Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-07-03
Grant, Ingalls,, Suck


cial letter from General Lees head
quarters are still sacredly preserved,
and the ink and the sentiment eX-
pressed are alike unfaded:
Headquarters Army of Northern
Virginia Dear General Accept
through me the congratulations of the
General commanding and the whole
army. My best wishes in addition.
Yours truly, w. H. Taylor, Acting Adj
jutant General"
Some days later there came through
the Federal lines beautiful silver cup
engraved, For George e. Pickett, Jr.,
from his fathers friends"
Grant was at West Point at the
same time as Pickett, but in the class
ahead OF him. In the Mexican war,
where they fought together under the
same flag, and through the long con-
test of later years, when they were
on opposite sides, the old friendship
never died. After the war, when the
General and l were homeless eXiles in
Canada, our beautiful house on the
James having been burned by Butler,
and General Grant was Lieutenant Gen
eral of the United States army, he
wrote a letter to General Pickett Gin
March, 1860 In it he said: Il am
sorry, Pickett, your wise advisers up
by the throne there in Washington
should have forced upon you the ne
cessity of going away. 1t was not at
all necessary; for, had it required an
other war, the cartel between General
Lee and myself should have been car
ried out, and you ought to have known
it,
The first time | ever spoke to Gen
eral Grant was at the Washington rail
way station. Not long after he became
President Of the United States he sent
an invitation to me and the baby and
an order to General Pickett to come
and visit him.
Hello, Pickett! Up to your old war
tricks, coming in ahead Of the tram "
he said, as we came upon him sitting
in his carriage at the station, innocent
ly waiting, not knowing that the train
had arrived. He referred to an Incl
dent during the war,
My first sight of Washington was
from the Presidents carriage. Mrs
Grant was beautiful hostess, and all
went we'll till night came, whe l was
so afraid that my baby would cry and
disturb our hosts that l could hardly
sleep. The next day, upon speaking
of my uneasiness, the President said:
Let the baby do just what he
pleases. The whole place belongs to
him"
One evening when we were reminis-
cling L told Mrs. Grant of having seen
her before, when General Pickett, who
loved to tease me, repeated, much to
my disnay, my belligerent remarks on
that occasion and the argument which
he had used to curb my anxiety.
and do you know, Pickett, Grant
interrupted, relieving my embarrass-
ment that once we were foolish
enough to think seriously of having an
operation for that? We had consult
ed the best surgeons and been assured
that it was a very simple thing and not
cided to have it done. But l got to
worrying about it more and more, and
the more l thought of it the more |
didn't want my wife's eyes changed
even the least little bit from what they
had always been. Well, all the ar
rangements had been made; the hour
for the operation was almost at hand.
We were alone. l stood watching her
put the last little odds and ends into
her handbag All was ready, and we
started to go. My hand was on the
knob of the door, when | stopped, turn
ed, and, looking around at her, said
"'My dear, 1 know that l am very
selfish and ought not to say what L
am going to; but l don't want to have
your eyes fooled with. They are all
right as they are. They look just as
they did the very first time | ever saw
then-the same eyes / looked into
when | fell in love with you-the same
eyes that looked up to mine and told
me that my love was returned. l have
felt and seen that expression in them
through all the years since then, and
| don't want it changed now. This
operation might make you look better
to other people; but to me you are
prettier as you areas you were when
first saw you. No, my dear, l should
miss the way you've always looked,
and I don't want any changes. So, if
you don't mind, please let's keep your
dear eyes just as they always have
BEEN
''She looked up with a surprised joy
and said: why, it was only for your
sake that l was even thinking of hav-
ing anything done, and if you feel that
way about it, II
"Well, Pickett, / was glad, and she
was glad. l united the bonnet strings
| had watched her tying 50 carefully,
threw the bonnet on the floor, l believe,
and took her by the hand, and we
turned and walked back into the room,