Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1865-08-12
TALES AND SKETCHES
LlEUT. GEES. Z 1.rt ANT.

:. VINO tnat cnAp IN DIuef VINO - MWAys
hanging aroupd Grants tanpery9"I asked ?
newcomer at Galena, OF an old resident. ,nl
The short fellow with = cigar in his
yes; he i. constantly smoking, ahd salks
AZ and down without speaking to, any.
,.spl.l. .aohl ,h:s i. Grant. brother; don't Jon
Slth was the standing and tbs fame Of
Ulysses $. Grant before The breaking out of
the rebellion. He was the brother of Grant
the tanner; and but the summons of Fort
Sumter requiring him to take up anew his
cast-of vocation of soldering, his grand
military genius his indomitable energy. and
his heroic patriotism would have lain hid
den under his slouched hat, in the smoke of
his own tobacco, or would have been, ex-
pended upon, the strategy of improving the
of Gaena. He was not without
indeed from those who knew
that he had been educated at West Point,
and served With distinction in the Mexican
war; and among familiars he was still ad,
dressed As Captain" But he had resigned
his commission years before, and military
services and titles were at discount if com
parison with farming and mining, the great
staples of prosperity in the West. Grant
had tried farming in northwestern Missouri,
but with indifferent success, and now had
fallen back for livelihood upon the family
trade of tanning in which, however, his
progress toward financial independence Was
hardly more promising. l-.,. f-,i.i,.i,,s.
Rumor has attached 10 his name at this
period, habit Of sef.indulgence which is
to industry and thrift, and fatal to
character. 1t ia difficult TO ascertain the
Al, -,
sonal habits of men who have ireccme dis
tinguished in public affairs. The tongue
of slander is busy against them, and on the
other hand, a Jealous psrtizanship is forward
to magnify their virtues, and to cover or de.
ny their faults. No charge is more common
against our generals and our prominent
civilians than that of intemperance; and it
is far easier to start such an accusation, and
to gain credence for it in the public mind,
than to disprove it by competent and avail
able testimony. In the early stages Of the
war, the ready solution of defeat to the
Union arms was the intoIicstion of the conn
mandng general and WREN tho battle OF
Pittsburg Landing wavered between defeat
and victory, the rnmOr spread ever the land.
shat the peril of the sccond day Was owing
to the Generals free indulgence in whisky.
Influence, were used at Washington to. have
Grant displaced from his command but the
witty reply of President Lincoln after the
victory at Corinth Il wish that all the
generals would drink Grants whisky
slowed how little credit he had to the story.
And Gen. Sherman said, in his humorous
way, Grant stood by nue. in my insanity :
apt stand 10y Grant In his, drunkenness"
by which he intended to convey the impress
sion that he no more believed that Grant
was drunkard than he helieyed himself to
be insane. A careful sifting nf evidence
upon this point leaves it probable that like
too many army officers, Capt, Grant Was .
conyiyial drinker. and Was sometimes be-
trayed into inebriety. Whatever from this
cause, or from the natural inaptitude ut civil
pursuit, of one trained in the school OF art1ls,
he seems to have led a somewhat aimlesss
and shiftless life, in the interval between tho
closing up of his fret military rncn,;: - Il
the opcning Of .ho MAR OF the 'rebeliion-T-
i, is said that when he received his commits.
sion as Colonel of the Twenty first Regiment
of Illinois Infantry he had not means of pro
viding himself with horse and accouotre-
ments, aud that the note that he gave fos
their purchase was suffered to 60 to protest
because the paymaster did not come round
in time fer hltu to meet his debt The
qualities that he has exhibited as a general
argue that he could never have been habi-
tual drunksrd; nor could he have broken
either his physical constitution or his force
of will 10y Indulgence in drink. But what
ever may have been his xntecedents in this
respect, it is certain that during the Wal
he has been model of self control, and that
his personal example and influence have
been decidedly upon the side of temperance
Grant was brought up in the school oi
manly toll and honesty; and in the combin'
| eG occupations of the farm and the tanncry
he formed habits of industry and of perseve'
rance, and acquired powers OF endurance
which have served him well in the vast and
complicated abOrs of his military campaigns
| How marvellous and how instructive the
| proyiGences that had prepared tor the ser
| vice of the nation in The most arduous and
critical peried of its history, that trio whose
names shall hereafter be grouped tor thu
incitement of American youth, and for thu
\ homer Of democratic institutions-7th'
pioneer boy, the tailor-boy, and the tanner
| BOY .I .f .-aru4 l..s .rH rHf .H GHH"IH.
As schoolboy, Ulysses exhibited dog
ged perseverance that served him instead o
the quickness of tie genius; aud when
through the favor of Hon. T. l.. Hamer, b
was nominated to cadetship at West Point
this quality of mind enabled him to master
the mathematiclc decipiine of the Academy
Having passed the examination successfully
he wrote to his istber; II don't expect 1
make very fast progress; but shall try I
hold on to what / shall getn That facul.
of holding on to what Ire got never deserte
him; and proved indeed the main stay OF th
country in the last year of the war. hi
thorougbness of application secured IA
young Graut sn honorable standing 10 hi
class in the Academy. immediately upo
graduating, in 1S43, swhen he wss barrel
twenty one years iofi age, he was commi
stoned, by brevet, second lieutenant ot IL
faniry. and was dispatched 10 Missouri
whose frentisrs were, conpletety -disturbe
: BY rowing bands of Indians. Soon alter, Il
4 war with Mexico, originating in Tefs
opened toihim the feld of military adys
tulre. He fought under Gen. Taylor At Pa
Alto, at Resacs de Ia Palms, and At Mo
, terey; and marched with tho yietorip
Scott from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexic
y In every battle, Lieutenant Grant won .sns
Distinction for usefulness and bravery .. y
within the reach of q otnior, officer and
d the close OF the Mexican war, he was ma
. captain, BY bfevet, in, the. regular army:
lo' Y6upg fs he was, hssIhibiteds re rnsrkas
IA combinhtion Of coolneys, skill and ceurti