The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-08

srv,,,r,, y =, was one Of the
most charming
traits of his character. He talked about
himself and his great actions in the most
simple way. and was surprised that the
world thought he was more than an Or
binary man. / remember chatting with
him once on the porch Of my home at
Deer Park, when the conversation turned
to his boyhood, and he spoke of his APP
pointment as cadet at West Point at the
request of Congressman Harmer. After
telling me how Harmer came to appoint
him he turned to me and said: "Do you
know, Mr. Elkins, Harmer thought had
something in me.' Something in himl
He uttered this as though it were a sur
prise to him, and as he did SO looked at
that great bundle of greatness and won
dered"
cat another time, in the same lam
guage." continued Secretary Elkins,
''Grant referred to Lincoln's opinion of
him as though he were surprised that ne
should hold it. 1t was one night when We
had dined out together, and after the din
ner had dropped into the Union League
Club for moment before we went home.
We were both members of the club, though
We seldom visited it. This night, how
ever, General Grant was in chatty mood,
and as we passed the club he proposed
that we go in and rest awhile before we
went home. While we talked, the battle
of Fredericksburg came up, and Grant told
me all the details of that terrible fight. As
he finished / looked at him with wonder,
and asked:
General, / have often tried to imagine
how a man feels when he Is In the midst
of some great transaction which he must
know is to change the face of the world
which is to effect the condition of millions
and which is bound to go down into his
tory as one of mans great deeds. Can
you not tell me your sensations in the
midst of one of those great battles? What
did you think of? How did you feel7'
~ don't know, he replied simply. L
can't say that l felt anything, save that
knew / had to whip the war and l was
bound to do it,
General Grant then fell into reminis-
cent mood and went ON somewhat as fol-
lows:
'''Yet as look back upon il. / feel that /
have had some very trying times in my
life and sometimes wonder that / was
able to stand the strain. 1t was hard
when was fighting the South. 1t was
harder when felt that back of us there
was a divided North, a part of which were
ready to find fault, and knew that many
of the leaders of our own army were
against me and were trying to break me
down. But he concluded, President
Lincoln was always my friend He stood
by me through thick and thin. Do you
know, Lincoln thought there was some
thing in me-
General Grant talked often of his boy
hood" continued Secretary Elkins. AS
he grew Older he seemed to be happy in
| his early "reminiscences, and he liked to go
back oyer the Mexican war. / often urged
| him to write book, and at Deer Park /
| told him he ought to put his recollections
| in writing. He did not seem to think his
| stories amounted to much, and he once
| asked me what he could write about. /
| told him to write the very things he had
been telling me, TO give his own stories of
| his great battles and to put down the an
ecdotes of his boyhood, the story of his
| horse trade and all the other little things
| he had told me about himself. At this
| time, however, he had just settled down
| after his trip around the world. He had
| what he thought was a competency, and
| he told me he might write book after a
while, but that he had been working all
| his life in one way or another for his bread
| and butter and that now for the
| first time he felt that he could take things
easy and watch the other fellows work,
| and he was going TO do it, Shortly after
! this the Grant and Ward failure occurred
| and he found himself penniiess. He then
| began his book in earnest, but he was very
| modest about it, He doubted his ability
and wondered if it would be interesting
| and profitable. l knew something of the
| sale of Biaine's book, and we talked sew
| eral times about his contract. He asked
| me one day if l thought the book would
! bring in $4,000 or S69,010, and | told him
| it would sell and that would not be sur
! sud III N n m
! know, netted his family more than $780,
/ CO.,
II often called on General Grant while
| he was writing at his book" Mr.. Elkins
| went on, land he would sometimes read
| what he had written during the day to u.s.
| He was always doubtful of it's interest and
/ was pleased when be was told that the
/ chapters were well written. One day |
| called just after Hamilton Fish had left
| and he said he had been reading some Of
| it To Mr.. Fish and delightedly exclaimed
/ that Fish had said it was good and that he
liked it. General Grant was ready
writer. His manuscript was almost en-
| tirely free from interlineations and IL went
/ TO the printer as he wrote IL.
''It is not generally known" Mr.. Elkins
/ went on, that Grant applied for profess
| sOrship 10 the University OF Missouri be-
I fore TIE war. Ii vas at this college that !
| was educated and had he succeeded. l
/ would have been taught nay mathematics
by him. He made the application ia
| 1857. RE was az st. Louis az tho
| time and was 1T the end Of his
! resources when this vacancy oc-
1 Cured in the chair of mathematics. Gem
/ erai Grant wrote a modest letter TO the
board of trustees in which he stated his
| qualifications anu his needs, but another
man got the place. | talked with General
I Grant about il a year or two before he
died, and he said:
I al think I couid have filed the pIsce
Quite well. was pretty well up in math-
ernatics at West Point, but if | had gotten
it, presume 1 should not now be here"