Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-03-26
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
FoREToLD IN DREAMS.

She has sufficient means TO provide for
herself munifcently and enable her to
entertain her friends and often large
companies of the public, as becomes the
wife of the foremost Captain of the age.
Every Thursday is set apart for the re-
ceptiOn of those who wish to call upon
her, and it is said that certain persons,
among whom is General Sherman, visit
her every week when she is in the city.
Her life is varied somewhat by OCCASION
al visits to her children who are beyond
sea-Mrs. Sartoris living in England
and Colonel Fred Grant in Vienna, as
Minister to Austria-and her son
Ulysses, who lives on a farm about forty
miles out of New York Mrs Grant is
modest and somewhat shy in her nature.
and no one would suspect from associa-
ton with her that she was for eight
years the FIRST lady in the lands" that
later, in company with General Grant,
she visited every great city in the
Union, and received attentions such as
a Queen might envy; and then made the
journey around the globe, and was the
guest of all the courts of Europe and
Asia.
Sor time after the death of General
Gran clergyman, himself an old SOL
dier, was present at large reception of
members of the Grand Army of the Re-
public given by Mrs. Grant. and formed
her acquaintance. Matters relating to
the Grand Army called him TO visit her
several times afterward, until he be.
came sufficiently acquainted for her to
lay aside, somewhat, her natural re-
serve and speak more freely of herself
and her illustrious husband than she
otherwise would. The olegyman related
the following incident of one of his Wis
it's:
"On the last occasion that / visited
her house l ventured TO speak of the
tender regard with which the old sol
diers remembered her husband, when
she told of her earnest love for the MEM
bers of the Grand Army and the lifelong
affection with which the General regard
ed his old comrades She proceeded to
speak of the great friendship Of the peo-
pie of the South for him, saying that
just before the meeting of the National
Republican convention, during General
Grants second term as President, the
General used to bring her large num-
Der of letters daily from prominent men
in the South, pleading with him to al
low his name to go before the conven-
tion for third term. This led her to
relate the following remarkable circum-
stance which, so far as / know, has not
before been made public. It is so inter-
esting that think it ought to be known
by the whole nation. Her story was as
follows:
my early home was in the South, in St
Louis, which was small city at the time,
it having attained to its position as one
of the great cities of the Union in later
years. New Orleans was the great COM
mercial metropolis of the South, and with
the young people of my acquaintance a
visit to New Orleans was the great event
of lifetime. When one of our circle
was so fortunate as to be able to spend
a few days there he was the envy of us
all My people, being somewhat extern
sively engaged in business, made Jour
ney TO New Orleans nearly every year,
and it was the greatest desire | had to
visit that city. | turned it over in my
mind and became quite absorbed with
the wish to make the visit.
lone night / had a dream. In my
dream l seemed to be in the city of New
Orleans and the people came out in
masses to do me honor. / was invited
to dine with all the leading persons of
the city, and feted until it seemed that
the whole city had turned out to do me
honor. The populace brought great
rolls of carpeting and spread it on the
walks, and the enthusiasm was as great
as though queen was receiving the
fealty of her subjects. But all the
time it seemed to me that while all this
was in my honor, and | was permitted
to receive the honors as if no one else
shared them, yet another was present,
and his presence was the occasion
of the enthusiastic reception that was
rendered us.
~ married General Grant, and the
fortunes of war placed him where his
kindness of heart enabled him to place
the South as they thought under the
most lasting obligations, and they never
ceased to tire of expressing their graft
tude.
latter the General retired from the
Presidency, as you know, we made tour
of the South. When we visited New
Orleans my girlhood dream all came
true. The entire populace of New Or
leans turned out to do us honor. They
unrolled great rolls of carpet on the
walks as though the fiagstones were not
good enough for us to walk on. We
were the guests of the leading men, and
of the city itself, and were feted by
every body, as though every one was
trying to Guido the other. Never did
any person receive a greater ovation,
and I could not help feeling that it all
came from the generous hearts Of the
people as a token OF their appreciation
OF the Generals kindness to General
Lee and his army.
In the relation Of the story, every
point Of which is as related by Mrs
Grant, there was no evidence of pride or
elation, but simply a manner that show