The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-06-11
From 1.-THE Blue Coats"
Recollections of Grant.

0l1ug 1ucS So1OhSAt StsSS VIZ 81
lowing interesting "reminiscences OIL
his private and military character:
.t.Grant,1 he says, sis about five !
feet ten inches in height, and will
weigh one hundred and forty OF
forty, five pounds. He has ceun-
tenance indicative of reserve, and
an indomitable will, and persistent
purpose. sa asgse
In dress he is Indifferent and
careless, making no pretentions to
style or fashionable military dis
play: Had he been colonel till now, l
think his uniform would have last
ed till this day; for he never used it
except on dress parade, and then
seemed to regard it q good deal as
David did SauPs armor.
"sHis body is vial of intense
existence and yet when a stranger
would see him in crowd he would
never think Of asking his name. He
is no dissembler. He is q sincere,
thinking, real man.
He is always cheerful. No toll,
cold, heat, hunger. fatigue, Or want
of money, depresses him. He does
his work at the time, and he requires
all under his command to be equally
prompt. I was walking over the
camp with him one morning after
breakfast It was usual for each
company to call the roll at a given
hour. It was now probably half
hour after the time for that duty.
The colonel was quietly smoking
his old meerschaum, and talking
and walking along, when he noticed
a company drawn up in line and
the roll being called. He instantly
drew his pipe from his mouth and
exclaimed, Captain, this is no time
for calling the roll. Order your.
men to their quarters Immediately
The command was instantly obeyed,
and the colonel resumed his smo-
king and walked on, conversing as
quietly as if nothing had happened.
For this violation of discipline
those men went without rations that
day, except what they gathered up
privately from among their friends
of other companies. Such breach
of order was never witnessed in the
regiment afterward while he was its
colonel. This promptness is one
of Grants characteristics, and it is
one Of the secrets of his success.
"On one Of our marches, when
passing through one of these small
towns where the grocery is the
principal establishment, some of the
lovers of intoxication had broken
away from our lines and filled their
canteens with whisky, and were
soon reeling and ungoyernable un-i
der it's influence. While apparently
stopping the regiment for rest, Grant
passed quietly along and took,e
canteen, and wherever he detected
the fatal odor, emptied the liquor
on the ground with as much non
chalance as he would empty his pipe,
and had the offenders tied behind
the baggage wagons till they had
sobered into soldierly propriety.
On this point his orders were i'm
peratiye: no whisky nor intoxica-
ting beverages were allowed in his
camp.
I'm the afternoon of a very hot.
day in July, 1861, while the regi-
ment was stationed in the town of
Mexico, Missouri, I had gone to the
cars as they were passing, and pro-
cured the daily paper, and seated
myself in the shadow of my tent to
read the news. In the telegraphic
column soon camet to the eannounce-z
ment that Grant, with several 9th
ers, was made brigadier- general. In
a few minutes he came walking that
way, and 1 called to him:
Colonel, I have some news
here that will interest you
"'What have you, chaplain p
"sI see that you are made briga-
der general
! ="He seated himself by my side
and remarked
| "'Well, sir, I had no suspicion of
it. 1t never came from any request
Of mine. That's some OF Wash
burne's work. / knew. Washburne
in Galena. He was a strong Re
publican, and was a Democrat, and
I thought from that he never liked
me very well. Hence we never had
more than a business or street &C
lquaintance. But when the war
broke out found he had induced
Governor Yates to appoint me mus
tering officer of the Illinois volun-
teers, and after that had something
to do in having me commissioned
colonel of the twenty first regiment
and l suppose this is some of his
work ;- =F
"And he very leisurely rose up
aud pulled his black felt hat little !
nearer his eyes, and made few ex-
ira passes at his whiskers, and walk |
ed away with as much apparent un-
concern as if some one had merely |
told him that his new suit of clothes
was finished.
"Grant belongs to no church, yet
he entertains and expresses the
highest esteem for all the enterpri-
ses that tend to promote religion.
When at home he generally attended
the Methodist Episcopal church. i
While he was colonel of the twenty
first regiment, he gave every en-
couragement and facility for secu-
ring prompt and uniform observ-
ance of religious services, and was
found in the audience listening to
preaching. 80 @
"Shortly after I came into the
regiment our mess were one day
taking their usual seats around the
dinner table, when he remarked:
"sChaplain, when I was at home,