Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-04-28

countrymen. Such a man was Gen.
Grant, born 100 years ago today.
A history OF nations great men
is a history of the nation itself. They
are the mouthpieces Of their age and
give utterance, either in word or deed,
to the collective spirit of their times.
The history, therefore. OF the growth
Of humanity, is found in the history
Of the succession Of great men. He
reviewed briefly some incidents in
General Grants boyhood. his love Of
horses and his great ability as rider
of horses at a very early age. That he
never uttered a profane or obscene
word. "Confound it." was the hardest
expletive he ever gave utterance to.
That at the age Of II he went to Au-
gusta, Kentucky. with a span OF
horses and a light wagon, IL miles
away. He was persuaded to stay
over night in order that two young
ladies could accompany him back, as
they could not be ready before morn
ing. In the meantime the Ohio river
had risen greatly and Grant on his
return, when crossing White Oak
Creek, a tributary Of the Ohio river,
found it was much swollen from the
back water and that after a few steps
found his horses and wagon were
swimming. The girls We're much
frightened and being in the water ia
their waists cried loudly for help.
Grant turned to them and said,
Keep quiet and I will take you safe.
ly across" and he did. He was first
named Hiram Ulysses but when he
went to West Point the Congressman
sent in his name as Ulysses S. Grant
the S. being for Simpson, his moth
ers name. When his father told him
he had been appointed a cadet he
said, II will not CO." His father said
Il think you WILL" and Gen. Grant
says in his memoirs, Thought so
too, If my father did" Thus you see
he was subject to and obeyed his
parents. He was seventeen years of
age at this time. Most boys of that
lage nowadays think their parents
should be subject to them.
He was graduated In good time
from the academy. His class con-
tanned 100 but only 80 succeeded in
graduating and he was 23rd in his
class. There We're two Grants in his
class, Grant E. and Grant L. S., and
his classmates nicknamed him Uncle
Sam. In due time he was married
and several children were born of
this union.
He was assigned to the 4th U. S.
infantry as brevet .nird lieutenant
and served with his regiment with
great distinction throughout the war
with Mexico under Generals Taylor
and Scott, being in every battle OF
that war. He displayed great gall
lantry and military skill and was fire.
quently commended for gallant con-
duct and promoted to first lieutenant
for meritorious conduct. After this
war he served for q time in Califor-
ma and was promoted to captain
His pay was not enough to support
his family and seeing no prospect in
peace for immediate promotion, he
resigned and went home and on to a
farm his wife's father gave her. He
aid all the ordinary work on a farm
but the income was small and he
went to st. Louis AMI into the real
estate business. 1t is said he collect
ed rents and acted as auctioneer. but
the profits We're not enough to sup
port his family and lie went to Ca
lena, Ill, as clerk in his fathers
tannery. And here he was working
as clerk when the tick of the tele-
graph wire told the awful story that
treason had reared its horrid head and
fired upon the flag of our country
waving over the ramparts of Fort
Sumpter in Charleston Harbor and
that President Lincoln had called TO,
'o,o00 volunteers to crush armed re-
bellion. This was April 3rd, 1861
On the 18th he presided at a patriotic
meeting at Galena an' a company of
! volunteers was raised hich he drilled
and went with them to Springfield
He then offered his services to the
government but heard Nothing from
them. He tried to get place on Gen
McClellan's staff and failed. He
/ stayed at Springfield drilling the vol
unteers and one day an Illinois regi-
ment arrived there in a bad state OF
i organization and the governor would
not appoint the man colonel they had
chosen and appointed Grant. He
Drought this regiment to n perfect
| state Of discipline and training and
was ordered to the front. He seized
faducah. Here our first success be-
gan under Grant. Disaster after dis
aster had been our lot Grant finally
after organizing success which was
carried on from the Ohio to the
Gulf and finally to complete the
work of the army Of the Potomac by
leading his troops to the crowning
victory at Appomattox. At the sur
render of the rebel army and Fort
Donaldson he gave the terms to the
rebel commander as Unconditional
Surrender, and his name as Uncondi-
tional Surrender Grant was heralded
all over the country, the L. s. in his
name fitting in perfectly.
Mr. Carleton briefly sketched his
marvellous victorious campaigns, to
the capture Of Vicksburg, the battles
of Pittsburg Landing or Shiloh.
Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain.
Missionary Ridge, and his being
summonsed to Washington, where he
arrived unattended. He went to a
hotel to get accommodations and was
told there was no room vacant except
in the attic. He said that would do
and registered L. S. Grant and son.
me clerk looked at him dumfound-
ed but rooms were forthwith opened
on the ground floor for him. Next day
he met President Lincoln for the first