Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-04-23
Civil War Stories
No Fine Feathers for Grant.

1t happened that in the midwinter of
1896 Commodore Van Santvoord was
called to Fortress Monroe. One of the
commodore's steamboats,, the River
Queen, had been chartered by the gov
eminent and it was in connection with
this charter that the commodore was
called to Fortress Monroe. After the
done the commandment OF the fort said
to the commodore that he had just re
ceived dispatches from General Sher-
man for General Grant They were
the first written dispatches that had
come from Sherman after his capture
of Savannah. IF you want to see
General Grant you can have a good
opportunity through acting as my mes
senger in taking these dispatches to
MIN. Will give you a pilot who will
take the River Queen up to City Point, -
said the commandant
Commodore Van Stantvoord was, of
course, greatly pleased to have an OPP
portunity to meet General Grant, but
Queen ashore at Harrison's Landing,
just at nightfall. The dispatches for
Grant were sent forward by a messen-
ger and delivered 10 General Meigs, but
the commodore and his friends were
obliged to remain upon the River Queen
all night In the morning the steam
boat got out of the false channel and
went to City Point, where one of Gen
eral Meigs' assistants met the commo-
dore and his party. He escorted the
| party to General Grants headquarters.
In few moments the log hut or
| cabin which was Grants headquarters
came in view and the commodore saw
standing in the doorway clutching firm
ly the door jamb a man in a shabby
uniform and wearing a SLOUGH hat He
was looking intently at the approaching
| party. The commodore asked what
| that man was ana the orderly with a
half smile replied; THAT is the man
| who is running the machine" And al
! though the commodore had met General
! Grant number of times. yet he did
not recognize him in his shabby uni
form and well worn hat. Grant, how
ever, greeted the party very cordially
| He led them into the single room that
was his headquarters. A roaring fire
was blazing upon the open hearth. Gen.
eral Grant chatted with them little
while and then spoke of the dispatches
while he had received through Their
aid the night before. He said it was
the first communication he had had
from General Sherman, and spoke OF
the magnitude of the achievement
which had at last brought sherman and
his army to the scene. Upon all that
had been done Grant felt free to con.
verse apparently with full expression
of opinion and with the most glowing
army. But of what was yet to be done
he was, as ever, silent. After a few
moments he seemed to forget that any
one was with him and sat staring In.
! tently at the fire as though his whole
| mind was concentrated with all It's
power upon some vast problem
At last he looked away from the
blazing logs at the company, and then
said quietly and grimly, Gentlemen
1t Is big thing" And although the
expression was laconic and was merely
an echo Of the colloquialism. almost the
slang Of the day, yet the tone In which
J 1t was said, the intense earnestness
which seemed to shine through Grants
! eyes as he spoke, gave to this party a
full and perhaps first realization that
| this silent man, undemonstrative. mod
est, without any self-consciousnes or
| heavy dignity, had full realization OF
| the gigantic nature Of the task which
| he had undertaken, and in which Sher-
man and Sheridan had so thoroughly
co-operated with him. which had for its
purpose the bringing of the Civil war to
an end Philadelphia Press.