The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-24
"REMINISCENCES OF GRANT.
His Bearing on the Field-Hts Sense O
acknowledgements of the Sabbath.

Gen. Horace Porter, in Harper for September.
The night of the 9th of May 1864, the second
day Of the Wilderness, critical occasion
desperate attack was made on the right Sey-
mour was captured then Shaler, Sedgwck's
corps was forced back, the right was partly
turned. and confusion arose which for a little
time seemed destined to run into panic. The
General hurried relnfOrcements to the point Of
danger, and made every disposition for the pro
lection of the right. AS soon as the attack had
spent its fury he gave orders for the next day g
movements, threw himself on his camp-b bed and
in two minutes fell into a sleep that was not
broken till the firing began in the morning.
When on his death bed, tortured by insomnia.
he remarked to the writer: "Ah! l have now
lost the power to sleep" Upon being reminded
of the night in the Wilderness. he dwelt upon it
for time, and said: ut seems strange that /,
who always slept so we'll on the field, should now
pass whole nights without closing my eyes in the
quiet of my own house."
Two months after the close of the war when
Lee applied by letter for the privileges extended
to those included in the Presidents amnesty
proclamation, General Grant put an Endorsement
on the communication. which began as follows:
"Respectfully forwarded through the Secretary
of War to the President, with the earnest recon-
mendation that the application of Gen. Robert
E. Lee for amnesty and pardon may BIO granted
him."
But, instead of pardoning rebels, Andrew
Johnson engaged in his boosted work of
making treason odious," and he deter
punished for the crime of high treason. Gen.
Lee appealed by letter to General Grant for
protection, and he knew he would not appeal in
vain General Grant put long and emphatic
Endorsement upon this letter of appeal, in which
the following language occurs: "In my opinion
the officers and men paroled at AppomattoX
Court House, and since upon the same terms
given to Lee, cannot be tried for treason so long
they observe the terms of their parole n
The action of Judge Underwood in Norfolk has
already had n n |
that he be ordered to Quash all indictments
found against paroed prsonersof war, and to
desist from further prosecution of them"
General Grant had keen sense of humor,
which often cropped out from the most serious
surroundings. The night of Oct 10. 1864, the
staff were sitting in front of the Generals tent
at City Point, anxiously awaiting news from
Cedar Creek, where fight had been reported in
progress. The telegraph operator came up hur
riedly with long dispatch from Sheridan. The
General took it and read it over carefully. Every
eye was fixed upon him to try and read something
in his features, but usual, his calm and
impassive face failed to give the slightest ndica
tion to whether tho news was good or bad
He soon turned back to the beginning of the
dispatch, and began to read it aloud. With a
discouraging shake of the head, he went on read
ing how Wright had been attacked, eighteen
guns had been lost, our troops had been thrown
into confusion and driven back six miles. Here
the General stopped, looked around at the
detected listeners, and said solemnly: That's
pretty bad, isn't it"
A melancholy chorus replied: ''Its too bad
too pad!"
Now wait till read you the rest of it," said
the General with a twinkle in his eye. Then he
went on to read how Sheridan had ridden twenty
miles at breakneck speed to reach the 'front.' had
recaptured the guns. snatched victory from de-
feat, and left the enemy a wreck.
The listeners had by this time rallied from
their detection and were wild with delight The
General seemed to en- Joy the bombshe he had
thrown amongst the staff almost as much as the
news of Sheridan's signal victory.
In the sixty-three years or his career an oath
never passed his lips, and an obscene word was
| never uttered by him. His nearest approach to
an imprecation was ''Confound it!' Once
when recalling this fast and remarking upon it
to him. he said: Il never learned to swear.
When boy seemed to have an aversion to it,
and when man saw the folly of it. l have
always noticed, too, that swearing helps to
arouse mems ire, and when people get into a
passion their adversares who keep cool always
| get the better of them" His example in this
respect was once quoted by member of the
Christian Commission to a teamster in the
Army of the Potomac in the hope of lessening
the volume of oaths with which he italiciz.
ing his language. and upon which he seemed to
be placing his main reliance in moving his mule
team out of mud-hole. His only reply was.
Then thar's one thing certain--the old man
never druv mules"
1t was his custom to observe the Sabbath day
upon all occasions, and he manifested his regard
for it down to the last hours of his life. One
Saturday night during the last stages of the
fatal disease which Slapped his life. one of the
severe paroxysms of coughing came on accom-
panied by sensations of choking. He begged his
eldest son to keep him awake, feeling that if he
| yielded to sleep he would die Of suffocation A
game of cribbage was proposed. When about to
begin to play he asked the time, and was told
that it was five minutes past II. Pushing the
| criobage board aside he said, 1--WE must not
| play; it is now Sunday" With nothing to divert
his mind he dropped into a doe every few
minutes then started upright to gasp for breath
and struggle with the distressing cough; and
| thus throughout that terrible night the painful
| struggle for life continued
Harrison County's Defaulting Officials.