:.♦-■■ I ?li^ i^^* tU,?c' cc c 1. "t =? <^ c - y'C — min{\ ©apijrkW ^o Shelf .:-^-^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. B^ Cc c c ^.^ c^C cc cc cccfTc:- ^- *^^ <4c:ccr c <:;.<<: k^. e^^.< ■ c.:. d . <£<£d d«^d ccccr d- -id, C 1 CT c ^. <^ C ^ ■ i\j^m^\ PAGE Portrait. Frontispiece Early Life 5 In the Field 9 The White House 20 Around the World 23 Souvenirs 29 Extracts from Speeches and Messages 32 Personal and Press Opinion 35 Closing Scenes 44 I, Not ])y the ball or brand Sped by a mortal hand , Not by the lighning-stroke When fiery tempest broke, — Not mid the ranks of war Fell the great Conqueror. II. Unmoved, undismayd, In the crash and carnage of the cannonade, — Eye that dimmed not, hand that failed not, Brain that swerved not, heart that quailed not, 8teel nerve, iron form. — The dauntless spirit that o'erruled the storm. III. While the Hero peaceful slept A foeman to his chamber crept, Lightly to the slumberer came, Touched his brow and breathed his name : O'er the stricken form there passed Suddenly an icy blast. IV. The Hero woke : rose undismayd : Saluted Death— and sheathed his blade. V. The Conqueror of a hundred fields To a mightier Conqueror yields ; No mortal foeman' s blow Laid the great Soldier low ; Victor in his latest breath — Vanciuished but by death. —Francis F. Browne. EARL Y LIFE. ENERAL GRANT is dead, and a nation looks mournfully on the dust of him who was, but is not. One by one the silvered heads of the old war lead- ers are dropping before the scythe of the grim reaper, ancT in a few years, at most, their names and their deeds will be but a memory of the past. Of him who has just fallen it may well be said that he conspicuously illus- trated the possibilities of American citizenship. Born in a rank in life but a few degrees removed from poverty, he climbed the heights to the proud position of chief magistrate of the land, and leaves a name which will grow brighter with the growing years. His ancestors were of Scotch stock, and from them he un- doubtedly inherited that firmness of will which carried him vidoriously over so many hard-fought fields. He was born on the 27th of April, 1822, at Point Pleasant, Ohio. A year afterward, his parents removed to Georgetown, in the same State, where his boyhood was passed. At 17 he received an appointment to West Point, and there acquired the military education which fitted him for the distinguished commands he subsequently held. During the four years of study there he (i ULYSSES S. GRANT. was noted for his lo\-c of mathematics and riding, and his care- lessness in matters of dress. Not that he was at all slovenly in his personal appearance, but he did not always conform to the standard of primness which characterizes that governmen- tal institution. He was graduated in 1843, twenty-first in a class of thirtv-nine, amono;- whom were a number who after ward distinguished themselves in various commands on both sides in the war of the rebellion. General Grant's life of real service in the army began on ist of July, 1S43, when he was attached to the Fourth Infantry, with the rank of Brevet Second Lieutenant. At that time the events were ripening which brought on the Mexican war, and in 1845 his regiment was sent to Corpus Christi, at the mouth of the Nueces river, in Texas. Here the regiment became a part of the expeditionary force, which, under " Rough-and- Ready ' Zachary Taylor, inaugurated the war. There were numerous points of similarity in the chara6i:er of the callow lieutenant and the grim old warrior in command, one of which was that neither of them knew when he was beaten ; or, in other words, both possessed that stern tenacity of purpose which never let go its grip until the end sought was attained. On the 6th and 7th of May, 1846, the American forces mo\L'd into the twin battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. and although there is no record at hand of the bearing of Lieutenant Grant in these initial struggles with a superior force, his subsequent career affords ample evidence that he must have borne his share of the danger. Palo Alto and Re- saca gave Taylor control of the Rio Grande, across which stream the army moved, and in September fought the bloody EARLY LIFE. battle of Monterey, capturing the town and storming the bishop's palace. In this fierce contest Grant participated, and from it learned somethincv of what American soldiers could do ag-ainst the odds of numbers and formidable fortifications. Soon