The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14
A YOUNG BOY IN BATTLE
COL. FRED GRANT WAS IN FIVE BAT
TIES BEFORE HE WAS THIRTEEN.
Descriptions of Gen. Grant Behind the
Scenes and i'm the Field-Why He
Desired a Third Term.
Copyrighted. 1897. by Frank G. carpenter)

grows more and more like his father every
day. He has, at forty-six, about the same
features his father had at the close of the
war. He has the same square face. the
same blue eyes and the same quiet manner
which were characteristic of our greatest
general. Colonel Grant is just as unassum-
ing as his father was. Talking casually
with him you would never imagine that his
life had been one of thrilling experiences;
that he had been in five great battles be-
fore he was thirteen years OF age; that he
had done hard fighting with the Indians on
our Western frontiers; that he had been one
of the honored guests with General Grant
on his tour around the world; that he had
been United States minister to Austria. and
that he was now one of the three commits
sioners of the greatest and most turbulent
city on this hemisphere. Colonel Grant sell
dom speaks about himself or his father and
it was only by questioning that L was able
to draw from him the "reminiscences which
1 give to-day.
During the chat I asked him what he
| thought of the matter that is now being
| published about General Grant He replied
| that the most of il was unreliable. Said
| he: "A great part of the stories which are
| told made up Of talks with men who
| knew my father as a boy and who, through
lapse of time and memory deal in exag-
| gerated statements To read those stories
you would suppose that fathers family was
very poor and that they sometimes lacked
the necessities of life. This is not so. Ny
grandfather was not rich for these times.
but he was the richest man in his vicinity.
1t was not common then to send BOYS
away to school, Still, father was sent to
school at Maysville, KY, where he had to
pay his board. Another statement is that
my father was a poor student / do not
believe this. 1 know my grandfather often
asked me why did not like my books bet
| ter and study more like my father Father
stood well at West Point. He was not the
| highest, it is true. but he was by no means
the lowest. That he did not stand higher
was due to the library. He had, you know,
lived in the country, where books are
| scarce. When he got to West Point he
found a fine library there, and this he has
often told me was like new world to him.
He was not graded upon his reading out
side of his studies. but 1 venture that he
| received great good from it,
WHY HE WANTED A THIRD TERM.
Was your father very ambitious man.
| colonel?"
II think not" replied Colonel Grant.
| His only desire seemed to be to do what
! was before him."
How about politics? Did he not desire
| third term?"
40. L don't think So we the reply
| Father was willing to take third term
| almost entirely on patriotic reasons. He
| believed he could be of great help to the
American people. He had just returned,
| you know. from a trip around the world.
| He made that trip just at the close of his
| administration, and he studied the rest of
| the world from the standpoint of a Presi-
! dent. / believe the United States would
| have been greatly benefited by him had he
| had another term. Had he been elected
again he would have brought about diplo-
matte relations which would have brought
US the bulk of the trade of the Orient. This
| would have meant an increase TO us of
more than hundred million dollars a
year. He would have made the United
| States the leading country of the world in
the eyes of the far East, and we should
have been looked upon as its protector and
| friend"
Speaking of our foreign trade, Colonel
| Grant, had your father any ideas of reci-
procity a means of increasing it?"
Yes" was the reply. General Grant
was. in fact, the real author of reciprocity
as an American policy. While he was Pres
| ident ii became advisable to decrease the
revenues, and there was movement in
| Congress to take the taxes off of coffee and
tea, which articles were then called the
poor mans luxuries.' Father sent for
James G.. Blaine, who then in Con-
Ngress. and told him. what-afterwards prove
to be the fact, that if the United States
took the tax off of coffee Brazil would add
export duties equal to the amount taken
off, and the people would have to pay the
| same for their coffee nevertheless. He ad-
vised Blaine TO make the reduction the
basis of reciprocity treaty, which should
| prevent such action by Brazil, and at the
same time increase our trade. Mr.. Blaine
liked the idea, but he said that the cry of
the poor mans Injuries had been made
so prominent that he did not know that the
matter could be arranged He kept father S
suggestion in mind. however. and from it.
believe. evolved the reciprocity scheme
which is now connected with his name"
A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD IN BATTLE
The conversation here turned to Colonel
Grants war experience. His father took
him TO the field with him when he was
only twelve years of age. He was with
Grant i'm battle again and again through
out the war. and was close to him during
the whole of the Vicksburg campaign. Al
this time he was wounded and he had
many narrow escapes. | asked him how
the general happened TO allow him TO come
to him.
He replied MY father liked TO have me
with him. | suppose he wanted me to see
something of the-war. ] was only twelve
years of age and was at school at Coving.
ton. KY. in 1865, when he wrote me that
7 could join him in the field. / met him "A
Young's Point, where he just before
he attacked Vicksburg. | remember the
first thing i did or my arrival was TO visi
the Sunboat Benton with him. This wa:
the flagship of Admiral Porter. / wa:
shown over the gunboat while father talked
to the admiral ard I have since under
stood that while / was absent father frs
suggested passing the batteries at Vicks
burg. II was this suggestion that brought
about the campaign which was afterwarf
carried out
Were you on the boats when they RAJ
the battery" l asked.
Yes. i with father We had ST,
gunboats and three transports. The gun
boats were TO engage the enemy while tn,
transports got by. | remember there wer,
bales of hay packed around the boilers II
order to protect them. The night we startes
ii was very dark. All OF our lights wer,
put out. We left about 10 o'clock. We ha,
not gone far, however. before rocket wen
m from the shore Then "a cannon hal