Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-04-05
GEN. GRANT In CAMP
! ne Generals Simple Habits and
His Wonderful Endurance.
ss[c at Headquarters-His Hebuke
of General Rawiins-Ui, Self
Control and Persist
cncy.

Control and Persist
cncy.
Grant was always more at homo in
amps than in courts; the simTle
ioldier'S lie suited him better than the
etiquette Of Europe or even at Washing
on, says a writer in the Pittsburg Bull
etIn. Indeed. the commander Of all the
armies lived palmer han many Of his
Iubordinates, and | doubt IL there was a
headquarters, north or south, during the
var, where less formslity prevailed.
Whom Judge Campbell, the confederate
commissioner, came out from Richmond
IN tie winter Of 1854, 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 say. 1t was far
different, he said, fro1 the ceremony
That Lee maintained.
But Grant never entirely laid aside
the habits and tastes OF his early life;
be was, indeed, never coarse or vulgar,
but he remained a plain man to the end.
Hl5 dress in camp was inconspicuous;
his coat seldom buttoned up 10 the
thcoa., and often unbrushed, even
Foilcd. lie rarely carried a sword. even
in battle, and during many campaigns
he wore a private soldiers o%yercoat.
His tent was as plain as that Of a cap
Ain; a little larger than those of his
staff, because he sometimes wanted TO
invite important generals into it to dis
a.ga. : - ~ 10000
or inner division. for Mrs. Grant was
much with him when the armies were
not in motion; but there were few gem
eral officers in the army lodged SO
plainly as the chief Of them all. The
mess was as simple as everything else.
All OF his personal staff shared it with
him, and took their turns in catering
for a month at a time. The table was a
long one. for there were necessarily many
visitors at the headquarters Of the
army. Grant did not sit at the head,
for then he would have carved, but on
the right Of the caterer who presided
for the while.
The mess was well 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 send turkeys enough to go
round; but / can't remembercranberries
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 rclished best was some plain dish
Deimonico never heard OF. This
regularity remained To the last. After
all his experience in courts and dinner
tables abroad, he came back At his own
Eouse 10 the homely iare which ne pre-
Eerred. He disliked to sit long over
his meals and hated 10 wait for the
courses TO be changed. In the last year
of his life he would complain when the
family were alone il the delay at table
was great or the ceremony elaborate.
There was never wine or spirits on his
table in tho fold, nor was either ever
offered at his headquarters in his pres
ence. II any Of his officers kept whisky
il was in their own tents and Grant
neither saw it nor shared 1t.
Breakfast was rarely earlier than 0
and often as late as 10 o'clock, for Grant
rose late whenever there was no need
TO rise early, and we always waited UNI
I'll he was ready to sit down. lie hardly
ever went to bed till / or = o'clock in
the morning, and therefore liked his
/ pillow even il it was hard. lie often
used to say that he was an indolent man
and | think he was, naturally. His
temperament was phlegmat!c, II not
sluggish; certainly he was disinclined
to exertion after he was 40 years of age.
1t vas only when spurred on by incen-
tives that he became SO prompt and en-
ergetic.
Then, of coarse, no one excelled him.
He could outride any 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
ale 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 ct Shiloh he
lay az first under a tree, but the rain
was furious and ne went into q field
hospital for shelter and fell asleep with
the surgeons operating around him. 1t
was fortunate hat he was not high
strung or nervous. Yet he was not in
different to human suffering. l have
known him 70 leave a hurdle race be-
cause ho did not wish to look on life I'M
necessarily risked, though, when there
was need. he could witness slaughter,
or order IL unmoyed.
The tone of talk at Grants head uar-
tcrs was as familiar as the style Of liy-
ing. Several of the men who had been
longest with Grant were palmer than
himself in their habits and tastes. Raw
Inns, the ablcst 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 the 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-
foundry attached to Grant but did
not always display the same re-
spect in name Dr. language which
the others maintained. Grant par
doned this because he knew there was
no intention Of disrespect, and because
he valued Rawlins' regard and services.
/ But l once 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 u brought
no result The weather was bad, the
roads were almost impossible, and Raw
Inns was very anxious to induce Grant