American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-03-30
Washington and Ulysses Grant.

| AFTER doing the lives of his heroes,
| Plutarch INDUCED himself in drawing
| comparisons between them. A Boston
| publisher of rather cheap literature pre-
| scnts to its readers a similar Plutarchian
! performance with respect to Washington
and General Ulysses Grant. AS respects
Washington, the writer may be less his
torically trustworthy than Plutarch; but
concerning Ulysses, the essay must be
| correct, because, like John Phoenix SOUL
| bob's signature, it was written by one of
his near relations; to wit: Federal of
ficeholder of the name of George Bailey
Loring.
The similitude which Mr.. George Bailey
| LOring Plutarch discovers between Ulysses
and Washington would perhaps not at
| first appear quite obvious to the mind of
less investigating historian. For in
| stance, the inquiring mind might not at
once perceive the striking resemblance
which the Boston Plutarch discerns in the
fact that Washington, before the war
which gave him military renown, was one
of the most wealthy, polished, dignified,
and courtly gentlemen of his age, where
as, Ulysses, on the contrary, was quite
| the opposite in every respect. Washing
ton was the intimate and highly esteemed
| friend of Lord Fairfax; Ulysses was the
intimate and perhaps highly esteemed
friend of person of the name of Leet;
also of fellow of the name of Stocking
| Washington was a tobacco-planter;
even the dullest comprehension must be-
| gin to recognize the amazing similarity of
these two illustrious characters).
| But it appears to be in the remarkable
sayings of Washington and Ulysses that
the literary Federal office holder in Bos-
ton discovers the closest analogy of his
heroes. Some one, who obviously is not
| nf Granite Ia finpS hos i'll Of
che has made no utterance worth re-
membering, as was done by Jefferson
and Jackson" His Boston relative
proves that this is a slanderous allegation,
and proceeds to compare some of Ulysses
memorable remarks with the reply of
| Washington when some reckless army
officers proposed to proclaim him king.
| Said Washington: "Let me coniure you,
| if you have any regard for your country,
concern for yourself OF posterity, or re-
spect for me, to Danish these thoughts
from your mind, and never communicate,
as from yourself or anyone else, a senti-
| ment of like nature-' What Il striking
| similarity,appears between the noble SEN
| timents thus enunciated and those eX-
pressed by Ulysses in the following mem
| orable sentences 81 shall fight it out on
this line if it takes all summer :"
"Our cat has got the longest tail ~
My highest political ambition is to
be Mayor of Galena p = "Let us
| have peace ~
Equally remarkable and suggestive is
the similarity discernib1e between the
| habits of Washington and Ulysses. When
| the arduous labors of the day were over,
the former was in the habit of withdraw
| ing himself to commune with the In
known Power, in whose wisdom and mer
| cy, more than in mortal contrivaace, he
| trusted. Ulysses was also in the habit of
| Withdrawing himself from his officers,
| sometimes to witness dog-tight some
| times to consume undue rations of COM
missary whisky. Washington was man
of most humane feelings, who carried be-
meath a cold and somewhat naughty exte-
| rior the tenderness of Il woman who
| could ride thirty miles at night to visit
| the bedside of n dying soldier. Ulysses
could exemplify like humane nature by
| ordering, as he did at Fort Donelson, a
soldier to be dashed to tree on a bitter
cold day, and guarded thus until further
orders, for the CRIME of shooting one of
! the enemy's hogs
| But it is in the domain of administra-
| ton, as Chief Magistrate of the United
| States-a domain upon which the Boston
| Plutarch prudently enters not-that the
most remarkable correspondence between
| Washington and Ulysses appears. Though
the histories of their respective admins
a few examples must suffice. Washing
ton as every reader of our history knows,
was most scrupulous in his respect to that
vital constitutional principle which de
clares the subordination of the military to
| the civil power. In his great anxiety up
ON this point, he personally accompanied
the troops sent to Pennsylvania to sup
press the whisky instruction, and gave
positive command that they should only
be employed in aiding the Marshal to eX-
ecute the processes of the civil courts. In
"Shay's rebellion" in Massachusetts,
General Lincoln was given the same posi-
tive commands. So wonderfully like
Washington is our Ulysses in his respect
for the Constitution that we find him en-
ploying the Federal military to control
party conventions, and declaring his Off
cial approval of the conduct OF Il military
officer who takes it upon him 10 supersede
by military force the civil authority in
most peaceful and loyal State; nay, more,
when the Governor of that State protests
against such fOrcible infraction of the SIT
preme law, instead of rcbuking the law
/ lessness of his inferior, we find him refer
ri tIp vi hole matter q the very military