The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-10 00:00:00

Anecdotes of Farragut and Grant.

A Scotch gentleman who has travelled in the
Northern States furnished to the Scotsman the roT:
lowing anecdotes
_ _

Mr. Osborn (President :of the Illinois Central Railroad)
told me a story of Admiral Farragut and his son. They
were on the Mississippi, and Farragut's fleet was about to
pass Port Hudson, which was then held by the Confede-
rates. Farragut's son, a lad of about 12, had been impor-
tuning his father that he might be sent to West Point,
where the military cadets are educated. Old Farragut
said, " I don't know how that would do ; I am not sure
whether you would stand fire." "Oh, yes, father, I could
do that." " Very well, my boy, we'll try ; come up with
me here." The admiral and his son went up together into
the maintop, the old man had himself and the boy lashed
to it, and in this way they passed Port Hudson. The lad
g past
go to
hniemv e. r
"Very
ye flinched whilel4 mythb
oe
ys,htoht a
tand wills hdeol 1; were
sflhyaiun
West Point."
Of Grant, who now commands the Federal army before
Richmond, he told me this :—ln the first action in which
Grant commanded, his troops at first gained a slight advan-
tage over the Confederates. They began to plunder the
Confederate camp in spite of all that Grant could do to
stop them. At last Grant, who knew that Confederate re-
inforcements were coming up, got some of his friends to
set fire to the camp, so as to stop the plundering. Then
he got his troops together as well as he could and retreated ;
but in the meantime the Confederate reinforcements
came up, attacked Grant, and defeated him. There
were five colonels under Grant who had nbt by any
means supported him efficiently in his attempts to stop
the plundering and collect his troops. Mr. Osborn
saw Grant a day or two afterwards, when he expected to
be deprived of his command on account of the defeat. He
said, " Why do you not report these colonels? They are
the men to blame for not carrying out your orders." "Why,"
said Grant, " these officers had never been under fire before
—they did not know how serious an affair it was—they
have had a lesson which they will not forget. I will answer
for it, they will never make the same mistake again. I can
see by the way they behaved in the subsequent action'they
are of the right stuff, and it is better that I should lose my
command, if that must be, than that'the country should lose
the services of five such officers when good men are scarce."
Grant did not lose his command, and three out of the five
-officers have since greatly distinguished themselves.
The day before Grant attacked Fort Donnelson

the troops had had a march of twenty miles, part
of it during a bitter cold night. Grant called a
council of war to consider whether they should attack the
fort at once, or should give the troops a day or two's rest.
The officers were in favour of resting. Grant said nothing
till they had all given their Opinion ; then he said, " There
is a deserter come in this morning ; let us see him and hear
what he has to say." When he came in, Grant looked into
his knapsack. " Where are you from ?" "Fort Donnel-
son." "Six days' rations in your knapsack have you not,
my man ?" " Yes, sir." " When were they served out ?"
" Yesterday morning." " Were the same rations served out
to all the troops ?" " Yes, sir." " Gentlemen," said Grant,
" troops do not have six days' rations served out to them in
a fort if they mean to stay there. These men mean to re-
treat, not to fight—we will attack at once." He did attack
the Confederates, defeated them, and took a large number
of prisoners.