The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-21

mand by Capt. McAllister. then Quar-
termaster at Cairo, ILL.,, on board his
headquarters boat. / had considerable
correspondence with the General after
taking command of the gunboats about
cooperation between the army under
his command and my boats, but had
never seen him. Supper was being
served when there entered the room
with Capt. McAllister, a man in citi-
zen's clothes. covered with dust and ap-
parently travel-worn. The Captain
| brought him directly to me and intro
duced him to me as General Grant. We
took n seat at table by ourselves.
Without noticing the victuals or drink
| ables he plunged at once into the sub
| ject of making a combined move on
| Vicksburg. He asked me how soon ]
could be ready to move, and what force
l had. / answered him that l could
move at once, and gave him the num-
Der of vessels / could send down the
river. He said: L will leave at once
and will communicate with Sherman
to have 10000 men ready to start for
Vicksburg by the time you get to Mem
phis to convoy him. I shall move with
a large force in the direction Of Grenada
to draw Johnston and Pemberton away
from Vicksburg as far as possible
With this he arose and bid me good
night. The conversation did not con-
sumo more than twenty minutes. He
partook neither of food nor drink while
on the boat Had he been q drinking
man / am sure he would have INDUCED
in some kind of a stimulating drink
that evening He had ridden many
miles on horseback, and he returned
| s.,l,A L., he
recall distinctly that / urged him to
take food and drink, but he declined
both"
1 can testify of my own knowledge
that on two occasions when other
great generals and distinguished naval
officers INDUCED more or less in wines
and other liquors in his company he
touched neither. The first was on
board Porter's flagship Black Hawk,
just above Vicksburg, and Immediately
before the passage of the gunboats
and the army by vicksburg prepara-
tory to the advance up the Big Black
General Grant and most of his staff
accompanied by several of his corps
commanders. went aboard Of the flag
ship to meet Admiral Porter and other
naval officers, for the purpose of de.
termining the details of the contem-
plated move. During the evening lun
cheon was served, and the punch bow
was kept filled. officers drank at theil
pleasure, and most of them were
pleased to drink. General Grant par
took of some plain food, but touched
not a drop of wine or other liquor:
, during the evening, except when eat
ing he smoked necessarily.
: AFTER VICKSBURG'S FALL.
: The other occasion was after the fal
: of Vicksburg. The Confederate bar
had been hauled down and the glor
ious Stars and Stripes had been run vi
I in their stead over the fallen strong
: hold, and our vessels lying above AM
below, with bunting flying, ran up ant
down by the city. The flagship tiet
l up at the wharf. Soon after Genera
! Grant and his staff, together with sew
: eral of his corps commanders, rod
down to the Black Hawk, dismounted
= and went aboard to have a genera
5 handshaking with the navy people
E Everybody was happy and such
E hearty meeting of the army and nav
as occurred on that boat that da
l probably was never witnessed befor
e or since. Admiral Porter placed at tn
l disposal of the visitors all the liquor
2 he had on board, which consisted prin
:, cipally of catawba wine. There wa
3 drinking, handshaking, congratula
D tions, and jolly speeches galore. Gen
e eral Grant looked happy, and was tn
real hero of the occasion. He had lit
tie to say, but it was plain to be see
that it was one of the happiest hour
of his life. The inseparable cigar wa
J. in his mouth, but not a drop of win
, or liquor passed his lips.
e Referring to this same occasion Ad
e miral Porter wrote: Gen. Grent de
= clined every offer of stimulant, an
e contented himself with a cigar, and th
t was his habit during all the time h
!, commanded before Vicksburg, thoug
|, the same detractors who made falls
= Misrepresentation of him in miltar
V matters misrepresented him also i
: the matter of using intoxicatin
{ liquors"
e Such testimony as this ought to /
= worth something to those who desire I
o know the truth as to Gen. Grant
T drink habit.
Il TESTIMONY OF BELKNAP.
n A few days before the death of Gel
G w. w. Belknap he was in my rool
f at the Capitol, and in a conversatio
e about Gen. Grant 1 asked him if he ha
e ever seen Gen Grant under the influenc
It of intoxicants. NO" said he, II nevt
n did, and don't believe anybody else eve
S did" In very emphatic way he adde
= words like the following: Il never sa
: him drunk, half drunk, nor quart,
= drunk. In fact I never saw him tai
a drink of liquor of any kind durin
IS the years l was so intimately associa
S ed with him. I'll tell you what / hay
It seen him do, though. 1 have seen hi
y refuse to touch liquors many. mar
times, when If he had been a drinkir
= man he would not have declined. YC
W can make an entry in your note boo
% If you want to that Gen. Grant neV,
d INDUCED in the use of liquors of an
= kind, and that the stories to the col
e trary are without any foundation
e fact"
y 1t seems to me that If the statement
IT so often heard that Gen. Grant was az
= dicted to the use of intoXicants, an
g was actually in the habit of gettir
T. drunk, were founded on truth, some r.
l. liable evidence of the charges and il
y situations could be had without ar
g trouble whatever, The testimony is q
Is the other way. 1t is time that men ar
Is women who talk so flippantly abol
IS this subject should be made to fe
ID how serious a matter II is to say thinl
that reflect upon the memory of a GOO