Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-07-17
Senator Yates Statement of Grants
Early Military Services.

early MILITARY services.
TIE Washington correspondent of the
Cleveland Leader recently called on eX
Governor Yates, of Illinois, and received
the following statement of Grants early
military record:
"Grant," said the Governor, "came
down to Springfield dressed in common
working clothes He looked very much
tentious. When he presented himself to
me, he 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.
"Any place where I can be useful" said
Grant "it don't matter much"
The system at that time was to commits
sion only officers who had raised compa-
MES. Yates, hurried and overrun, 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 if anything had
turned up.
"Can you write military orders ?" asked
the Governor.
eyes"
"Well, I'll 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 dis
organized had no time to observe him,
and he was never forward to speak AT
terward put him in the Adjutant Gen
erals office and although we did not know
it particularly at the time, we have found
since that he laid the foundation there of
what is now, probably, the best Adjutant
Generals office in the United States. Be-
fore the war it was nothing. During all
this time Grant was seldom in my mind.
I had too much to do to keep personal
watch over every officer in the State, and
did not look out particularly for the Com
ing Man. But Grant made no mistakes,
and saw that his West Point knowledge
was useful to us.
Near by Springfield there was large
camp, termed Camp Yates, containing
twenty thousand, perhaps. 1t was a source
of annoyance to me. l could not find any
body to keep the men subject and see that
they were made clean, properly fed, and
taught the germs of organization. | sent
Grant out there, and pretty soon complaint
ceased Then I sent him on tour to
various camps through the State, but still
I had no command to give him under the
arbitrary system of giving only those
places who had raised organizations. He
went away, at last, to visit Covington,
Kentucky, where his father lived. did
not like to see our Illinois boys enter the
service of another Commonwealth, and /
found chance directly to displace
Colonel, or rather to send him to differ
ent command, and then I telegraphed to
Grant:
"WiIl you take command Of the til
regiment? Answer.
RICHARD YATES"
Grant replied:
~ WILL Start Immediately.
"U. S. GRANT"
He arrived promptly and took the posi-
ton. Still, had no exalted expectations
of him. He was not brisk, nervous, at
tractive 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
1872 Colonies that i commissioned thought
it as probable that 281 of them would be-
come famous as Grant
He did one thing, however, which have
since thought was significant of his future
good sense and enterprise His regiment
in Illinois. It had become insubordinate
and allowed to go to seed. Grant started
the process of breaking it in by COM
pelling it to march across the State Of
Missouri, and he was the first of our Col
onels who had economy and pluck
enough to save us the delay and expense
Of railway transportation in this manner.
In this march he stopped struggling and
orchardrobbing by a device original, good
humored and effective. He made every
straggler carry fence-rail in line, and as
the march itself was tolerably laborious,
the fence-rau did its work. He made q
fine fighting regiment Of those men.
After speaking on many other trivial
matters, Governor Yates said, in conclu-
sion:
Hero worshipers will be disappointed
in Grant. | don't take it to be any stolid-
ness of mine that failed to perceive genius
in him. Nobody else did. His genins is
not ostentatious nor dramatic. 1t is the
genius of accomplishment that he has.
When his work is done, there it is, and
there is the man, except for the work, or
binary as before. / don't make up for this
error of perception by visiting the Gene
raj twice as much now as before. But in
the light of his achievement, | feel the
same confidence and satisfaction in him
that all the people feel. The Democrats
feel it, too He has no enemies in the
State but political ones, and one or two
personal ones, like M'Clernand. We will
elect him with e9epo