Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1868-10-02
HOW GRANT GOT 10 KNOW
s RAWLINGS.
From the Hartford Post.


in there when was in my twenties.
Soon after entering the bar, l got, by
some luck or good word, the law BUSH
ness for the leather and hardware store.
of Jesse Grant. 1t was large, fine
store, built deep, with only place be-
low for sizing the skins, which were
tanned at Covington, Kentucky. L
don't know how Gen. Grants father
got into business at Galena, but there
was u Mrs, Lee living there, half-sister
to Gen. Grants mother, and her house
was next door to mine.
Her fayorite topic of conversation
was Capt. Grant, or Ulysses, as she
generally called him, who was repre-
sented to me as the flower of the flock
He had been in the army. at West
Point, in Mexico, and Mrs. Lee repre-
sented that he made particular
ly handsome figure on horseback. l
had quite curiosity at least to see this
member of the family for up our way
we had great idea of Mexican War
soldier, the extent of our heroes being
private soldiers of that war. l was 16
when it broke out, and was almost crazy
to get permission to enlist"
Here enters an aide-de-camp from
some department headquarters "Gen.
Rawlings, Gen. Blank is unable to an
swer some questions propounded by
his Post Commander Prude, in the fol-
lowing papers, with accounts attached,
and he therefore refers them with his
endorsement to the General COM
manding."l
Well General, did Grant come at
last % Yes saw him under these
favorable anticipations few days after
he came. I had previously seen all his
brothers, and not one of them but was
sagacious business men. I look eau
tiously at Grant and under his simple
ity saw the marks of power, given him
by nature and command. He was not
tanner at Galena, but clerk. He
sometimes, at solicitations, sat on the
store-counter and related incidents of
Mexico, a country that seems to have
stirred him to enthusiasm by its beau
ty and resources, and he holds the
same regard for it still. got to know
Gen. Grant slowly and respectfully,
and it was not till after the beginning
of the war that found out that he
had any specific liking for me-"
Enter officer of the Auditor of the
Treasury. Gen. Rawlings, the De-
partment wishes to know if you have
any record of the fact as to whether
Gen. Mcpherson of Ohio kept his SER
wants down to the date of his death.
His mother is in need of the residue of
the settlement of his accounts, but we
can't pay for those servants by rule un-
til we get testimony that he kept them.
OF course he must have done so, being
in active service, but We want vouch-
er to cover us"
Gen. Rawlings: "T will write to
Major Alive, at Chicago, who was with
Mcpherson up to the moment of his
death"
Officer off you will u
Well, General, see you are cough
ing. I will ask the rest another time. T"
am talking too much, but I'll fin
ish. The war matter grew before
Grant had become half acquainted in
Galena He was not an argurer on pol
itics, but he had been an old line Wing,
and cast vote in 1856 for Buchanan.
L was Douglas Democrat and took the
stump there. Grant told me that he
had great admiration for Lincoln and
Douglas, and said it was nice cues
ton to say who got the best of the ar
gument. We counted on him as a
Douglas Democrat, though all his
brothers were Republicans. Some
time during the campaign, John E.
Smith, soldier of the Mexican War,
burstupon the town with magnificent
display of Wide-Awakes, whom he had
drilled secretly. This mortified our
side a good deal and we resolved to get
up asimilar organization. We thought
we would elect Capt Grant the Mar
shall of it, or in his stead, should've de-
cline, John Maltby, afterward Brigadier
General. &s 81 .o i Af
/ was one of the committee to call on