The Portland daily press., 1894-05-09

Bridgton. Me-, May z.
AS think of the terrible days of '64,
the year in which the final deadly crap
pie of the vast cohorts of the Union with
their Southern foremen was taking
place, when Grant was making those
great movements against Richmond
which were soon to eliminate at Apo
mstox, | recall the lines of George W..
Birdseye the New York poet. written at
that time.
Give US your hand, General Grant,
You're man!
You were not the coward to say 81
cant!"
Nor hesboaster to say II CAMP
But you went to work with will, and
won,
Oh, God was kind, and Heaven was
When it gave us man like U.
lysses Grant,
When it gave us man like you.
And now that another birthday anniy-
ersary of the great soldier has required,
and throughout the country the annual
need of tribute to his memory has been
paid, I herewith offer to the readers of
this paper new budget of stories and
anecdotes of the General, the most of
which have Maine flavor. Still fresh
in the memory of many Portlanders is
the ovation which the Forest City paid
President Grant and members of his
Cabinet in the early seventies; but none
Who then Saw him sunpoSod fho+ he ,r,s
a good talker and something of a hu-
morist, as indeed he was.
can never forget that terrible day,
marking one of the most important bat
ties of the Wilderness, when I lay under
a tree, wounded, close to Grants head
quarters, and hour after hour watched
Grant. "said the Rev. Theodore Gerrish,
a well known Maine clergyman, whose
narrative repeat from memory as heard
him tell it.
while serving as a private in my
(Maine) regiment" he continued, II was
severely though not dangerously wound
ed, and, like great number of others,
was taken TO the rear. was deposited
under little tree, and as it happened
within few rods of the spot where the
leader of that mighty host of Union
warriors was conducting the battle. In
fact was SO near to Grant that could
see every motion he made. and critically
study him in the momentous, fearfully
responsible role he was playing.
And such a study Why, it was
worth all the pain and disability en-
dured then and thereafter. There stood
the silent man of Destiny in front of
his little tent, plain and unpretentious,
holding the fate not only of his vast army,
but the life OF our nation in his hands.
yet as cool and self possessed as if mere
ly reviewing q brigade of militia on
excitement and seeming chaos. In front
Of him, and for miles in extent, the
upceasing roar of artillery, mingling and
alternating with the rattle of fnusketry.
the bugle call, the shouts of the contend
ing troops, now nearer and more terrific.
now SEEMING farther away; anon the
crashing of a shell, in dangerous near
ness, causing temporary scare in the
vicinity of its fall; while added to the
appalling din was the element OF uncer-
tainty and intangibility. causing that
almost overpowering mental strain
which comes of dark anxiety and fore
bodings of disaster.
Everybody was agitated except him
who had most cause for travail. Staff
officers would gallop up every few min
utes, to each of whom he gave brief
written order for transmitting to some
brigade or division commander. quite
likely involving the fate of thousands
OF brave men; orderl1as were dashing
hither and yon; Gen. Meade, on his alert
charger, near by, was so nervous that
be could not long long remain in the
saddle but would dismount and pace the
ground while, renount and sit =
short time, then off again and walk as
before. his handsome face wearing all
The while worn and troubled look:
and yet through those long and terrible
hours Grant never once lost his head.