The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-10-16
General Grant.

As a people, we arc not remarkable fol
o,lr hero worship. Indeed, if We err at all
Il is probably in the opposite direction, Tho
consciousness OF the fact that all places o
+ honor in the nation are open to tho widest
competition, disposing Us to look with les:
respect upon those who have attained them
than is usual in those countries where higl
stations are available only TO tho few. PasI
services or ancestral fame fail to procure
present honor unless present desert be rec
ognizcd-perlIaps 1t Is this fact that Inns
given rise to tho proverb Of the ingrnlitudG
ofrepul,lics. We hnve no "party leadent'
in The European sense and some OF the
most melancholy instances Of political Tail.
hre on record have been recently Witnessed
IN the men whom the people have gladly
followed when lending in The popular way
and who have thus been induced to fancy
that they could retain tho saine followers
through any sinuous path they might
choose to irnvel. Bit we Americans nrc
not dull In the recognition Of present worth,
or slow to honor our fellow.citizens whose
lal,ors are directed to the good OF the 70
public. :,
At tine when the colntrys peril dc
pressed every patriotic heart. when our
young men were thronging TO her defence,
and when the consciousness seemed gener
althnt the one gift yet needed for our ma
Nonnl preservation was man quslIficd 10
act M a leader Of the armies already mar
shalIed in the field-when oil oycs nre anx.
io,sly gazing for The coming man, the name
ofUlysses =. Grnnt b gun 10 attract uniyer.
cal attention. Frequent disappointment
l,ad mnde us cautious In our judgment.
His career was scrr,inized with critical
eyes. His successes In the west were at
tributed to lllck-to the most fortunate com.
bination of circumstances II to anything
hut genius or military skill. But as event
followed event, the public mind became
convinced, and rs this modest, unnssuming
soldier, whose silent acts are moro telling
than the orations Of others, has gained con.
tinuously ir the estimation Of the loyal
North, until he now holds n position never
heretofore held by any hut Washington.
or such man we are anxious 10 learn
an much MS possible, and Colonel Badeau
has conferred general benefit In the prep.
aralion of the volume before us, which,
while full rs to matter concerning the pc
riod of which Il trents-from April. 1861, (,
to the promotion of Grant to the rank Of
Lieutenant. general. and his appointment
to the command Of tho army, In march,
ls64-is In manner such rs suits the unpre-
tending molesty of ils hero. .
General Grant was born April 9Th .lS22;
graduated from West Point In lS43; re-
inained in tic army till 1854, during which
time he had served throughout the Nlexi.
can campaign, having been in every battle
except Buenn Vista, and had reached the
rank Of captain was simple fnrmer at
Gravois, mar St. Louis, from 1854 TO 1861,
in which year he entered the leather trade
with his father and brother, at Galena, I'LL
nois.
The year 1861 found Gnnt, at the age OF
thirty. mine. a private citizen. Of simple
habits and tastes. without influence and un.
ambitious. He had never come IN contact
with men of eminence, and had no knowl.
edge Of or apparent care for public affairs.
He had never voted for President but
once, and numbered no politician among
his ncquaintances. On April l3, Fort Sum:
ter fell; on tho 18th. the President called
fhr troops; on the 10Th, Guns wa: drilling
n company Of volunteers, with which, four
days later, he went to Springfield.
From there he wrote TO tho hdjutnnt..
General OF the army, stating that he had
received military education at the expense
OF the nation, and now that the country
was in danger, he thought 1t hm duty to
place NJ the disposal Of the authorities what
ever skill or experience he bad acquired.
No answer was received to this, which was
deemed OF 30 little importance that IL was
not preserved Soon after this he went to
Cincinnati, hoping that General Mcclellan,
'hei, commanding The Ohio volunteers,
might give him a staff appointment. They
had been acquaintances in the army; but
having twice called on Mcclellan, and not
found him in. he returned to Springfield,
without having spoken TO any one concern.
ing the object Of his visit. A few weeks
later, he was appointed. ny Governor Yates,
uolonel OF The rweniy.fst regiment OF u.
iinols volunteers. oi which he Took com.
man'l early in June. This give him oil he
so'ight-nn opportunity oi serving his
country (; and whatever higher positions
have been conferred on him have come un.
sought by himself or l,y his personal friends.
On August Nh, Grant was commissioned
bugadIer-tseneral. of which, TACT he gained
The first information from the newspapers.
Ills first act was the seizure Of Paducah, at
The mouth Of the Tennessee river. whereby
the political status Of tho would be neutral
Kentucky was secured. This SEIZURE,
though violently criticised at the time. fnr.
nished an illustration Of traits destined az
terwanl peculiarly to characterize the gen.
erabhip Of Grant. .,..-..
Hisfrst b,tile was that OF Belmont, where
In command oi small: force Of nav recruits,
many Of whom had received their arms,
hut day or two before, he won victory,
after four houn' l'ari fighting. The nm.
disciplined troops became disorganiled Ivy
victory, and ''set about plundering while