Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-08
ABOUT GEN. GRANT.
His Pecuniary Straits-How He Come
to Write the War Articles for the
Century Magazine

to Write the War Articles for the
Century" Magazine.
1he New York Mail and Express says
Gen. Grant and all the members Of his
family have been-as might have been
expected-Very reticent as to the priva-
/ tions and anxieties they have suffered
since the failure OF the firm Of Grant &
Ward. But the facts communicated TO
/ old friends in confidence have been
/ gradually coming to the public without
/ any Intentional betrayal of trust any
/ wnere. SO much, however, is known,
/ that 1t occurr q to the writer of the COM
munlcatlon herewith published that a
/ connected and careful account OF Gen.
/ Grants pecuniary straits would be more
satisfactory TO the people, and would give
Juster view of his situation and of his
/ trials and conduct than the more or less
! exaggerated stories that are atiOat. The
| communication when follows was writ
! ten by one whose relations with the
/ Grants have been aud are such as to in
! sure the most intimate knowledge of the
! inter, sting facts stated. OF course the
/ Wriler prepared and furnished TINS com.
muuIcatlOn without The knowledge Ofany
member Of the Grant family and without
| any solicitation ON the Part Of any one
| connected with the MGH AID Express.
But o interesting a story will speak for
/ itself. Here it IS:
-Four days after the failure of Grant &
Ward Mr.. Charles Wood Of Lansings-
hurg, n. Y, wrote 10 Gen. Grant, whom
he had never seen, Offering to lend INN
$1,000 for his bOie at twelve months with
out interest, with option Of renewal at
same rate. He inclOsed check for $500,
on account of my share due Tor services
ending ABOUT April, 1885
''At this time Gen. Grant had absolute
ly no money for current expenses.
Everything he owned in the world bah
been invested or deposited with Grant &
Ward. About $50 III his pOcketbook and
$3.50 in Cash belonging to Mrs. Grant VAS
what he had to live on. The trust fund
had been ,Vts ted in Wab Ssh securities,
and the company at this juncCure default
. ed payment, while tue guarantOrs. the e.
d. Morgan estate. could not pay until the
company had defauted for SIX months
Gen. Grant accepted the timely offer Of
Mr.. Wood very gratefully.
About the same time Mr.. Romero, the
Mexican Minister, came u Gen. Grant
and also insisted on aiding him with a
loan OF $1,000. The General at first de-
clided to rece We the money, but MI,
Romero left the room abruptly, placing
tue amount on the table. But tor th-se
two acts OF triendsh p-Oue from man
whom q n. Grant hal never seen, the
other from a gentleman by no means
wealtny-the distress of the General
would have been actual. The checks
VII ch mad been paid out few days be-
fore the failure We're OF course not met,
the payment May ! on the trust fund was
swal oWet up bv Ward, aud there was
absolutely for time no other resource.
"Mrs. Grant, however, had 4 little
house in WASHINGTON which she h id
bought some years before tor s. 800, and
she WAS able to sell this in u lew weeks
for $4,000. A check was ut once sent o
Mr.. Romero tor the dent To him, the out
standing Oh cks on Grant 81 Ward for
personal or family expenses were paid,
and a little was lett for living during the
summer. The sons bad all been ruined
by the failure as absolutely as the father,
and two of them, with their fam lies,
were obliged tor time to live with INN.
''ln this emergency the General was
asked to write a couple of articles for the
Century magazine. He was offered ST.
600 for the TWO, and consented TO try his
hand at literature. The articles were
written and the payment made, and
about Christmas the General y as able to
pay of the pecuniacV indebtedness to his
friend Mr.. Wood, with whom he is still
personally unacquainted. Tne occupa-
ton Of writing interested him; the story
OF his old campaign distracted him from
the thOug hts OF hls Wall street troubles;
he continued to write, and finally decided
to compile hil military memoirs. The
first volume OF these is complete, and the
second nearly so. The work gives details
of his early history not previously known,
and agraphic picture Of life in Ohio be-
fore 1899, when he went to West Point.
His account of the Mexican war is also
extremely interesting, as he was in every
battle except Buena Vista, under bOtn
Scott and TAYLOR. The narrative of those
campaigns as seen by a Lieutenant, who
afterwards became the foremost soldier
of his time, is said by those who have
seen it TO he fascinating, even to I'M
military readers, while the sketches 0fthe
great Generals in both Northern and
Southern armies whom he know as
subalterns is something the like Of which
has never been written by such an autbor
in all bistOrv.D