Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-09
GRANT AND THE EDITOR.
Alexander Sweet Tells How He Was Three
Times Thwarted by the Deceased
Soldier.

Alexander Sweet Tells How lie Was Three
Times Thwarted by the Deceased
Soldier.
In the opening of 1865, writes Alex.
ander Sweet to his paper, the Texas
Sljtangs, the confederate regiment that
had the honor to claim me rs q high
private was stationed in northern Tex
as. The federal armies never seriously
invaded Texas until after the surren-
der of Gen. Lee. During the four years
of the war Texas was exempt from in
vasion by a hostile foe. The regiment
to which I belonged was stationed
most OF that.'titie In Texas. Put these
two items together and one explains
the other. The federal authorities re-
fused to invade Texas as long as the
33d Texas cavalry was in the state. ]
belonged to the F33d. After the war
was over, and we had disbanded, then
the federal forces occupied Texas, but
not before. We were under fire every
day, more or less-that is, camp fire,
for we had to do our own cooking.
The confederacy did not furnish us
with cooks.
We were languishing in camp, pant
ing for a focman worthy of our steel.
The confederate farmers who raised
chickens, hogs, watermelons, ETC., in
the vicinity OF our ca;ip were also n
ious that we should meet the hireling
foe-that is, if we had to go away to
meet him. They wanted some of their
chickens for themselves. In fact, the
depredations made on their livestock
by the 33d Texas cavalry resulted in
the development of q, strong union
sentiment, which still, exists in that
neighhorhood.
One day, while was busy picking a
chicken, Lieut.. Vinton came to nv
mess. He was smiling so copiously
that 1 imagined he was going to sit
around until dinner was served up,
but prospects of fried chicken were
not uppermost in his thoughts, for he
said:
"Alex, we are in luck. I've got good
news for. YOU"
HAS Lee taken Washington? Is the
war over without the Yankees getting
a whack at the 33d2"
'No;'but Eve been detailed to go to
San Antonio with six men, andyou are
n of Them We will have a nice
time of it. We will establish a camp
near town, and will have good smok-
ing tobacco and hot biscuits, and
whisky, particularly whisky, and we
will be four hundred miles further
away from the Yankees than we are
now"
AS my homo was in San Antonio l
was so much pleased that 1 invited
Lieut.. Vinton TO stop and have some
OF the fried chicken. After dinner was
over it occurred to ME to ask him what
sort of detached service we were to
perform at San Antonio.
Press mules was the reply.
There may be some persons who do
not grasp the term. 1t did not mean
that we were to squeeze mules in the
physical sense of the word. We were
on detached service Tor the purpose of
dctaching mules from their owners for
the benefit of the confederacy.
There were in Texas quite a number
of very ardent confederate farmers
who objected to taking confederate
money in payment for forage, mules,
or anything else. At that time one sill
yer dollar could purchase. about 5000
in confederate money, new issue. This
may have had something to do with
the tenacity with which some of the
most bitter ~confederates adhered to
their mules and forage. Our mission
in San Antonio was to raise mules after
the Mexican prestamo fashions Sol
diers who had kept the federal armies
out OF Texas year after year would be
able to cope with a man who refused to
part with his mule.
In due time Lieut.. Vinton and his
six men reached the Alamo city. After
resting, q day or SO we proceeded to Sc
lect a camp on the Olmos creek, near
a corral, after which Lieut.. Vinton
rode to San Antonio to the post COM
mander, in order tc obtain information
as to where the mules were. He came
back in a very short time and l went
out to meet him. There was a pecu-
liar expression on his face which [ had
never noticed before. -,
"Well lieutenant. when are we go
ing to press mules? Iamfairly aching
to press q mule"
"It's too late. The war is over"
"Hurrah for the southern confeder-
acy.'
Shut up, you blank fool"
Lee has captured Washington" l
yelled.
Captured sheol! Grant has cap
cured Lee"
[ sat down on a stump in a dazed
sort OF 4 way and listened to the in
credible news.
$50 the mules will not he pressed?"
mot by nc. l am going to Brazil"
and he turned his horses head in that
direction, and | saw him no more.
Thus was my plan to press a mule
:hwartcd by Gen. Grant. I'll probably
never have another chance. 1t was
longer safe to press mules for the
lonfederacy, and Grant was to blame
for it.
. That was not the only time Grant
interfered with my plans. In the sum
:ner of 1879, fourteen years afterward,
| was a reporter on the Galveston News.
One day l wanted to go fishing. l
consulted with the proprietors of the
paper about it, and they said .No."
When ! asked for a reason they said:
Grant"
'How SOP" asked.
tf-gsIlo -, - Al. $500