The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-27
THE GENERALS ARMY HABITS.
His Care]essEess of Dress and the Impression
He Produced on His Men.

THE GENERALS ARMY HABITS.
His Care]essEess of Dress and the Impression
He Produced on His Men.
Boston Globe.
The testimony is almost universal that at first
sight Grant gave the impression that he was q
man of simple tastes and most careless personal
habits, and yet a man OF tremendous force of
character, intellectually and courage. They
say he nearly always dressed in coarse
blouse, with slouch hat, and when without the
insignia of rank could hardly be distinguished
from an ordinary private or suffer Many speak
of his disregard of show, his interest in and
for the sick and wounded; his habit of visiting
the front at odd times and unexpected places to
see how the battle was going; his cool, calm,
meditative mood when all others were at the
highest pitch Of excitement; his disregard of
danger and his seeming utter inability to realize
the possibility of retreat of failure.
Two of the veterans interviewed, and two
only, state that though thrown frequently in
contact with General Grant they never saw o
cigar in his mouth They say the talk of the
inveterate cigar is utter nonsense Most Of the
veterans agree that the term butcher" applied
to Grant is terribly unjust, and that more troops
were slaughtered by the tiridity of others than
by Grants grit.
Among the pleasant anecdotes related BY these
veterans are the following:
Edward e. Howard, Company E, Thirty fifth
Massachusetts, orderly for General Potter,
at City Point. He saw negro struggling with
q barrel of pork in assisting to unload vessel
The lieutenant in charge large, hurley
fellow and he struck the negro. man with
SLOUGH hat and loose blouse, standing near, APP
preached and assisted the negro, and reported
the officer He was General Grant.
Patrick WEIGH, orderly sergeant, Eighth
Massachusetts Artillery, Fifth Corps. says: II
overheard the order which General Grant gave
to General Griffin at Bethesda Church-to order
the artillery charge with the infantry, some
thing which was hitherto unknown in warfare. l
was impressed by the GOODNESS Of the General,
and the unconcern with which he faced danger.
have seen shells flash in his face, and he pulled
at his cigar as unconsciously as if it had been %
sun flash"
Simon Schrand Eleventh Massachusetts,, Third
Army Corps, said: After the consolidation of
the Armies of the Potomac and James. was
orderly for General Grant for fourteen months.
General Grant, all the time was orderly never
drank drop of liquor, but always had cigar IN
his mouth"
Samuel G. Jopson, Company G, Thirty ninth
Massachusetts,, first saw Grant just before the
battle of the Wilderness. "a "Dutchman" be-,
longing to the One Hundred and Seventh Penn
sylvania driving on the mule train. and was
beatinghis animals terribly, when General Grant
rode by, and ordered him to stop Not knowing
the commanding general OH account OF his shah
by dress and rot taking him for an otncer, the
man refused General Grant had him arrested,
a color placed On his reck. and tied to the end
of mule train, where he was obliged to tramp
all day. 1t is believed that he was cured of his
IN q beating habit
G. A. Evans, Company A, First Massachu-
sets Infantry, Second Division, Third Corps.
says: After Grant took command it was march
all night and fight ali day. He kept march
ing left flank, instead Of over the river, as our
other commanders had done In this way ne
would swing his whole army around on Lees
flank. We never knew where we were going,
and every now and then our skirmish line would
hug up against body Of rebels. 1t was during
this time, believe, that Meade told Grant his
army had already lost forty thousand men, and
suggested that some other course be tried, and
Grant made his famous reply that he was
going to Richmond that way if he got there
with but one man. we IN the ranks
scarcely knew what to think of his
actions. Always before when we were going
into a big fight we had lot of orders read to us,
and big review. but with Grant we never had
any ntimation of what was going to happen I'M
til it occurred"
Capt. Charles Nash, lieutenant of Company G.
Nineteenth Maine, Second Corps, said: When
| first saw Grant it was at the close of the battle
of the Wilderness, after three days fighting.
The soldiers were resting behind works. They
were in that state of uncertainty which came
from knowing budO bHt udllle was d ULeiNh Coi
test, but not knowing what disposition would be
made Of the army during the next twenty'foui
hours,
For some reason our troops were faced to the
right toward the Rapdan, and started in that dl'
rection. This, of course, looked like retreat,
and our hearts sank within US. After a march
of about mile the column was halted, ana we
could hear miles away, to our right, the cheer
ing Of Sedgwick's men,
Soon an officer rode along our line, announc"
ing that Grant and his staff were approaching
on the way to Richmond, that our command was
under orders to march at once and that Lee was
falling back Hardly had the announcement
been made when along came Grant and his
staff Grant wore his blouse and his SLOUGH
bat How we shouted. No such p9ans of VIC
tory ever swelled from mems Threats before or
since"
Captain G. H. Caldwell. Assistant Adiutant-
general First Brigade, First division, Second
army corps. remembers first seeing Grant soon
after he took command of the army. While at
Grants headquarters a messenger dashed up
with the news that Longstreet had cut off the
supply train. and was getting in between tho
corps Meade and other generals jumped uF
excitedly and advised hasty retirement across
the Rappahannock but Grant sat perfectly
STILL and after q moments meditation quietly
said: There is no need Of crossing
the river" and then gave his orders for
the troops to gather at certain positions, and
it was not long before Longstreet was sent
home again The soldiers were immensely pleased
at the promptness and decision displayed by
Grant Late in the afternoon OF the tnlrd aax
of the battle, and when the ightingwas terrioies
| stood close to the General Grant sas Oh lts