The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-07-18
ANYrHINa TO BEAT GRANT.

1 OF OranC ana w iiSOn. he IHCrOuuCeu
some "reminiscences of another campaign,
when he and Grant first met each other.
His speech began with very effective
appeal to his hearers
Could you have read of the character
of u. S. Grant without having lived in
his day, you would have given your
weight in gold to have put your eyes On
! hlm-upon this great defender Of the
| Union, upon this great defender of the
rights of the American people, upon the
great defender of an oppressed race,
which he has lifted out of slavery; for
with his mighty arm be has lifted them
up into manhood and citizenship. Ap-
plause. You would pray for the occa-
sion to look upon such man: and yet
10 your very midst o-day you have him.
LApplause. The greatest soldier of mod
ern times, and the purest Of them all
man OF the people of the purest and
simplest habits of life.
The Governor recalled to his audience
Grants humble circumstances prior to
his extraordinary elevation
You have known General Grant in
your midst as laboring man, as farm
er, as man that hauled wood through
your streets and sold it in your market !;
q poor man with family to support
Then he transferred his residence, for a
year or two, to Illinois, and lived in Ca
lena, struggled along with honest indus
try to support his wife and Children
When he was found in Galena in 1861,
by some of the citizens of our State, who
were then anxiously hunting for the de-
tenders of our country, or those who
could aid US In our great struggle: he
was found in little shed upon back
lot. near tannery, with his sleeves roll
ed up, putting away green hides In salt
and lime, preparing to tan them for a
living. He came to Springfield nobody
knew him he had nothing to say. We
observed him there about the Capitol,
as man of simple and industrious habits
poorly dressed and of modest demeanor
After while circumstances threw him
in command of regiment from our
State.
An incident showing the unpretentious
style of the already successful General
is thus humorously narrated:
After that. as colonel, he marched
into North Missouri through a portion
Of the State, and in few months came
down to Cairo under orders of General
Fremont. At that time l was in com
mand of six regiments of infantry and
some cavalry and artillery. We bad
been there three months when General
Grant came in one morning accompanied
by "a Lieutenant. who introduced him to
me. [ sat there dressed in Colonel S
uniform, commanding the country all
around. | di9n' know where my juris-
dicIlon began or where it ended. -
Laughter War had been declared,
and | was enlisted and had a Colonel S
commission and lots of fellows to com
mand, and L was making them believe
| knew all about it, and half of them
thought [ did and the balance Of them
thought did not ; but they got along
very we'll because [ was commanding
sensible men. There were one or two
regiments from Missouri, three or four
from Illinois; Just such men as you are,
Just such men as l am-good, sensible
men, who had gone out to do something
for their country, and were willing to put
up with any officer who would behave
himself half way deceutly. | did my
best aud that was the best | could do
General Grant walked in, and as | said,
was introduced to me. L was very busy
that morning getting OFT some orders =
There wasn't any enemy within fifty
| miles OF rs that we knew anything about
and JET Thompson didn't care whether
we came to see him, and we didn't care
whether he came 10 see us. Laughter.
| The General walked back and took a seat
on my right, but | didn't get the name
right. He was dressed so poorly, so far
as kn.w he might be refugee.
Laughter He sat down moment,
when Captain Lago said: Colonel,
think you don't understand me-" No. !
think not" says |. Says he, ''this is
General Grant," | turned around in
considerable CONSERVATION, and said,
/! My God, is this General Grant.
FCheers and Laughter. By the time |
/. nd got over my excitement and felt in a
m, ,,od to recognize him, he had written
an order putting me out of the head
quart rs and putting himself in. Cheers
and laL ghter went back to my regi
ment ~ I'd he went on commanding the
troops all gathered around there from
every omar ter, and after a while battle
came on. twas the battle OF Belmont.
Grants coonc lis of war would appear moi
to have suggested much to him, b., thi:
sample. t...
Gen. Grant hao been in the battles o.
Mexico, and been III Mexico one yeal
too. | had been in ue or two battles IN
Mexico, but was om.v Lieutenant then
| had fought in the ba ties of Vera Cruz
and Cerro Gordo. ana killed L don
know how many Of our enemies for
never counted them. laughter 81
we went along with Gen. e rant to For
Dtunelson. Que day we hal counci
of wsr-a thug | never attended up tc
that tlI1e, and [ don't believe tbere is 9
Democrat here who ever astcnde one a
all. Geu. Grant had boat on the river,
and he calleu General McClernano. anc
G en-. Lew Wallace, and Gen. Chas +.
Smith, and as vas Colonel commano,3g
brigade, our Brig adler General inyit, d
me to 60 with him. We went iu the
boat and sat down. At that time old
Commodore Foote had taken Fort Henry
before we could get to it. daughter
We we're going to take Fort Donelson,
fourteen miles away, so General Urant
onened his council of war and invited Us
all in. We had some ice water, which
was very desirable (Laughter), and he
gave US cigar aud We sat down iiitee::
or twenty minutes, aud not a word was
said by anybody daughter General
Grant sat there while with one leg over
the other. looking as pleasant as any
body | ever say, right in the midst of the
enemy, who were only fourteen miles
away, whilst all hearts were filled with
trepidation. for we felt that the destinles
of this great nation were upon our shout
ders and it was a pretty alarming time:
After while the General got p,walked
out on the guard, aud on returning asked
us if We had anything to say. We told
him we had not. We then asked the
General If he had anything to say, and
! L., ..,lA h, i,.,d LOT and he a