Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-08-10
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the BOYS Of Both AFmles Whilod
Away Life In Camp - Forging Expe-
risncea, Tiresosne Marches - Thrilling
Scenes on the Battlefield.
More Grant Stories.


an Illinois man.
Very well; here they are:
While at Shullsburg a few days ago,
a town nearly as old as Chicago, and
which at one time was the center of
vast lead mining interest, and from
whose mines millions of dollars worth
Of lead have been taken during the last
sixty-five years, l fell in with several
old residents, men who were born at
or in the vicinity Of the old town, now
trim, well built, nicely shaded, clearly
city of about two thousand Inhabitants
One of them-A. A. ToWnsend-whose
father located there in 1927, told about
a visit he made to General Grant in
1880, few weeks after his defeat in
the national Republican convention
which named James A. Garfield for
President. l will let him tell the story.
knowing that Shullsburg was one
of the points frequently visited by
Grant when he was driving through
southwestern Wisconsin selling leather
for Grant & Perkins Of Galena, it oc-
Cured to me that it would please the
general to visit the town and be given
an informal reception. So one day
hitched up my team and drove to Ga
lena, twenty miles away, called on the
general, introduced myself, told him
had been one Of his soldiers and invited
him to visit Shullsburg and give the
people an opportunity to manifest their
regard for him. The general was very
sociable and seemed pleased over the
invitation. He remember Shullsburg
and many of the people there, accepted
the invitation and said it would afford
him pleasure to visit the town and
! meet his ODD friends again. To clinch
it he added: Yes, Mr.. Townsend, you
can say to your people that will come
1.-The day was fixed upon and about
noon on that day carriage containing
four gentlemen, one Of whom was the
general, drove into town. The news
had gone broadcast and everybody for
miles around was in the village to greet
the ex-President, and thousands Of
them were given the pleasure of O
handshake. His soldiers were here in
great numbers.
'"The teachers Of the public schools
arranged to have the general visit
them, a thing he seemed very glad to
do. The children sang and cheered and
the general was called upon to speak to
them | do not remember much he
said, but this l do remember He said:
Children, you can never be too grateful
for the blessing Of this country's match
less public school system. Make the
best possible use of your time. / 4ope
you will grow up to be good men and
women and that you will always have
keen appreciation of the benefits Of
this our great government that cost
Washington and his army so much to
establish and that cost the people a
great deal more to preserve during the
recent war in which some OF your
neighbors and myself acted part
There were more cheers and spatting
Of hands and another song, and then
the general mingled with the people on
the streets and later went over to the
home of George Wetherby, an early
friend and one of his warm admirers,
where there was another reception.
1T was a great day for Shullsburg,
and | guess the old hero enjoyed it as
well as we did
1.-THE party of four drove home that
evening, Grant holding the lines. That
was the last time saw the general, the
last visit he made to Shullsburg, and
it was his first after the war;
Men who had seen him when he was
travelling salesman who saw him that
day said: He looks and acts like the
same Grant 1t struck me that that
fact that since they had seen him as a
leather dealer he had become famous
In four years war, ending with the
greatest character connected with the
war, Lincoln only excepted; consider
ing that he had been President eight
years and been around the worlo. He
had seen many, many changes in those
nineteen years He had held the high
est office his nation could confer. He
had been honored by the heads and the
peoples Of many countries, and yet he
was the same modest, retiring, sturdy
gentleman"
Judge j. w. Blackstone is another
native of Shullsburg. From him l
learned Grant story OF another char
acter. There lived at Hazel Green a
man named John Nagus, something Of
a character. He had a small business
and need for more or less leather.
When Captain Grant came around he
bought stock Of him on two or three
occasions. 1t finally became necessary
for the captain to say to John: 4 can
not let you have any more leather I'M
til you have paid for what has been fur
nished' John promised and Grant, on
each visit, called on him, but could
never collect anything. At last Nagus
became impudent about it. Finally
Grant said to him: .'Mr Nagus, the next
time come to Hazel Green shall ex-
pect that you will settle this bill. Now,
don't forget it,