The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-07-14
Miscellany.
What Senator Wales says of General
Grant.

WhNt senator atcA sEys of General
Grant.
George Alfred Townsend has recently had
an interview with Senator Yates, and inter
rogated him as to his "reminiscences Of Grants
military career early in the war, with the fol-
loving result:
"Grant," said the Governor, ''eame down
to Springfield dressed in common working
clothes. He looked very much as he does
now, ordinary, tacituIm. unpletentious-
When he presented himself to me le said:"
Governor, the United States educated me.
want to be OF use to her now that she is in
DANGER
Yates asked him what he wished to have.
'Atany place where / cn be useful said
Grant, 1T don't matter much
The system al that tige was to commission
only officers who had raised companies.
Yates hurried and oyerrun, told Grant TO
look in again. After few days Grant, whose
money had nearly run out paying hotel board,
dropped in again, hat in hand, and asked
Yates il anything had turned up.
"Can you write military orders ?' asked the
Governor.
"Yesn
well! III give you desk in my Office and
you'll find plenty to do"
"There," said Yates, "Grant worked away
satisfactorily, though my hands were full and
everything was more or less dsorganlzed.
had no time 10 observe him, and he was new
er forward to speak. AtterWard / put HIM in
the AdJutant Generals office, and although
we did not know it, particularly at the time.
we have found since that he laid the founda-
ton there of what is now, probably, the best
Adjutant Generals Office in the United
States. Before the war it was nothing.
During all this time Grant was seldom in nv
mind. had too much to do to keep personal
watch over every officer in the State, and did
not look out particularly for the COMING
man. But Grant made no mistakes, and /
saw that his West Point knowledge was use
full to us.
Near by Springfield there was large camp.
termed Camp Yates, containing twenty thouf-
and, perhaps 1t was source of ANNOYANCE
to me- | could not find anybody to keep the
men subject aud see that they were made
clean. properly fed, and taught the germs OF
organization. l sent Grant out there, and
pretty soon complaint ceased Then | sent
nm on tour to various CAMPS through the
State, but still had no command to give h IN
under the arbitrary system OF giving only
those places who had raised organizations.
lie went away, at last, to visit Covington,
kentucky, where his father lived. [ did moi
ike TO see our Illinois boys enter tile service
OF another commonwealth, and | found q
chance directly to displace a colonel, or rath-
er to send him to a different command
and then telegraphed to Grant:
VIII you take comm md of the til regi-
ment? Answer. RICHARD YATEs )"
Grant replied:
1 will! Start Immediately!
U. S.GRANT"
He arrived promptly and took the position.
Still, had no exalted expectation OF him.
lie was not brisk, nervous, attractive man.
His face and figure were not so striking that
anybody could pick him out OF troop, like
Saul, and he did not say enough to interest
me. Out OF two hundred and eighty-uwo
coionels that L commissioned, l thought it as
probable that two hundred and eiehty-one OF
them would become aS famous as Grant,
lie did one thing, however, which / have
since thought was significant OF his future
good sense and enterprise. His regiment was
The most demoralized one thai we had in Hi |
nos. 1t had become iusubordinate and al
lowed to go to seed. Grant started the pro-
cess OF breaking it in by compelling it to
march across the State OF Missouri, and he
was the llrst or onr coiOneiS who had econo-
my and pluck enough to save us the delay
and expense OF railway TRANSPORTATION in this
manner. In this march he stopped stray
cling and orchard robbing by device origi-
nal, good-humored and effective. He made
every stragger carry fence rail in line, and
as the march itself was toerably laborious.
the fence rail did its work. He made fine
lighting regiment of those men.
After speaking on many other trivial mat
tiers, Governor Yates said, in conclusion:
"Hero worshippers will be disappointed in
Grant. don't take it to be any stolidness of
mine that failed to perceive genius in him.
Nobody else did,. His genius is not ostenta-
tious nor dramatic. 1t is the genius of ac-
complishment that he has. When his work
is done, there it is. done; and there is the
man, except Tor the work, ordinary as before
l don't make up for this error of perception
by visiting the General twice as much now
as before; bat in The light OF his achieve
ments feel the same confidence and salts
faction in him that all the people feel The
Democrats feel it too; he has no enemies in
our State but political ones, and one or two
personal ones, like McCiernand. We will
elect him with ease"