The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1868-03-19
The Biography Of Gen. Grant,
by his Father.

Mr.. Jesse II. Grant, the father Of the
General, thoroughly appreclating the
taste and intelligence Of the readers Of
what are known as sensation papers
and being kindly desirous Of contribu-
ting to their amusement and instruction
has become contributor to the col
umns of the New York Ledger. He is
indulging his paternal pride, and stri.
wing to elevate the public tone BY rela-
ting all the extraordinary and pleas.
ing incidents OF the youthful life Of the
boy Ulysses. We regret that our lin
tied space precludes us from laying be-
fore readers the thrilling narrative in
full. 1t is Of absorbing interest, as
few references to it will sufiic to show
Passing over the typographical notices
of General Grants great at-grandfather
his great. graud(ather's brother, and his
grandfather, we conc 10 the autobio'
graphical sketch Of his revered father
He recounts the stirring events of his
life with a simple pathos that is incx-
presslbly touching:
CAT SIXTEEN" he tells us, ~ was reg.
ularly apprenticed to my half-brother
to learn the tanning business Some
years alterward he set up for himself
in business at Ravenna, Ohio, and here
one Of those startling occurrences be-
iroll him which sometimes compc! us to
admit that truth is stranger than fiction.
He says, .'here suffered severe and
protracted illness from fever and ague
which finally compelled me to relln
quish business" He survived the aw
ful catastrophe. however, and finally
earned the reputation "of making the
very best leather because he "tan!ed
with nothing but oak, and that made it
superior" How and when he married,
and how the romantic current of his
life flowed subsequently, we have no
time to tell. But grateful country
will rejoice TO know that the house in
which his son was born sis still stand
ing" II is extraordinary, indeed, how
this small, fraii tenement could have
stood the shock Of the birth Of our mo-
dern Caesar. But it did it nobly. and
the American people will hold in last
ing reverence the sacred shingles which
sheltered the unweaned American Die
tator. Ofthc life OF the latter, only the
very earlier portion Of it has been as
vet referred to. But he was a marked
baby. Though no portents in nature
signalized his birth, all his youthful ac-
,ions indicated toat he had physical
and moral characteristics that showed
him to be something superhuman. "The
first time he ever drove horse alone
he was about seven and q half years
old" We had Ii ard he was only three
DAYS over seven and q quarter, but the
feat was marvellous enough at either
age. "He used to HAIRLESS horses when
he had to get up in the manger to put
the bride and collar on, and then turn
the hulf,bushel over and stand on that
TO throw the harness on" cat eight
and half years he had become regu
lar driver" s"At about ten he used tc
drive q pair of horses alone" But il
we are lost in wonderment and admir-
alton as we dwell upon these evidences
of his dawning genius, with what feel
inc must the world hear of the two per
tormances which are narrated in de-
tail, and which carry our thoughts in
voluntarily back to the day OF AleXan
der and Bucephalus, and of Mazeppa
and his Tartar stced.
"Once when he was boy, a show
came along in which there was q mis-
chievous pony, trained to 90 round
the ring like lightning, and he was eH-
pectcd to thow any boy that attempted
TO ride him. win any boy come for
ward and ride this pony? Ulysses step
ped forward and mounted the pony
The performance began. Round an
round and round the ring went the po
ny, faster and faster, making the great
est efforts to dislnouut the rider Blu
Ulysses sat as steady as if he had grow
to the pony's back. Presently ont came
larco monkey and sprang up behin(
Ulysses. The people set up grea
shout of laughter, and on the pony ran
but it all produced NO effect on the ri
der. Then the ring-master made thu
monkey lump up on to Ulysses shoul
ders. and with his hands holding on t.
his hair. At this there was anothe
and O. still louder shout, but not mus
Gle orUlysses' face moved. There wa:
not Il tremor of his nerves. A few
more rounds and the ring master CAV,
Il up he had come across boy that th
!. pony and monkey both could not dis
!. mount"
No chapter in history is full of NOR
excitinp interest than this brief accoun