The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-06-24
GRANTS MEMOIRS.
His Personal RecOllections OF
Great Events.
Incidents of the Great War and
Noted Battles.

Incidents of the Great War and
Noted Battles.
We give below extracts from General
Grants memoirs, the first volume OF which
will be published on the 1st of December and
the second volume next March. 1t Is stated
that 10000 copies of tho work are already
ordered. The frontispicce Of the first volume
is an excellent engraving OF Grant at the age
of twenty -one, copied from daguerreotype
loaned by Mr.. George William Childs, Of
Philadelphia Pictures Of the generals
birthplace and Of the Mclean house at Ap-
ponlattox and fac-similCs Of Grants hand
writing will be among the illustrations of the
work. The dedication, printed in fac-simile,
reads thus:
"These volumes are dedicated to the Ameri-
cah soldier and sailor. u. s. GRANT.
"NEw YORK, May @, 1sS5."
GRANTS BoYHooD AND EDUCATION.
Here is one of tho authors earliest per.
sonal "reminiscences:
There was Mr.. Ra'ston living within a
few miles of the village, who owned colt
! which very much wanted. My father had
offered s3D for it, but Mr.. Ralston wanted
S25. was SO anxious TO have the colt that
nfter The owner left begged to be allowed to
take him Mt the price ,lcnarle:l. My father
Yielded but said SO was all the horse was
worth, and tod ME to offer that price; If il
was not accepted was to offer S22.O,, and il
fbot 1yn,,1I pt crat him fn rjVp tho Sd
at once mounted the horse and went for the
colt. When got to Mr.. Rnstons house,
said to him, Papa says may offer you S2)
ior tho colt, but if you won't take that
am to offer you s2.5o, and if
you won't take that to give you
S25" 1t would not require Connecticut
man to guess the price finally agreed upon;
very plainly that had come for the colt and
meant to have him. l could not have been
over eight years old at this time. I kept the
horse until he was four year; old, when he
went blind, and sold him for so. When
went to Maysville to school in 1876, at the
age of fourteen, recognized my colt as one
of tho blind horses working on the tread
wheel of the ferry boat.
OF the circumstance of his admission to
West Point General Grant tells the follow
Ing:
My father received letter from Hon.
Thomas Morris, then United States Senator
from Ohio When he read it he said to me,
"Ulysses, / believe you are going to receive
the appointment" "What appointment" |
inquired. ITO West Point: have applied
for it." "But won. Co." sail. He said he
thought would. and thought so, too, if he
did. really had no objection to going to
West Point, except that had very exalted
idea Of the requirements necessary to get
through. did not believe possessed them,
and could not bear tho idea Of failing. There
had been four boys from our village, or it's
immediate neighborhood, who had graduated.
and never failure of any one appointed
from Georgetown, except in the case OF the one
whose place was to take. He was the son
Of DR.. Bailey, our nearest and most intimate
neighbor. Young Bailey had been appointed
in 1887. Finding before the January exami-
nation following that he could not pass, he
resigned and went to private school, and
remained there until the following year,
when he was reappointad But before the
next examination he was dismissed. DR..
Bailey was proud and sensitive man, and
he felt the failure Of his son SO keenly that he
forbade his return home.
was impatient to get on my uniform and
zee how it locke |, beside probably wanting
my old schoolmates, particularly the girls, to
see me in it, But the conceit was knocked
out Of me by two little circumstances that
happened soon after the arrival OF tho clothes
and which gave me dlstaSte Tor military
uniforms that never recovered from.
Soon after the arrival Of the suit donned
it and put Off for Cincinnati on horseback.
While was riding along street of that city,
imagining that every one was looking at ME
with feeling akin to mine when first saw
General Scott, a little urchn, bareheaded, bare
footed, with dirty and ragged pants held up
by single gallows-that's what suspenders
were called therl-and shlrt that had no.
seen q washtub for weeks, turned to mo and
cried out: Soldier, will you work! No, Stree! !!
III sell my shirt first The horse trade and
its dire consequences were recalled to mind. !"
