The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-25
RECOLLECTIONS OF GRANT.
An Indiana Man Recalls a Number of
Events that Occurred in War Days.
A Frank Discussion of the Coming Struggle
in 1S61-Grant's Ideas of Its Causes and
How 1t Should Be Conducted.
James n. Tyner, in Chicago Times.

James n. Tyner, in Chicago Times
Mr.. Tyner's paper begins by stating that his
| acquaintance with General Grant began in 1861,
at Cairo, Ill. Montgomery Blair had given Mr..
| Tyner letter of introduction to the General,
which, owing to Grants absence, Tyner did not
| present. After discharging certain duties at
Paducah, Mr.. Tyner returned to Cairo. The
| General was then in the city, and Mr.. Tyner
called upon him. Tyner intended leaving Cairo
| by a late train. General Grant pressed him to
spend the intervening hours with him, and Ty-
ner consented. What followed is thus told:
AS soon as signifed my willingness to re-
| main with him, he INQUIRED; do you smoke!
DO you smoke ppe?' YES" was my reply.
Then, going to a closet, he quickly returned
with two pipes we'll filled, and, handing one to
me- with merry twinkle in his eye said
| There, now. seat yourself and tell me all you
! know about the war-it won't take you long"
| lie was right; it did not take me long to impart
| my knowledge; but found it very different
thing to extract from him all he knew. But
in the confidence inspired by the quiet of the
| night, he did tell how outsiders" had
| planned campaign for disodging the rebels at
Columbus and opening up the navigation Of the
| upper mississippi adding cautiously that 1--WE
have given very little thought to this subject
| preferring to strike our blows at the right time
back In the interior, while the enemy thinks
ne Is crushing our commerce by choking
|
| which he said had been presented was
AN impracticabe one urged by politicians and
| others Of sending body of troops in boats down
the river. to be landed above the town the
| opposite bank, to surprise the enemy with a
night attack in front. while the main body, I'M
| der command of General Smith, should march
overland from Paducah to Columbus and make a
simultaneous attack in the rear I at first
thought that the ''poiticiars" and the "out
siders' who had given the most thought to this
| plan was General Grant himself but his pointed
| criticism of its impracticablity, and the danger
| of making attacks from opposite directions in
the night by troops whose movements could not
be regulated by telegraph, and the certain defeat
that would follow the inability of either to unite
| in the attack disarmed my suspicious and led
me to suppose that the plan under discussion
had not been seriously considered. A few days
| afterward, however, the disaster at Belmont
vived my recollection of this interview, for the
| defeat there came Of the failure which the
| General seemed to anticipate.
In our free and easy discussion of the war
that night, including the causes which led to it,
| the efforts that had been made to avert it, the
| plumbers already committed in its management
| and its probable termination, the General did
not express an unkind feeling toward our ''erring
| brothers," nor give Iltterance to a vengeful
| thought. He spoke freely about the fraternal
| blood which had already drenched the soil. and
| the unnatural estrangement of the sections.
| He regretted the necessity of resorting to arms
| to defend the Union, but confidently declared
wage war and not to play war" I'VE must
take the whole matter out of politics and prune
it with the sword, and dissect it in the blaze of
| the cannon" he said, which, in his Judgment,
would hasten peace. When / expressed the
| opinion that the South could not prolong the
war beyond the winter or the following spring,
he responded with evident sadness: Il fear
that neither one nor two years will see it ended,
and that the bloodshed Will be frightful, for we
are people of one origin and of undoubted
| pluck, and thousands of lives will be lost in
| attesting this fact"
! My next meeting with General Grant was in
| the White House. in March, 1860, after his first
| Inauguration as President, and seven and half
| years after we parted at Cairo. l had just
entered Congress, and called out of sense of
| duty, to pay my respects to the President, not
| thinking that he would recognize me- He was
talking with group of gentlemen when l en-
| tered, and only glanced at me- AS soon as they
retired he approached in a friendly way and
| saluted me with: ''Sit down and tell me all you
know; it won't take much longer than it did at
Cairo
| In the spring of 1871. during the first session
| of the Forty second Congress, an opportunity
was afforded me of seeing President Grant under
circumstances somewhat trying to him. Con
| gress then held short sessions beginning with
| the 4th of March-sessions that had become
necessary in the stirring period of the war and
reconstruction- and the occasion for such as
sembling had, in the judgment of many
leading representatives of the dominant
party, become unnecessary. After the
reelection of Speaker Blaine an attempt
was made to adjourn until the regular December
session, without announcing the standing com
| mittees of the House or proceeding to legisla-
ton. Many gentlemen on the Republican side
believed that the condition of the South-where
murders and outrages for political purposes by
organized bands of Ku-klux, White-iners, etc.
| were being constantly reported, and where it
was alleged that the lives and property of
| Unionists were unsafe-demanded legislation
| for their further protection. They opposed an
| adjournment, and asked that the committee
| reconstruction. or select committee charged
| with similar duties, should be announced and
| put to the work of maturing force bill"
There was majority in the House, however,
opposed to further legislation at that time, and
they expressed their opposition by passing sew
eral resolutions at different times fixing various
| dates for adjournment The Senate debated. and
yet rarely voted upon these resolutions, for a
large majority of that body preferred to throw
additional protection around the people Of the
South by eniarging the jurisdiction of the United
States courts so as to includes the crimes alluded
to, and by the suspension of the writ of habeas
corpus but they hesitated to take a decided
stand that side of the case; hence they did
not generally vote down the adjournment reso-
lutions sent over from the House, but allowed
them to die by limitation. After these struggles
had been prolonged for month or more, the
President was appealed to by self-constituted
committee of members to send special message
to Congress requesting further legislation before
adjournment Two or three interviews by ap
pointment were held with him at the executive
mansion by the gentlemen of this self chosen
| committee, in which he expressed grave
doubts of the propriety Of so acting and the
fear that the message would be denounced
evident attempt to interfere with the duties Of
coordinate branch of the government But
forcbe presentation of his duty under the
| clause of the Constitution which requires that
the President shall from time to time give to
the Congress information of the state of the
| Union, and recommend to their consideration
| expedent" seemed to overcome his objections.
| and he arranged to meet the gentlemen the
| next morning and submit his message to them.
At this point became acquainted with the fact
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