New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-02

led them after a certain time TO SIMPLY quiU "I'"
out being particularly whipped but because they
had fought enough"
Grant speaks of his personal experiences in
Mexico with characteristic modesty. but to those
who can read between the lines it is plain enough
that the young second Lieutenant. hating the war
and not particularly enamUred with his protesslOn'
was vet BY no means content with a periunctory
performance of strict duty. Here is an incident oil
Molino del Rey:
was with the earliest Of the troops TO enter the
Mills In passing through to the north slde, lo0k
ing toward Chapultepec happened 10 hoVlce V.au
there were armed MeXcans still on top OF une
building only few feet from many OF our men
Not seeing any stairway OF ladder reachlhP 70 Tue
top of the building, took few soldiers ana hau
cart that happened to be standing near Drought up
and placing the shafts against the walls walls. ala 4
checking the wheels so that the cart couIu not
back used the shafts as sort of ladder extending
to within three or four feet OF the top. Dv thIS
climbed to the roof Of the building loiIoWcu Nv
a few men, but found private soldier had
preceded Inc b7 some other way There were sun
quite NUN Der of Mexicans on the ROOF, aiDohg
grades who had not succeeded in getting away
before our troops occupied the building lhey sun
had Their arms, while the soldier before
was walking as sentry, guarding the prisoners ne
had SurrOUrdod all by himself halted tne
seutinel received the swords from the commits
stoned officers, and proceeded, with the assistance
of the soldiers now with me. to disable the muskets
by striking them against the edge OF the wall ana
throw them TO the ground below
During the final operations, after the capture OF
Chapultepec. Grant distinguished himself by an
exploit which was several times applauded IN the
official reports:
Later in tho day in recOnnoering l found
church of to the south of the road which looked to
me as if the belry would command the giOund
back of the gaIita san C0sme got an olhcer oil
the votigeurs, with mountain howtzer and men
to work It, to 20 with me. Inc ROAD Oeing III
possession OF the enemy. we had TO- take the leld 10
the south to reach the church. This TOOK us over
several bitches breast deep IN water ana grown up
with water plants. These dltches. however, were
not over eight or ten feet in width. ne howlLer
was taken to pieces and carried by the men 10 lts
destination. When | knocked Tor admission a
priest came to the door, who while extremely polite
declined to admit u.s. WIN 1g 10 t him ihat 6e
might save property by opening Inc door, ana lie
certainly would save himself from becoming
prisoner. for a time at least, ana besides, IN
tended to 20 in whether he consented or not; lie
began to see his duty IN the same lght that dld,
and opened the door though he did not look as
though il gave him special pleasure 10 90 So
The Gun was carried TO the beltry ana mt
together We were not more than TWO OF thfee
hundred yards from San CoSme. he shotS rom
0ur little gun dropped IN upon the enemy hh4
created great confusion. Why they did not send
out q small party and capture us do not know
We had 10 infantry or other delehceS DeslueS our
The effect Of this gun upon the troops alogt the
gate Of the city was so marked that 'eherai Worm
saw it from his position. lie 80 pleased that he
sent a stan officer, Lieutenant Pemberton later
Iieutenant-General commanding the delenCes
.f
qualification at the services the howltler IN the
church s'eeple was doing, saying that every shol
was effective, and ordered CAPTAIN OF yo!tlgcuIs
to report with another howitler TO he placed
along with the one already rendering 50 much
service could lot tell the General there was not
room enough in the stccpc Tor another gun. because
bep,obab would have looked upon such statement
as q contradiction from second lieutenant tuoA
the captain with me, tut dld not use ms gun
When Grant resigned from the army in 1881 he
held the rank of captain and WAS stationed no
Il. VI.
married and had two children, one of whom be had
never seen. His family were Mt 81. Louis and the
principal reason for his resignation that in that
era OF hirh prices his pay would rot support them
on the Pacific coast HIS obscure life during the
next few years calls for little remark aud the
Memoirs add nothing to what the world knew
already. Neither is there much more 10 be SAID
about the circumstances of his entering the war for
the Union in 1861. lie was an ardent CnIouiat
nom the FIRST, although his political ties were
rather loose. lie had been Wing, and Jealous
| partisan of Clay. At the beginning of the Know
! Nothing movement lie had joined lodge Of which
he attended only one meeting. In 1896 he voted
for Buchanan In 1860 he had no vote, owing to
recent change Of residence; if he had voted at all,
he saws that no should have felt bound 10 vote for
DOUGLAS and he was glad to be relieved OF the obli-
| CATION because be grew that the real contest
| between Lincoln and Breckenridge, and of these
two ne preferred Lincoln. 1t is perhaps not surprs
! ing that his prompt application 10 the War Depart
ment for a commission in the volunteer service was
laid aside and forgotten. lie was an inconsp.cCOus
! citizen of A small Illinois town, and he had no
recommendations When General Pope offered to
procure letters for him he declined to receive
Endorsement for PERMISSION TO fight for his country
Governor Yates made him useful in mastering in
troops and discovered in his manner of dischargug
that humble duty so many evidences Of capacity
that he soon afterward appointed him, unsolicited
TO the colonelcy of the DIST Illinois Volunteers
regiment composed of good stuff but uudIsciplined
and demorazed. Colonel Grant soon brought them
INTO condition Of efficiency. They were still In the
| state service and it lay with them to decide
whether they would enter that OF the United states
| for three years or the war" McClenand and
LOGAN then Democratic members of Congress, came
| TO Springfield where the regiment was encampcd
and asked permission to address the men. Colonel
Grant was doubtful about Logan whom he only
| knew as the representative Of a densey bcnightcd
Copperhead district, but being sure OF McClemands
| LOYALTY he consented
McClernand spoke first and Logan followed in
speech which he has hardly egualled since for
force and eloquence. 1t breathed a LOYALTY and
| devotion to the Union which inspired my men 20
| such "A uoint that they would have volunteered TO
remain in the army as long as an enemy of the
| country continued 10 bear arms against it. They
entered the United States service almost to a man.
One of his early experiences in command is thus
| ingenousy narrated:
T-p 10 this time my regiment had not been
! carried in the school of the soldier beyond
tie company drill except that 1t had received
some training on the march from Springfield TO the
Illinois River There was now a good opportunity
of exercising il in the battalion drill. While
at West Point the tactics used in the army had
been ScotPs and the musket the 1int-lock.
/ had never looked at copy Of tactics from the
time Of my graduation. My standing
in that branch of studies had been
near the foot of the class. In the Mexican war in
the summer Of 1916, | had been appointed regi-
mental quartermaster and comnssaTy and had not
been al a battalion drill since. The arms had been
| changed since then and Hardees tactics had been
adopted. got a copy OF tactics and studied one
! les son, intending 10 confine the exercise of the
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