The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-05-28


81 - ~ been exhsustively written
about as the great emancipator.
but In the American Walhalla . niche near to
his proclaims the fame Of the warrior to whom
Lee surrendered.
Rarely docs It happen that . man who earns
recognition . total failure in life afterward
achieves exalted success This was exactly what
happened however. to Ulysses g. Grant, who not
only struggled through many years Of grinding
and almost hopeless poverty but actually fell into
such disesteem on account Of his inability to
make good" At anything. that people generally
were disposed to look upon him q an undesirable
Derson to employ.
There are people stin living in St Louis who
remember Grant . shabby little man who
brought loads Of cordwood into town and sold II
from door to door. He had been . captain in the
army. but had resigned. and At the period in
question he lived . farm some distance out OF
st. Loais on the Gravois road
But In order to make Il clear how this state OF
ahars came about one must 90 back . few steps
in fact, to the boyhood Of Grant, who was born
At Point Pleasant. Ohio. April 81, 1872. His name
was Ulysses Hiram. His mothed used jokingly
to say to him: BE you don't become use
less!" Not much 10 known about his early youth,
except that at eight years Of age he could ride
horseback standing on one foot He had remark
able skill with horses. and = story is told Of his
volunteering to bestraddle, at 4 circus an unman-
ageable pony which nobody else dared tackle At
the bidding Of the ringmastsr = large monkey
Jumped up behind him the horse. and thence
upon bis shoulders. holding on TO his hair. but
he hung on like grim death. unperturbed.
Another anecdote has to do with horse which
his father sent him to buy How much did your
father tell you to pay for ~" asked the owner
Of the animal "He told me-" replied the boy, TO
offer you $50, and II you would not take that to
make it SIS or even Sse II necessary
Naturally. the man said that the price Of the
horse was $50 Whsreupon the lad added: But
have made Up my mind not to pay you moro
than $50 and you take that or nothing"
He got the horse for $50
1t 90 happened that General Hamer the mem.
ber Of congress from that district. was q friend
Of Grants father. and he took the trouble to
obtain for Ulysses an appointment at West Point.
In sending In the requisite PAPERS, he mixed up
the name Of Ulysses with that Of his brother
Simpson. 20 that young Grant found himself put
down on the roster Of cadets rs u 8. Grant This
accident earned for him at the Point the nick.
name Of Uncle Sam"-afterward abbreviated to
SAM" by which title of intimacy he known
for many years after he left the military academy
He 10 described at this period Of his career as
IN understzed. awkward youth much freckled.
with high spirits. and very careless about his
dress. Many Of his feowcadets, who prided
themselves upon birth and breeding. manifested
an inclination to look down upon him. because he
was only 4 tanners son. While at the Point he
distinguished himself chiefly by his horseman-
ship. aud one leap that he made horseback
at the academy.
Scarce was young Grant graduated from West
Point when he fell iu love with girl named
Dent, the daughter of man who owned consd-
erable farming property on the Gravois road. not
far from st Louis. Her father did not approve
Of the match. but her mother favored 1t, and the
upshot OF It was that they became engaged Then
the Mexican war broke out, in which Grant fought
with credit. and at the termination of the conflict
he went back to St Louis and married the young
lady.
Six years later in 1884 he resigned from the
army. and with this separation from the military
service began a long struggle against poverty.
He was unable to hold on to any sort Of employ
ment. and finally. to help him out his father-in
law offered to give him 40 acres Of the Dent farm
the condition that he would clear the timber
OF Of 1t. This task he undertook, incidentally
building = log house of four rooms in which he
lived with his wife and children
1t was At this time that he made q meager Mv
ing by hauling wood to town and selling 1t on
the streets. Usually he was dressed in worn
out private soldiers uniform But 1t is a matter
Of record that he never lost his cheerfulness
though everything he tried seemed foredoomed to
failure. He defeated in his candidacy for
the place Of surveyor Of ST Louis county, and his
later application for appointment county eng
neer was turned down with the simple indorse
ment, Rejected"
At length he decided abandon his little farm
which he had called by the appropriate name Of
Hardscrabble, and moved with his family to st.
Louis There he tried the real estate business,
but a. usual failed at 1t. AS commonly happens
when 4 man 10 persistenty unsuccessful, friends