Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-14
Anecdotes Of General Grant.

Anecdotes OF General Grant.
The following letter Of Gen. Lew Wallace is Of
interest, not so much on account of the stale and
odious Islander which it refutes as because it
! contains some new aud characteristic anecdotes
| Of the great soldier
! CRAwFoRDsyILLE, Ind, Aug. 80, 1872.
| Editor Omaha Tribune and Republican: am
in receipt OF your letter Of the 23d inst. asking
l if Gen. Grant was drunk at the battles of DOne-
r., son and Shiloh, and requesting full particulars
| Ii was my fortune to be one OF council of war
assembled on Gen. Grants boat at Fort Henry
/ the dav before the army moved on Fort Dopei-
| son. The council Was in session the greater
| part of the afternoon. Gen. Grant presided in
| person, and lgQS perfectly sober There was n
| box Of cigars on the table, but no liquor of any
| kind was seen or drank.
| The army marched next morning Feb 18th !
| [ shook hands with Gen. Grant when he mount
| ed his horse and took his place in the column.
He was perfectly sober then The general left
me behind in command OF Fort Henry, but, bv
order, reioined him on the 14th ut noon He
was at his headquarters, close in the rear of
Gen. G. +. Smiths line of investments There
were crackers, coffee and cigars, but no liquor.
In my presence Gen. Grant wrote an order COZ =
shutting the third division of his army, specify
inc precisely the regiments-yOur noble first
Nebraska among the rest-and assigning me to
the command | have the original order vet
1t is lengthy and in Gen. Grants own hand, as
were nearly all the orders that came from him
in that campaign. The guns were pounding
away while he wrote A drunken man could
not have written it, The division was organized
as II marched past on the road. Then Gen.
Grant rode with me to designate my position IN
the centre. Hesbowed not sign of intoxica-
ton.
Next day, about noon, while the first division
was being assembled and reOrganized, General
| Grant came where Gen. McClernand and were.
Isalto anal
tunes of the night, he ordered the last position
| to be Tetaken. History tells what enSued. The
| interview lasted about twenty minutes. re-
member Gen. Grants appearance and manner
| we'll, for the moment was Of great interest; in
| fact, it was the crisis of the battle. He was
mounted, and held telegram just received
| He heard the story calmly and without inter
ruptiOn; then he flushed up, and, crushing the
dispatch, ordered the assault. The flushing of
the face was not from liquor; it was the visible
| emotion natural to a man in position of vast
| responsibility resolving suddenly upon deci-
| sive action.
The draft upon his will can be appreciated bv
his enemies even, when they are told that the
telegram he griped so hard was from Gen. Hal
leck, directing him to retire, throw up defensive
works, and wait for reinlorcements. Had he,
falling the inspirations of his own genius
obeyed that order, DoneSOn would have been
TO our arms the empty success that COrinth was
a little later. He was perfectly sober through
out the interview, and left us to direct stimuli
taneous assault by Gen. c.. +. Smith. The
morning of the surrender after occupying the
rebel works on the left of their line, break
tasted with Gen, Buckner at his Headquarters
in Dover. An hour or two thereafter Cen
Grant appeared | was with him some time.
He wrote ain order directing me to return to
Fort Henry with my division. He was perfectly
sober
Next, as to Pittsburg landing. Sunday
morning, the first day Of the battle, Gen. Grant,
Fastening from Savannah to the field as fast as
steam could carry him, stopped his boat
alongside mine to ask some questions. A con-
versaton took place between us across the
guards Of the steamer Had lac been in the
slightest degree intoxicated, | would have OBJ
served it. He lodS perfectly sober. AT 10 O'Clock,
from the field, he sent me an order to march TO
PittsbuTg landing Unfortunately, the officer
that broughtit, by mistake in its delivery, sent
me 10 Join the right of the army, at a point
Jour miles from the landing. When the mis-
take was corrected, | had marched and put the
whole rebel army between me and Pttsburg
landing. 10 save my division, and make the
junction at the landing, it was necessary to
march back entirely around the left OF the en-
envy. The movement took the afternoon so
that did not see Gen. Grant again that day.
Next morning, in the grey Of the dawn, he
came to me, and in person ordered my advance
10 the attack. One orderly was his entire es-
cOrt.
The following was the interview almost GER
6Qtjm: Good morning." he said to me.
raised my cap and replied, Good morning,
| Sir" your guns are at work early" Eyes, y
| said; "and If you will observe, | have two
batteries on one. The affair can't last long"
! lie studied the direction OF my line awhile, and
| then asked; care you ready to attack I? yes,
| SIR" He turned his horses head toward the
| enemy, and with quiet wave Of the hand, said
| calmly, as if sitting in parlOr "Ihen move
straight out there" AS he started off, called
N tttsfr1