Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-03-30
The Rnasau-Grnn, AFFAIR.

Gen. Adam Badeau, by recently serving
notice upon the widow of Gen. Grant, re-
quring all accounting Of profits on the me-
moirs of her husband, has placed himself
before the American public in a most un
enviable attitude The publication of the
correspondence between Gen. Grant and
Gen. Badeau strikingly yet truly illustrates
the difference between man of sterling
qualities and snob. In 1884, Badeau was
engaged by Gen. Grant to assist him in the
preparation of his memoirs, his work to be
simply that Of an amenuensis. In Febru-
ary, 1885, Gen. Grant bound himself to
give Badeau $4,000 out of the first 100000
realized from the sale of the work, and
$4,000 from the next $40, 900 so realized, in
consideration of the assistance which was
to be rendered him and because the me
moirs would come into competition with
Badeaus history of Grants campaign. In
Nav, 1885, while Gen Grant was seriously
ill, he received from Badeau an exceeding
Iy scurrilous letter, in which the former
staff officer gave vent to his overweening
conceit as follows;
NODOuy DuJ me can SO Well nelp you
No literary man has the military knowl-
edge no literary man has the military ex-
perience no literary or military man liv-
ing-not one of your old staff, even-has
one tithe of my knowledge and experience
on this subject, the result of twenty years
study and devotion and labor Besides
which, no man alive but your own sons
loves you so well. y
He claimed that Grants illness had him
dered all his literary labors, and the work
for which he was engaged was the merest
drudgery, consisting simply of forming
into a continuous narrative the dislointed
fragments dictated by General Grant, In
the nature of things, he would have no
reputation or consideration from his con
nection with the book, which had assumed
an Importance that had not been anticipat-
ed, and the better he helped to make it the
more effectually he would destroy what he
had spent his life in building-hs reputa-
| ton as a historian. He therefore asked
that he should be paid $1,000 a month in
advance until the work was completed, and
afterwards ten per cent of the entire pro
| fits-certainly modest demand to make
upon dying man whom he professed to
love
Then it was that Gen Grants simple and
answering honesty and hatred of shams
caused him TO write;
you say that 4 am man of affairs,
etc, and can tell a simple story, etc. You
imply that literary man must supply some
deficiencies, and that you are the only man
who can do it. If this is the case, General,
do not want a book bearing my name to
go before the world which | did not write
to such AN extent as to be fully entitled to
the credit of authorship. | do not want a
secret between me aud someone else which
would destroy my honor if it was divulged.
| cannot think of holding myself as depen-
dent upon any person to supply capacity
in which am lacking. l may fail, but
will not put myself in any such position,
1t would be degradation for me
to accept honors and profit from the work
of another man while declaring to the pub
lie that it was the product of my own brain
and hand
General Grant further stated that Ba-
deau's proposition would make him part
ner with the Grant family as long as the
book found a sale, and the idea could not
be entertained Gen Badeau accepted this
letter as the severance of all relations, and
after the death of Gen. Grant made for
NAL claim upon his widow for 10000, ac
cording to the memorandum of agreement
Payment Of this sum was refused, but the
promise was made that so soon as the value
of his services as amanuensis could be de
termined, settlement would follow. Gen
Badeau insisted upon the fulhlment of the
agreement, and has new entered suit fol
the recovery of the money