Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1885 — INCIDENTS IN GRANT’S LIFE. [ARTICLE]

INCIDENTS IN GRANT’S LIFE.

General Howard’s First Meeting with the Always Victorious Commander. Grant, Sherman, and Thcmas at Chattanooga—lnteresting Campaign Incidents—Ths Veto of the Inflation Bill of 1874. Gen. Howard's Reminiscences. The first time I met Gen. Grant was the 21st of October, 1803. The Eleventh Corps was then at Bridgeport, a place on the Tennessee where the Nashville Railway crosses the river, and my headquarters were intents near the bridge. Early that morning, taking a return supply train, I went up to Stevenson, some ten miles distant, to pay an official visit to Gen. Hooker. While there Hooker said that our new military division c ommander was en route from Nashville to Chattanooga, that he was expected to arrive on the incoming train. Hooker had made preparations to rue ?t the General and have him conducted to his own quarters. Grant was reported as very lame and suffering from the injuries occasioned by the falling of his horse a short time before in the streets of New Orleans. Hooker sent a spring wagon and an officer of his staff to the station, but for some reason he did not go himself. Ns 1 must take the same train, south bound, to get back to Bridgeport before dark, its arrival found me there in waiting. I had presumed that General Grant would remain over night with General Hooker, but this presumption was not correct. Several acquaintances among the officers who were in the train met me as I stepped into the lorward part of the car. General Grant, sitting near the rear of the ear, was pointed - out to me, and 1 passed on at once, as was proper, to pay my respects to him. Imagine my surprise when I saw him. He had been for some time before the public, the successful commander in important battles; the papers had said much lor him, and several virulent sheets much against him,

and so, judging by the accounts, 1 had conee.ved him to be of large size and rough appearance. Tbo actual man was quite different—not larger than McClellan, at the same time rather thin in flesh and very pale in complexion, and noticeably self-contained and retiring. Without rising, he extended his hand as I was smiled pleasantly, and signified very briefly that it gave him pleasure to meet me. He then permitted me to continue the conversation. Gen. Hooker’s staff officer came with the tender of the conveyance and the offer of hospitality. The quick reply, made with quiet firmness, at the time astonished me: “If Gen. Hooker wishes to see me, he will find me on this train.” I hardly need say that Hooker soon presented himself, and offered his courtesies in person to his new commander. . Hcoker was tall, of fun build, ruddy, handsome, then in the very prime of his

manhood. I wondered at the contrast between the two men,, and pondered upon the manner of their meeting:. Grant evidently took this first occasion to assert himself. He never left the necessity of gaining a proper ascendency over subordinate Generals—where it was likely to be questioned—to a second interview. Yet he manifested only a quiet> firmness. Gen. Grant and I shared a common wall tent between us. He had a humorous expression which I noticed as his eyes fell upon a liquor flask hanging against the tent w.thin: “That flask is not mine,” I quickly said. “It was left here by an officer, to be returned to Chattanooga. I never drink.” “Neither do I,” was the prompt reply. His answer was not in sport; he was free from every appearance of drinking, and I was happy indeed to find in his clear eye and his clear face an unmistakable testimonial against the many prevalent falsehoods which envy and rivalry had set in motion after the battle of Shiloh. The next morning, after a sunrise breakfast, his Chief-of-Staff, Gen. Rawlins, who in subsequent years became Secretary of War, lifted h s General, then “lame and suffering,” as If he had been but a child, into the saddle. The direct route across the Tennessee was held by ( onfederate Bragg, and the river on our side was much exposed to sharpshooters from the other bank, and to Wheeler’s spasmodic raids. Yet almost without escort Grant risked the journey along the river, through Jasper, across swollen streams, through deep mud, and along roads that were already deemed too wretched and too dangerous for the wagons. This route was strewn with the wrecks of army vehicles and dead mules which our indefatigable Quartermasters bad been forced to abandon. It would have been an awful journey for a well man—a journey -of more than forty miles. At times it was necessary to take the General from his horse. The soldiers carried him in their arms across the roughest places. Yielding to no weari'ness or suffering he pushed through to Chattanooga, reaching Gen. Thomas the evening -of the 22d of October. It was this remarkable journey which put t rant en rapport with Hooker and Thomas, gave practical shape to all good existing plans, and soon changed an army on the verge of starvation into an active, healthful, well supplied, cou- ' quoting force.

While with the General during his first visit to my Bridgeport tent we were speaking of officers of rank who were dissatisfied with the size of their commands. He had no sympathy with suca grumblers, and as little with the selfishly ambitious. He said, in answ r er to a remark of mine to the effect that it was hard for an officer to pass from a higher command to a lower, “I do not think so, Howard. A Major-General is entitled to an army division, and *no more. Why, 1 believe I should be flying in the face of Providence to seek a command higher than that intrusted to me.” Such was my first instructive lesson in the great leader. He begat in me a confidence which years and experience never lessened.

For an interview with Gen. Thomas, then commanding our Army of the Cumberland, 1 went, the lith of November, 1863, from Lookout Valley to Chattanooga. In the -evening several officers were sitting together in an upper room when Gen. Sherman arrived, having left his marching column back at Bridgeport. He •came bounding in after his usual buoyant manner. Gen. Grant, whose bearing toward Sherman differed from that with other offi--cers, being free, affectionate, and goodhumored, after the ‘How are you, Sherman?’ and the rjply, “Thank you, as well as can be expected!’’ extended the^ever welcome cigar. This Sherman proceeded to light, but without stopping his ready flow of heartywords, and not even pausing to sit down. He seemed like an animated boy just in from •an exciting outdoor game. Grant arrested his attention by some apt remark, and then said, “Take the chair of honor, Sherman," indicating a rocker with •high back. ‘‘Thecha’rof honor? Oh, no; that belongs to you, General.” Grant, not a whit abashed by this compliment, said: “I don’t forget, Sherman, to give proper respect to age.” ‘•Well, then, if you put it on that ground, I must accept it.” That night I had the oppqrtunlty of hearing the projected campaigns discussed as never before. Sherman spoke quickly, but evinced much previous though. Grant said Sherman would “bone” (i. e., study hard) his campaigns from morning to night on his horse. Gen. Thomas furnished them the

ammunition of knowledge, positive and abundant, of the surrounding mountainous regions of East Tennessee and Northern Georgia. Gen. Grant appeared to listen with pleased interest, and now and then made a pointed remark. Thomas was like the solid Judge, confident and fixed in his knowledge of law, Sherman, like the brilliant advocate, and Grant, rendering his verdicts, like an intelligent jury. The 23d of November following the conference referred to a reconnoissance had been ordered. Gen. Gordon Granger deployed one division of the Fourth army corps into line in front of Fort-Wood, and supported it by his other -two divisions. The Fourteenth corps, under Palmer, supported the r ght, and the Eleventh, massed, the left. Generals Grant and Thomas stood by the paraph within the fort, and their staff officers and orderlies were near at hand. I could see both Generals from my point of observation. I was curious to observe them in the approaching action, now so sure to come. At first the movement afforded a bright array of arms. The flags waved, and the bayonets, or the bright barrels of the guns, Hashed in the sunlight. Skirmishers sprang to their places with gladsome alacrity, and soon the whole front was covered with them, and the buglers sounded the advance, all as if bn parade. The Confederates in our front doubtless thinking of Grant’s review of troops; many of them stood on their embankments to behold the fine display. The men seemed to fly over the space intervening to Pilot Knob. Of course resistance soon came. Skirmish against skirmish, and the batteries all along the line were at last awakened, and the air was full of missies. The enemy, however, was this time surprised, and his outer works were taken. All this time, while staff officers became excited and orderlies could not keep quiet, Grant and Thomas stood side by side without exchanging a word. Grant quietly smoked his cigar and Thomas pressed his field-glass now and then against his forehead to get clearer views. At last the Orchard Knob is crowned and Rawlins steps to Grant’s side and seems to plead with him. Bethought that the men should not return as usual after a reconnoiter, but hold what they had gained. “It will have a bad effect to let them come back and try it over again.” When the desired moment had come Grant said quietly, “Intrench them and send up support.” It was so done. In this brief combat I could observe the perfect self-pos-session and imperturbability of our leaders. Grant’s equanimity was not marred by danger or by the contagious excitement of the battle.

