Evening journal., 1912-06-08
NEW NEWS or YESTERDAY
Alexander \. StephenS'S
First Meeting With Gen.
eral Grant
By Holland.

Alexander, H Stephens, who was
vice-president of the Confederacy, was
member OF the house of representa-
tives in the session Of the congress
which began with the administration
of President Garfield Mr. Stephens
had many friends on both sides of the
chamber; often these friends gathered
on an evening in his room in a Penn
sylvania avenue hotel which was the
favorite home of many of the south
ern members of congress. and It was
20 sucn gathering that Mr. Stephens
once told OF his first meeting with
General Grant.
1T occurred in January, 1866" said
Mr.. Stephens, shortly after | had
been appointed by President Davis
one Of the three commissioners to
meet and confer with President Lin
coin and Secretary of State Seward
for the purpose Of learning whether
any basis for peace between the north
and south could be secured.
we wrote to General Grant for
permission to pass through the lines
and, in due time, we were shown 10
Grants headquarters / expected 10
see a man in resplendent Uniform, an
arrogant, somewhat imperious and
sclf-conscious man. who would at
tempt to impress us with his dignity
and authority. You may imagine my
! surprise, therefore when, on being
ushercd into General Grants pres
ence, we beheld a man who apparent
/ ly wore no uniform--who had nothing
about him to show his rank except
shoulder straps-and who was busily
writing upon a very rickety table by
the dingy light OF an oil lamp
For some moments ! could not
bring myself to believe that this man
was General Grant He was modest and
unaffected There was not the slight
est indication in his surroundings or
in his manner that he was conscious
that he was the general in command
of the entire Union armies.
He began conversation with us IN a
very quiet and yet cordial manner
and had not talked with him fifteen
minutes before / said to myself: "This
] is one of the most extraordinary men
whom ! have ever met. He has the
simplicity and dignity Of real great
ness. He is a man who is content to
do, to act; he is not man who
struts"
within half an hour I understood
why this man had gained successes
where so many other Union generals
had failed, and from some things
which he said I knew that if the Con-
\ federacy failed our people would re-
ceiVe nothing but kindness and SYM
pathy from this great general.
"The next day we met Lincoln. ]
had not seen him since we served to-
aether in the House of Representa-
tives. i'm 1S4S. He remembered me
| we'll. and he addressed me exactly as
he would have done had we been then
fellow members OF the house. Here
too, was man OF absolute simplicity
of manner, without any self consci'
ousnoss or affectation of greatness
And il occurred TO me while was
chatting. With him upon the missior
which had brought US together tha'
could understand now the reasons
for the perfect sympathy and conf
dence which were maintained betweer
President Lincoln and General Grant
7 don't think that had ever before 81
fully realized what the simplicity o.
true greatness really is.
"WhCn we went away. ana after We
had been passed through the Fedora
lines to our own, ] said to my asso
ciates; II has been our good fortune
10 sec two men who are really grea
and who are free from any atectaiol
OF greatness. The truly great sai'
to my friends. arc men of simple
manners, not puffed up With theil
own Importance.
Copyright, 1912. by f. J. Edwards