The San Francisco call., 1896-04-20
GRANT, THE MAN.
His Style of Living and Dressing, as
Told by a Veteran.


His Style of Living and Dressing, as
Told by Veteran.
Here is a story of q. S. Grant, told by
George B. Merrick Of Chicago, veteran
and an editor:
Before the war I ran the river as
steamboating was known in the early
days. My first acquaintance with the
greatest military genius of modern times
began while engaged IN that business, be-
tween 1857 and 1861. During one season 1
was running as second clerk on the steamer
Fanny Harris. We ran into Galena, seven
miles up Fever River, then navigable
stream. Galena was at that time dis
tributing point, as well as center of the
lead industry. Among its wholesale firms
was that of Grant & Son, leather, saddlery
and harness dealers, and among their en-
ployes was the future general of our
armies. He was then shipping clerk. As
mud clerk it was my duty to check up all
shipments as the goods were hauled to the
levees on drays, and receipt for the same
to the shipper. U. S. Grant was the clerk
to whom the boy receipted for Grant &
Sons sh pments. Remembering him, as
do now, as only one of many business
men with whom / came in contact, my
impression is not as distinct as it is of the
general whom last met at Washington in
1866. My impression is that the last time
| saw him In Galena he had a mustache,
not the full beard familiar TO the men of
Vicksburg, Chattanooga and Petersburg.
When the war opened we all went our
ways, and the name OF Grant at Belmont
awakened no response in the mind Of the
cub pilot on the Mississippi, conn. citing
the fighting colonel with the saddlery
business at Galena. Our chief pilot, Tom
Burns, had raised a company at Gaiena,
posed principally of river men, pilots.
engineers, mates and rousta bouts, and his
name was greater than Grants among the
river men who had not yet caught the war
fever.
I'm February, 1864. was detailed from
the West to the War Department for spe-
cial service. Grant had made great name
as d igbter and winner of battles. There
was much discussion among the detailed
men as to his probable success in handling
the Army OF the Potomac. 1t was claimed
by the Eastern men that he had fought
only the second-rate military men in the
West. When he met Lee he would fail, as
other promising generals had failed. We
Western men in the War Department N aim
tanned that he would whip Lee, as he had
Johnson, Beauregard, Bragg and Pember-
ton; or, failing, IL would be because he did
not have his Western troops to back him.
Il saw Grant at City Point in 1864 after
the repulse at Petersburg and once or
twice at Washington during the months
following. 1t was not until after the fall
of Richmond and the surrender of john
ston that l met the Galena man to speak
with him.
sit will be remembered that after the
assassination of President Lincoln men
held their breath, wondering what would
upon Grant. The volunteers estimate of
the loyalty and patriotism of Andy john
son in that crisis was not high. Had the
threatened differences come TO choice
between Johnson and Grant the armv
would assuredly have followed Grant, and
no one will question that Grant would
have done what he deemed best for the
Union. 1t was at this time that resumed
my acquaintance with Grant.
MANY War Department employees
lunched at little oyster-house on G street,
just off Seventeenth. We dined in verv
democratic manner, standing at a tail
counter and eating half dozen raw and
drinking a cup of coffee. ignoring tie
high-priced and high-toned Restaurants,
General Grant sauntered over from his
headquarters in the Windsor building.
and, standing at the counter, finished his
half-dozen like the rest Of us, took cigar
and walked around the block for exercise.
l was dressed in a private's uniform, and
knew the far-apartness Of boy in the
ranks and a acknowledgement, but, pre-
suming on the fact that the war was over
and upon the common interest we had in
old times in Galena, | one day took my
stand alongside the general, and dur
ing pause in the lunch | intro
duced myself. AT once General Grant was
shipping clerk in Galena, and as eager to
know the fate of the river captains, clerks
ane pilots, mutual acquaintances, as | was
willing to communicate what / knew of
them. We C latted for fully half an hour,
discussing the changes that the war had
made in the circle of our acquaintance
and the changes that had already come, or
would come, to the West and to the COM
merce of the Mississippi.
~ saw the general often after that dur
ing the two years OF my stay in Washing
ton, but never again spoke with him. The
fact of his democratic style of living and
dressing. for he never wore his uniform
buttoned and laced as the regulations re-
quired and his condescension, as it might
be deemed, in conversing with private in
public place, all indicated character
uninfuenced by changed conditions and
untainted by success. The political and
scholastic biography of Grant will define
ate him as grea general planning cam
paigns and winning battles; the popular
history which will take hold ON the lives
as well as the imaginetions of the Young
men of the Nation, as well as upon the in !
terest of the old men who followed him,
will show him to have been plain man,
ha rd- WORKING cauo afi mao unfnrt N oa -,