The Portland daily press., 1892-05-21

modest and unassuming, is epigram
attic in speech, and combines those social
and intellectual qualities ichs.endeare6
Grant to his personal associates, wheth
er military or civilian.
An illustration of the Generate quick
ness at repartee as well as flavor of down
East humor is his good natured retort or
Grant about the yellow dog. 1t was in
the spring of '64, just about one year be.
fore the fail of Richmond, that Grant
and a group OF his officers were seated
one evening by the
Cheerful Blaze of Huge Camp Fire.
All at once Grant, who had been seem.
ingly absorbed some minutes in silent
meditation, turned quickly to his Quar-.
termaster General and, pointing to a vel
low dog which had accompanied the
latter through many campaign, and
which, now lay at his masters feet snooz-
ing away as quietly as though wars and
rumors OF wars were unknown, loosely
asked:
Il say, Ingalls,, do you intend taking
that dog along with you into Rich
mond?''
Eyes, certainly was the quick re-
Spouse; for he belongs to mighty long
lived BREED
A roar of laughter followed this sally,
and for once at least, the face of the grim
| commander relaxed into broad smile.
Gen. lngallss career has been a varied,
interesting one. TO learn more of his
history, his personal traits, and how he
came to be Grants classmate and conf
DENTAL friend, called the other day
upon his only surviving brother. Sheriff
Jonathan Ingalls,, neighber of mine in
| Bridgton, Me-, and now the only one left
besides the General of a large family of
children.
i have no inclination to brag about
Rufus remarked my genial host, as we
seated ourselves in his parlor, on the
walls of which hung framed photo
graph OF the Appomattox surrender
scene; but still our family have no rea-
son to be ashamed of him" and the Sher-
iff turned with a proud look to his wife.
las you doubtless well know, Ru-
fus and the rest of us children were
born and brought up in the adjoining
town of Denmark. Rufus attended the
district school, and was considered a
good scholar. He taught school a few
terms thereabout; then, by the advice
and influence of brother Cyrus, who was
a prominent politician, he applied for and
was appointed to cadetship at West
Point. He was then is years old. In
his class was
A Young Fellow From the West,
named I. S. Grant, and there were also
in the same class quite number of other
youngsters who were destined to fame
on either side in the civil wal.
Rufus and Grant graduated at one and
III "a co,, ., |Tx1 30
once entered the Rifles About two
years later he was transferred to the dra-
goons and won his first spurs by his gall
lantry at the battles OF Embudo and
Taos, in New Mexico, somewhere about
1S47-the second year of the Mexican
war. That same year he was promoted
to first lieutenant; and the year after to
assistant quaftermaster, with the rank of
captain.
After that war, through which he
and Grant were comrades, Rufus served
in California and Oregon, and was in
Col. Steptoe's noted expedition across
the continent. And I wish you could
hear Rufus tell of some of the exciting
adventures he experienced in thai expe-
dition. From SO to 80 he was stationed
at Vancouver, and took part in what is
known as the San Juan affair, he being
on the staff of General Harvey, who was
also in the Mexican war and who. died a
yeaI OF two ago, at the age of 80.
And now comes the more important
part of my brothers history.
S'When Secession was about to apply
the torch of civil war in South Carolina,
Rufus was sent with Col. Brown to re-
enforce Fort Pickens in charleston har-
Dor. What followed the attack on Fort
Sumpter, the world knows. In July he
was ordered to duty with the Army of
the Potomac; and the next month was
appointed aide-de-camp to Gen. McClel-
Ian, with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Shortly after, I think it was in Janu-
ary,, Rufus was appointed major in the
quartermaster's department; and early
in SO his old friend General Grant made
him chief quartermaster of the Army of
the Potomac, which arduous, responsible
positions he filled till the close of the
war. He was also commissioned briga-
der general of volunteers in the spring
of '63; and in the spring of '65 he was
elected major-general, flor eminent ser
vices in the war for the Union
"Grant was devoted friend to Rufus
it is true, but mind you, it was not
friendship which prompted him to give
my brother SO important, SO fearfully
responsible place, SAID dr. Ingalls,,
with much earnestness, "but the ability
to fill it. This sounds like Dragging, I
know, but it is the simple fact of the case
And when I think what might have hap
pened to Grant and his army had Rufus
failed him at the supreme. moment, it
almost makes me shudder.
But the General is coming back to
Maine one of these days." said Mr.. In
gals, as I took my leave, s'and then you
must call and hear from his own lips
some Of the stories of his campaigns with
Grant
CHARLES O. STICkNEY.