The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-06-19
THE CAMPAIGNS OF GRANT.
Excerpts from the Generals Memoirs Treat
ing of the Battle of Shiloh and Apollo
giving to Gen. McCook.
Gen. Grants Relations with President Lincoln
and Secretary Stanton Told, with Lees
Surrender.
Gen. Grants Autobiography.

he Degins Dy saying ne Is " Auio1iO"A
stock on both sides for many generations.
Matthew Grant, from whom he is descended
in the eight generation. reached Dorchester
Mass, in 1880. from Dorchester, Eng
His great grandfather, Noah Grant
held a commission in the British
army and his good father, also named Noah
served in the war of the Revolution. Ii
gives anecdotes of his boyhood and of hls
appointment to West Point through Hon
Morris, congressman from Ohio; tells the
circumstances under which he first saw Gen.
Scott and President Van Buren,; contrasts
the personal characteristics of Generals Scout,
and Taylor; gives a copy of his letter &c
Adjutant General Thomas, dated at Gabra.
Ill, May %, 1861, Offering his services &c
the United States and suggesting that he
considered himself competent to take com.
nand. This letter was never answered., ana
was for a long time lost among the papers OF
the wal office. Speaking of his first battle II
the civil war, he says:
As we approached the brow of the hill from
which it was expected wccould see Harris CAM
and possibly find MS men ready 20 meet us, my
heart kept getting higher and higher, until Ii
felt to me as though it were in m,
throat. would have given anythinl
moral courage TO halt and consides What to do
I kept right on. When we reached a point from
which the valley below was in full view We
halted. The place where Harris had been en-.
camped for u few days before was stlil there. ant
the marks of a recent eucampment were plainl,
visible, hut the troops were gone. My heart re-
sumed its place. This WAS a view OF the qlicS.
ton that ] mad never taken before. From that
event to the close of the war l never experienced
trepidatian upon confronting an enemy.
He speaks of the battle of Fort DonelSor
at some length.
THE SHILOH FIGHT.
Speaking OF the battle of Shiloh, he say
lie considered the situation as one il
which the federal forces were on the of
iensive, but asserts that no caution for de.
tense was neglected. On this subject HI
continues:
Gen. Beaurcsard was next in rank to Johnsto,
and succeeded to the command, which he re
tanned TO the close of The battle md during til,
subsequent retreat. At Corinth, as well as at TIL,
siege of Coriuth, his tactics have been severed!
criticized by Confederate writers, but | do 10
believe his fallen chiet could have donc any bet
those critics claim that Shiloh was wo1
had not fallen The army under N,
would have been anuililated or captured. There
is little doubt that We should have been dis
gracefully beaten i; all the shells and bullets
fired by us hah, passed harmlcssly owe,
taken effect. Commanding gen erals are liaNl,
to he killed during an engagement, and the fact
that when he was shot Johnston WAS lead,
ing a btigade to induce it to maks
a charge which had been repeatedly ordered
Is evidence that there was neither the universal
confidence on theirs which has been claimed
There was. in fact, no hour during the day wher
| doubted the eventual defeat of the enemy,
although was disappointed that the reinforce
ments 80 near at hand did not arrive at an earlier
hour.
In this connection he refers to his article
IN the Century and his remarks in it in re-
gard to Gen. A. D. McCook which caused sc
much public comment He tells of the long
march of the day before, over muddy roads,
by Gen. McCook's division, and of its con
splcuous acts Of gallantry' on the day of bat.
Tie, and concludes:
! refer to the circumstance With minutcnes,
because did Gen. McCook an injustice III the
century. though not to the extent one woulC
suppose from the public press. l am not willing
to do any one an Injustice, and il convinced that
have done one / am always willing to make til.
fullest admission.
Then follow accounts of siege and capturt
OF F~icksburg; of his appointment of lieu.
tenant general
He adds:
GRANT AND LINCOLN.
