The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-11-24
Grant Under Fire.
for good

| heard somebody cheering, and, looking
round, saw an officer on horseback in a
Ma or- Generals uniform. He dismounted
and came over to the very spot where Twas
standing l did not know his face, but
something told me it was Grant-Ulysses
Grant, at that moment the hero of the
Western army. Solid he stood-erect;
about five feet eight, with square feat
ures, thin, closed lips, brown hair, brown
beard, both cut short and neat. "He
must weigh $50 pounds; looks just like
the soldier he is. l think he is larger
than Napoleon but not much-he is not
so dumpy; looks like man in good ear
nest, and the rebels think he is" And
this was the first time l saw Grant. /
think | still possess some of the feeling
that overCame me at that moment as |
stood so near to one who held our lives
and, possibly, our country's in his hands.
l heard HIM speak: "Men, push right
along; close up fast, and hurry over"
Two or three men mounted on mules at
tempted to wedge past the soldiers on
the bridge. Grant noticed it and quietly
said: " Lieutenant, send those men to
the rear" Every soldier passing turned
to gaze on him, but there was no further
recognition. There was no Mcclellan,
begging the boys to allow him to light
his cigar by theirs, or inquiring to what
regiment that exceedingly fine marching
company belonged. There was noPope,
bullying the men for not marching faster,
or officers for some trivial detail remem-
bered only by martinets. There was no
Bonaparte, posturing for effect; no point
ing to the Pyramids, no calling the CEN
turtles to witness. There was no non
sense, no sentiment; only plain bust
ness man of the Republic, there for the
one single purpose of getting that COM
mand across the river in the shortest time
possible. On a horse near by, and among
the still-mounted staff, sat the Generals
son, a brightlooking lad of about eleven
years. Fastened to his little waist by
the broad yellow belt was his fathers
sword-that sword on whose clear steel
was soon to be engraved Vicksburg,
mond. The boy talked and jested with
the bronzed soldiers near him, who
laughingly inquired where we should
camp; to which the young tield-marshal
replied: cover the river" Over the
river! All! that night we slept with our
guns in our hands; and another night,
and another, saw more than one of our
division camped beyond and over the
river-in that last tenting- ground where
the reveille was heard no more forever.
next saw Grant on May 19, 1868, and
this time at the battle of champion Hills"
in rear of Vicksburg We had crossed
the Mississippi River at Grand Gulf
and swung off east and north; had fought
the battles of Port Gibson, Raymond and
Jackson, and were overtaking Pember-
tons army fastening to the walls of
Vicksburg. 1t was a very hot day, and
we had marched hard, slept little and
rested none. Among the magnolias on
Champion Hills the enemy, forty to fifty
thousand strong, turned on us. Sher-
mans Corps was already engaged far On
the right as we approached the field in
that overpowering Mississippi sun. Our
brigade was soon in line, on the edge of
meadow or open field slopiDg toward
the woods where the enemy were con-
cealed and steadily firing on US. We
were in that most trying position of
soldiers, for regulars even-being fired
on without permission to return the
shots. We were standing two files deep,
bearing as patiently as we could not a
heavy, but steady, fire from infantry,
while an occasional cannon ball tore up
the turf in front or behind US. A good
many men were falling, and the wounded
were being borne to the rear of the brig
ade, close to an old well, whose wooden
curb seemed to offer the only protection
hill ntn 10
" Colonel, move your men a little by the
left flank" said quiet though COM
handing voice. On looking round / saw
Immediately behind US Grant, the Com
mander-in-C Chief, mounted on a beautiful
bay mare, and followed by perhaps half
a dozen of his staff For some reason
he dismounted, and most of his officers
were sent off, bearing orders, probably,
to other quarters of the field. 1t was
Grant under fire. The rafting musketry
increased on our front, and grew louder,
too, on the left flank. Grant had led his
horse to the left, and thus kept near the
company to which | belonged. He now
stood leaning complacently against his
favorite steed, smoking-as seemed ha-
bitual with him-the stump of cigar.
His was the only horse near the line, and
must, naturally, have attracted some of
the enemy's fire. What If he should be
killed, thought to myself, and the army
be left without its commander? In front
of us was an enemy; behind us, and
about us, and liable to overcome and
crush US, were his reinforcements. For
days we had been away from our base of
supplies and marching inside the enemy's
lines. What if Grant should be killed
and we be defeated herein such place
and at such time? am sure everyone
who recognized him wished him away;
but there he stood-clear, calm and i'm
movable. l was close enough to see his
features. Earnest they were; but sign
of inward movement there was none. 1t
was the same cool, calculating face l
had seen before at the bridge; the same
careful, halfcynical face afterward saw
busted with affairs of State Col. Byers,
IN Philadelphia Weekly Times