The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-09
RECOLLECTIONs OF GRANT.
General Ingalls, Relates His "reminiscences
of the Dying Soldier.

General Ingalls, Relates His "reminiscences
of the Dying Soldier.
Washington Letter in New York Herald.
Gen. Rufus Ingalls,, who was a classmate of
General Grant at West Point and has held init
mate relations with him most of the time since,
gave your correspondent to-day some recollec-
tions of the great soldier. He said that young
Grant came to West Poin TN June, 1889, boy
of seventeen, with fair, frank. yet rather firm
set face He was several inches below his full
growth, and remained beardless even up to the
time of his graduation. His warrant described
him as 'U. S. Grant," which was not a correct
designation, and the mistake led to good deal
of queer discussion of legal points by cadets
as to its effect upon his status as member OF
the corps, and long after the error was proved to
have no important consequence it remained
subject of pleasantly with Grant andh friends
at the Point Being introduced at the academy
under the initials u. S." the cadets gave him
the nickname of Uncle Sam, and this stuck to
him till he was commissioned when it became
shortened to Sam, and as Sam Grant" he was
known as long as he remained in the army.
Cadet Grant had but few intimate associates
in the corps, but his friendships were unreserved
genial, and his cadet friends in those days
thought him one of the manifest and best of
fellows He was very conscientious in matters
of duty, and notlceably pure In mind and speech
He has often said, in after life, that he never
went down to Benny Havens but once, when he
was beguiled by Rufe Ingalls, a stanch patron of
that renowned establishment.
Grant went through the course of instruction
with ease, and probably might nave graduated
higher in the list if there had been anything to
call out exertion on his part. The class a
large one, numbering considerably over 100 at
the beginning of the course, but only thirty nine
came out of the ordeal at the end of four years.
After the Mexican war, Grant was stationed
on the Pacific coast and here he would often in
terest and sometimes astonsh his brother Off
GERS by his clear, luminous description of the
actions in which he had taken part as a subal
tern, especially the important battle at Monte
rev. and his criticism on the conduct of the res
pective sides occasionally induced the prediction
that, in the improbable contingency of great
war; SAM Grant would make his mark. He
left the army in 1854 and, so far as his COM
rades the Pacific were concerned, wholly
faded from view untilhe began to be heard of as
an enterprisng division commander in the west
in the early part of the civil war;
However much of his success and fame Gen
eral Grant may owe to his native powers and
youthful training, it seems beyond question that
his four years at the Military Academy and
his two years experience of actual
ana campaigning IN MeXico must oe
credited with great influence upon
his after career as a commander And, in the
same line of reflection, it is worth noting that
since he has been in the public view the quail
ties that especially marked his character while
cadet have remained constant In mature, as in
youthful life, he has always been unoburusive,
quietly self-relant, silent with the many, free
and ever joyous with intimates, constant in his
friendships, and in language and conduct as
guileless as child. His mind has never been
tn 90 far ia m iY1r iata
in hand and this bent of his intellect not only
explains the thoroughness of his work, but, like
wise, the restlessness induced by inactivity.
When directing from his headquarters. at City
Point, the operations of all the armies of the
Union his knowledge of every fact of the exist
ing situation was always thorough and complete,
and such as to enable him to make clear what
might be obscure to an uninformed mind, but, il
he habitually thought far ahead, he said little
about what was distant and uncertain.