Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-21
A. A. Willis.

may be interesting to your readers and
beneficial to young men.
A. A. Willis.
1t was the fashion with some during the
war to belittle Gen. Grants victories by
attrbuting them to good luck or to the
skillful planning and fighting Of his SUI
bOrdinates-a fashion that was kept up
more or less after the war was over. IL
was also the fashion TO charge him with
heavy drinking and drunkenness during
the war. ApropOs to these two charges
let me give these two anecdotes:
After the war, on certain occasion, |
was the guest for a week or more of Col.
Stickney, at his elegant home on Chouteau
avenue, st. Louis. Col, Stickney had
been for twenty years proprietor of the
celebrated Planters House, the most
popular hostelry in the Southwest with
the wealthy planters along the lower
Mississippi. These, as a rule. were fond
Of costly wines and rare old liquors, and
the planters" had catered to their tastes.
The Oldest and rsrest brandies, WHISTLES.
gins and runs, and the oldest and rarest
Ports, Madeiras, Sherries ana other
costly wines that money could buy in
Europe, the West Indies and the United
States the planters provided for her
guests; and year by year, out Of the gen.
eral stock, Col. Stickney "laid down" a
barrel, a keg, a demijOhn, a dozen bot
ties, as the case might be, for his cellar
when he should retire into private life.
AS a result Of this fOrethOught his wine
cellar in his house on ChOuteau avenue
was a wonder TO see. Its superior in
a private house was not to be seen prOba-
bly, in the United States. He showed it
TO me once, and | was fairly bewidered
and almost intoxicated by the sight
And coming up into the parlor ! picked
up volume |. of Badeau's Life of Gen.
Grant, and CHANGED 10 open it at fireplace
where he speaks Of the Generals habit of
strict sObriety. l read the passage aloud
to Col. and Mrs. Stickney. The Colonel
smiled, and, turning to Mrs. Stickney,
said: Gu and /, my dear, know that it
was not always So" And then to me he
SAID: After he left the army, and was
farming near St. Louis, Cant. Grant used
TO come to the Planters every now and
then to meet his old army friends, and
sometimes drank too much. But l must
do him the justice to say that since the
war began, so far as | know, he has been
strictly temperate. i know that during
the war, when he and Sherman and Pope,
and others of the highest officers of the
army, 10 the number of - or -. were
in st. Louis, gave them dinner. Grant
sat on my right and Sherman on my left.
1 had on the table the choicest of the
liquors and wines you have seen in my
cellar, and the bottles circulated freely:
but Grant, noticed, kept his glass turned
down. Again and again something choice
was offered to him, but he declined it.
After time he turned to me and said in
a low voice Colonel, you know there
was a time when ] would not have de-
cline; but it is easier for me not to drink
at all than not to drink too much.'"
When ] was pastor in st. Paul, mem
her of my church was Mai. Gen. II. w.
Johnson, graduate of West Point, a cav
airy officer and kentuckian, disabled
and retired because of wound received
in battle. A member OF my CONGREGATION
at the same time was Col. Patterson, a
brother of Gen. Robert Patterson, of Phil
adelphia, and one of the earlier Presidents
Of the Pennsylvania Railroad. These gem
tlemen were both Democrats, but warm
friends of their pastor, who was a Repub-
liCan, and enjoyed teasing Inn a little
when they got the chance. One day, in
the best of good humOr, they made a COM
bined onslaught upon him, and for some
time it was thrust and parry, without any
harm being done. But at length Col. Pat
terson said something, half in just, half in
earnest, rejecting on Gen. Grants So
briefly and generalship, when. instantly,
Gen. johnson stopped him. and said: ono,
Col. Patterson, Gen. Grant did not drink
in the army, and he did plan and fight all
his own battles. | was near him, and
know the truth of what say. / was not
a Christian in those days, and / am
ashamed to say / have tempted him TO
drink, and really wished to get him drunk.
| remember especially one dark and driz-
Fly night when he came to my
tent, where number Of us were
drinking. | offered him a hot toddy.
but he declined. l pressed him, but he
declined. ] urged him, because of the
night and his health, but he declined.
No, Iueyer saw Gen. Grant touch liquor
IN The army, and do not believe he ever
did. ana as for his geueralship. Colonel.
know he planned and fought his own bat
ties. ] was SD situated In relation 20 him
that the plan at the hattie OF Chattanooga,
one Of the greatest and most complicated
of an his battles. passed through my
hands, and the whole OF it. interue-
ations ana all, was in his own hand
wrurE."@
This from prominent Democrat, and
later. Observation-Disclosures Tor Governor Of
N OH. o.