Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-08-07
"REMINISCENCES OF GEN. GRANT.
Gen. Stannard Relates Some Irterest ing
"reminiscences in the Life of the
Hero of Appomattox'

Gen. Stannard Relates Some 1nterest ing I
"Reminiscences in the Life ofth
Hero ofAppomattox'
Gen. Stannard was recently called upon
by a representative of the FREE PRESS and
| i'm answer to inquiries he related the fol- !
| lowing interesting "reminiscences of Gen |
Grant The first time ! ever saw Gen. |
| Grant was in the spring of 1864, | think, !
about the last of April and just previous
| to the opening of his great campaign with
| the army of the Potomac. | was on my
way from New York to join my command
and upon reaching Washington Gen.
Grant was pointed out to me. | had
heard of his unassuming appearance, but
| | was wholly unprepared to find i'll him
| man of such plainness of dress and of
such a retiring disposition. He struck me
as being the most excessively modest man
| | had ever seen. Unlike most army officers
his dress indicated not the least degree OF
| fondness for military display, and but for
the three stars on the shoulder indicative
of his rank one would have. selected al
most any other soldier as the commanding
| general in preference to HIM. What i'm
pressed me most of all at the time, how
| ever was his extreme retlcence but upon
becoming acquainted with him after
| ward my views in regard To that quality
of the General were entirely changed.
The next time that | saw Gen. Grant
was on the field at Cold Harbor, where an
incident occurred that led to our more in
innate acquaintance. The two armies lay
very near to each other and my headquar-
tiers were at one of the points nearest to
the enemy. | was sitting in my tent one
day when Generals Grant and Meade, who
were inspecting the lines rode through my
command with their stalls, directly IN the
direction of the enemy. | recognized them
and, calling to them, warned them
of their danger, when they stopped. In
: five minutes they would have been upon
{ Lees advanced line We talked a few
f minutes when they turned and went to
the rear.
The next time that | saw him was at
Fort Harrison, after my command had
captured that position in the battle of
Chapn's farm. General Grant and his
staff rode up to the works to learn the re-
suit of the victory. The position we occu-
pied was within range OF the rebel gun
: boats and the shells were flying thick and
fast Regardless of the closeness with
, which they whistled by us he sat down
upon pile of planks and began noting
down the details of the fight. ! suggested
that he had better go behind the traverse
: of the works for better protection, to which
e he replied well General | guess
could stand it if you can" He was not
at all inclined to accept my suggestion,
u but | urged nm so hard that he finally
: did so. Up to this time had found
him tacitlrn but at this time and
J. ever after whenever ! met him he was
n most social and his forte seemed to be IL
e conversation, After that | saw great
L deal of him, especially during the winter
y of 90 'G6, and ! always found him the
It same thoughtful, earnest, but at the SAINT
n time pleasant and agreeable man.
-, After the war was stationed at Balti
" more, where an incident occurred tina
Il showed how unaSsuminG General Grant
! | had hppD pNnprtiDD visit from
W the General and had ordered rooms fo
. him at the Utah house. When he arrived
y at the hotel was sitting in the back par
Il, lor, and none of the attendants or guest
X recognized him. He went to the Ollie
,e and registered and the clerk takin!
no notice of his name, assigned HIM L
a small, tucked up room ut the top of tn
III building. When he learned the Location
IN of his room the General made not tn
X slightest remonstrance, but started wit
OF generals back was towards m
De but | recognized HIM and soon ha
matters arranged as they should he. A
soon rs 1t became known that Gen. Gran
was present the hotel was thronged wit
people anxious to see the hero of Al
pomattoX, and presume to say that il
lie troduced five hundred people to hin
is Finally the General began to grow, tire
$50 am n nv 81 nf tb i in soma
lily and we separated he going out the bac
re. entrance and the side entrance. | m,
ng him at the rear of the hotel and he SUI
I'VE I geSted that we go to the stable to see II
,th team that he had driven from Washing
lth ton, a distance of forty miles in two al
he three-quarters hours We did so and
est was greatly impressed with his gre
lily fondness for good horses. He had Il
for team brought out and he examine
~ them to see If they had been proper
tulyn of rad til
soo after the manner in which they were fe
,ok We then sat down in the Office of Il
md stable for chat, but had hardly got sea
sod ed when it became noised ABOUT that Gle
~" Grant was at the stables and every ava
wv able space around there was immediate
10 occupied by the curious crowd. We HI
lts, to get out of that and got an army of1ic
cut to take the general to the Union Cll
oss rooms, where he obtained some mu
$40 needed rest. In all of this he manifest
ere the greatest dislike for any public demo
III stratiOn, although showing the create
cry consideration for the people, who press
e9o. about to see him.
hey In the fall of 1865, shortly after the tin
my the commission was appointed to loca
Veu the Soldiers Home, the commission,
III which was member, met AT the Smit
'asl sonian Institute to take steps to get t
Itis matter under way. While waiting for st
PIC eral members of the commission to arri
ail Secretary Stanton started IA discussion
cen to the comparison between General Ora
, - and myself as regards size, weight, a
IL physique. Some of those present insist
H i that General Grant was the taller, VIII
rlty Others argued that | en- joyed that distil
~ ton. Finally to settle the matter t
lrm ruIe and unon measuring we were fon
ne ne to be exactly of a height, there being I
ahe the least fraction of difference between
aiS The discussion then turned upon our co
ult, parative weights. We went with I
nan | rlarly nd icrhaI tho
ops. timed the heom at inst a nound m,
and tim did Soon after that he began
grow stouter His shoulders were bro
and his chest deep and full, and TIN
" were few better shaped men than he.
30 The last time chat | saw General Gri
$50 was at Washington, the winter after
&c. hurt his hip. / was never so stru
o6c | with tha ohm n ua i'm anv nna'S DarSonol