The Portland daily press., 1885-11-05
GRANT IN 1868.
What He Wrote In a Letter Now First
Printed to His Father at covlng-
tom

MILLIKEN's BEND, La, April 21st, 1868.
DEAR FATHER-Your letter of the 7th of
April has Just this day reached me. 1 has
ten to answer your interrogatories. When
left Memphis, with my past experience,
prohibited trade below Helena Trade to
that point had previously been opened by the
treasury department. 1 give no permits to
buy cotton, and if find any one engaged in
the business / send them out of the depart
ment, and seize their cotton for the govern
ment. | have given few families permis-
sion to leave the country, and to take with
them, as far as Memphis, their cotton. In
doing this have been deceived by unprinci-
pied spectators who have smuggled them
selves along with the army in spite of orders
prohibiting them, and have been compelled
to suspend this favor to persons anxious to
get out of Dixie.
l understand that government has adopt
ed some plan to regulate getting the cotton
out of the country. l do not know what
plan they have adopted, but am satisfied that
any that can be adopted, except for govern
ment to take the cotton themselves, and rule
out spectators altogether, will be bad one
l feel all army followers who are engaged
in speculating off the misfortunes of their
country, and really aiding the enemy more
than they possibly could do by open treason,
should be drafted at once, and put in the
first forlorn hope. | move my headquarters
to New Carthage tomorrow. This whole
country is under water except strips of land
behind the levees along the rivers and ba-
yous, and, makes operations almost impossi-
BILE. struck upon plan which l thought
would give me foothold on the east bank of
the Mississippi, before the enemy could offer
any great resistance. But the difficulty of
the last one and a-half miles next to Car
thage makes it so tedious that the enemy
cannot fail to discover my plans. / am doing
my best. and am full of hope for complete
sue ;ess. Time has been consumed, but it
was absolutely impossible to avoid it. An
attack upon the rebel works, at any time
since / arrived here, must inevitably have
resulted in the loss of a large portion of my
army, if not in an entire defeat. There were
but two points of land. Haines Bluff and
Vicksburg itself, out of water any place from
which troops could march. These are thor
oughly fortified and it would be folly to at
tack them as long as there is prospect of
turning their position. | never expect to
have an army under my command whipped,
unless IL is very Dduly WIlppeu ana can
help it, but have no idea of being driven to
do desperate, or foolish actby the howlings
of the press 1t is painful to me as matter
of'course to see the course pursued by some
of the papers. But there il no one less dis
turbed by them than myself. have never
sought large command and have no ambi-
tious ends to accomplish. Was it not for the
very natural desire of proving myself equal
to anything expected of me, and the evidence
my removal would afford, that / was not
thought equal to it, / would gladly accept a
less responsible position. have no desire
to be an object of envy or jealousy, nor to
have this war continue. | want, and will do
my part toward it, to put down the rebellion
in the shortest possible time, without expect
ing or desiring any other recognition than
quiet aQDroyal of mn nolrSa.-.-J heo, thpt INV
1t. Julia and the children are here. but will
go up by the first good boat. 1 sent for her
some business / want attended To- and see
to myself. Uryssrs