The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-07-09
TIE MILITARY AUTHOR.
Grants Literary Methods and Ambitio,

OF June y puDllSheQ some interesting
gossip about Gen. Grant and his liter
airy methods. 1t decribes him as COM
p,etely dominated by the desire to
finish his book, that he may leave it
as a legacy to his family. He some
times wakes up in the night, calls for
a light, jots down some remembrance,
and then gees to sleep again. He
stops in the midst of conversation to
record a Renaissance.
Once on awakening, after a dose of
morphia. and when his attendants
thought that he could not stand, he
walked over to a chair, sat
down, and in his delirium said, as il
in great surprise: "Well, this is funny.
Here ale my books, papers, pictures,
and furniture, yet l am in Illinois.
Harrison, how did 1 get out. hereP
Someone has brought me here. l
wonder what for. L am away from
my book and no time should be lost in
its completion. Isuppose / shall have
TO make the best of it. But, by the
way, Washburne and Morton are COM
ing to dinner with me, and have no
! clothes on"
"You are not in Illinois, said one
of those present.
"That's all right; I know what 1 am
doing. Can't l see the old barnP l
know every inch of this ground"
1t was the action of a mind weighted
with n subject, and to this day the
general does not know what occurred.
Not long ago in the middle of the
night he awoke.
Harrison, Harrison, light the gasTI'
he exclaimed.
The man servant did so.
Bring me the paper and pencil"
They were brought; he iotted down
an idea, and then ordered the lights
to be extinguished. He was recently
asked:
"What about that story of the sur
render OF Gen. Lees sword?"
81 didn't take his sword" replied
the general. ''because | didn't think it
would be right. Nothing was said or
thought of it."
at Is usual to take the sword, isn't
ftp"
yes: but I wouldn't do it l n that
case"
10 the writer of this article the gen-
eral said in the urse of conversations:
81 have read a good deal in my life,
but L know OF no grander man than
Gen. Robert f. Lee.n
His usual habit is to rise early.
breakfast at s o'clock, and get to work
by 9 D. $50 o'clock. He works steadi-
lly until II or l o'clock, and then takes
luncheon. Until recently he had a
short ride in the park almost daily.
Later IN the afternoon he sometimes
works for two hours again, and some
times even at night for a little while.
= He writes in his own room, on the
first floor above the parlor. His writ
iDg-table-an ordinary card-table-is
set about the middle of the room. He
sits with his back to the bay-window
at East Sixty-siXth street. At his ripht
is the bureau, and further on the fire.
place. On the opposite side is his bed.
He wears slippers, vest, trousers. and
dressingg-gown. On his head he has a
black Silk cap, or a mixed worsted
one,a as he is subject to attacts of
neuralgia. He uses a large, old
fashioned pair of hard rubber spec
tacles. He generally writes with a
lead pencil on common MANILA paper. |
general eomposea with great
rapldity, and but seldom interl1nes.
when trying to express an idea lust !
right he often gets up and walks |
around the room. although his locomo-
ton is strained and slow, his leo still
being lame. 1t is thought by some |
that the leg which was injured when
fell on the slippery pavement was
broken and wrongly set.
In an adjoining room there is a steno-
grapher, to whom, when the general
wishes to record al idea quickly, he
dictates, the s~tenographer taken it
When debating the general
talks very rapidly, but the swelling on
the ueck is so large that it interferes
considerably with the ~clearness and
of his speech.
The general keeps by his side MANY
records from the war department at
Washington, and in handling them
Col. Fred is of great service to his
father. The general has a great deal
Of confidence in the ability of the colo
mel. He said some time ago: ..For
an ordinary looking mar Fred is the
best informed, particularly on mill
subjects, l ever saw. When he
was IN Europe he showed a great ac-
quaintance with the history of the
we visited"
1t was particularly unfortunate. saws
writer, that Gen. Badeau, when
Gen. Grant was thought to be diving,
should have allowed the impression to
that he, in great part, was the
of the book. The family was
Incensed at the report. Col. Fred
Grant showed the manuscript to a
familiar with Ger. Grants writ
Ing, and asked whose it was. The
gentleman quickly responded: at is
Gen. Grants" 1t is a significant fact
that nothing mere is to be heard from
Sen. Badeau. He has left the house,
bag and baggage, and has not been in
1t for some time.
When the book was completed Gen.
Grant was much delighted. He took
It 10 Mrs. Grant, and said:
''Here is your book. It's all done.
[t's the only legacy I have to leave
you or my family"
He invariably refers to the book
now as Mrs. Grants. The first vol
ume of the book will appear in Deem
Der, the second in March. 1t has al
over three hundrad Thousand