The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-06-19
THE SOLDIERS STORY.
Extract From Advance Sheets Of
General Grants Memoirs
Tho Life. Publ. service and BATTLES Of the
Old Commander. Affectionatciy
Dedicated 10 The Boys Who
Fought with Him.

NEW lokk. June t--Inc tomNlfrrtdi
Airerfiscr publishes extracts from Gen
eral Grants forthcoming book. which will
BE- entitled "Personal Mem ,irs Of u. $.
Grant" The book Will be In two vol
umes Of about i've hundred pages each.
The first volume and nearly all the sec
ond are now written. The book WILL Il
Is claimed contain the inside history Of
several important operations hitherto
undivulged or incorrectly described The
dedication of the work Is in the following
words:
The volmns are dedicated to the
American soldier and sailor.
fSigncdl II. $. GRANT.
"New York. May o5, 1885,
In describing his origin, General Grant
says he Is OF the eighth generation in
descent from Matthew Grant, who came
20 America from Dorchester, Eng, 10
1850, and settled at Dorchester, Mass.
General Grants great grandfather. Noah
Grant, was an officer in the English
army in the war OF 1856 against the
French and Indians, and his grandfather,
Noah Grant, fought In the revolution
against England.
Grant was born at Point Pleasant,
Ohio. He received his appointment st
West Point through Hon. Thomas Nor
ris, Senator from Ohio. The fact that
be had no early learning toward military
lie Is shown BY his at first wishing to
refuse the appointment. His father, .
man not to to be refused, told him to
60, and he went. His reluctance arose
from . fear that he would not pass
the examination. On May cath. 1861,
Grant wrote to the Adjutant-Ge General,
Offering the Government his military
service 10 any capacity. No notice was
taken Of the letter, and II Is not preserved
In the dies Of the War Department. Gen.
eral Grant, in describing his first meeting
with the enemy, when be commanded .
regiment, naively admits that he was
very much frightened. On seeing the re-
treat Of the opposition force without
awaiting attack, the idea struck him that
their commander was probably as much
frightened as he was. This view of the
matter remained Ia mis- mind, and he
never thereafter felt trepidation In the
presence OF the enemy. In his comments
upon the much-discussed battle OF
Shiloh, General Grant dissents from the
idea that II Johnson had not been
killed the Confederatcs would have
won and annihilsted Grants army. He
remarks: "Ifs" defeated the Confeder-
ates st shiloh. We should have been dis
gracefully beaten ssif' ali the bullets
fred by Us had passed harmlessly over
the enemy and 'if'' all Of theirs had
taken effect The fact
that Johnston was leading the brigade to
induce IL 20 make . charge which had
been repeatedly ordered IL evidence that
there was neither the universal
Generalization on our side nor
che unbounded confidence on theirs
which has beeh claimed. There
was, in fact. no hour during the day
when doubted the eventual defeat Of
the enemy.
Grant says that Colonel william Preston
Johnson's description Of the battle n
very graphic, and causes the reader TO
wonder why the Federal troops were not
all killed. 81 witnessed the light"
somewhat sarcastically adds the GEN.
eral. | see but lit lie in the description
that can recognize. The Confederate
troops fought well, and deserve com
mendation enough for their bravery and
endurance on the 9Th Of April, without
detrscting from their antagonists
or claiming my more than
their due" lie General makes
amends TO General Arson ID. McCoox, BY
explaining remark In his Century arti-
Gle on Shiloh TO the effect that McCook
was Was unwilling TO pursue the
enemy on April eth, because Of the
condition Of his troops. General Grant
saws the remark has been misinterprcted.
He sustained McCook and merely men
toned the fact as . matter Of history.
He then pays high tribute to McCook's
eallantrv. General Grant first met Lin
coin when called 10 Washington TO re-
ceive his commission as Lieutenant
General In March, 1854. In my first
interview with MIR. Lincoln, he
stated to me that he had never
professed to be q military man, or TO
know how campaigns should be conduct
ed. and never wanted 10 interfere In them,
but that procrastination on the part Of
commanders and pressure Of the people
ct the North, aud Of Congress, which,
like the poor, be had always with him,
had forced him into issuing his we'll
known series Of executive orders. He
did not know but that they we're al
wrong, and did not know that some Of
them we're. Ali be wanted, or ever had
wanted, be said, was that some
one would take the responsibility
and act and call upon him
for all the assistance needed.
Grant first met Stanton at Louisville.
Stanton handed him two orders, saying
he could take his choice. Both created
. military division OF the Mississippi,
giving Grant command OF IT, and were
identical, hut that one left the depart
ment commanders as they were, while
the other relieved Rosecrans and assigned
Thomas 10 his place. II accepted the
latter" says General Grant. After
Rosecrsns dcfeatat Chickamauga and re-
treat upon Chattanooga, Grant says STAN
ton sent for him, and In great excitement
told him that further retreat must be
prevented. II Immediately wrote an
nrder s&gumin0 conn nand ~ fhc dfvicion