News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-09-03
STORIES OF GEN. GRANT.
PECULIAR INCIDENTS OF HIS NOTA
BILE LIFE TOLD BY HIS FRIENDS.
In the Cabinet-The Young Oficer-AlI Of
His Life Worth Living-Why the Boys
FrOze to Him-Always under Fire, Etc.
THE BOYS FRozE TO HIM.


been roaming aimlessly about the plat
form, said with incisive firmness: "That
won't do, men. These crackers are
going to men who are starving. Every
cracker is precious, and the more boxes
you get into that wagon the more hungry
men you will feed tonight" I looked
up with the idea of telling the speaker
to go to blazes, when my eyes caught
sight of two stars on his shoulder. !
then knew that / stood in the presence
of Gen. Grant. Iclimbed into the wagon
without a word, rearranged all the
boxes, while the General stood there
making suggestions and pointing out
with his cane little changes that could
be made in arrangement. The clerk
who was experimenting the loading Of
the wagons was more impressive figure
as he strobe in his autocratic way up and
down the platform than the commander
of the armies of the West, but l tell you
the boys froze to Grant.
NIGHT OMIT 1T.
On the Generals staff in one of his
campaigns was rough and ready fighter,
''full of strange oaths" and stranger vul-
garities. One evening, in the presence
of Gen. Grant and several brother Off
GERS, he opened the conversation in some
such way as this: "Well, boys, I've got
mighty good thing to tell you. It
would hardly do to repeat, of course, in
the presence of ladies'" "Well," Grant
interrupted, in his quiet but firm way,
"allow me to suggest, then, that it
might be advisable to omit it in the
presence of gentlemen"
ALL OF HIS LIFE.
Senator Ingalls, narrated an incident
which illustrates Gen. Grants character.
"Once," said the Kansas Senator, "when
Gen. Grant was President, he gave
dinner party at the White House, at
which among other guests, were num-
Der of Senators and Gen. Sheridan.
Mrs. Grant and the ladies had retired
from the table, and we were smoking
our cigars. Gen. Grant talked a great
deal. He was in his happiest mood,
and know everybody enjoyed him just
as much as 1 did. 1 don't know how it
came about, but finally we begin to go
backward and talk of the time of life
man would most care to live over again.
Each one mentioned some particular age
when life seemed brightest and most de-
sirable and a period he would enjoy to
live the second time. Some turned
back to boyhood, others to early man
hood, with the pleasantest recollections,
while to some the present was most sat-
isfactory. ''And you, General; what
part of your life would you like to live
over againP one of the guests asked of
the President.
"Gen. Grant dropped his chin on his
breast and was silent for minute or
two. l can see him now, as we all
waited for his answer and tried to read it
in his face which, as usual, was a sealed
book But we fully expected he would
choose that part of his life which had
been prosperous and great. He lifted
his head and said, in a voice of quiet
decision that left no doubt of sincerity:
''All of it. l should like to live all
of my life over again. There isn't any
part of it should want to leave outl"
81 shall never" Senator Ingalls, pro-
ceeded to remark, ''forget the impress
sion his answer made on me, and think
it impressed every one else. He was the
only man in the room who was ready to
take the bitter with the sweet in his
life. Every one of us had left out some
particular time of hardship and discour-
agement when the world seemed darkest.
Not one was brave enough to face that
time again, and probably not one of us
had had such hard times and so much Of
real adversely to begin with. l think
the most of us had begun to prosper be-
fore he was out of the woods. But Gen.
Grant was the only man smoking his
after dinner segar at the White House
that evening who had the courage to
live his whole life over again"
IN THE CABINET.
In his cabinet, says Hamilton Fish,
Grants habit was to bring before his
counselors such questions as might have
been suggested to him, either by friends,
or as the result of his own thought. He
would generally ask of the members of
the Cabinet, in order or sucessively, their
views, and would then reach his own
conclusion, and direct the course to be
pursued which he thought best. So far
as my own department was concerned,
he kept thoroughly up with all the
questions that arose; and so far as l
could Judge, he was equally familiar with
the questions in each of the other de-
partments.
THE YOUNG OFFICER.
At Cairo in 1861, it was reported to
Gen. Grant that a young officer, who
was stationed at Fort Holt, across the
Ohio River, in Kentucky, has been cul-
pably dereEct in the discharge of some
delicate duty. The General was much
angered, and directed Col Webster to
bring the officer to him in irons. Capt.
Rawlins, the Adjutant, said, "What is
the use of Gen. Grant giving Webster
such an order as that2 If Webster brings
that man here in irons Grant will repre-
mand Webster and recommend the
officer for promotion. When Col. Web
ster went to Fort Holt and discovered
that the officer had been misrepresented
to Gen. Grant he simply asked the officer
to return with him to the Generals
quarters and make his statement of the
case. When the officer came into the
presence of Gen. Grant he was received
with much kindness, and when he had
told his story the General-apologized for
having caused his arrest and mortif1ca-
ton. Not long after that the General
did recommend his promotion, as Raw
lings had predicted, and he found in him
a valuable officer during the war.
THOSE GUNS.
'"The Generals sympathies were al
ways with the private soldier and that
class of officers who had not received a
military education and training" says
veteran officer. cat Fort Donelson,
after the surrender, complaint was
made to him that an officer was not dill
gent in enforcing discipline. The Gen
eral replied: He inspired them to fight
at the right time and in the right way;
that is the kind of discipline we want"
At the same time German officer who
commanded battery of fine new guns
came and reported to the General that
his battery had been captured. The
General asked him if he spiked the guns
before they were captured. The officer
astounded the General by exclaiming:
what! spike those good guns My
heavensl no. The General smiled and
said: Il am satisfied that the Captain
fought his guns to the last, and would
have taken care of them as public pr p
erty, if for no other reason,'n