The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-14
GENERAL GRANTS MEMOIRS.
The Book Printed, but Not Yet Ready for
Delivery to the Reading Public.
Full Text of the Preface Written at Mount
Undergraduates Touched UpOn-The
Soldiers Story Told by Himself.
Now York Special to st. Louis Republican.

ance with the plan determined upon by the pub
fishers, the work will be given out smultane-
ously in all parts of the United States, and it
will take until that date to complete that ar
rangement Orders for upwards of 300, 900 sets
of the work have been already received, and
from the present outlook it is expected that the
number will be increased to 500 000 At the
present time thousands of copies of the first
volume are being bound and shipped to all parts
of the country, the West especially. The sec
ond, which will be the concluding volume. will be
published on March /, of next year
Since the first volume has been finished it has
been found that the first announcements regard
ing it have had to be changed somewhat 1t
contains 5S4 pages, instead of 500 as at first an
nounced; it had thirty nine chapters instead of
twenty five. and fifteen maps instead of I'VE.
The book is bound in cloth, sheep, half morocco,
full turkey morocco and tree calf The first
named sells for $3.50 per volume, or 81 for the
set and the last for $25 for the set. The cover is
embellished with fac smile of the gold medal
both diverse and reverse-presented to Major
general Grant by joint resolution of Congress-
Dec. IL. 1863 In commemoration of his distin-
guished services. The frontispiece is fine steel
portrait by A H. Richie, N. A., engraved ex-
pressly for the work, and which has never
before appeared. 1t is copied from an old
daguerreotype which was taken at Bethel. Cler
mont county, Ohio, in 1S43 when General Grant
was twenty-one years of age. and represents
him in the uniform of brevet second lieuten-
ant United States Infantry. The General laugh
lngly informed the publishers that he paid the
price of cutting twenty cords of wood-$5-for
the daguerrotype and was cautioned not to wink
during the three minute sitting required at that
early day, which caution he disregarded. Con-
siderable trouble was experienced in discovering
the whereabouts of this daguerrotype which
had passed out of the Generals hands in early
years, but it was finally found in the possession
OF his friend, Mr.. George w. Childs, of Phla-
delphia. who lent it for the purpose of making
this engraving. The volume also contains fine
etching by William E. Marshall, of General
Grants birth place, at Point Pleasant, o., and
is very fully illustrated with maps plans and
fac-similes of handwriting.
The preface to the volume was written by Gen
eral Grant at Mount McGregor, on July /, of
this year. 1t occupies three pages of the book
1t is as follows:
Preface-"Man proposes and God disposes" There
are but few important events in the affairs of
brought about by their choice. Although f1e.
quently urged by friends to write my memoirs had
determined never to do So to write anything for
publication. At the age of nearly sixtyt received
an injury from fall: which confined closely to
the house, while it did not apparently affect my gen.
eral health This made study pleasant pastme.
Shortly after the rascalty of business partner de-
was followed soon after by universal depression of
all securities which seemed to threaten the extinction
of good part of the income still retained and for
which am indebted to the kindly acts of friends. At
this iuncture the editor of the Century Magazine
asked me to write few articles for him. consented
for the money it gave me, for at that moment was
living upon borrowed money. The work found con-
genial and determined to continue it. The event is
an important one for me-for good evil hope for
the former. In preparing theSe'volumes for the pub
lie have entered the task with the sincere de-
sire to avoid doing injustice to any one whether on
the national or the confederate side other than the
unavoidable Injustice of not making mention often
where special mention is due.
sThere must be many errors of omission in this
work because the is too large to be treated of
In two volumes in such way to do justice all
the officers and men engaged. There were thousands
of instances during the Rebellion of individual COM
pany, regimenta and brigade deeds of heroism which
deserve special mention and are not here alluded to-
The troops engaged in them will have look to the
detailed reports of their individual commanders for
the full history of those deeds.
1.-The first volume, well portion of the second
was written before had reason to suppose was in
critical condition of health. Later reduced al
most to the point of death, and it became impossible
for me to attend to anything for weeks. have how
ever, somewhat regained my strength and able of
devote to such work would have more hope of sat
isfyng the expectation of the public if could have
allowed myself more time 1 have used my best
efforts, with the aid of my oldest son, f. D. Grant as
sisted by his brothers. to verify from the records every
statement of fact given. The comments are my own
and show how saw the matters treated of, whether
with these remarks present these volumes to the
public asking no favor but hoping they will meet
with the approval of the reader"
The first two chapters refer to General Grants
ancestry and early life, carrying him through
boyhood and through his West Point life, to his
graduation at West Point 1t is shown that
Matthew Grant. who was the founder of the
branch in this country and from whom General
Grant was descended, reached Dorchester in
May, 1890 In 1886 Matthew Grant moved to
what is now Windsor, Conn.,, and was the sur
veyor for that colony for more than forty years.
he was also for many years of the time town
clerk. be was married man when he arrived
at Dorchester but his children were all born in
this country. His oldest, Samuel took lands on
the east side of the Connecticut river, opposite
Windsor, which have been held and operated by
descendants of his to this day General Grant
was of the eighth generation from Matthew
Grant.
Beginning with the third chapter and contin-
uing until the fourteenth. General Grant tells of
the Mexican war and his experiences in that
campaign. Entertaining descriptions o. scenes
and places are here mingled with the accounts
of severe battles fought. He begins the event
full period of his life by telling generally of the
army as 1t existed in the days before the Mexi-
can war, and then gives an account of the causes
which led to that war-Mexican smuggling the
Spanish rule In Mexico and the trip to Austria
are touched upon. At this time he was promot-
ed to be full second lieutenant. Then follows a
graphic account of the advance of the army.
The crossing of the Colorado, and the battles
of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. the
advance on Monterey, the battle and sur
render of that city the siege and capture of
Vera Cruz and the advance on the City of Mex
leo and the evacuation of that city are also
described at length Among the descriptive
passages in this entertaining portion of the
work are an account of the halls of Montezuma
in the City of Mexico, the story of bull-ight
and notes of trip to the caves of Mexico. Just
before the capture of Mexico General Grant was
promoted to be first lieutenant.
At the close of the Mexican war General Grant
returned North. He gives an account of the re-
turn of the army, his marriage at this time, and
his being ordered to the Pacific coast A chap
ter is devoted to life at San Francisco with par
ticulars of early California experiences and the
celebrated flush times in that State 1t was