Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-06
GEN. GRANT NOT ELIGIBLE
CONGRESS ONLY CAN QUALIFY
HIM FOR G.. A. R. RANKS.
Served With His Father While a
Lad. But Was Not Mus
tered In.

Col John McElroy, candidate for the
Office of commander-n-chiefo of the Grand
Army of the Republic, expresses himself
as being in favor of admitting to MEM
bership in that organization Gen. Fred
D. Grant. son of the late Gen. L. S.
Grant. He says the movement to vet
eranize" Gen. Grant is movement in the
right direction.
For many years Gen. Fred D. Grant
has longed to obtain admission into the
Grand Army of the Republic and the
| comrades of the order have been equally
DESTROYS to have him enter" Col. Neil
roy explained. THE law of the Grand
Army, however, is as simple and severe
as those of the classic Draco. In order
to obtain admission man must have
been mustered into the United States
service between March T. 1881. and April
10, 1865, and have been honorably dis
charged therefrom. This rule has been
maintained with the utmost strictness.
Rule Was Inflexible.
lat the time the first encampment of
the G. A. R. was held in San Francisco.
est discussion, that it would not do to
oSiio thC tlS III tllc SlSliICSt ucSiCS, eftii
for the son of the commander in chief of
all the armies of the United States. and
the man whom next to Lincoln, the or
der holds in greatest honor.
I'm spite of this discourageme the
desire of having Gen. Grant as a COM
rade grows stronger as the years so by
and the memory of his father has risen
in higher and clearer esteem. 1t has been
determined to make another effort and
the way suggested has been to have an
act of Congress authorizing the muster
ing of Gen. Grant into the volunteer
service and honorably discharging him
therefrom at the date of the Vicksburg
campaign, in which he rendered service.
This. 1t is felt, cannot be made a dan
gerous precedent i'm any way, since Gen.
Fred Grant is the only son of q COM
manding general who will satisfy the
strict conditions of the proposed bill.
Wounded at vicksburg.
THE father had the boy, then eleven
years of age, with him on the gunboat
during the intensely critical time when
the war vessels were heating down the
Confederate forts and batteries at Grand
gulf and elsewhere to secure the cross
ing of the river by the army to reach
the rear of Vicksburg. The army was
stripped down very closely, SO that 1t had
to leave all of it's horses behind, and for
many hours during the fighting and ma
neuvering, which secured foothold on
the east side of the river. Gen. Grant
himself was on foot. Naturally the son
OF the commanding officer, a bright, en-
gaging, plucky little fellow. was made a
great deal of by the soldiers. and they
ransacked the country to find him a
pony. which they finally did With this
and his natural soldiership and boyish
activity he was of great assistance to his
father In carrying ORDERS which service
he continued until the army settled down
into it's trenches for the siege of Vicks-
burg. Young Fred received a pretty Sc
we're flesh wound in his leg from some
Confederate who thought he was making
himself too numerous. This sent Fred
home In spite Of his boyish protests.
Bill Ready for Presentation.
"a bill to qualify Gen. Grant for mem
bership Is in the hands Of Capt. John
A. T. Hull, chairman OF the House mill
tary committee, who is warmly inter-
ested in the matter If it. can be made
to satisfy the legal experts in Congress
there will be no difficulty about its pas
sage, since, as before stated, no other
| commanding officer had a son with him in
the field who is now living. Gen. Sherman
had with him his son Willie. who
thought himself a sergeant in the 18th
United States Regiment, wore the uni
| form, drilled and did duty with the men.
much to their and his pleasure. great
grief came to the regiment as well as to
the parents by the death of the boy
from typhoid fever at Memphis Cen
Sherman addressed letter full of elo-
quent pathos to the members of his regi-
ment as to its bereavement by the boys
DEATH