Evening star., 1896-06-20
in this respect have obesn greatly over


THAT story is true, .toreplied Mr.. McCul-
lagh. "At least. it is.Alcfact that he was
intoxicated that day. The real story as to
how he got drunk hass4ever been told. I
happened. In a curious way, to be a part
Of 1t. was at that time clerk of
John Sherman's committee, and was
also acting as one OF 8 the reporters Of
the Associated Press. BEhere was a great
crowd In Washington to attend the second
Inauguration Of Presld&Bt Lincoln. and it
was known that the pressure at the, Capt.
only by card. All thendoors were to be
guarded. and I feared-that might have
trouble in getting in. Agclsrk of one of the
Senate committees, had, the right to stay
IN my committee room over night. and I
concluded to sleep there, rather than apply
for card. 1 knew that II I was in the
building they would notsput me out, and SO
stayed. The morning Of the Inaugural
ton was cold, and drizzling rain was fall
Ing. I spent the time prior to the coming
of the crowd with Col. John w. F'orney.
who was secretary of the Senate. We were
sitting In his room. about the fire, trying to
keep warm. when l saw two men come to
the door of the Senate, and one of them
tried to open 1t. He shook 1t and pounded
but no one came, and he finally started
away. AS he did so Col. Forney looked up
AS the man turned he saw his face, and he
Jumped up and said: Why, that is the
Vice President. We must get him in Now
IT was only about half-past TO- and the
u.
It, but Col. Forney tapped on the window
and called to the two men to come to him.
Ihey came up, and l could then see that IT
was Andrew johnson and his DOCTOR
Johnson Jeu1, looked pale and sick: it was af-
terward charged that he had been on
spree the night before, and that he had
come from his drinking without his break
fast to the Capitol
i don't know as to this. At any rate. he
looked worn out Well. we opened the win,
dow and helped him and the doctor in
Beth johnson and the doctor were shiyer-
ing, ana the doctor asked Forney If he had
any whisky. There was black bottle
always Kept at that time in the Secretary's
room, and Mr.. Forney went tc a cupboard
and got it. He placcd.it on the mantel-
piece and set tumbler beside it, Vice
president johnson walked from the fire
over to the mantel and poured out what
seemed to me very big drink. l had never
taken much whisky up to that time, and l
dld not know how much good drink was
L could see, however, that the doctor and
Mr. Forney thought it was considerable.
1t was. l judge. about "a half tumberful.
wee President Johnson swallowed 1t al
most at sulp and then came and sat down
before the fire. AS the flames and the
WHISKY began to warm bis chilled bones 7
could see his spirits rising like the mercury
IN thermometer. He soon became cheer
fuf and grew very talkative. After a time
ne stepped up to the mantel and took an
other drink. though the doctor tried to
dlssuade him. He pushed the doctor aside
WIN d Wofu Oh pieaSdatTy and filled the
tumbler almost to the full Of raw whisky
This he drank almost as rapidly as he did
his first dram. and then went back to the
fire. A moment later 1t was plain to us he
was intoxicated and that he was not fit to
go into the Senate. In the meanwhile the
hour for the inauguration had arrived and
We were told that it was time for us to go
In. 1t was but a few steps from Mr. For
neys office to the Senate chamber. Forney
went first. and then came the Vice Presi-
dent and the doctor. myself following up
the rear. We entered.the Senate chamber
at just about the time for giving the Vice
President the oath OfoDffice, | going up-
stairs to the press gallery. When the oath
was administered, NicerPresident Johnson
evidently did not thinlccthat the ceremony
shouid conclude withOurihis saying some
thinS, and he took advantage of the tppor-
tunity to make speech. The cabinet were
ON one side of him. He turned to them and
addressed each one by name making a Sc
rles OF remarks. ending in every case with
words something like the following: And
| here tell you, Mr.. Seward Secretary of
state, l am a plebeian. man of the peo-
pie ana | am proud it.. He addre ssed
an the other Secretaries In the same way,
ana made Sami-ncoherent drunken
speech, notwithsta ndtnt>ehe efforts of For
ney and others to stop 4fm.'
Estimssssnf me ,Inn.,
do you think. Mr. Acc CdHskh.. that An
drew johnson Gsas. a great man. l asked
YES was the reply, Il would say that
he was great if yaiA Jake him as a poll
tician He was an uEeducated man and
in some respects a weak one. Still, with 1t
all, he had much rugged strength, and he
was greater statesman than he has re-
ceived the credit Of teing.'' y
Nv hat were some of his great weak
nesses?"
'One vas his limited vision He was
you know. from Tennessee, and he never
seemed to appreciate the fact that Ten
hessee was only very small part of this
great naticn His early struggles were af-
ter a reputation and power. in his own
state. He had to fight .hs rd to be elected
to the legislature. to governor and the
Senate, and to BIN TER essee was every
thing. Even after he became President he
looked upon himself as the president of
about twenty Ternessees. and he cared
more for the opinion of the richer and bet
ter-Ered Pee pie of Tennessee than he did
for that of the rest Of the Union. In seek
Ing to appear we'll in the eyes of such peo-
pie he allowed them to Use him. not realiz-
ing that they despised him for doing So"
The Adventures of War COrrc-
spOndent.
''You were correspondent with Grant in
the early part of the war; were you not?'
Yes" replied Nj. McCullagh. II was
with him at Fort Donelson and about
Vicksburg. I saw a great deal of him un-
til he was called east"
How did he impress you? Did you real
ize that he was great gereral?"
mo: I did not. Grant was an exceeding
ly modest man. and the Grant of the close
of the war was a very different man than
the Grant Of the beginning. He grew very
rapidly. He developed through experience
and he seen came to look at war through
other IL an his West Point spectacles. He
saw that each battle had it's own rules of
action and ho laid out his plans irrespec-
tive Of these fixed in the military books
Gen. Sherman, the other hand. was
loaded down with his West Point educa-
ton. He acted as though he was always
marching with a brass band behind him,
and he usually wanted to stop and lay out
a diagram upon the lines of which to move
before he started"
Running the Batteries of Vicksburg.
"You were on the steamer Queen of the
West when she went past the Vickshurg
batteries That must have been an exciting
experience" said I.
YES it was.'' replied Mr.. McCallagh.
eve wanted to get below Vicksburg to cut
off the supplies from coming up the river.
We had expected to start in the early morn
ing. but there was somei delay, and it was
nearly noon before we got Off. There were
seven miles of those batteries. and as we
went down the river infEont Of them they
all opened fire upon uss Cannon halls and
shells whiZZed about ourg boat. We put on