The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-18
GRANTS FAREWELL MESSAGE.
The Words lie Leaves for the Boys in Blue
An Interesting Interview.

BOSTON, Mass, May 17.-An interesting inter
new with General Grant, in the course of which
The old commander dictated his farewell message
% the brave soldiers who fought under him to
rush the rebellion, was had last Thursday by
Lieut.. A. 7. Holbrook, of G. A. r. Post 6S, Dor
chester, Mass Lieutenant Holbrook called at
Ehe Grant mansion in company with Mr.. A.
Howard Walker of Cincinnati, who wished to
present the General with an album containing
the autographs of tho first fifty subscribers to
she Grant memorial, soon to be issued for the
West The names included the leading citizens
of Cincinnati, among them the Governor of
Ohio and four ex Governors, and the album
formed souvenir birthday gift, the signatures
having been made on General Grants sixty
third birthday. Lieutenant Holbrook is a dele-
gate to the national encampment of the G. A.
r. to be held in Portland next June, and it is
his wish to take from his old commander mes
sage to the Grand Army men there gathered
Although the General was very weak at the
time, he directed that his visitors be at once ad
mitted. Lieutenant Holbrook says: I'VE found
him sitting in his arm chair. He arose and re-
ceived us cordially. He expressed himself as
greatly pleased at the tribute from his friends
in Cincinnati, and the tears of joy that stood in
his eyes when he said it left no room for doubt
that he spoke from his heart The souvenir is
so beautifully conceived he said, that cam
not sufficiently express my pleasure at re-
eeiving it, When / told him of my wish to
take message to the Boys in Blue to be de-
iivered to them at the encampment In Portland
Me-. in June, he arose, took me by the hand,
sad sAids .Tell she boys TIA. .hey will probably
never look into my face again, nor hear my
voice, but they are engraved upon my heart,
aad love them as my children. What the good
Lord has spared me for is more than can tell,
but it is perhaps to finish up my book, which l
shall leave to the Boys in Blue, and in which
they cannot enly see me, but follow me in the
acts in which they helped me-
Holding my hand thus warmly he walked
across the room several times with me, and
asked me where / was in the army. / told him
was on the staff of Isaac ingalls, Stevens Gen.
Grant smiled very courteously and said: Why,
Gen. Stevens was a chum of mine at West
Point, and we used to call him the two-eyed
Stevens, on account of the reiteration
of his initials. General Stevens was full of his
stories when he was young man, as well as
considerable of politician. l remember his
saying that he went to a colored church and
heard the minister give out his text as the two
eyed chapter of the one-eyed John, and that it
30 convulsed him that he was obliged to leave
the building General Grant also said that Gen
sral Stevens and other West Pointers, and also
officials connected with the Mexican war, would
be specially treated in his forthcoming vol
umes.
'As we were about to leave. General Grant
took us into the library and showed US the
manuscript OF MS DooK. (olonel Fred turned
over the leaves of the first volume to show US
that it in the Generals own hand writ
ing The second volume was partly in his
and partly not. Of course ali his writing now
is done by an amanuensis Just before we left
him. he spoke of his illness. He said that if the
doctors had not lived there in the room-if they
had been block away, or been a house away,
he was satisfied he would never have spoken
again. He was convinced that there was An over
ruling Providence in the whole of his sickness.
He said that he asked the doctors why they did
not let him alone, and allow him to die then
rather tLan to bring him again to the conscious
ness of pain and suffering. But STILL he said
i believe in prayer, and / believe that an over,
ruling Providence has something more for me to
do in this world, if it is only to finish my book.