The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-05-10
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercially
Gen Grants Early Experience iu the
War

Sitting round a blazing campfire, a
few evenings since, several Illinois otfi-
GERS related their experience of General
Grant in civil life Here is, as nearly as
| can recollect it, what General John E.
Smith said on the subject:
II don't believe any man in Illinois
knew Grant better than did, and ]
think had quite rs much to do as any
other man in Bringing him into the war.
lived IN Galena at the time. Grants
place OF business was near mine lie
kept hardware and saddlery store. |
used to drop in To see him very often, on
my way home, and he and | would gen
orally smoke our pipes together, in his
Office adjoining his store He was very
poor business man and never liked to
wait on customers If a customer called
in the absence of the clerks, he would
tell him to wait few minutes till one of
the clerks returned, and if he couldn't
wait the General wonld go behind the
cOnnter, very reluctantly, and drag down
whatever was wanted. but he hardly
ever knew the price of it, and, in nine
cases ont of ten, he charged either too
much or too little. He would rather talk
about the Mexican war, than wait upon
The best customer in the world
When the war broke ont, told him,
one day, that ! was going down to
Springfield to see Governor Yates, who
had sent for me- Grant merely remark
ed, in a quiet way. 'You can say to the
Governor that if | can be of any use to
him in the organization of these regi
ments, | will be glad to do what can
| went to Springfield, and made arrange
ments Immediately for Grant to be sent
for He came right down. and went to
work TO organize ten regiments called
ont rs a sort of home guard for thirty
days at first. but afterward enlisted for
three years When he had done this,
aud was ready to go home, Gov. Yates
offered him the Colonelcy of the 2lst reg
iment, one of the ten. He accepted it,
and Immediately went to camp. went
with him, and | shall never forget the
scene that occurred when his men first
saw him. 1t was very 1aughable Grant
was dressed very clumsily, in citizens
clothes--an old coat, worn out at the ell
bows, and badly dinged plug hat His
men, though ragged and bare-footed
themselves, had formed high estimate
of what "A Colonel ought to be, and when
Grant walked in among them they be-
gan making fiin of him. They cried out
in derision, Look at our Colonel" %
What Colonel" "D-n such Colo
mel" and made all sorts Of fun of him A
| few of them, to show or to the others
got behind his back and commenced spar,
ring at him, and while one was doing
| this, another gave him such push that
made lim hit Grant terrible blow be-
| tween the shoulders The Gene al soon
showed them that they must not judge
| nm officer by the uniform, and before he
got through, the unruly fellows felt very
much mortified. One of them generous
| ly confessed that il was all in fun, and
hoped the new Colonel wouldn't get mad
about it. But he did.
Grant went 10 work Immediately, and
in very short time had his men clothed
and fixed up in good style"
At this stage of the conversation Gen
sral Logan joined in as follows:
And can tell you that Grant came
very near going out of the service at the
end of the thirty days for which his regi
ment was first called ont met him Oh
the streets of Springfield one day, look
| ing very badly. He told me that he felt
discouraged, because his regiment didn't
want to re.enlst for three years His
men were getting tired of soldering. and
wanted to go home. He asked me to g
to the camp and make speech to the
boys, and ! did it, told them abont the
| glories in store for them, and how grand
| il would be for them TO he coming home
| TO their wives and sweethearts at the
| end of three years. Whether my speech
was good or bad, it had the desired ef
| feet; for the men all enlisted for three
years, aud a few days afterward they
| started for Cairo, under General Grant >
General Logan then related how Grant
came to he promoted to Brigadier Gen
| eral
1T was not for meritOrious service, fol
| he hadn't had a chance to show himself
meritorious. / was in Congress at the
time. It was before I resigned. Lincoln
sent in request to the Illinois delegation
| to nominate nine men for Brigadier Gen
erals. We met in caucus to do this, and
Grant received one more vote than any
other of the nine Among the nine were
McClernand, IPrentiss, Hurlbut, Palmer
aud others whose names have forgot
ten. Dick Richardson " as among them
| but he declined Grant was in Cairo al
| the time. and he knew nothing about his
promotion until it had been decided on
4 I've all went for him"