Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-07-01

man in that contest. But I rec
ognized then his great ability.
In my first interview with Mr..
Lincoln alone, he stated to me that he
had never protested to be q military
man, or to know how campaigns
should be conducted, and never
wanted to interfere in them, but that
procrastination on the part of COM
manders, and the pressure of the people
at the North, and of Congress, which,
like the poor, che had always with
him." had forced him into issuing his
well-known series of Executive
orders" He did not know but they
were all wrong, and did not know that
some of them were: All he wanted, or
had ever wanted, he said, was that
some one would take the responsibility
and act, and call on him for all the
assistance needed.
HIS PRoMPTNEss AT A CRITICAL TIME.
This is Gen. Grants account of how
Chattanooga was saved:
On the receipt of Mr.. Danna's
dispatch Mr.. Stanton sent for me.
Finding that I was out, he became
nervous and excited, inquiring of every
person he met, including guests of the
house, whether they knew where I
was, and bidding them find ME and
send me to him at once. About IL
o'clock returned to the hotel, and on
my way, when near the house, every
person met was messenger from the
Secretary, apparently partaking of his
Impotence to see me. I fastened to
the room of the Secretary, and found
him pacing the floor rapidly, in about
the garb Mr.. Jefferson Davis was wear
ing subsequently when he was cap
tured- dressing gown, but without
the shawl and sun bonnet. He showed
me the dispatch, saying that the retreat
must be prevented. I Immediately
wrote an order assuming command of
the military division of the Mississippi,
and telegraphed it to Gen. Rosscrans.
I then te1egraphed him the order from
Washington assigning to Thomas the
command of the Army of the Cumber-
land, and to Thomas that he must hold
Chattanooga at all hazards.
Finally, here is a funny story about
Gen. Bragg, which Gen. Grant tells in
his Enthusiastically short and simple
way:
1 have heard story in the old army
very characteristic of Bragg. On one
occasion, when stationed at a post of
several companies, commanded by a
field officer, he was himself command
ing one of the companiess and at the
same time acting Post Quartermaster
and Commissary. He was First
Quartermaster and Commissary. He
was First Lieutenant at the time, but
his Captain was detached on other duty.
AS commander of the company, he
made requisition upon the Quarter
master-himself- something he
wanted. AS Quartermaster, he declined
to fill the requisition, and endorsed on
the back of it his reason for so doing
AS company commander he responded
to this, urging that his requisition,
called for nothing but what he was
entitled to, and that it was the duty of
the Quartermaster to fill it. The
Quartermaster still persisted that he
was right. In this condition of affairs
Bragg referred the whole matter to the
commanding officer. The latter, when
he saw the nature of the matter re-
ferred, exclaimed: "My God, Mr..
Bragg, you have quarrelled with every
officer in the army, and now you are
quarrelling with yourself. :" Long
street was an entirely different man.