The Brookhaven leader., 1885-05-14
STORIES ABOUT GRANT.
An Important Trait NJ the Generals Char
acter-AIways That wAy.

1
acter-Always That Way.
Inter Ocean "Curisstone CrayonI"l
Everybody il telling stories about
| Grant. said an old man to me, but in
| some way they have tailed to bring out
;ust right one very important trait of
| character. There ne er was anything
very picturesque about the old man,
| but he always surprised the boys on the
home stretch. He could not be impress
sive to save himself and believe that
| If the boys had one grievance against
zen. Grant which they cling to it is
that he never male good use OF his OPP
portunitles.
IL remember when he rode along the
lines at Shiloh with Buell. and Nelson
and the others on the second day of the
battle that no failed to come up to the
expectations of the men in the way of
taking his proper place. Looking at
the men on the galloping horses, one
would naturally have supposed that
buell., stately and brus lue, or Nelson,
pompous and full of the war spirit,
was the leader, and that the wat, hful,
quiet, modest Grant was the subordi-
nate.
of course this impression was dis
PEELED the moment Grant spoke, but lie
did not seem to care to have anybody
know that he was i'll command of the
army, while the other men were little
anxious that it should be understood
that they were commanders of divisions
or of armies. The boys thought Grant
ought to he kicked for not putting on
more style. They thought he was not
proud enough of either his army or
what it was doing.
1T was always this way. When he
took command of the armies in the
west he went slipping into Chattanooga
as quietly as though he had been under
arrest. The morning after his arrival
| was one of band of soldiers engaged
in tumbiing boxes of crackers into the
wagons OF II supply train. We did not
like the worl; We were not taking much
pains to place the boxes right III the
wagon; We wanted to get them in
and go.
AS / dropped one box in a lttlo
recklessly Il quiet, shrinking sort of
man, who hal been roaming about the
platform, said with inciSive firmneSs,
That won't do, men. Those brackets
are going to men who are starving.
Every cracker is precious, and the more
boxes you get into the wagon the more
hungry men you will feed tonight |
looked up with the idea of telling the
speaker TO go to blazes, when my eyes
caught sight of two stars on his
shoulder.
Il then looked closely at tho face and
the figure and | knew that | stood in
the presence of Gen. Grant. | climbed
into the wagon without word, rear
ranged all the boxes while the general
stood there making suggestions and
pointing oJt with his cane little changes
that could be made i'll arrangement.
The CLERK who was experimenting the
loading of the wagons was more i'm
pressiAe figure as he strobe in his auto
cratic way up and down the platform
tnan was the commander of the armies
of the west, but | tell you the boys
frole to Grant.
When Grant was in Chicago three or
four years ago" SAID an army Official.
he lounged about Sheridan headquar-
tiers good deal. His son fred was at
that time on sher, dams staff, but was
absent one day, and Grant took his
place at Fred desk, and looked after
the business. A nervous, fdgety, ir-
rllable Ola 1ellOW came III 10 inquire loI
some paper that he had left with Fred.
When he stated his case Grant took up
the matter in a sympathetic way, and
proceeded after the manner OF an over
anxious clerk to look the payer up.
The document could not be found,
and Grant, apo Oglzing, walked with the
old gentle nan to the door. AS | walked
down the stairs with the moililled visi-
tor he turnel and asked, "Wh0
is that old codger: lie is
the Jolitest clerk | ever saw at
military headquarters. hope Sheridan
will keep him | answered quietly,
That is Gen. Grant The fdgety old
gentleman, after staring at me for full
minute, said with considerable fcrvor
i will give you so cents if you will kick
me down stairs. "