Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-11-07
GENERAL GRANTS STORY
In Which he Repeats a Good One by
President Lincoln.

A feature of the trip of General
Grants special train over the Union
Pacific road to Omaha, was camp
fire, as the Grand Army boys call it,
which was celebrated in something
like regulation style, in the forward
Pullman car. General Grant appa-
rently enjoyed it very much. He
made little speech and told little
story in this way:
Now, as to telling stories, | have
no particular gift in that way. Some
times, conversing about the affairs aof
the war, something that is said calls
up an anecdote OF a good story where
something occurred of a ridiculous,
pathetic, amusing, or Illustrative char
acter, | might tell, if | could happen
to think of them, of some things that
occurred that Mr.Lincolu told me at
times when he visited me in the field,
and will tell you one thing that oc-
CURED just after the surrender of Lee
at Appomattox. | have often heard
the same story attributed to Mr.. Lin
coin in different ways, but this is the
way it occurred with me
After the surrender of Lee, con
tinued the general, 81 hurried back to
Washington with all haste, 20 stop the
enormous expenditure the government
was making at that time in the way of
purchases, enlistments, and drafting
While 1 was not positive that
there would be no further hostilities
or any further efforts made on the
part Of the rebel armies, yet | thought
it not unlikely that there would be.
and that it was better to take proper
precautions, so | ordered the army Of
the James back to Burkes station. to
remain while we could go over to
Washington, and do, as [ say-stop
expenditures that were being made,
AS you all remember, the authorities
in Richmond had taken fight, and
they never stopped till they got to
Danville. Loud laughter. Find
ing we were not pressing, they did not
stop there. Supposing | was at
Burke station, Extra Billy Smith, as
he was called, who was governor Of
Virginia at that time, sent letter
through by flag Of truce to me,
which General Meade received, and.
without letting them know | was not
there, telegraphed to me at Washing
ton. The letter was to this effect
that he was governor of the Common
wealth Of Virginia, and as such he
had temporarily removed the seat Of
government from Richmond to Dan
vile laughter and he was desirous
of knowing from me whether he
would be permitted to exercise the
functions of this Office in Danville un.
molested, or. if not, if he and a few
friends would be permitted to leave
The country. | was in doubt about
the best way to answer it, when han
pened to meet Mr.. Lincoln on the
sidewalk, and told him about it, He
supposed | was asking him for in
structiOns, and his answer was this
/ will tell you, he said, It's like an
Irishman | once heard of, who was 10
the habit of drinking whisky. He
had done so for long time. At last
he joined temperance society, but
the habit of drinking was strong upon
him. He wanted to take something,
and so for time he took soda water,
but one day he put his glass around
and said, Doctor, can't you put a
drop of brandy in that unbeknown st
to me ?'' Great laughter. Mr..
Lincoln couldn' hage said any palmer
that Extra Billy Smith could have
gone and taken as many Of that sort of
drinks as he pleased" " Laughter