The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-09


todayl
towering and gorgeous palaces of the
worlds fair than was the contrast in
the conditions of the man who within
a decade from the time he left Hard
scrabble cabin well nigh penniless and
recognized failure as farmer
stepped into the White House at Wash
ington as the chief executive of the
nation. But some tremendously sig
nifieant events occurred in that decade
in which the one time poor and al
most respondent farmer played con-
spicuous part. Of these events all the
world knows. Perhaps it does not
know SO much of the long, tedious.
notwithstanding years of struggle which
this primitive log structure represents.
"Hardscrabble House." which Ulys-
ses s. Grant chose to call the first home
Of his own. was built by his own hands
In the fall Of 1855 on portion of the
estate of Colonel Frederick Dent, his
father-in-law, out on the old Grayois
road nine miles from this city. where
it stood for nearly half a century. The
place was appropriately named, for
here young Grant. who had just re-
signed from the army after having
graduated from West Point and fought
bravely through the Mexican war. had
a hard scrabble to support himself and
family. A few years before his resig-
nation, then gallant young lieutenant
stationed at jefferson barracks, he had
courted and married the daughter OF
Colonel Dent. Later he was trans
ferred to Sockets Harbor, N. Y, sub
sequently to Fort Vancouver, on the
northern Pacific coast. and thence to
Fort Humboldt, CAL, 200 miles above
San Francisco. His pay as an army
officer was small, much less than army
officers of the same rank receive to-
day. He could not take his wife and
little son, now General Frederick Dent
Grant around the Horn to his distant
post, and in those days a journey
across the continent was for them out
of the question. He sent Mrs. Grant
and the child to his fathers home in
Ohio, and shortly after his departure a
second son was born. Later Mrs. Grant |
and her children went to live at White
Haven, her birthplace. the home of
Colonel Dent.
But the young soldier loved his wife |
and babies. and the separation from |
them was uncomfortable. So while sta
toned on the Pacific coast in April, |
1871. on the very day he had received |
captains commission. he rendered
his resignation from the army, to take
effect the last day of the July follow
ing. At the expiration of that time he I
started east, going first to his early t
home IN Ohio. where he seems to have /
been received rather coldly by his fa /
theF. who is said to have been deeply
Inundated by his eldest sons retire
ment from the military service, in
which he had expected him to win Clio
~ and renown. These came later. But
that is another story.
After brief visit with his parents
Captain Grant came to ST. Louis and
rejoined his family at Colonel Dents
home Thirty-two years of age, with d
wife and two children, one of whom he
had never seen, he had abandoned the
military profession and its pay and
was facing the future without cent.
Thus Captain Grant began the es-
adjustment of home. Colonel Dent
setting aside tract of about eighty
acres on the old home farm for his use.
He did not give Grant deed to the
land. He simply, for JuIia's sake, gave
the Mexican war veteran permission
to take it and do what you can with
e Colonel Dent. like Jesse Grant.
was not well pleased with the man
who had married his daughter. The
colonel was southerner, of considera-
Bile means. a successful. substantial
citizen. Old neighbors of the Dents
still recall uneompl imentary language
used By Colonel Dent in abiding to
Captain Grant
But. this did not discourage the 81