In Washington, after the war, when President Johnson unexpectedly became lenient in his policy toward the Southern white people. and Mr. Stanton, his Secretary of War, cleaved to Congress, there were for a time great fears of conspiracy and revolution. One night, at the War Department, several officers were assembled, and the air was filled with rumors of coming danger. The capital was said to be full of traitors, parties were conspiring at the principal hotels, some hostiles were approaching from Virginia, and Baltimore was believed as dangerous as early in 1861. Espionage was rife, and everybody exhibited a useless apprehension. Gen. Grant joined us in the Secretary’s office. A guard was ordered- for the War Department. Speaking of an officer commanding troops, some one said: “Why, you cannot trust that officer; he is ‘coppery!’” Gen. Grant turned to the speaker and said, severely: “Sir, you must trust him. If you do not have confidence, soon you can trust nobody. Trust him, sir, and he will be true.” This time the confidence was reposed in the officer referred to. It was not betrayed.— Christian Union

A Bit of History. It can now be said that the first organized meeting of members of the Republican party to nominate Gen. Grant for President was held in this city. The meeting took place in room 11 of the Astor House, in the latter part of 1866. Among those who were present were Thurlow Weed, who presided; Gilbert J. Hunter, a well-known resident of the Ninth Ward; William A. Darling, James Kelly, then Postmaster; Abraham Wakeman, Surveyor of the Port; James W. Booth, State Senator of the West Side District: Sheridan Shook, and George Starr. A “Central Grant Club” was established, with headquarters at Broadway and Twenty-third street—now the Blossom Club—and Grant clubs were formed in nearly every ward in the city. On Nov. 22, 1867, a circular was issued from the Central Club, and directed to prominent Republicans in all parts of the Union, in reference to a concentrated effort of the loyal people in favor of the nomination and election of Gen. Grant, to the Presidency. The persons addressed were asked to form Grant clubs in every Assembly district in every State. The circular, among other things, said: “We believe that public sentiment has already indicated our noble General as the proper man to lead the loyal citizens of the republic to sure victory; but organization, effort, and a proper direction to the general public desire is none the less important. Let us press onward, then, with this one object in view—to promote the interests of our candidate for Prerident, Ulysses S. Grant; avoid alt other issues, and commit ourselves to no man as candidate for Vice President,”

Accompanying this circular was the following pledge: “ We, the undersigned, hereby declare that we are in favor of the nomination and election of Ulysses S. Grant to the office of President of the United States, and that we. will use our best efforts to secure that result.”

The following are the names of the committee appointed by the Central Grant Club to have charge of the formation of Grant clubs throughout the Union: Rufus F. Andrews, who in 1872 became an Independent Republican and supported Horace Greeley for President; Hugh Gardner, afterward a Police Commissioner and Police Justice; James W. Farr, a NinthWarder and school officer; Joseph B. Taylor, a brewer; George H. Sheldon, present Fire Marshal; John J. Shaw, lawyer. The corresponding committee was made up in the following order: James R. Davies, Chairman. who is known by every politician in the city; Chester A. Arthur, with then, prob ably, the least thought in the world oi his future elevation; D. D. T. Marshall, served a term as Excise Commissioner; Robert Edwards, merchant; E. Delafield Smith, once Corporation Counsel; William T. Black, engineer; Andrew Jackson Plumb, journalist and stump orator. Of those whose names have been mentioned Gilbert J. Hunter, Thurlow 'Weed, James Kelly, James W. Booth, James W. Parr, Hugh Gardner, Joseph B. Taylor, John J. Shaw, and E. Delafield Smith are dead.— New York World.

Opinions of Grant. Grant was a finisher; a man of action.— Ingleside. The simplest citizen of the republic.— The Independent. The true Gen. Grant lives in the monuments he has left behind him.— Boston Beacon. His fame can never be obscured. Posterity will do Him justice.— Denver Opinion. He had no historical models, but worked out his own course from his own good sense and thoughtfulness.— Hon. Hamilton Fish. The great soldier who transformed the words of Lincoln’s proclamation into facta. —American Art Journal. Welcome from fields where valor fought To feasts where pleasure waits; A nation gives you smiles unbought At all her opening gates! Forgive us when we press your hand— Your War-worn features scan. God sent you to a bleeding land; Our nation found its man. —O. IK Holmes, in 1865.