The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-06
FROM VICKsBURG TO APPOMATOX

but the general would say: Take more,
take more, till the box was empty
1t IS well known that General Grant
] was an admirer of good horsefiesh He
was an excellent rider and ain the saddle
, appeared al his very best He had three
! horses most of the time after I went to
MS headquarters. One, a black pony
captured on the Jeff Davis plantation in
! MISSISSIPPI and branded J.. D., was the
! ahlilal most used in the army of the
| ever saw J. rode the pony many times,
ana horse of better mettle never was
! 5dualeq The cities of Cincinnati and
louisville, each gave General Grant a
me horse The man who rode with the
! general had 10 use his spurs. He gen.
orally kept his horse at a rapid gait
When riding short distance. While rid
/ lnS along the streets in New Orleans in
! 1863 his horse slipped and fell, severely
stunning and bruising the general. 1t
| was several days after he returned to
! camp before the commander attempted
! TO mount horse and then aids carried
him 10 the saddle. Once seated, however,
| all lamenesS seemed forgotten, and touch
InS the horse with the spur he galloped
| on at a reckless speed as though no
! accident had ever occurred.
In his estimate of the abilities of the
| generals of the armies think it is safe
! TO say Sherman stood first. For John a.
/ Logan he perhaps entertained the warm
! est personal feelings His friendship for
this brilliant soldier was very pro-
! nounced- General Thomas he considered
/ a. safe man and an indomitable fighter.
! Sheridan was one of his especial favorites.
/ He considered this dashing soldier almost
| invincible. Sheridan was consulting with
General Grant when the defeat of his
army at Winchester occurred. Gdlloping
away from our headquarters the heroic
officer rode back to his democrat iZed men
to wrest victory out of the hands of the
eXulting enemy as history has told in
one Of the popular epics of the war.
General Grants confidence in Sheridan
was strikingly shown by an incident
Which came under my observation the
day of the Winchester affair. On the
afternoon OF that day | rode out TO the
| hospital tents with the general. They
were about a mile from our hea dquarters
The confederates had made a movement
around our left flank and captured a
herd of cattle belonging to the commits
sary As we rode through the hospital
grounds d wounded veteran hobbled out
of a tent on his crutches and saluted
the general saving as he DID SO, The
enemy stole some Of your cattle today.
! Yes, but they have paid for them by
this time, General Grant replied, looking
at his watch, as he made the remark
victory thrilled the whole army with
enthusiasm. Our commanders faith in
Sheridan had been prophetic.
There were many generals under
Grant whom he regarded as soldiers of
great ability. l have heard him speak in
very high praise of several who are
hardly ever mentioned now. He never
sought TO deprive any man of his merited
honor. He was apparently without
trace of military jealousy. \ more mag
unanimous man l believe never held great
power.
General Grants courage was supreme.
No man could face danger with more
perfect composure. He did not seem TO
know the meaning Of peril when DUTY
called him to risk his life. A have seen
MIN under fire many times and he always
displayed the same unfinching GOODNESS.
He would take great risks sometimes in
order to get a better view of d battle
field. I have seen the aids urging him
back from an exposed position ana a.
most seeming to interpOse their own
bodies between the general and the
enemy's fire. He would not have about
him a man who grew nervous at the pros
pect of danger
death by very slight margin. We We're
breaking camp at Spottsyivania Court
House. and under the fire Of a confedera-
ate battery. All of the headquarters
eouipage had been moved except camp
stool and on this the general was sitting
while the shells of the enemys guns
shrieked over our heads. Captain Hudson,
one of the aids and myself We're the
only persons with the commander
shell had burst above us and fragment
Of the missile had buried itset IN the
ground near where ] stood. l was Dig
cling out the piece of shell with suck
when the noise of another shot caused
me to look up. a shell passed Just over
the generals head, not missing him ap-
parently but few inches, and struck
the ground about 80 feet away Wlthout
showing the slightest nervousness, ne
called to the officer, saying, HUDSON, get
that shell and let's see what kind OF am
munitiOn that battery IS using. captain
Hudson went and picked up the smell,
and the general examined 1t as coolly as
though there was not an enemy's gun
within hundred miles OF him.
AT the Wilderness L saw dlStln-
guished general and a brave soldier, too,
lose his composure and dash up TO the
commander in the widest excitement
The fury of the battle was then terrlhc.
A portion of the army was giving way IN
confusion and hope deserted many
stout heart as the thunder OF cannon
reverberated through that Virginia WOODS.
rounded by doubling and despalrlng
officers, the great leader stood unmoVeo,
and met his agitated associates with per
"a feature of the inside of the gen
erals apartment at headquarters con-
sisted of military maps. Ihey coVerSu
almost every foot OF space on lle walls Walls
of MS room. J. r. Barnard ana cyrus
Comstock were the two civil engineers
whom 1 remember best. They We're very
capable men in their line OF WORK anu
no branch of the service was more m
nortant than this. The maps were cor
rected or enlarged daily as the many
changes in the positions OF the armies
throughout the vast war territory re-
= did not go out to see the surrender
of General Lee. 1t was great DAY LOT |
all of US at headquarters MANY u jim
nant cifiZens went out to witness the sur |
render. got horse for United te ,i STATES
Senator Elihu b. Washburne, OF lllh0is, |
to ride out to AppomattoX. remember |
the event Of General Grants. . return Ito 10
hea douarters after the surrender as Wen
as anv other incident of the war; L
think there were not more than than three
nersons present when the general came
in and took a seat at a table TO write:
He looked up with some expression OF OF
animation and remarked; more OF
Grants Mckr This was an allusion TO.
the newspaper critics who had been in
the habit Of calling his cussess luckl
Then he exclaimed. without addressing
any one particularly. Now for Mexico
f5e was a strong believer in the Monroe
doctrine and the affairs beyond the Rio
Grande were then quite threatening to the
neighboring republic. This little COM
ment on the surrender of Lee was the
only word of eXultaIion ever heard from
the victorious soldier. 1t was a very
sight expression of triumph to follow
such a stupenrous achievement.
u. CLAY NEVILLE.
WILL, TREAT CONSERVATIVES.