The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1908-current, 1912-12-28
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Grant Came to Make His
First Speech.
Persuaded by Rswlins, He Addressed
4 Meeting Near GalenA to Re-
cruIt Company After tho
Attack on Sumter
BY {. j. EDWARDS.

When General Grant became nresi-
dent on March 4, 1869, he made John
A. Rawlins secretary OF war. Shortly
after he had become a major of
a volunteer Illinois regiment In the
first year OF the civil war, Rawllns re
signed that post in order to assume
the duties of assistant adjutant gen
| eral on General Grants stan From
| then on until the close of the war
Rawlins served on Grants staff He
was the youngest of all the men who
served with the great comma der, but,
| nevertheless he was one OF Grants
! closest advisers in military matters
| He also was his chiefs intimate
| friend; and 1t was most natural for
| Grant. when he knew for certainty
| that he would be called upon to make
| up cabinet, to turn to General Raw
| Inns as the one man to fill the Office
| OF secretary of war. But that post
| General Rawlins occupied for a few
months only. He>had contracted con
sumption as the result OF exposure
| during the war, and In September
1869 he died.
One afternoon in 1901 | met the late
! General A. G. Ghetlain, then OF Chi
! cago, who. as resident OF Galena,'
! H., in 1861. had enlisted in the first
! company OF volunteers that left Grants
| home town In defense of the Union.
| asked General Chetlain II he had
| known we'll General Rawlins. who was
| a resident OF Galena AT the time OF
| the war
Indeed did" was the reply, and
/ | remember well the intimacy that
/ existed between him and Grant prior
| to the outbreak of the war. have
| only to shut my eyes now and see
/ them In memory as they sit together
| in Grants fathers leather store earn
estly discussing political questions
| and, most earnestly of all, the one
great question Of the day-would there
| be war between north and south?
But though they often differed on
other questions, on the question of the
possibility of war they were fully
| agreed and of all the men who gath
cred In the leather store from time to
| time to talk the matter over they We're
the only two who felt that war was
surely coming and that it would be
a prolonged struggle. Rawlins thought
! that 1t would take as much as FIVE
years to overcome the south, while
/ Grant would declare that no one could
tell how long 1t would take to do that
And then they would have time of 1t
trying to convince their fellow citi-
zens that they were wrong in the be
lief that, II war did come, the north
would be able to subdue the south in
80 days--an opinion commonly held
throughout the north at that time
And we'll | remember, too contin-
ued General Chetlain, that it was
Rswlins who persuaded Grant to make
the first speech he ever delivered
AS soon as we had received the
news that Fort Sumter had been fred
on, Immediately began to recruit our
first Gslena company, OF which
was elected captain, and with which
Grant went from Galena to Springfield
the state capital, where the company
was mustered IN. 1t was thought
little suburb OF Galena. some three, or
four miles beyond the city limits. and
make \ speech that would urge the
young farmers round about to enlist In
our company. Rawlins was well known
and hkaa IN that community, and !
asfsd bin II be would undertake this
task. He replied that he would be
Aad ia
thought. thar he'd take Captain Grant
with him.
Well. at the appointed time Raw.
Inns and Captain Grant drove out to
the suburb, and Rawlins told me after.
wards that he made brief speech
and then introduced Captain Grant.
saying that the captain had already
served in the United States army in
Mexico and was therefore more compe.
tent than any civilian to address a
meeting called to secure recruits. You
know how backward the captain is ex.
cept before his friends, said Rawlins
Well, without the slightest hesitation
he stood upon the rostrum and made a
very plain and simple but earnest
speech, about Is minutes in length
After ne had finished four or five OF
| the farmer boys came forward and
said that they would. on the following
day. come TO our recruiting office IN
Galena and enlist
so 1t was John Rawlins who in
dueed Grant to make his fiyst speech
and it was Grants success as a speak
er In that little village which led tc
our making him chairman of the greai
mass meeting which day or two late,
was held in our Galena public hall"
Copyright. 1911. by E. J. Edwards Al
Rights Reserved)