Evening journal., 1913-06-09
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How General Grant Tried
TO ECOnOmize
By Holland

Tho late General A. L. Chetlain, OF
Chicago, who began service in the
Civil War as captain of the first
company organized in Galena. ILL.,,
and who, when the war was ended.
was breyet major general said to
me some time IN 1897 that as time
passed and he grew old, he found
himself recalling very wildly some Of
the incidents associated with the en-
listment of the Galena company, in
April, 1861, and few weeks later
some Of his experiences in Spring
field before the regiment to which his
company was attached, went to the
front
Almost all Of the incidents which
recall with increasing vividnoss
each year as grow older were i'm
one way or another associated with
General Grants identification with
our FIRST Galona company of yolun-
teers" said General Chetlain.
There were many little things
which at the time | took no heed of,
al least consciously, but they after
ward we're recalled TO me and with
increasing vividness. All of them
were associated with Captain Grant,
as we then knew him. | presume
there are now in .Galona or some
whore in the West surviving mem
bsrs of our first company, who re-
member az yividly as / do General
Grants identification as Captain
Grant with the organization and
drilling of our company, but / think
I I4. I'LL. -.
tell the history in full OF the man
ner in which Captain Grant. then
clerk in his fathers store, took
charge as drillmaster. aud afterward
accompanied us TO Springfield
81 was very Intimate with Captain
Grant at the time. / had, I'm fact,
been one of his warmest friends in
Galena. our friendship beginning only
"a few days after he came from st.
Louis to begin work as a clerk in
his fathers store
After Grant became colonel of an
Illinois regiment lost track OF him
for year or two excepting that as
soon as he began to gain prominence
| was able to follow his movements.
II shall never forget one almost
pathetic incident that occurred short
ly after our Galena company arrived
in Springfield. Captain Grant and
took rooms at one OF the hotels. He
spent his days In visiting the State
House trying TO find some one who
would bring him to the notice Of Gov
ernor Yates. / was occupied all day
with my company so that | did not
see Captain Grant from breakfast un-
til supper time We usually had our
meals at the same table.
81 noticed after few days that
Captain Grant was beginning to look
worried. He seemed little despond-
ent. He was a very sensitive man
apd for that reason | did not make
any inquiries, but learned to wait
until he thought it worth while to
tell me what it was that worried
him.
"One morning at breakfast, Cap
tain Grant said to me that he would
like to have a moments conversa-
ton with me(in private. / knew then
that he was going to tell me what
Il was that bothered him.
When we we're alone he said to me
that he had about exhausted the
small supply of money he brought
with him from Gaena. He had
about enough to last for two weeks
He spent nothing except for his
board
Il was about to offer to share ms
puse With him when he said that
he had a suggestion to make. He
had made some inquiries and had
discovered that if two persons oc-
cupicd a single room there would be
considerable reduction for charges
for board and lodging. With great
diilidence he asked me If / would
be willing TO let him share my room.
saying that il would make a differ
ence OF four or FIVE dollars a week
in his hotel expenses, OF course
most cordially accepted this propo-
stion. We were room-mates,
think, for two weeks. and that saving
of expense was. | saw, a great re-
lief 20 Captain Grant
What would ! have Thought If I
could have known that the obscure
captain who was in such money dis
tress that he was forced to ask me
to accept him as a roommate was
four years later. TO be acknowledged
as one Of the great military charac-
ters of all history?"
Copyrighted, 1913. by r. b. Ed
wards. All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards Will tell
Of THE Senator Who Did Credit To
His Ancestry s'