Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-11-15
AyETERAN'S RECOLLECTIONs.
General Grants WAY Of Living When ION to
Rchmond'-fienry Clay's Great Dis.
apointment-Lincoln us a
Wresfler


General Grants way of Living When ION to
gichmond'--Henry Ciay's Great Dis.
Observation-Disclosures us
Wrestler.
General Grant, while moving ION to
Richmond, = messed with the niue gen-a
tlcmen on his personal staff, dividing
the expenses among the ten, not in
equal portions exactly. but in man
ner that was satisfactory to ALL There
was not the slightest attempt at show
or parade in the furniture or equipage.
Everything was for use and economy
of trouble and space. The crockery
was scanty and of the plainest, and the
fare, though sufficient in quantity. was
just as homely as that of any thrifty
and careful mechanic. A chop, with a
cup of coffee, for breakfast: a bit of
roast beef. with potatoes and ..hard
tack, confronting a dish of pork and
greens served for the ) o'clock din
ner, which was concluded without
pastry or dessert. A cup of tea and
bit of bread and butter at $50 o. clock
finished up the day. The beds were
simply camp cots, some with and others
without mattresses; and all the toilet
apparatus anywhere visible were a few
tin wash-basins, moderate supply of
towels, q bit of looking-glass and
horn comb. AT the table neither dis
TILED liquor nor wine were permitted.
The General would not have either
about him for his own or others use.
The inventory of the Generals bag
gage when he made his brilliant cam
paign in the rear of Vicksburg is, |
take it, well remembered "a brier-wood
telescope and tooth brush In what
relates to personal adornment and, out
side of the necessity of eating and
drinking, personal comfort, he never
enlarged his possessions. His three
stars indicated his exalted rank, but,
to say nothing of the charm which, in
soldiers eyes these glittering marks of
rank possess, | doubt if there was a
commissariat officer in his army who
was as plainly clad as he. His clothes
were worn threadbare, and, despite the
steady brushing of his servant, they
would have an untidy look, due. no
doubt, to the Generals habit of going
everywhere and seeing everything for
himself. The General understands the
relation between cleanliness and rod
illness; but, in his opinion, practically
eyinced, there is as much of either in a
flannel shirt as in linen of drawing
room immaculateness.
Henry Clay, like Daniel Webster,
sought solace in the bottle, when, to-
ward the close of his career, he found
those whom he had befriended plotting
against him. Ia the very hour of his
defeat he was sitting in room at
Browns Hotel, anxiously awaiting to
hear Of his nomination. He made most
singular exhibitions of himself in that
moment of ardent expectancy. He
was open and exceedingly profane in
his denunciations of the intriguers
against his nomination. MIR. Wise had
taken two friends from his district 10
see Mr.. Clay They listened with sur
prise TO his remarks, full of the most
impudent, coarse elimination of others
in words betting only q bar-room in
vulgar broil. OF sudden he stopped,
and turning to the two gentlemen, who
were dressed in black and both stranr-
ers to him, he said: '.But, gentlemen,
from ought | know, from your cloth,
you may be parsons, and shocked at
my words; let US take glass of wne,''
and rising from his seat he walked 10 a
well-loaded sideboard, at which evil
IDENTIFY he had been imbibing deeply be-
fore Mr.. Wise had entered After re-
ceiving news of the nomination of Har-
rison and Tyler, another scene occur
red, which MIR. Wise thus describes
hi "A
before, and we pray never again to
witness such an ebultion of passion,
such storm of desperation and curses.
He rose from his chair, and, walking
backward and forward rapidly, stamp
ed with rage upon the floor" Yet he
had the reputation of being .'the first
gentleman in the land.
Governor Armstrong, whose widows
estate is just now the subject of judi
cial investigation, visited Paris about
forty years ago with his wife, They
were anxious to be presented to the
Court of Louis Philippe, and the Gov
ernor consulted with the American
tailor as to what sort of a court dress
he should wear. ''Have you held
militia commission that viii enable YOU
to wear the uniform of your rank p'
asked the tailor NO" replied Mr..
Armstrong, "but have been Lieuten-
ant Governor of Massachusetts, and
the Governor commands the State mill
tia!' ''Ah, | sect" exclaimed the tai
lor. ''Let me measure you for Lieu
tenant Generals uniform" The uni
form was made, it fitted well, and there
was not a finer looking man at the
Tuileries than its wearer. But the
French officers were sadly perplexed at
this appearance of u man uniformed and
equipped as a Lieutenant General of
France, except that the buttons were
''incomprehensible!' They were Massa-
chusetts buttons with The uplifted arm
and sword.
Abraham Lincoln was noted wrest-
Ter in his younger days, as he once told
me when we were looking from win
dow of the White House, to see two
soldiers wrestle in front of the guard
tent, on the grounds. Mr. Lincoln was
much interested in the struggle, and he
could evidently have coached either
of the combatants with profit to them.
lie said that the toughest customer he
had ever met was in 1912, when he
commanded company of mustered-in
militia in the Black Hawk campaign.
He was put forward as the champion of
Northern Illinois and pitted against
Neal Dow, of St. Clair county, the cham
pion Of Southern Illinois. HE was
shorter than | was, said the President.
land | think his wind was better, but
| had bear hug and wolf grip taught
me oy an old baekwoodsman which en-
bled me to throw Dow every time. ~
Ben Pertey Poore, IN Boston budget.