REcoLLEcTIoNs OF SCOTT AND TAYLOR.
The following concerning Generals Scott
and Taylor are given as illustrations OF the
authors methods of personal comment:
l had now been in battle with the two lead
ing commanders conducting armies in a
foreign land. The contrast between the two
was very marked. General Taylor never
wore uniform, but dressed himself entirely
for comfort. He moved about the field in
which he was operating to see through his
own eyes the situation. Often no would he
without staff officers, and when he was ac-
companiei by the there was no prescribed
order in which they followed. Ho was very
much given 10 sit his horse sideways-with
both feet on ono side-particuarly on the
bait. - field. General Scott was tho reverse In
all these particulars He always wore all the
uniform prescribed or allowed by law; when
he inspected his lines word would be sent to
all division and brigade commanders in ad-
vance, notifying them of the hour when tho
commanding general might be expected. This
was done SO that al the army might be under
arms 10 salute their chief as he passed. On
these occasions he wore his dress uniform,
cooked hrt, asuiliettes slber andspurs. HIS
staff proper, lc side all officers constructively
on his staIf-engincers, inspectors, quarter
masters, etc-:o'lowed also in uniform and
III prescribed cr,ier Orders were prepared
with graat are and evidently with the view
that thcr, should be a history of what fol-
lowed.
Isaw n cool dc,l of General Taylor dur
ing my s,rvico with the State. On one oc-
casion he said to me that I ought to 20 into
the United States service. | told him IN
tended to do 50 if there was war. He spoke
of his acquaintance with the public men of
the State and said he could get them to re-
commend me for n position. and that he would
do all he could for me- declined to receive
in2or' .mcn.s for permission to fight for my
| country. :
RECOLLEcTIONS OF FORT DoNELS0N.
At the siege of Fort Donelson, when the
mon found themselves without ammunltlon,
they could not stand up against the troops
who seenel to have plenty Of it. The dlvls:
sion broke and portion fled, but most OF
the lne:,, MS they were not pursued, only fell
back ont of range of fire Of tile enemy: lt
mus. lave been about this tinio that Thaycr
nushed h S hriga'le in between the enemy and
| those of o,lr troops that wore without ammu-
| milton. At all events the enemy fell / ak
within its iatrenchlnents anil was there when
| | arrived on tho field.
! | saw the men standing In knots, talking
in the most excit d manner. No officer
seemed TO he giving any directions. The SOL
dicrs had their mu'ketS. but no ammunition:
while there were tons OF it at hand. heard
some of the men say that the enemy had
! come out with his knaDSacks and havcrsacks
| fillel with rations. They seemei to think
this Judi 'ato determination on his part to
stay out and fight just as long as the prO"is-
! ions held out. turnel to Col. j. d. Web
stcr, of my staff, who was with me- and said
''Some of our men are pretty badly demoral'
| izd. hui the enemy must he more s.. for he
: has attempted to forcc his way out, hut has
| fallen back: the one who at ackS first now
will be victorious. and the enemy viii have
TO be in hurry if he gets ahcal of me-
determined to make tha assault n ''rr" "''
our lift. 1t was clear to my mind that the
enemy had started to march out with his en-
! tire force except a few pickets, and II our at-
| tack could lie made on the left before the enemy
conld redistribute his forces along the line,
we would find but little opposition except
from the intervening abat:s | directed
Colonel Webster to ride with me and call
out to the men as we passed: Fill your car
trilge boxes quick and get into line; the enc,
MI is trying to escape and he must not be
permitted to do So" This acted like charm.
The men only wanted some one to give them
a command We rode rapidly to Smiths
quarters, when explained tho situation to
him and directed him to charge the enemy's
works in his front with his whole division,
.uyins at the same time thai he would find
nothing hut a very thin line to contend with,
The general was off in an incredibly short
time, going in advance himself to keep his
men from firing while they were working
their way throught the ahntls intnrveninS
he: ween them anil the enemy. The outer
line Of rfe-pits was passed. and the night OF
the 18th, General Smith with much CT his