Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-09-11
FRESH GRANT STORIES.
Anecdotes Related by Two Omcers Of
the Generals stan.

Anecdotes Related by Two Officers Of
the Generals stan.
Anecdotes Of General Grant have been
as plentiful as blackberries, but the fol-
lowing, though not new in print. may
be new to many modern readers: Major
/ w. II. Chamberlain, of the Eighty-first
| Ohio Regiments, who served with General
Grant during the whole campaign Of
| 1862 tells a story Of him which had a
peculiar significance in that it gives a
key to his mode of action. 1T was on
| the second day of the battle of Shiloh"
said the Major. in speaking OF the cir
cumstance. THE first day, you know.
had been disastrous TO our forces, which
had been driven back Early in the
morning of the second day General
Grant rode through our lines to the
front, accompanied by some officer, / do
not know who. The two were having
an animated conversation, and as they
passed where l was standing / heard
General Grant remark: All the advan-
tage is on the side Of the attacking par
ty.' Within a few minutes after they
had passed me | heard the guns on our
right open up, an order to advance was
given, and the Union soldiers, who we're
compelled to retire On the previous day,
themselves assumed the aggressive and
were victorious. That one remsrk Of
General Grant was significant OF his
whole career. He believed in attack
rather than defense, and Shiloh alone
proved the correctness of his theory"
The following story purports to have
been told by an officer OF General
Grants staff, and refers to a time in 1851
when he was sent With a brigade to
Southern Mississippi to repel threat
ened invasion Of JEFF Thompson The
country through which the troops pass
ed vas chiefly wilderness, in which
not a hog, chicken, or an ear Of corn
was to be captured by the boys Finally
Lieutenant Wickfeld, Of an Indiana
cavalry regiment, with an advanced |
guard OF eight mounted men, came
across a farmhouse. lie halted his |
command, and, with two Second Lieu |
tenants, entered, represented himself to /
be General Grant, and demanded din |
ner The Generals name had already /
acquired some fame in that region, and /
the family scurried about and set forth |
what they had, loudly protesting their
loyalty. The Lieutenants ate all they |
could and departed. after the family |
had refused TO take any pay for what |
had been furnished Later in the day |
it happened that General Grant himself |
stopped in front of the same house and |
asked if he could be given meal, but |
was told that General Grant and his |
staff had been there and eaten every |
thing In the house but one pumpkin !
pie. After learning that the fam
ily's name was Selyidge and leav-
ing half dollar to insure their |
keeping the pie until he should |
send an officer for it, the General rode |
of. That night, greatly to the surprise
of the troops, after camping-ground had |
been selected the whole force was order
ed to turn out for parade. Some thing |
OF great importance was supposed to be
about to happen, when the Assistant
djutant-General read in loud voice
before the lines that had been drawn up
the following order:
Headquarters Army in the Field Special
order No. -; Lieutenant Wickheld OF the In
diana cavalry having eaten every thing in Mrs
Selvidge's house, AZ the crossing OF the Tren-
ton and Pocahontas and Black River and Cape
Girardeau roads, except one pumpkin pie, Lieu
tenant Wickdeld is hereby ordered to return
with an escort OF loo cavalry and eat that pie
also. L. S. GRANT,
Brigadier General Commanding
The troops were then dismissed in
state of bewilderment, but, by the time
the Lieutenant was ready to leave camp
with his escort to perform his singular
duty the joke was appreciated, and he
was followed by peals Of laughter
Boston Herald
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