Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-27
GRANT At GALEN A
How the Raw Recruits Found the Man Of
j.. e
Destiny.
One Suggested ThRt He Would Teach
Them the R4ssiment. of the
Art sE War. I4.;t
From the indianapolis Sentinel.


neither very populous nor generally known
as commercial or Industrial center. But
there were brave hearts there, and scarcely
had the call for troops been flashed over
1.-The wires from Washington until the little
Illinois town was stirred to its four cor
| ners by call for a public recruiting meet
ing. The young men Of the place within
less than three days had organized two
good companies. But there was no one to
| drill them. They had forgotten for the
| time the one man in all Galena who had
passed through West Point and had been
graduated with honor.
| At one of the meetings of the first COM
pany recruited, after the question of drill
| master had been thoroughly mooted, a
young man suddenly arose to his feet, and
above the bedlam Of voices, shouted: Send
somebody up to the tannery. Grant will
drill US if you ask him right. Send some
body to the tannery!'
| Up on Main street, over the entrance to
a little commonplace frame storeroom, was
and which had creaked on its hinges for a
! long time. Across the face Of the sign
were the simple words:
| Grant & Brother, Dealers in Leather
| and Shoemakers' supplies"
Over the door was the inscription: Tan
merry; Highest Cash Price Paid for Green
Hides"
Seated on a box under the old board avn
| ing in the shade from an afternoon sun the
committee Of raw recruits found 1.-The
man Of destiny" whose name was after
ward to go through all the civilized world
as that of an American who had become
one Of the great central figures Of his coun-
| try's history.
The committee came up to where he was
sitting, formed sort of semicircle about
him and removed their hats. The chair
man of that committee was the young man
who proposed Grant as the drillmaster. 1t
was William Pringle, who since the close
of the rebellion. has been a citizen of In
| dianapolis. and for many years Las been
one of the most successful and popular
legal practitioners at the Marion county
bar and the courts of the state.
The Silent Man.
Grant was then. as he was ever after
| ward known to be, a man Of few words,
and, turning upon his visitors counten-
ance upon which no emotion was written,
he awaited an explanation.
"Mr. Grant," said Pringle 1--WE come as
| a committee Of the two companies recent
| ly organized in Galena to ask what Is un-
doubleday a great favor at your hands.
We are all aware that your business
| claims your close attention, and that you
have but little time TO devote to outside
of our country with determination of doing
our whole duty as loyal citizens and sol
| diers We believe we will be able to do
that duty more effectively If we can go
knowledge of the duties of that service
which must come 70 Us We have, there
fore. come to you with the hope"
| That Is enough. gentlemen" was Grant,
| ton. "These are not the times for words:
1t Is action; vigorous decisive action that
is needed. In plain terms, I understand.
you want me to become your drillma ter
| Is that the faCt?' q
Yes. SIR" replied the committee in uni
| son. } p
Very we'll. then: SO be 1t. I shall es-
pect you to muster. on the public square
within an hour from this time. l shall
drill You twice each day till you go to
| join your regiment 1 shall expect you to
| consider that I am your commanding Of
| fcer, and shall expect Il discipline which
| will know no relaxation. In this 1 shall
| demand of you that you become soldiers
from the very start That Is all. Now
| go. l shall meet you within the hour"
| Thus did Grant step once more into mill
| tary life. and as drillmaster of the two
| companies Of Galena "boys." place his
| foot practically upon the first round of
| one of the most awful conflicts of modern
times. from whose top he stepped to his
proper place among the most remarkable
| military characters of history.
Grant at Home.
"At his home in Galena." said Attorney
\ frlngle recently, Grant 8 lie was marked
| by the same peculiar characteristics that
| followed him through his wonderful career
| to the day Of his death. He was retcent
| even to secretiveness. firm in his convic-
| tions as the everlasting rock, and indomit-
| able in his strong energy to a degree which
gave him personality possessed by few
| men. He was simple and unassuming as a
| business man and citizen. AS general his
great forte lay in his ability to Judge ac-
| curately of men, and it was this faculty
which enabled him to draw about him in
| council men OF keen Judgment and intelli-
| gerce. upon whose advice he could faith
| fully rely when military movements of
| subtle, strategic force were to be planned
| and carried into effect. He was q strict
| discipiinarian, and this characteristic was
| SO marked in the man that it made enemies
| for him, and out Of the plenitude of the
many of the libelous stories intended to
| injure him before the country
! 1T was In Galena, while he was drilling
| our companies. that had my first expert
| ence with Grant as dsciplnarian. Now,
1 had known him and his brother Orvill In
| long time. Whenever I had met Grant
| we had exchanged the ordinary courtesies
| existing between neighbors. One day, after
| he had for weeks been my drill master,
| was walking up Main street, and passed
| him. Without any other feeling than that
| was speaking to an acquaintance and
| neighbor, I simply said: Good day, Mr..
Grant
In Favor of Discipline.
HE never opened his lips. but with q
| cold and expressionless cast of countenance
| passed on. The cut was pointed and direct,
and felt it. turned about in my path