The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-06-27

There are something like 200 por-
traits of General Grant in the library
of the New York Historical society. and
among them are several of him in uni
form and in the saddle. These. how
ever, are all engravings, etchings or
Autographs, ranging from Currier &
Ives's cheapest commercial product to
the fine proof etching made by L. Mer-
cier, a noted French artist. The print
room of the public library has another
equally large collection of drawings,
but nothing in the nature of a photo
graph from life or a photo-engraving
of the man who often faced grape and
canister on horseback, yet who seems
to have always run away from the
camera.
At the offices of Brown Brothers, who
may be described as dealers in back
number photographs, with about
100000 in stock, the resources of the
establishment were placed at the dis
posal of the Herald Tribune. A search
of the envelopes on Grant and of Gard
ner's rare Photographic Sketch Book
of the War" failed, however, to uncov-
er anything of the general in the sad
die. Asked where one would look for
such a picture. Arthur Brown sug-
gested that the hunt be extended to
private collections of wartime photo
graphs; to the war zone in the West
and South, where some local photog-
rapher might have made a plate, and
to the families of Grants descendants.
who may perhaps possess such relic.
It seems curious. indeed, that no
such photograph of Grant can be
found when one considers that SO
much of his life was spent on horse
back and that Of all our Presidents,
not even excepting Washington and
Roosevelt, he was most famous for
his Craftsmanship. Read through his
memoirs" and you will find repeated
examples of his love for horses and
any number of incidents which ap-
parently stand out clearly in his MEM
DRY because horse was associated
with them. Go to the United States
Military academy at West Point to-
day and they will show you among
the records made there, the highest
jump by a cadet on horseback. It
reads Grant upon York" and the
mark is more than six feet.
AS a cadet at West Point Grant was
poor student In most subjects. But
he was a fine horseman. OF him one
of his classmates, Gen. Egbert Velie,
has written: 1T was as good as n
circus to see Sam Grant ride. He
was far the most fearless rider there.
There was a dark bay horse that was
so fractions that 1t was about to be
sold because nobody could ride 1t.
Grant selected 1t for his horse. He
rode 1t every day at parade, and how
he did ride! The whole class would
stand around admiring his wonderful
command of the beast and his grace
full evOlutions." Upon his gradua-
ton from the academy Grant hoped to
secure commission in the cavalry.
But ironically enough, there were no
places open In that branch of the
service at the time and the best horse
man that West Point had ever known
became a second lieutenant in the
Fourth infantry!
But the Mexican war gave him a
chance to show his horsemanship even
though he remained a commander of
foot-soldiers. When General Taylor's
army started it's invasion of Mexico,
Lieutenant Grants company COM
mander, Captain Mccall, asked him
If he did not intend to get a horse.
Grant replied that since he belonged