The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1869-02-25
Good Story about General Grant.

"Was the General silent then as now?"
"No. We considered him more than
commonly talkative. So he is now but
he won't talk for effect, nor before strang-
ers freely. This reticence of Grant, so
much made of, is partly discrimination,
and partly the form of an old bushfulness
he had when a boy. Anybody whom he
knows can hear him speak at any time" I"
ain ST. Louis liked Grant. He was
enter tanning, and was attracted toward
him by what | hardly knew at that time
Afterward | knew it to be Manhood, the
same that he developed in battle SO well.
l was in New York when heard of his
appointment, and soon after came tele-
graph message to join his staff. l was
at the Planters House in ST. Louis, on
business afterward, and, wishing to see
Grant, he rode up during the day with
some of his staff officers, and they had
one empty horse.
"Here, Hilyer,' said Grant "Here's
your horse. The boat has been waiting
for me three, quarters Of an hour. Stir
yourself =
II am not going, Grant, l never enter
tanned the notion a minute in earnest.
Come along! l can't listen to that
Time presses y
"But have not written to my wife
"Well that you had better do After
this next action | am going into you can
come home-if you don't get your head
knocked of irSt-and fix up your busi
ness
In brief, Hillyer found himself going
down the river, in ten minutes, to his own
bewilderment, wondering greatly whe-
thcr he could stand up in action. Perhaps
in this way Grant will impress into his
Cabinet some unwilling talent, if there
be any talent unwilling to 60 into Cabi-
net. | have not seen any of this latter
sort. E
s'Did you notice any strong traits Of
character in Grant soon afterward -
ellis courage and soldierly vanity in
action first struck me, and his entire will
lingness to fight. He never talked before
action, as if he had any personal ferebod-
ings, but grew more cheerful and con-
centrated as the time of battle approach
ed. His indisposition to leave any posi-
tion he had taken was often uncomfort-
able. l remember at Pittsburg Landing,
that he, Rawlings, myself, and some 9TH
er staff officers, were in place where the
artillery of the enemy was concentrated.
Their fire was terrible, and every instant
1 expected to have my head shot off
Grant sat on horseback, straight and
cheerful, as you have sometimes seen a
man of a hot day 60 out to be rained, on
rather enjoy it. He kept US all in half
agony. One officer said to me:
$50 tell the Old Man to leave here,
for Gods sake =
"No! Tell him yourself He'll think
me afraid, and SO | am, but he shan't
think So"
There we sat, the fire crossing upon
US. At last one of the green members of
the staff rode up to Grant, saying:
General, We must leave this place
1t isn't necessary to stay right here. If
we do, we shall all be dead in five min
utes" e
81 guess that's so = said Grant, and he
rode away, to our relief
Gas to fear," continued Hillyer, "Grant
used to say that he had seen men who
said they 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 frequent
ly to supersede his own good luck. At
Donelson he went to Commodore Foote
and begged him to run past the rebel
guns with gunboat or two. Foote re-
piled, saying that he would be shot to
pieces. Grant maintained that he would
suffer no more than in ordinary lombard
ment This took place before Farragut
made practical demonstration of Grants
theory. Now, if Foote had done, this,
the rebels would have evacuted Fort
Donelson, and the battle aud capture
there which made Grant historic, would
never happened.
"Grant developed wonderfully in the
war, and though as Democrat opposed
his election, had no doubt that he was
the safe, strong man, worthiest to head
the army. There is needed no better in
stance or proof to this effect than the fol-
lowing; was at City Point in 1865,
and sitting close By Grant / saw him
break the seal of letter. Then he smil
ed, good -naturedly.
"What's that, General Grant 2
"a letter from Sherman Read it
al read the letter, and said that Sher-
man could no longer hold Atlanta, his
line being too long. He asked permis-
sion to destroy the town and move to the
sea, subsisting upon the country, and
turning at bay to fight Hood whenever
the latter pursued him too closely. All
this seemed brilliant and soldierly to me,
and [ asked Grant what in it made him
laugh.
"Why," he said, Il was wondering
what Hood could find to subsist upon if
he followed in the rear of Sherman
"Thus was the General supplying an
error of genius. Sherman supposed that
uool ~wo,,lJ fellow b,,, Grant lnoy