The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-04-23
~. W. i. OAVANAUGH,
Assistant Secretary of State.
HOW GRANT WAS PROMOTED.


HOW GRANT WAS PROMOTED.
The following communication from
Judge Uusher was sent to the Globe
Democrat a few days ago: There ap-
peared in your paper OF yesterday an
article headed "a Memorable Occasion"
II purports to relate a conversation be-
tween your correspondent and myself,
describing the delivery by President
Lincoln to Gen. Grant OF the commits
sion of lieutenant general, in March,
1854. The article contains go many err
rors that / cannot allow it to pass with
out correction. j am represented as
being the only surviving member of Lin
coins first cabinet. That is not so; Mr..
Cameron is the only surviving member
of his first cabinet. l was appointed
successor to Mr.. Caleb B. Smith about
the LIST OF January, 1862, am not in
my 18th year by seven years.
When the president delivered the COM
sion of lieutenant general TO Gen. Grant,
the members of the cabinet were, Mr..
Seward, secretary of state; Mr.. Chase,
secretary of the treasury; Mr.. Stanton,
Successor to Mr.. Cameron), secretary of
war; Mr. Welles, secretary of the navy !;
Mr.. Blair, postmaster general; Mr..
Bates, attorney general; and myself, sec
rotary of the interior. OF these aud all
present upon that occasion, with the ex-
ception of Gen. Grant, am the sole sur
Yivor.
Mr.. Lincoln thought 1t fit and proper
to convene the cabinet to witness the
ceremony. Upon my entering the room of
the president and all of the cabinet were
present exception of Mr.. Stanton. Soon
after inquired of the president why
we were summoned; he made no direct
answer. Whether the other members
present knew why they were called do
not know. The president seemed to be
In good spirits, which made me wonder
the more why we were there; but sup
posed in due time l would find out, and
listened to the conversations going on.
The president had not much order in the
arranging and keeping of his papers
his table was generally filed up with
papers as long as they would lie on it.
he did not seem TO have any diff
Guilty in finding any paper
that he wanted among the
huge mass thrown permiscuously there
Presently Mr.. Stanton, Gen. Halleck
and Gen. Grant entered the room. With.
out accosting the president, or any one
present, they moved rapidly to the far
table, with Gen. Grant between Gen
Hslleck and Mr.. Stanton. The presi
dent was on the opposite side. AS they
| stopped and were in the position de-
| scribed, the president arose and took
| from the table a scroll tin case, opened
1t and took out the parchment commits
sion. He then took from the pile of pa.
pers upon the table what soon proved &c
be his address to Gen. Grant, the precise
words of which ! cannot remember
neither have copy. AS well as car
| remember, 1t ran nearly in these words
"Gen. Graht-The congress OF the
United States recently passed a Law
creating the office of lieutenant general
II seemed to be the will of congress, as
| well as Of the people, in which heartily
concur, that the Office should be conferred
| upon you. You were nominated to the
senate for the office and the nomination
was confirmed. l now present you YOU
commission" As he said that he hand
ed to Gen. Grant the commission, anG
then concluded: "The loyal people Of
the nation look to you, under the provi
dence of God, to lead their armies &c
| victory"
After the lapse of twenty-one years il
can not be expected that any one could
remember the precise words of the pres
ldent, though believe have giveI
them quite accurately. Then Gen. GRAM
took from his vest pocket paper con
tanning the response to the president
The substance of it 1 can not recollect
| do not now remember q single sen.
tence or phrase IN it, and so told your
correspondent. But do remember thai
the paper upon which it was written was
| probably less than quarter of a sheet
that he held the paper in his right hand
and commenced reading il, and read
| probably half of it when his voice gave
out. Evidently he had not contemplated
the effort of reading and had commenced
without initiating his lungs. When Gen
Grant commenced reading he was stand
| ing most awkwardly, what in common
parlIance would be called hip shot,
When his voice failed he straight
eded himself up in his full
est and best form, threw hil
shoulders back, took the paper in both
hands, one at each end, and drew the
| paper up within proper reading distance
and commenced egaIn at the beginning
and read 1t through in full strong
voice. As he Strengthened himself VI
/ and took the paper in his hands il seem
| ed to me that he was thinking to him
self, al can read this paper without fal
tering, and am going 20 do IT," AND
he did. After il was read, the members
1 of the cabinet were introduced TO Gen
Grant. I had meyer before seen him
neither do ! think any other mem.
Der of the cabinet had seen him. Mr.
Lincoln directly said to Gen. Grant, 81
have never met you before" Grant re
piled Eyes, you have; heard you in
your debate with Douglas at Freeport
and was there introduced to you; Of
i II
1 could ] expect y0u TO remember me, be
cause multitudes were introduced to vol
on that occasion Mr.. Lincoln re
piled, THAT is so. and do not think
i could be expected to remember ALL
i Il seemed then, as II seems to-
| day, TO be a remarkable fact that neither
| the president nor any member OF his cab.
inet, up to that time, had any personal &C.
| QuAlntance with Gen. Grant. None oil
| US had, to our knowledge, ever seen him
We had heard of him. From the battleoi
PIttsburg Landing to the battles of Iuks
and Corinth the reports were as often
disparaging as they were favorable.
| Gen. Grant never sent anyone TO propIt-
late or make favor with the president.
After the battle of Corlnth, Judge
Dickey, now of the supreme court of
Illinois, and q personal friend of Mr..
Lincoln, came TO Washington from
Grants camp and gave such favorable
account of him as, believe, gained
from MIR. Lincoln his fullest confidence
in Grants abilities, and this confidence
was never broken nor in the least abated.
heard Mr.. Lincoln say, on one occa-
sion, "9en. Grant Is the most extraordi-
nary man in command that / know of. I"
He said: 81 heard nothing direct from
him, and wrote to him to know why, and
whether could do anything to promote
his success, and Grant replied that he
had tried TO do the best he could with
what he had that he believed if he had
more men and arms he could use them