Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-08

his WONDERFUL MEMoRY-HE MADE THE
CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MADE HIM.
From the New York World August
Among the many men who braved the
danger, and shared in the victories of war side
by side with Gen. Grant was Col Isaac Stewart,
OF Washington. He was with Grant during the
days when the commander was opening up the
Mississippi, and entered Richmond almost on
his heels. The colonel sat in his room in the
Astor House yesterday conversing with Grand
Army men and fighting his battles over and
over again.
Col Stewart looks very much as Gen. Grant
did half dozen years ago. He has the same
sharp eyes and short, thick, iron-gray beard of
the dead commander, and his frame resembles
that of the general a few years ago. The colo
mel has a soldiers admiration for his dead COM
came to Mount McGregof it carried off one Of
the mos brilliant military men the world has
"There has been" said the colonel. "no little
amount OF talk attempting to prove that Gen.
Grant was drinking man. 1 know he wasn't.
Or course he he might take glass just as you and
addicted to drink. If Gen. Grant did drink,
certainly tia no one ever knew it.. He was always
heat OF conflict or after the battle. He was not
MN muse use profane word in my life"
ihere was another episode in the siege OF
Nlcksburg," said the colonel leaning back In
his chair. 'Perhaps you will recall the adverse
cr han ha mat was heaped upon Cen Grant
city. Every one said, What on earth is he
going to do with that trench? What use is 1t:
NO one knew, and finally one of the officers
went to the general and asked why he was dig
glng the trench. DO you think, one of the ofi-
GERS GERS asked, you are going to do much good with
piled, and at the same time gave orders that
the trench should be filled up. Bless your soul
tOlnfS WOntdn't N tents and
would go upon the field hardened soldiers and
not weak from lassitude.
wished to supersede Grant in command of the
army Of the Tennessee and it was he who gave
birth to the criticism. One Of the generals
| the army; he will ride over you. Gen. Grant
replied: My dear sir, when I determined to
enter the army did so with the discrimination
secondary consideration. in my mind, who
commands the troops SO long as the great end
Col. Stewart looked for while out of the WIN
dow before he spoke again, aud then he said,
briskly: THE assertions that Gen. Grant was
There never was more independent man than
the general recall now joke he told me
once and th 1Ss it was good story but it
was. One day, long before he was known a
dozen miles from his home, be had OCCASION to
had finished using it the neighbor said he must
have it in q very short time. The general saw
That something must be done in order to sow
and harrow in the required time. He threw a
sack of seed across his back and jumped upon
the horse, throwing the seed before the horse as
! it walked and narrowing it as the animal pro-
ceeded Certainly man who would think of
such q unique way to do his work is man of
resource.
will, ana hard worker. recollect night after
night. when we would be ali asleep the general
would be sitting by his lamp with his maps be-
| fore him and his head full of marches and bat
| Ties. n great many DeGDe have Stid that the
| general was lazy. Why, we who knew him on
the field where the work of the war was going
| on knew that he was one of the most indcIati-
| gable workers in the army" Speaking OF the
stories that Gen. Grant was made by cireum-
stances. and that he was really pushed into
Richmond, Col. Stewart said:
10 snow you how clear Il military mind he
had and how carefully and accurately he plan
| ned the most minute engagement, SO that his
whole series of battles stand together like solid
blocks, will just tell you OF a little skirlnish
on Champion Hills: There was a bridge at
| 1t for transportation purpose. Gen. Grant
called Eugene Carr to him aud said: you will
leave here, get to Champion Hills by the morn
ing and attack Pemberton, not savasely but
carefully. Before the skrmsh is half over Nc
Pherson will have had time to come to your
assistance, and together you can rout Pember-
tom This was to prevent the rebel leader from
certifying himself It worked like n charm.
Carr crossed over to Pemberton, attacking him,
| came down with his men. Champion Hills was
won, just as Grant had said, and just rs though
Sm new Grants plans and wanted
circumstances before they made him.
This was the way all the little skirmishes that
were the foundation stories of his victories were
planned and fought suppose one thing that
helped the general more than another was his
wonderfully rctentive memory And here the
colonel had another anecdote to tell. at was
like this: | was paymaster, and had just paid
the 9th New York heavy artillery, at City
Point and had been given two months leave to
like to be one of the first to enter Richmond
when take 1t, wouldn't you, Colonel? i said
certainly would, and would be back to City
Point in two months.
"'But, broke in the general, that won't do.
because shall take Richmond in less than two
months. smiled, but knew from experience
that the general was not given to idle boastiny.
The general said, I shall let you know as soon
one day passport to enter Richmond was
handed TO me in my Office. There was not
twenty people In the city who knew that Rich
mond had fallen. Nothing that l can recall has
passport to me, and l have not yet ceased 10
wonder how y man who had Just ended one of
the bioodiest civil wars of history could think
OF promise which to Inc seemed hardly more
tn;ln pleasant common place talk
every one" Col. Stewart added, "knOws
that the General was not demonstrative man.
Even shrewd, clean.cut John A. Rawlins could
read no secrets in his face. He seemed passion
Tom Towers, who used to be on his staff, went
up to w est Point to see some friends At the
railroad station he was swept under Il passing
engine and manged to death. was in WASH
accident the General came to me with "a paper
in his hand and said: Did you read of Poor
Tom Bowers: and then he burst into tears
Col. Stewart is in the city on business.
The Grant Family.
MRS. GRANT TO REMAIN At MT M'cpccop