Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-08
F37E8 COLUMBUS, o. TUESDAY MORNING,5 5sEPTE
n - HltU lI-III -UIfII- ~
Jesse R.-Redfyiyus.

| Jesse IL. Grant, the author OF Ulysses
S. Grant, being incontinently choked off
from writing Hthe life of my SON. in the
Neao York Ledger, has consoled himself
by writing his own life in the Ne,lo York
Shoe and Ledtler Reporter, Wethought
at first glance it was burlesque, but on
reading few sentences, the style,
which defes competition or counterfeit
ing, convinced us of its genuineness.' 1. T,
Jesse commences his life at the time
he was born, and 5Jeat mush and milk,
until he, was fourteen years old, at
which age he went to reside with Judge
Tod. We quote:1sd ola .slsis EDS loa..
The first night I1was at Mrs. Tod's
I was put in the little log kitchen, to,
make my supper, of mpsh and milk,
with the judges children. But that was
alright with me, for, as / ohave said
before, had never thought of anything
better to feed children on There an
incident occurred that fixed my des-
tiny for future life,- and perhaps had
something o,do with the taking Of Fort.
Donelson. But as I have not room for
that now, / win have to make that in
cident the subject of another letter. q.
The next letter is published in the
same paper, and commences as follows !:
AT the close of my last letter your
readers left me eating mush and milk
with Mrs. Judge Tod's children, in
their little log kitchen. The mush and
milk Were not new to me; but the spoons
and bowls used were entirely new to me.
The spoons were the finest and incest 1
had ever seen, and the bowls were fine,
pure, and transparent. I thought had
never tasted anything SO excellent
When Ilbecame little better acquaint-
ed, / ventured to ask Ingersol, the oldest
boy, who was about six years of age,
what those spoons were made of; ''of
silver" he replied. That astonished me
still more, for 1 had never heard
that silver was used for any, other
purpose than to make money, and. 1 had
never seen but little of it in that form.
The bowls, he said, were china. Itold
him when / had children to feed land 1
did not doubt but / would have), L
would have such bowls and spoons for
them to cat their mush and milk with.
L then asked him what such spoons
cost, and he went into the house to ask
his mother; after drawing a full ex-
planation from him, she told him to tell
"Jess." person must be very rich to
get silver spoons-they cost eighteen
dollars! That was a larger sum of
money than I had ever seen, bat 1
thought could and. would obtain it.
1t will be seen that the great generals
father is little obscure in his explana-
tion of the incident which fixed his des-
tiny, "and perhaps had something to do
with the taking of Fort Donelson." In
fact the only part of the letter that can
possibly have any relation to the reduc-
tion Of that formidable earth-work is
the sentence inclosed in parenthesis. 1t
is possible that this great and good man,
while eating his mush and milk with
such astonishment and satisfaction, not
only planned the siege of Fort Donel-
son but the hero that was to take it.
Jesse concludes as follows:aof g.-s
Now, with these four objects in view
-to-wit, the silver spoons, the wife at
25, the entire profits of my own labor,
and the privilege to retire at 60, 1
started out on the great journey of life.
Well, i succeeded in three of them, and
should have succeeded in the other but
for the intervening hand of Providence.
That was delayed two years-and that
no doubt had something to do with the
taking of Vicksburg, and opening the
navigation of the Father of Waters"
But in my next letter I will fully ex-
plain this matter. I5td ,oahJJ <+'.'.1,.s
We wait with trembling curiosity and
fear for the appearance ofthe next letter.
We are curious to know why the "in-
tervening hand of Providence" was de-
|layed two years, and fearful that this
promise to explain will be forgotten as
was that in the first letter. -t.-.+ .....-,
We earnestly hope not, however, for
it is possible that Jesse R., may throw
some light on the taking of Vicksburg,
and relieve Gen. Pemberton of the
Eodium which still attaches to him for
his remarkable surrender of that strong
hold.-Louis0iAe Courier. sr.-.r..I