The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-04-04
GEN. GRANT IN CAMP
ne Generals Simple Habits and
His Wonderful Endurance.

lie Generals Simple Habits and
His Wonderful Endurance.
lhfe MT Headquartcrs-His Rebuke
of General Rawlins-His Self
Control inc Persist-
cncy.
Grant was always more at homo in
camps than in courts: tho simple
ioldicr's litc suited him better than the
'tiquctte" of Europe or cven at Washing
;on, says a writer in the Pittsburg Bull
.etln. Indeed, the commander of all the
armies lived palmer than many of his
snbordinates. and doubt if there was a
headquarters, north or south, during the
var, where less formality prevailed.
When Judge Campbell, the confederate
commissioner, came out from Richmond
IN the winter of 1864, he spent some
little while with Grant at City Point,
waiting for permission to proceed fur
thor, and expressed great establishment
At the simplicity he saw. 1t was far
different, he said, from the ceremony
that Lee maintained.
But Grant never entirely laid aside
the habits and tastes of his carly life;
he was, indeed, never coarse or vulgar,
but he remained n plain man to the end.
His dress in camp was inconspicuous;
his coat seldom buttoned up To the
throat, and often unbrushed, even
soiled. He rarely carried a sword, even
In battle, and during many campaigns
he wore n private soldiers overcoat.
His tent was as plain as that Of n cap
tain; a little larger than those Of his
Stall, because he sometimes wanted to
invite important generals into it to dis
cuss his plans, and there was a second
or inner division. for Mrs. Grant was
much with him when the armies were
not in motion: but there were few gen
cral officers in the army lodged SO
plainly as the chief of them all. The
mess was as simple rs everything else.
All OF his personal staff shared it with
him, and took their turns in catering
for q month at a time. The table was a
long one. forthere were necessarily many
visitors at the headquarters of the
army. Grant did not sit at the head.
~ WYNN HS "ouIu navy SaiNCu' ohe VII
the right of the caterer who presided
for the while.
The mess was we'll supplied with beef,
canned vegetables, condensed milk,
coffee, rice, etc, but the cooking could
hardly be considered delicate. In camp
we had soft bread, but on the march fell
back on bareback, like private soldiers.
Chickens were supplied in the season,
and a few other such dainties, but not
regularly. At Christmas and Thanks
giving some thoughtful patriot of the
north would end turkeys enough to go
round: but / can't Observation-Disclosures
Or mince pies. Grant was very fond of
oysters. and the caterers always graft
fled his taste whenever possible. But
he had few preferences of this sort, and
more dislikes than positive likings;
mutton he never touched in the field.
He was not in the least an epicure; what
he relished best was some plain dish
tDclmonico never heard of. This
popularity remained. to the last. After
I'LL his experience in courts and dinner
tables abroad. he came back at his own
Elouse to the homely fare which he pre-
ierred. He dislikcd to sit long over
his meals and hated to wait for the
courses to be changed. In the last year
of his life he would complain when the
family were alone if the delay at table
was great or the ceremony elaborate.
Ii There was never win OF spirits on his
table in the field, nor was either yer
offered Mt his headquarters in his pres
ence. If any of his officers kept whisky
it was in their own tents and Grant
neither saw it nor shared it.
breakfast was rarely earlier thar .
and often as late as 10 o'clock, for Grant
rose late whenever there was no need
to rise early, and we always waited I'M
til he was ready to sit down. He hardly
over went to bed till l or . o'clock in
the morning, and therefore liked his
pillow even il it was hard. He often
used to say that he was an indolcnt man
and l think he was, naturally. His
temperament was phlcgmatic, if not
sluggish: certainly he was disinclined
to excrtion after he was 40 years of age.
1t was only when spurred on by incen-
lives that he became SO prompt and en-
ergctic.
Then, of coarse, no ono excelled him.
He could outride n of his staff, go
without food or sleep longer than the
youngest; endure heat, or cold, or rain,
Or fatigue, or exposure, apparently
without i'll effect, or any effect at all.
Many a time on the march have !
watched him sitting upright in his sad
die without a sign of being worn, after
hours, yes, days and nights of weary
riding. He never seemed to care to
stop for drink or food, or hardly rest.
After the first days fight at Shiloh he
lay at first under n tree, but the rain
was furious and he went into a field
| boSrif,i fnr sim IN. .,,,i f.ii azts.r NTH
the surgeons operating around him. 1t
was fortunate that he was not high
strung or nervous Yet he was not in
different to human suffering. l have
known him to leave a hurdle race be-
cause he did not wish to ook on life I'M
necessarily risked, though, when there
was need. he could witness slaughter,
or order it unmoved.
Tho tone of talk at Grants head uar-
tiers was as familiar as the style of liv-
ing. Several of the men who had beer
longest with Grant were palmer than
himself in their habits and tastes. Raw
Inns, the abiest of all, had been a char
coal burner, and though of course a man
of marked ability, and able to hold his
own in conversation with he most com
petent, was at times decidedly uncouth
in language. Grant himself was never
profane in speech but Rawlins was habit
ually and excessively SO. He was pro
foundly attached to Grant but did
not always display the same re-
spect in manner or language which
the Others maintained. Grant par.
doned this because he knew there was
no intention Ct di%srespect, and because
he valued Rawlins' regard and services.
But | nce heard him rebuke Rawlins.
1t was during the final movement toward
the left that ended in the capture OF
Lee. The first day or two out brought
no result. Tho weather was bad, tho
roads were almost impossible, and Raw
Inns was very anxious to induce Grant