Evening star., 1885-07-23

HIS ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE WAR OF THE
REBELLION.
There was little in the boyhood or early
career of Ulysses Grant that gave evidence of
the great part he was destined to play in the
worlds history He cut, it is said, poor fl. ure
as a farmer, his father was better tanner than
he, and as business man he did not distin.
gufsh himself His firmness of purpose and
stubborn will, which constituted an important
element in his military success, formed a
noticeable trait of his character as boy. Grant
was of Scotch descent though little is known
of the family beyond his grandfather. This
worthy gentleman settled in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, in 1894, where the
father of Ulysses was born. Subsequently he
emfgrated to Ohio, which was then the far
west. Here he died penniless, leaving seven
children to battle with the world. The father
OF Ulysses, one of these seven children, was
then but eleven years of age. AT the age of
sixteen he was apprenticed to a halftrother in
MaysViile, KY, to learn the tanners trade. AZ
Ter serving out his time he settled in Ravenna,
Portage county. Ohio and there married Han
nan Simpson, who had emigrated from his
native county in Pennsylvania. Ulysses, the
nrst child, was born April 27th, 1922. His
Iather was poor, and as soon as Ulysses was
able to help him he was put to work. At the
early age of eight, 1t is said, he was taught to
drive team, and at ten was accustomed to
drive one from Georgetown Ohio-to which
place his father had removed-to Cincinnati, a
distance Of forty miles, and bring back a load.
toll, and his education was necessarily ne
elected. His moral training, however, re-
eelxed tH, , careful training from his mother,
spect the truths of religion and practice its vir
tues, He grew up truthful, upright and indus
his father in the lanyard, the boy grew up TO
be broad-shouldered youth. The father de-
sirous Of securing for him the advantages of an
education, and being unable to give il himself
resolved TO get him
ENTERED AT WEST POINT.
especially as young Ulysses had a taste for mill
itary life. He applied to the member of Con-
gress irom his district, Mr.. Morris, for the APP
pointment. but Mr.. Morris had already given
the appointment he controlled to another per-
son. Mr.. Hamer Representative from another
district, however, had a vacancy at his dis
posal, and, TO the great joy of Uiysses conferred
the appointment upon him. Mr. Hamer got
the idea that Ulysses middle name was Sinip-
son, and when he sent on young Grants name,
sent 1t as Ulysses $. Grant. II was entered
manned. In this way Gen. Grant acquired his
middle name. He entered the academy at
West Point in 1889, when he was seventeen
years OF age. He did not, il is said, have
sufficient preparation, and was far behina most
OF his class in all their Stndics. He entered
upon the work before him however, with great
perseverance and inft"0itab courage He per-
ierted himself IN ! orsemanship, SO 1t was almost
impossible to unseat him. In the second year
he was made sergeant oi battalion. In the last
year he was promoted to the position of officer
OF the cadets. AT the close of the year he grad
uated honorably, standing No. 21 in class of
thirty-eight. There was nothing in his life as a
cadet that gave promise of a brilliant future
bis manner, it is said, gave one the impression
that he was indoient: He was rather a favorite,
suffered very little annoyance 1t is said. how
ever, that with all his apparent Incidence or
indifference, he was compelled to be "a hard
student. in order to maintain his standing
among his classmates most of whom entered
the academy with greater advantages Upon
leaving the academy, being brevetted as a sec
IN
try. he joined it in Missouri, and in the follow
ing year went with his regiment to the Red
river in Louisiana.
THE MEXICAN WAR.
Upon the outbreak of the hostilities between
this country and Mexico Grants regiment was
one of those which went under Gen. Taylor TO
Texas to guard the frontier at Corpus Christi:
received his commission as full second Iieuten-
ant. He received his first lesson in actual war
fare on the plains of Palo Alto and subSe-
quently saw much active service i'm the war;
HIS regiment joined Gen. Scotts forces before
Vera Cruz. After the capitulation of Vera Cruz
Scott marched his army TO the interior. Grant
was appointed quartermaster OF his regiment
and acted also as staff officer to his general
At the battle of Molino del Rey Gtant so dis
tinguished himself by his cool courage that he
was promoted on the spot to first lieutenant.
but this promotion was not CONFIRMED bv Con.
gress. AT the battle of Chepultepec, which fol-
lowed, Grant still further distinguished himself
by aiding to drive the enemy from an Almost
impregnable redoubt, which swept the ad-
vancing American column with Il whitening
fire. His gallant conduct on that day was
mentioned in the report of Major Lee COM
maidins the 4th infantry, and also attracted
the notice OF Gen. Garland, who said the young
lieutenant "acq uitted himself m ost nubly upon
several occasions, under my own observation"
For his conduct at tChepuitepec he was breycted
and soou afterwards his commission as
Iuit nfst lieutenant was received From this
time until the fall OF the City of Mexico closed
Grant took part in many engagements and led
his men in the thickest of the fight At the
m ont fNtocc
Detroit.
Soon afterwards, on the 22d of August, 1s4s,
merchant of ST. Louis. After a short furlouyh
ne rejoned his regiment at Sackett's Harbor,
New York. Soon afterwards Grants regiment
was sent to California, and Grant was subse-
quently sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas
Oregon. firing of the dull routine of military
life at frontier post, and discouraged by the
little chance that then offered of preferment or
Grant in 1854 resigned his COM
mission OF captain, which he had received in
farm near st, Louis, belonging to his wife's
father. Grants military life and fifteen years
of military service, had entirely untitled him
to have prospered much. He eked out hps his
small income from his crops by hauling
,woo wood in winter into Carondefet, and selling
II by the cord. He added also to his en-
plOyments that of collector, but appears to
have been poor hand at dunning. Having
been disappointed in obtaining the office Of
county surveyor, TO which he aspired, Grant
moved his increasing family into st. Louis.
Here he failed to find any remunerative en-
ployment. He formed a copartnership with n
man named BoggS, under the firm name of
Grant 8; Boggs, but this business did not pros
per. His father having at this time offered to
take him into partnership Grant removed with
his family to Galena, where he went into busi-
ness with his father as q dealer In leather The
firm WIS moderately prosperous and Grant con-
tinued in the business until
THE CIVIL WAR
broke out, and he was called to the field, where
he won fame, which, in the widest fancies of
his youth, he could never have anticipated
After the news Of the fall Of Fort Sumter came
he wrote to the adjutant general offering his
services, but received no answer. He tried sub
to get an appointment on the staff of
who had been appointed major gen.
eral OF the Ohio volunteers but failed to get an
interview with Mcclellan, who was besieged by
applicants. Gov. Yates, of Illinois, hearing of
Grant, put him on his staff as adjutant to assist
him in managing the quota Of the state. He ac-
quilted himselfso well in this service that Gov.
ates proposed to send his name on to President
Lincoln for appointment as brigadier general.
But Grant declined this, saying he preferred to
earn his promotion. He accepted the colonelcy
ofthe 21st regimentand was assigned to Pope's
guard the Hannibal and St.Joseph railroad On
the 7th of August, 1851, he received his APP
polntment as brigadier general A sketch of his
military career from this time forward involves
history of nearly all OF the great operations of
the rebellion. All that space will permit here is
q brief record.
HIS FIRST BATTLE.
Soon AFTER receiving his commission as brfga.
der general he took command at Cairo and
while there secured Paducah, and with IL Ken
lucky. In November, 1861, he fought the bat