The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-07-22
Grant as a DrInker.,


Grant as a DrInker. 81
From an i,tcrsie,c with Fsed Grant.
"Your father cared little for show & {.
"My father cared nothing for showEnf,
any kind, and even public recepti0Es:
were distasteful to him. He Away tried
to avoid them, and was happiest in: tbs'
home circle. Not that he did not appFes:
ciate the public Endorsement Of what 6
had done-this always gave him pleasa.
ure, and it was only for the sakesof this
that he was willing to be made an exhl1'
bition of so often. Besides, hessH83
liable to become embarrassed. People:
used to think that he had ford eonl;ss
plexion, but his complexion reall vas;
pale ard his skin as delicate as TINT 0f
young girl. I never ssw 3 man With
skin so delicate. 1t was almost what you
might call kissable, and continued 20;
until the day of his death ;Sbut; as Soon
as he appeared npublic or was usheEed:
into the society Of strangers bis eMbaf;|
rassment caused his face to dnslI.
.sThis is why q good many People;
thought" continued the colonel Smiling
.s'that my fathers habits were intempeT
ate. But there could not have Eeed4S
greater mistake. My father could znoE
drink more than one or two glasseS
wine without feeling the effect In shisB
head. During the war he dtsH
alcoholic drinks whatever, but when h
became President he used TO take 81 gia
Yiof champagne occasionally at ne9is'
His reason for doing so was as follow
Soon after entering the Whits House be
began to be greatly troubled by attsc
of sick headache, which iDcreased
number and in violence. Having scon'3
suited his physician, Or. Norris, the Id|
ter said that the cause of the dimcu'tSS
Was partly because he smok ked and pafl5a
because Of the irregularity with Fhic}
he took his meals. Our family have
always been, small eaters, and very often
my, father would let the meal hour go b
without eating anything, or would stake 4
very little food and supplement IT. altar
ward. Dr.. Norris advised him to cat
regularly and to avoid drinking watef1
large quantities of which my father had;
been in the habit of consuming T4k8;
champagne instead Of water, said the.
doctor. Ny father adopted his adyicet
and every day st luncheon used TO iiulc
q glass or 80 Of cham pagne and order tha3
bottle TO be laid aside. on ice for use az
dinner, there being q patent fztnre M
the cork which prevented The escapespE
tho gas. In 81 few weeks ha:wsss entirely
cured of his sick head aches, and never
had return Of them. 1t became ther6s
fore, his habit to take wine with his
meals, and he continued stoado so until
unable to swallow any longer owing
the progress Of his disease. s;'|
s'That was an amusing dispatch sept5
by Mr. Lincoln expressing his wish that
somebody would furnish the other lens3
erals with "a keg OF, the same liquor thdej
Grant drank -
"I will tell you how the report that
my father drank during the war 0figin
ted. While he was at Cairo, d few days.
before the attack on Fort D Dobelson; b6s
occupied Two rooms over a bank There
was Q. Captain Koontz, chief of ffranspoE:
tation, who, by his ineficiency, had ifs''
Cured my fathers displeasure, bnt Wh65;
wal. q great friend OF General Halleck:
NV father was writing out all tie details
of his proposed march to Fort Donelsons
as was his custom, and had left sorders5
not to be disturbed. Koontz made his
appearance and insisted upon seeing hi11S
room, explained the situation bnfs
Koontz violently and with an oath ssits
Grated his determination to hare an IN {:
teryiew. Losing all patience. RaWlinS
ran at him. and. with languages not es lesS
warm. showed him out into the street,
Koonfz immediatelv went stos ((xenerai|
Halieck and told 3 terrible staIe of sttlies3;
state Of THINGS at headouarters. Every:
thing there, he said. sis goiiins to the does.!
.Rawlins was drunk aid lie knocked nist
down, and Grant was dead drunk 81
back room and couldn't be seen. Hal:
leck took pains to spread the report, and,
there really was 8 general impressions
chat nv father was under the influence;
of LIQUOR the most of the time. ~ sSS s
GaBut, as q! matter Of fact, lie did NOT
drink at all during the war "a ~
Not q drop. Not until he was in the;:
White House, and was acting under hisS
physician's orders. did he even taste:
wine, and then, as / told You, oni tt61'
curehis sick headache. -
aIt used to be said that aE public DIM
ners during the last years Of Shissl ife; ;fks2
General was in the habit Of turning his
glasses down and Of drinking nothi6gS
but water ~ 81 5'.''
THAT ives. true $ and his reaaor fct
doing so was his fear Of becoming affect
ed by:what he drank. ltwas SO natural
for him to Sbe drinking in response te 's
toasts that without strict measures sse 81
would have shown the consequences
Two or three glasses might turn his heads
He could not stand what all around him:
stood. Accordingly he resoly lyed to escape
danger BY turning his glasses down and:
not drinking any wine at all. gYes, as M N
have said, lie ALWAYS drank wine at diii5'
ner at home as long as he Was able ;t6S
drink anything. His fayoriles wine vas!
champagne. ~ ~ IS 8: