New Orleans Republican., 1868-02-22
eBNERAL GRANT


| present the following interesting facts frern
Colonel Adam Badeau's Military Career
Of General Grant" which is now in course
Of publication:
Ulysses s. Grant WAS born at Point
Pleasant, Clermsnt county, Ohio, on the
27th day Of April, 1922. His father was Of
Scotch descent, and dealer in leather.
Ulysses was the eldest Of six children, At
the age of seventeen, he received the nomi-
nation for The military academy at West
Point, from which he graduated in ls4s,
standing as twenty-frst 10 class Of thirty
Rine, and received q commission Of breyet
second lieutenant in the fourth infantry.
He remained in the army eleven years;
was engaged in every battle of the Mexican
war except Buena Vista, receiving two
brevets for gallantry, and was afterward
stationed at various posts on the Canadian
frontier, and finally in California and Ore
gon. In ls4s he married Julia T. Dent,
eldest daughter of Frederick Dent, mer-
chant of St. Louis $ and in 1864, having
! reached the grade Of captain, he resigned
his commission in the army, and moved to
GrayOis, near St. Louis, where he owned
and worked farm. Afterward, in 1860,
he entered the leather trade with bis father
and brother id GaIena, Illinois.
Thus, when the civil war broke out Grant
was private citizen, earning his bread in
an Insignificant inland town. he was Of
simple habits and tastes, without influence,
and unambitious. Having never been
brought in contact with men Of eminence,
be had no personal knowledge of great af
fairs. He had never commanded more
than a company Of soldiers, and, although
he had served under both Scott and Taylor,
it was as a subaltern, and without any op-
portunity of intercourse with those COM
manders. He had never voted for presi-
dent but once he knew no politicians, for
his acquaintance was limited to army off.
GERS and Western traders; even in the
town where he lived he haG not met the
member of congress who represented the
district for nine successive years, and who
afterWard became one Of his most intimate
personal friends. OF his four children, the
eldest was eleven years old. BE lived in a
little house at the top of one of the pic
turesque bills on which Galena is built, and
went daily to the warehouse of his father
and brother, where leather was sold By the
wholesale and retail He was thirty-aine
years of age before his eountrymen became
acquainted with his name, e5
Fort Sumter fell on the 18th of April,
1861, and the presidents call for troops
was made on the 18TH On the 18th Grant
was drilling company of volunteers at
Galens, and four days afterwsrd went with
it 70 Springfield, the capital Of Illinois
From there he wrote to the adiutant gen
erel Of the army, Offering his services to
the government in any capacity in which
he could be of use. The letter was mot
deemed Of suficient Importance TO preserve
It. It stated that Grant had received a
military education at the public expense,
and now that the country was In danger he
thought it his duty to place at the disposal
of the authorities whatever skill or ex |
perienee be had acquired. He received no
reply; but Remaining al Springfield, his
military knowledge made him Of service in
the organization Of the volunteer troops Of
the state and At the end Of Eve weeks the
governor, Richard Yates, offered him the
twenty-hfst regiment Of infantry.
Before receiving his cOlsneley Grant
went to Cincinnati to visit Major General
MCCLELLAN, then ia command of Ohio vol
nnteers The two had known each other
IN me Old amy, and although Grant had Z
no intention Of making any application, he !
still hoped that Mcclellan might ofsr him
a place on his 4ataff. he went twice to-
hsaaquaTtsra. hut did not fnd Mcclellan
there, ana returned to IIllnois without men
tioning his aspirations to any onss v 4 !
on the I5th Of February Grant was a9-
signed 10 the new military district of Vest
Fehnesaee, q with limits not Defined, 2 aad
BFig6disr General william T. Sherman 10
the command OF the district Of Cairo.
Sherman had been at West Point with
Grant. hut graduated three years earlier,
and tleg had not since been intimate; their
1rst ohleial intercourse occurred daring
lae siege Of Folt Donelsen, when Sherman
forwarded troops and supplies to Grant
with e1sEaoFdinary dispatch. sherman
VA the senior. bst On The Ian Of Febrnsry
be wrote; 1 win DO everything in ny
power to hurry forward your reinforce
meuta and supplies, and II I copld be Of
service myself would gladly come without
making any question of rank with you or
General Smith 9 "a
Affar tho fall Of Fort Donelson Sherman
congratulated Grant warmly on his success
ana Grant splled: i fesi urdsr many
ohllgatlena To- you foE The kind terms 81
ysua letter, spd hope shat should ID cppol-
sanisg 6eppr 7oa vii earn or yourself that
ptsaell5n which you are kind enough to-
aAy b>lclsl 8 ms. care nothing foF ngo-
moiieA e loag as our arms are sucoszzlui.
ana no pol'a ap1olasnenis are made
~ S. lAnlns 81 a fli1naahip
1e.'iqea these so das 3 stand
ihe test o. aQp palsy and public
Vi fe'aai neh a.
4 dshfD 1|ere ever Al .ss.1 4.