Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-04-09
Anecdotes or Grant.
A correspondent of the Salem (Mass.

"a Correspondents VI tue odiein MasS. J
Gazette writes as follows:
have thought that few anecdotes
of General Grant, which have from time
to time been related to me during a
long residence in Galena, might not be
uninteresting to your readers. A friend
of mine once told me that he walked
home with General Grant at the close
of the first war meeting which was held
in Galena, and at which the General
presided, and that he said to him, II
am going into this thing | am going
to begin at the foot of the ladder. /
am acquainted with the Governor of
Ohio, and am going to write to him
tonight and ask him to give me COM
mission My friend asked him why
he did not apply to Governor Yates.
He replied that he knew Ohio's Gov
ernor, and should write to him. Be-
fore his application was answered, f.
b. Washburne was down at Springfield,
and Governor Yates said to him, 1--WE
havegot men enough and money enough
but we have no one here to organize;
we need military man here. Mr.
Washburne said, 1--WE have got Just the
very man up al Galena that You want"
"Who is hep aCaptain Grant. = .sWho
is Captain Grantp7 Mr.. Washburne
explained that he was graduate of
West Point and had seen service in the
Mexican War. .Send Captain Grant
down here. was the reply. While
Grant was at work at the duty assigned
him the Colonel of a regiment came in
one day and said that he could do moth
ing with his men, and offered to resign
in Grants favor if he would take com
mand of it. Grant went out to see the
regiment, and, being satisfied that the
men were full of fight and would make
good soldiers, accepted the command.
Instead of taking his soldiers from
Springfield to Quincy by rail, he
marched them on foot, and by the time
they reached their destination they
knew they had no militia Colonel to
deal with Then followed Belmont,
Donelson, Shiloh and those other victor
les which have placed Grants name
with the highest of the worlds heroes.
General Grant became acquainted
with Mr.. Washburne in this wise: Some
gentlemen were one evening discussing
in one of the stores of Galena a subject
relating to the Mexican War, and, MI.
Washburne coming they appealed to
him for decision. He replied that he
was in doubt with regard to it, and
would like to have some information
about it. A gentleman remarked, s.Mr.
Washburne, there is man. back here
who will be able to answer that ques-
ton for you and took him back and
introduced him to Captain Grant. After
having gained theinformation be sought,
upon retiring he asked the friend who
introduced him, "Who is this Captain
Grantp" Upon being told that he was
| brother to Orville Grant, he said,''
"He is very smart man, SIR Before
the war, in conversing with a friend, he
one day expressed himself pretty strong
ly with regard to the arrogance of some
of the Southern officers Of TIE army
whom he had met in the Mexican war,
and said, There is one of them whom
would like 10 get even with, and that
is Bishop Polk After the war had
closed he remarked to his friends that
when those fellows were running away
from him he used to think how he talked
about them when he was in Galena.
When standing near his Headquarters
while in the South one day. one of the
natives came up and asked him to point
out General Grant to him. He pointed
to DIR. Kitto, of Galena, who was long
time upon his staff His visitor SUR
veyed the doctor and remarked, .He's
a Id ornery-looking old euss, amt
he?" Upon visiting Galena, he good
humoredly joked the doctor about the
comment that was then made upon him.
Upon his last visit to Galena a friend
asked him how his boys were getting
along. He replied. II think the boys
are doing well. If they fail, it will
bankrupt me, for they have all that
own" We know the result.