St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-22
ANECDOTES OF GEN. GRANT
An Incident of Shiloh---Escorted
to Eat Pumpkin Pie.

Boston Herald.
Anecdotes of Gen. Grant have been
as plentiful as blackberrfes, but the fol-
lowing, though not new in print. may
be new to many modern readers: Maj.
W. II. Chamberlin. of the Eighty-frst
Ohio regiment, who served with Gen.
Grant during the whole campaign of
1862, tells story of him which has a
peculiar significance in that it gives a
key to his mode of action. cit was on
the second day of the battle of Shiloh. J"
said the major, in speaking of the cir
cumstanee. The first day, you know,
had been disastrous to our forces,
which had been driven back. Early in
the morning of the second day Gen.
Grant rode through our lines to the
front, accompanied by some officer, LIDO
not know who. The two were having
an animated conversation, and as they
passed where l was standing / heard
Gen. Grant remark: ALI the advantage
is on the side, of the attacking party
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 were COM
PEELED to retire on the previous day.
themselves assumed the aggressive and
were victorious. That one remark of
Gen. 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 Gen. Grants
staff, and refers to time in 1861 when
he was sent with brigade to Southern
Mississippi to repel threatened inva-
Gil Of ToH Thnponcnn Tho ntrxy
through which the troops passed was
chiefly a wilderness, in which not hog,
a chicken or an ear of corn was to be
captured by the boys. Finally Lieut..
Wick field, of an Indiana cavalry regi
ment, with an advance guard of eight
mounted men, came across a farm
house. He halted his command, and,
with two second lieutenants, entered,
represented himself to be Gen. Grant,
and demanded dinner. The generals
name had already acquired some fame
in that region, and the family Seurried
about and set forth what they had,
loudly protesting their loyalty. The
lieutenants ate all they could
and departed, after the family had re-
fused to take any pay for what had been
furnished. Later in the day it happened
that Gen. Grant himself stopped in
IfOnG OF THE Sdli1G HOUSE, anu dSkGu IL UG
could be given a meal. but was told
that Gen. Grant and his staff had been
there and eaten everything in the house
but one pumpkin pie. After learning
that the family's name was Selvidge
and leaving half dollar to insure their
keeping the pie until he should send an
officer for it, the general rode off. That
night, greatly to the surprise OF the
troops, after eamping-ground had been
selected the whole force was ordered to
turn out for parade. Something of
great importance was supposed to be
about to happen, when the assistant
adiutant general read in loud voice
before the lines that had Deen drawn up
the following order:
Headquarters Army in the Field.-Speeial
Order No. =: Lieut.. Wickfeld. of the Indi-
ana cavalry, having eaten everything in Mrs.
Selvidge's house, at the crossing of the Tren-
ton and Pocahontas and Black river aud
Cape Girardeau roads, except one pumpkin
pie Lieut. Wickfield is hereby ordered to re-
turn under an escort of LOO cavalry and eat
that pie also. U. 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. aud he
was followed by peals of laughter. ]{a