In my first interview with Mr.. Lincoln alon,
ne stated to me that he had never protcssed to be
3 military man or tie know how campaign.
should be conducted and never wanted to inter.
part OF commanders, and the pressure of tht
people at the North and of congress
w waHs wi Hike D,m the n1 poor, for, he n had "a
issuing his well known series of executive orderst
He did not know but they were MI wrong. Al
he wanted, or had ever wanted, was that some
one would take the responsibility and act and
call on n.m for all the assistance needed.
Describing his command of the division O.
the Mississippi, he tells how he met Secretary
Stanton at Indianapolis, how they went tt
Louisville. and adds:
Soon after we started the secretary handel,
me two orders, saving that would take my
choice OF them. The two were identical. but il
Giyil nsTsicula n; These ,ns credited e the i%n,lisar,
me The command composed of the department..
OF he Ohio. the Cumberland and The Tennessee
and al the territory from the Allegtenies t.
the Mississippi river north Of Banks
command in the Southwest. One order LEFT the
department. commanders az they were, while TIL
otiier relieved Rosencrans and assigned Thoma'
TO ms place. l accepted the latter.
He says Secretary Stanton caught a cold o,
Shat trip from which lie never recovered. h
gives a graphic description of how Chat
tahooga was saved; and how ii,
was sent Tor in great haste at nigh
by Secretary Stanton. whom he found .pac
Tug the floor rapidly in about the gard Mr.
Jefferson Davis was wearing subseouentl,
when he wGs captured-a dressing gown
unt without the shawl and s~unbonnet. Gen
Grant adds:
He showed me the dispatch, saving that the
retreat must he prevented. Immediately wrot
an or0er assuming command of the militia"
,!ivision OF the Mississippi, and tclrraplled 1t t
Gen. Rosecrnnz. l then telccrapned him tn.
order from Washington assigning to Thomas tho
NINA of the army Of the Cumberland, and
70 Thomas that he must hold Chattanooga at all
hazards.
THE WILD ERSEss AND APPoMArTox.
He describes the Wilderness campaign. es.
Inmates Lees strength at 8 10000 men, and
says that he was operating IN q coun-
try with which his army was thor
oughly familiar, while to the federal
forces it was entirely unknown. He tells of
Gen. Lees surrender, and takes occasion to
explode the famous story Of the surrender
under the apple tree. He says that there
was an apple orchard across the little
valley from the courthouse, one tree OF
which was close to the road; that Gen. Bah.
COCK reported to him Grant that he had
found Gen. Lee sitting under this tree. and
had brought him within the federal lines to
the house of a man named McLeon, where
the confederate general and one of his staff
was awaiting Gen. Grant OF their interview
he says:
We greeted each other, and after shaking hands.
took our seats. What his feelings we're
:, DO not know; being a man Of
fall it was impossible TO say whether he felt i
%inwardly glad that the end had finally
come come or whether be felt sadly over the
it. Whatever his feelings We're, they We're
entirely concealed from observation: 5u. mT
e ewn on iSs which which, had been quite appar.
sad and 'A depr resssd. Z Z t she ie IKE s Meye
ching M rather than rejoicing at the down
1all an of ea q f. foe .n that had fought SC
u udu huHcreu so much
for a cause which 1 believed to be one of the
for which there was not the least pretext
do not question, however, the sincerity
or the great mass OF those who were opposed to
us. Gen. Lee was dressed in full uniform. en-.
tirely new, and wearing a sword of ccnsiderable
'aiue. yer. likely The sword that had been pre-
sented to him by the state OF Virginia. At NIL
events 1t was an entirely different sword from
one that would ordinarily be worn in the field
In my rough travelling, suit. which was the
uniform OF a private with the straps Of
a general, must have contrasted
very strangely with u man so Handsomely
dressed, six feet high and of ~faultless form. But
L tnlS WAS NOT d matter TINT L tlaara.l,4 - =.