Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-04-27
Ry GEN. JAMES H. WILSON.

history should I've definitely fixed.
lr vas born April 81, 1922, at Point
l'r - B.. Ohio; was graduated from
We, t'oint in ls43 at the age Of 2l,
lcing twcnty-hrst in a class of thirty
nlne, IN which the leading men were
William Il. Franklin, Joseph j. Rcy-
nolds, James A. Hardic, Frederick
steele and Rufus Ingalls,. He served
with the Fourth Infantry in the Mexi-
can War from 1S46 to lS4S, winning
the brcvct Of Captain. He spent two
wears in garrison duty in the States
and then went with his regiment by
way of Panama to the Pacific coast,
where he served till July, 1854, when,
on account Of misdemcanor, he found
Il necessary TO resign. Rejoining his
family st st. Louis, he became farmer
and later clerk in the family leather
store at Gslcna.
While living az Galena he became |
acquainted with John A. Rawlins and
T.. r. Washburne, and st the outbreak |
of the war these three became fast |
friends.
L. :. Grant Heard the Union Speech
Of Rawllns
Rawlins had been the Douglas Dem
ocratic candidate for Presidential Elec- |
tor. and on the first night after the |
surrender of Sumter n largo and en-
thuslastic non-partisan public meet
ing was held At Galena. The original
Democrats had not yet committed
themselves. hut depended upon Raw
Inns To make a partisan reply TO the |
speech which il was almost certain T. |
". Washburne, Republican member OF
Congress, would deliver AZ this meet |
ing. As il turned out, this speech was
strongly for the Union, and when 1t
was finished loud call broke out from
the audience for Rawlins, who slowly
made his WAY from the ground TO the
platform and with deliberatIon made
formal reply in which he recitcd the
history If the Democratic party from
the date of its organization TIL the
rebels Of South Carolina fired upon
and captured the national fort IN the
harbor Of Charleston. After solemn
paase he broke forth in words which
should never bc forgotten; II have
been Democrat all my life, but this
Is no longer a question of party poll
tics IL is simply question OF union
ur diSunion, country or no country.
have favored ah honorable compro-
misc. but the day for compromise is
pasi Only one course is left for us
We will stand by the flag of our coun-
try and appeal to the god OF battles"
Decided to Offer His Services TO
the Union.
The old Democrats we're overwhelmed
hv Rawlnss speech and the meeting
broke un shouting loudly for the Union.
II so happened that Ulysses 5. Grant,
tho ey-arrnv officer, was at the meeting
and on his way home declared to his
brothers for whom he was ccrking
that he was for the Union and intended
tn offer his services TO the War Depart
mcnt AZ Washington. A few days later he
VISITED Springfield with the first COM
psnv raised at Gslena in compliance
with the Presidents call for the three
months volunteers. Shortly after this
Grant went TO Covington 20 call upon
hls family and incidentally also upon
ten. Mcclellan, who had already
heon assigned TO command Ohio troops
FL Cincinnati. For a reason never
satisfactorily explained Mcclellan could
not be found, although Grant, his
old companion in the Mexican war,
called twice at his headquarters; but
'aihng to find him or to get an audience
he went back TO Springfield and thence
to his old home in ST. Louis. This
trip kept him eight OF ten days, al
the end OF which time he returned 70
Springfield and took a clerkship in the
Governors Office. Fortunately, h!s
knowledge of the State governments
requirements at this iuncture made
him ve-y useful in organizing and equip
ping th, forthcoming regiments.
Appoin ment Of Grant rs Colone
of 2lst Illinois lnfa ntry.
In due time the Twenty-frst lllinoi
infantry turned up with an incompetent
commander, whereupon between th'
Adjutant-G General and the Governo
Of Illinois Grant was appointed Colone
of that regiment and sent TO comman,
Il in camp. In short while he wa
ordered, with the new regiment, 10 tn
Mississippi River and st once asked per
mission 20 march il in that direction onth
declaration that this would soon CIV,
h,m the confidence Of the reglmenta
officers and men. This wa. granted
and by the time the regiment hai
reached the Mississippi Grant wa
master Of il. In short while there
after he met several other regiment
and among them one commando
by General Prentiss, also of lllinoi:
who thought himself senior, but O
Grants original rank OF captain i
the Mexican war gave him prior ran
over all other generals of the sam
grade he took command for sewers
weeks in central and western Mis-
sOuri.
And now comes another change i
Giants fortunes. The three month
men had soon worked out their teri
OF enlistment, whereupon the Presiden
sent for l.. B. Washburne, who wa
then serving ss Republican Congress
msn from the Galena district. tn
President said he was about to ca
out 100000 three year men for whor
he would have TO select a number G
capable Generals. Whom do yo
Know. Washburne, for Illinois," I
this Wsshburne, with some hesitation
replied, "Why, for my district we hav
Col. Grant, graduate of Yves
Point, who for eleven years serve
in the army from Mexico TO Orego
and wants TO reenter the service &c
the war" To this the Presider
promptly said, "Put him down Fol
tunately, through Washburne OF frol
the records of the War Department
Grant was duly commissioned Briga
dier-General Of volunteers 10 dat
from early in May of that year tn
in the end gave him precedence ov,
ANYBODY from Illinois, and this goo
fortune made him ultimately the senit
brlgsdier and maior-general from ths
State and gave him at later date ii
senior command at Cairo, southel