The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1885-08-01
Gen. Grants Career.
N. o. Picayune, July 25.

NO. Pcayune, July 25.
A volume would be required to con-
tain anything like an adequate review
of Gen. Grants military career. The
principal events in his life are briefly
sketched in the following outline
Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant was born
at Point Pleasant, Clermont county,
Ohio April %, 1922, eldest son of Jesse
r. and Hannah Simpson Grant, two
Pennsylvanians. He graduated from
West Point in 1843, twenty first in a
class of thirty nine. He won distinction
at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma,
and promotion at Molino del Rey and
Chapultepec. He resigned his Captaincy
in 1854, and when the war broke out
was in business with his father at Galena,
Ill.,, as dealer in leather and saddlery
He was made Colonel of the twenty first
Illinois, Brigadier General in August,
1861, Major General in February, 1862,
Lieutenant General and Commander of
| All the Armies of the United States
March 10, 1864, and General in 1866.
The battles which made his reputation
were Belmont, Mo, Now, 1861, Fort
Donelson, Tenn, Feb 14-l6, 1862; Shi
lob, Tenn, April 60, 1862; Vicksburg
and it's preliminary battles, May Ia to
July 4, 1868, and-alas for poor human
nature-the series of sanguinary en-
gagemeuts which began in the Wilder
ness Nav S, 1864, and led up to Apo
mattox, April 9, 1865. We need scarce
ly observe his Indebtedness to his great
lieutenants, Sherman, Thomas, Han
cock, Sheridan, Warren and others.
He became Secretary of War about
Aug. /, 1867, serving till the middle of
January, and President March 4, 1867.
He was reelected in 1872.
A remarkable episode in Gen. Grants
career in his tour around the world. He
left Philadelphia May II, 1877, for Liv-
erpool and arrived at San Francisco
Sept. 90, 1879. At the close of the year
he again went away to the West Indies
and, Mexico, becoming persona grata
in The latter country, with whose rall-
road affairs he was afterwards mixed.
His tour was not at all like that of
private individual; he was received
over the world like a reigning king
| Indeed, i'm the Eastern countries they
were never convinced that his reign
was euded.. Lu Hung Chang and Prince
Kung tried to get him to mediate be-
tween China and Japan, and in both
countries he received unbounded honor.
The rulers and mobiles of Europe and
ASIA Wed with each other to glorify
the great representative OF military
fame aud civic authority. Not another
military victor of ancient or modern
times las been SO highly honored dur
ing his lifetime beyond the shadows
cast by his bayonets.
Gen. Grant has since lived as pri-
vate citizen, chiefly in New York city,
until within few weeks before his
death.
The failure of the financial firm of
Grant & Ward, in May, 1884, in which
the General had large pecnniary in
terest, exercised a depressing effect ON
his spirits, from which he but slowly
rallied. He promptly gave up his prop
erty to the creditors of the concern.
In the meantime an affection of the
mouth and tongue made its appearance,
causing the General some trouble and
pain. but it was not considered seri-
Gus matter until lis physicians pro-
nounced it to be cancer of the species
epithelioma.
On the Sd of March, 1885, in the last
moments of Congress, the ex-President
was restored to his rank as General of
the Army and placed on the retired
; list.
On the 29lh OF March, 1885, the Gen
arals friends were startled by the rapid
J and alarming development of cancer in
his throat, and although he had able
medical attention, his disease was pro-
nouuced incurable, and his demise from
8 Its effects only matter. of time. AL
though he several times apparently rail-
lied he could not fail to see that his
! days were to be few, but he bore bis
l sufferings with heroic fortitude and to
within a short period before his death
devoted much time to the composition
of history Of his own campaigns in
9 the civil war. He left this work SO
: nearly complete that it can be finished
with but little demand on his literary
! executor.
The state of the Generals health be-
coming very alarming his physicians
recommended change of air, and on
the 10Th Of June he was removed from
his city residence to Mt. McGregor in
New York State, il quiet country place
near Saratoga Springs. There the Illus
trious patient died surrounded by friends
and most of the members of his family
He passed away calmly, his last hours
having been characterized by the hero
ism and fortitude.of a Christian soldier
and by the gentle and affectionate de-
meanor of a loving friend and father
He breathed his last 1T s o'clock on tht
morning of offphursday, July %, seeming
to fall asleep, and expiring peacefully
and without pain. A nation MOURN
for him.
Smiths Bile Beans are the best anti
bilious purgative ever made acting
either as laxative or cathartic. Their
7. is no ailment whose origin can be trac
ed TO the liver they will not correct. A
remedy for bilioasness, sickheadach
m and constipation they are unparalleled
III Made entirely of vegetable extracts
ic coated with pure sugar, They are rel no
i nauseous TO take, once into the system
&1xo~nurt,lyy with fn