Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1867-09-04
A CHAT WITH sHERIOaN.
The Generals Opinion cm Matrimo11y
the White House, and Other Subjects.

/
When the General, or aPhil," as his
father still persists in calling him, was
last on visit to his home at Somerser,
IN 1867, he arrived in the night, by con-
veyanee from Newark He had been
spending several weeks at Washington,
and had been received with the highest
marks OF respect by Congress, and toast
ed and toasted by outsiders there and on
ms way back to New Orleans by way Of |
his home here, which he always manages
to take In his route, going or coming.
During active hostllities he visited home |
but once, and then staid but few days,
but devotion to military life, for which |
he seems to have an inclination amount |
ing almost to a passion, has not obliter-
ated his love of home and the faces
which greeted him in youth. On the oc-
casion OF his last visit, he was Commander
OF his department.. The riots had taken
place, and been fully discussed and grown
stale in the public prints, but the General
painted them freshly with The, magic Of
his descriptive powers, until you again
beheid the conflict passing before your
amazed vision, and felt the horrors of that
cruelty practiced upon defenseless inno-
cence, as Indignation itself flashed from
the eye and shone through the broad
throbblng temples Of the narrator
1t was reported that some fair daught-
ter of ;Louisiana had done what all the reb-
ell armies failed to do-captured him.
Now was the time to place the General
on his honor under the roof of his ances
/ tors, the glance of his parents, land the
scrutirizing eye of his only sister, Mrs.
| Wilson. The subject was accordingly
preached by some one, and while the GEN
eral pulled his "meerchaum," you could
not discover single fit Of thought
through his counteLance which betrayed
the least unwelcome disposition to rex
/ plain" Eyes" said he tthat report
was sent abroad from New Orleans by "a
newspaper correspondent, who seeks
every opportunity to injure me, without
apparently betraying any disposition to
do SO. He is shrewed enough to carry
apparent friendship on the point of his
pen, only that his real malignity may seek
more satisfactory qualification
| This satisfied us all on this point, but
the General having consented to occupy
1 the quizzing stool and be quizzed good
naturally, some one remarked. 1--WE clear
/ you OF that count II the indictment, but
how about Miss Wright, of Virginia."
A glance at the interrogation told the Gen
eral that more than mere joke was in
tended by this inquiry, aud that mystery
[ was too plainly depicted In the counten-
ap cF oil ECtanarS RI olioUy ho.
to pass slightly. Has added few more
putfs TO those which had already cloud, d
the atmosphere, and began: ISIS
/ Wright, Of Winchester, Virginia? 'Tis
/ her fault she got IL the papers, not mine.
When | was preparing to drive Early out
Of that place, [ needed information of its
Qualifications, strength, aad the numbers
should have to encounter. Disaster
had SO frequently overcome our forces in
the valley, that [ felt extremely anxious
to share the honor of reversing our for
tunes in that region, Cen Grant had con-
tided this great work to may charge.
President Lincoln regarded my success
as extremely essential, and The whole
country seemed to hold its breath as #
listening for the news from my army.
! ''Gen. Grant visited me, suppose for
the purpose of ascertaining whether
fairly comprehended the situation, and
becoming satisfied with my precautions,
! he made use of the homely bat very signi-
ticent phrase, Go in:' But before | did
| this / learned something of Miss Wright,
who is Quaker lady, and resides with
her parents in Winchester, who, like nv
self, were unimp eachably loyal. [ mad
never seen her, only knew Of her through
spies aud scouts, but [ determined to OBJ
tain some information from her, BELIEVING
L could rely on it as genuine. A colored
man in the neighbofhood Of my headouar-
ters he'd pass to go and come from Win
/ chester with marketing. I had him
/ brought secretly to my headquarters, and
having convinced myself he would do to
tie to- placed small piece of paper In a
small piece Of tin FOIL. and wrapped it up
se..cIosely that he could take it in his
mouth, while the foil protected it from
! injury, directing him to deliver his next
marketing to Miss Wrig ht, not to go into
/ the house, but leave the moment be had
/ delivered the foil, and go about as if on
/ other business until her answer was ready
and wrapped up a like manner. era
| 81 thus obtained much valuable in
formation, and when made an attack on
Early's forces knew there would be a
bloody and desperate conflict, but my
reliance on what Miss Wright had told
me, and on what [ knew from other
sources, never failed me through the sew
1 L.. l. G IL
crest trials OF that memorable day. On
my recent visit to Washington, | made it
convenient to go by Winchester, and to
present to this unaifectedly modest lady