Juaiierniaster's I )t'partn)(.nt al Xashville, Tennes- 

 see, where all of the stores foi' tlie Army of the ("umherland 

 passed through his hand>. Me was pi'esent at the hatlle hetween 

 ricnerals lldod and 'I'lmma^ at that time, in a letter he wrote 

 regarding this he said. "A Iter witnessing 80,000 American citizens 

 tr\ing to kill each other. J am convinced that none hut l)arharians 

 wmdil he guiltv of such wholesale murder." 



nuiing the War, he was called to Decatur, Alabama, on mili- 

 tarv duties, where he remained until the close of the War He 

 was then detailed to go to a mountain camp of the Confederates 

 to advi-e tliem of Lee's 'surrender: using his words, he says, 

 "When 1 ai-ri\ed al the c;uup, a Lieutenant grabbed my horse and 



GEORGE MAJOR TABER 



1916 



said 'Yank, what are you going to do with us?' I responded, 

 'You have been bad boys, but if you will go home and be good 

 citizens, no one will disturb you'." Later, while a delegate to the 

 Chicago Convention, which nominated Grant and Colfax in 1868, 

 he met this same Confederate Lieutenant. 



In later years, he was Chief Clerk of the Internal Revenue 

 Office at Lansing, ]Michigan, and also Chief Clerk to the Secretary 

 of State. In 1893 he removed to California, where he made his 

 home, and wdiere he had been a faithful ^Member and Officer of 

 the Academy of Sciences. 



Some years ago I\Ir. Taber published an interesting history of 

 the name "Academy of Sciences" and its adoption by distinguished 



40 



