The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-28

which signed all the victorious Gs from the
sect OF war.
GRANTS LAST PRIVATE DAYS
General Grant shows in some small prepsra-
tons his consciousness of the great official
period coming 10 him. He is making visits TO
some lew cherished friends before takmg the
oath and accepting the honors taat bind the
magistrate. Mis- Grants carriage is tue most
sensible and beautiful one TO be found-light in
contraction, OF Il rare brown color IN the body
aud her Coachmans cloak matches the same
color. General Grant is more particular aud
mole thoroughly civilian In his dress than he
was, wearing suit OF black, which Is gentle
mans only s'eadfast hue. aud with 1t suif
dress hat, the latter improving his height. Hts
manners are uuchaugiug, and his associa ious
here are OF only the most trusted and worthy
GRANTS CONFIDENCE
A gentleman was relating TO me soma days
ago General HnicT's "reminiscences of Grant,
and there Is one that applies to the President
elect. Hiliicr had been a staff officer with the
General, and be resigned after the fall OF Vicks-
burg. Rcioining Grant again for visit after he
came Fast, Hnyer accompanied him to Cul-
peper, where the General assumed command OF
"Hillycr,n SAID Grant ~ think should have
failed in this position If l had come to it in the
beginning, because l should not have had
confidence enough. You see l have come
through all the grades of the ser7ice-captain.
colonel, brigade, division, corps, army-and l
am confident in myself now. McClellan's mis-
fortune, l always believed, was in bis clearing
all the grades at once and feeling want OF
confidence in this great and absolute RESPONSE
bihty."
THIS auecdote, whether true or not, very
Characteristic of Granls simple retrospeCtions,
gives us comfort in the higher and popular pro-
motion he has just received, for, since Cul-
pepper, he has been made General aud Secretary
of War; his experience has inclined towards
civil, administrative and political duties, from
grade to grade, conquerlpg them as he ad~
Vanced in the army. And this rare advantage
he has had, that his promotion has been rapid
as well as experimental. so that he knows all
the active men and minds OF the present genera
tiOn only-not like Buchanan, living in Two or
three dead generations of statesmen, and very
little in the present; but all his life is of this
incoming time, and he knows the material of 1t
probably better than any living American.
Some days after hearing this anecdote ] met
always problem to M. | a ked his former staff
officers solution OF some points.
THE STAFF OF GENERAL GRANT.
Hillyer lived in St. Louis when Grant left his
little fam near by to enter the firm OF "Boggs
IL Grant, Real Estate Agents, Houses TO Rent"
liz those days he had desk, believe, IN Hill
yers law Office.
! WAS the General silent then as now?"
mo. We considered him more than COM
monty taikative. So he Is now; bat ne won't
talk for elect snor before strangers freely. This
reticence of Grant, SO much made OF, is partly
discrimination, and partly the form OF an old
bashiulness he had when boy. Anybody
whom he knows can hear him speak at any
time.
tainiDg and was attracted towards him by
what / hardly knew at that time. Afterwards
knew it to be manhood, the same that he
York when i heard of hls appointment, aud
soon afterwards came a telegraph message to
Join his staff. | was at the Planters House in
st. Louis on business soon atteI wards, aad
with some OF his staff officers, and they had one
'"Here, Hlllyer,' said Grant, heres your horse.
The boat has been waiting for me three-quarters
OF an hour, Stir yOuTselfn
~ am not going, Grant. never entertained
the notion a minute in earnest
Come along! can't listen to that. Time
'But have not written to my wife,
"'Well that you had better do. After this
next action 1 am going into you Can come
home-if you don't get your head knocked off
6rst-and hX up your business.'n
In brief, Hlyer found himself going down
the river in ten minutes TO his own beWilder.
ment, wondering greatly whether he could
stand up in action, Perhaps in this way Grant
will impress INTO his Cabinet some unwilling
talent, II there be any talent unwilling to go
into the Cabinet have not seen any OF this
latter sort.
"Did you notice any strong traits of character
in Grant soon afterwards 7"
"Hs courage and soldierly vanity in action
first struck me, and his entire willingness to
fight. He never talked before action, as If he
had any personal fOrebodinge, but grew more
cheerful and concentrated as the time OF battle
approached. His indisposition TO leave any
position he had taken was often uncomfortable.
4 remember az flIlSOuIS lJduulDB IuttJ ne, RAW
Inns, and myself and some other staH officers
Weie in q place where the artillery of the enemy
was concentrated. Their fire was terrible, and
every instant expected Ia have my head shot
of. Grant sat on horseback straight aud cheer
ful as YOU have sometimes seen n man of q hot
day go out TO be raBed on, rather enjoying 1t.
He Kept us all in halt agony. One officer said
tome:- .-,,,
sake.'
mo! Tell him yourseli. He'll think me afraid,
and so am but he shan't think so.'
There we sat, the fire crossing upon US. AT
last. Que of the green members OF the staH rode
up TO Grant, saying:- , w.t..
necessary to stay here. II We 40 we shall all
be dead IN five minutes
"I guess that's so,' SAID Grant, anu ne roue
away to our great relief -
.'ks TO fear,n continued Hillyer, 'Grant used
10 gaY that he had seen men VINO sald tney
never knew what it was, but he had never seen
ANYBODY who said it OF them. Another thing
that struck me with Grant was his own attempt
frequently 10 supersede his own good luck. AZ
Doneleon he went 10 Com mnodore Foote and
begged him TO run past the Rebel guns with q
guDboat or two FoOte replied saying that ne
would be shot to pieces. Grant maintained tha'
he would suffer no more than in ordinary Oom-
hardment This took place before Farragut
made a practical demonstration OF Grants
theory Now, If Foote had done this, the heoel'
would have evacuated Fort Donelson, ana tht
battle and capture there Whlcn maue 0rau
historic would never have happened,
"Grant developed wonderfully In the war
ond though J. as a Democrat, opposed MI
sIection. had no doubt that he was the SAFE
strong man. worthiest to head the army, Thet'
40 needed no better instance or proof 10 tnl
effect than the following;-l was az Clty rpm ON