The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-16
Recollections of Grant.


from the Book entitled "The Blue Coats" by
Capt. Truesdale.]
Recollections of Grant.
Rev. ]. L. Crane, the chaplain OF the
regiment of which Lieutenant General Grant
was colonel, gives the following interesting
"reminiscences of his private and military
character -
"Grant :" he says, els about five feet ten
inches in height, and will weigh one hun
dred and forty or forty-tiv pounds. He has
a countenance indicative of reserve, and an
indomitable will, and persistent purpose.
"In dress he is indifferent and careless,
making no pretensions to style or fashlona-
BILE military display. Had he continued
colonel till now, think his uniform would
have lasted till this day; for he never used
it except ON dress parade and then seemed
to regard it a good deal as David did Saufs
armor.
q. His body is vial of intense existence
and vet when a stranger would see him in
crowd he would never think of asking his
name. He is no dissembler. He is sincere,
thinking, real man.
He is always cheerful. No toll, cold,
heat, hunger, fatigue, or want of money,
depresses him. He does his work at the
time, and he requires all under his command
to he equally prompt. 1 was walking over
the camp with him one morning after break,
fast. 1t was usual for each company to call
the roll at a given hour. 1t was now proba-
bly, half hour after the time for that duty.
Tie colonel was quietly smoking his old
meerschaum, and talking and walking
along, when he NOTICED company drawn
up in line aud the roll being called. He in
stantly drew his pipe from his mouth and
exclaimed, Captain, this is no time for
calling the roll. Order your men to their
quarters immediately The command was
instantly obeyed, and the colonel resumed
his smoking and walked on, conversing as
quietly as if nothing had happened. For
without rations that day, except what they
gathered up privately from among their
friends of other companies. Such q breach
of order was never witnessed in the regiment
afterward while he was its colonel. This
promptness is one of Grants characteristics,
and it is one of the secrets of his success.
"On one of our marches, when passing
through one of these small towns where the
grocery is the principal establishment, some
of the lovers of intoxication had broken away
from our lines and filled their canteens with
whisky, and were soon reeling and ungovern-
able under its influence. While apparently
stopping the regiment for rest, Grant passed
quietly along and took each canteen, and
wherever he detected the fatal odOr, emptled
the liquor on the ground with as much
nonchalance as he would empty his pipe,
and had the offenders tied behind the bag
gage wagons till they had sobered into
soidierly propriety. On this point his orders
were imperative: no whisky nor intoxicat-
ing beverages were allowed in his camp.
sIn the afternoon of very hot day in
July, 1861, while the regiment was stationed
in the town of Mexico, Missouri, had gone
&l,,o thnr
ed the daily paper, and seated myself in the
shadow of my tent to read the news. In
the telegraphic column l soon came to the
announcement that Grant, with several Others,
was made brigadier- general. In a few
minutes he came walking that way, and 1
called to him:
"Colonel. 1 have some news here that
will interest you
"' What have you, chaplain 2
"sI see that you are made brigadier-gen-
eral.'
"He seated himself by my side and re.
marked:
"'Well, sir. I had no suspicion of it. 1t
never came from any request OF mine That's
some of Washburne's work. l knew Wash
burne in Galena. He was a strong Repub-
lican, and was Democrat, and thought
from that he never liz ID me very WE'LL
Hence we never had more than business or
street acquaintance But when the war
broke out found he had induced Governor
Yates to appoint me mastering officer OF the
Illinois volunteers, and after that had some
thing to do in having me commissioned
colonel of the twenty first giment; and
suppose this is some of his work.
"And he very leisurely rose up and pulled
his black felt hat little nearer his eyes, and
made few extra passes at his whiskers, and
walked away with as much apparent uncon-
Germ as if some one had merely told him that
his new suit of clothes was finished.
"Grant belongs to NO church, yet he en-
tertains and expresses the highest esteem for
all the enterprises that tend to promote
religion. When at home he generally at
tended the Methodist Episcopal church.
While he was colonel of the twenty first
regiment, he gave every encouragement and
facility for securing prompt and uniform
observance of religious services, and was
found in the audience listening to preaching.
"Shortly after came into the regiment
our mess were one day taking their usual
seats around the dinner table, when he re-
marked:
"sChaplain, when I was at home, and
ministers were stopping at my house, al
ways invited them to ask a blessing at the
table suppose blessing is as much need
ed here as at home; and if it is agreeable
with your views, should be glad to have
yOu ask blessing every time we sit down
to eat"
A special dispatch published elsewhere an
nounces that the new Legislature Of Floridf
and ratified the thirteenth and fourteenth amend
ments to the Constitution of the United States
Florida has thus fulfilled all the conditions pre-