after Monterey, the fourth regiment, with other troops under Taylor's command, were detached to join the army of invasion led by General Scott, which followed the track of Cortez to the City of Mexico. Grant was present at the siege and capture of Vera Cruz, and wdien the forces were organized for their perilous march into the interior he was appointed regimental quartermaster, which post he held until the close of the war. As a rule the quartermaster is not supposed to see much of that dangerous neighborhood known as "the front," his duties lying mainly with the wagon-trains in the rear ; but this young Quartermaster Grant was an en- ergetic, inquisitive sort of a fellow, and whenever the firing in- dicated an engagement he came riding up to know w^hat was going on, and to take a hand in it with the other members of the reofimental staff. At Molino del Rey his gallant behavior attraded the at- tention oi his superior officers, and he was rewarded with a brevet first lieutenancy, but he declined because the casualties of the battle gave him his promotion to full first lieutenant. At Chapultepec, with a very slight opportunity for the exer- cise of his fertility of resource and courage, he gained from his regimental, brigade, and division commanders, the encomium of having "acquitted himself most nobly," and for the same adion he received the brevet of captain on the ground of "gallant and meritorious conduct." 8 UL YSSES S. GRANT. After the close of the war he served as captain with his regiment at \arious points in the United States, and in Au- gust, 1848, he married Miss Dent a sister of his classmate at West Point, Frederick J. Dent. In 1852 the Fourth Regi- ment was ordered to Oregon, by way of the Isthmus, and here again, in the face of fell disease, the sterling qualities of the coming hero shone out as brightly as in the roar and crash of battle. On the passage across the isthmus the chol- era broke out, and made fearful ravages in the party. Beside the soldiers were a number of passengers who secured all avail- able means of transportation and moved on, leaving Grant in that paradise of miasma with the sick and dead. He remained there a week, toiling, like the hero he was, for the comfort of the stricken ones, directing, with fine executive ability, the af- fairs of the camp, and by his display of courage and determi- nation curbing the turbulent natives. Of the one hundred and fifty who composed the party, seventy-five survived the dis- ease, and these Grant carried through to the Pacific in safety. After serving with his regiment in Oregon until the sum- mer of 1854, ^^ resigned from the army, and established him- self and family on a small farm near St. Louis. This venture proving unprofitable, he became a money collector, and sub- sequently entered into the leather and saddlery business with his father, at Galena, Illinois. IN THE FIELD. 9 ill iht j|feM. N 1 861 the booming of the cannon battering Fort Sumter echoed over the land, and a blaze of martial enthusiasm sprang out among the people. Away off in the remote city of Galena the sound came to the ears of the plain leather-dealer, and roused not only the dormant spirit of the soldier, but the righteous indignation of the patriot; and without a moment's delay he tendered his services to the government. Possessed, by his West Point education, of a thorough knowledge of the military art, this man, who afterward skillfully maneuvered 1,000,000 soldiers, modestly thought he had sufficient ability to command a regi- ment ! Raising a company in his own neighborhood, he pro- ceeded with it to Springfield, where, upon the recommendation of E. B. Washburne, then a member of congress from Illinois, he was appointed by Governor Yates adjutant general of the state. Having succeeded in the difficult task of organizing the state troops, he proceeded to Cincinnati for the purpose of securing a staff appointment under McClellan, but failed, and returning to Springfield he was commissioned as colonel of the Twenty-first Illinois infantry. Reducing the somewhat unruly organization to a state of admirable discipline, he 1(1 ULVSSBS S. GRANT. marched them to Ouincy, which was then supposed to be in danger from a raid by confederates in Missouri. While on the line of the Mississippi river, in this vicinity, the Twenty-first was brigaded with other troops, and Grant, though the young- est colonel, was selected as commander of the brigade. In August he received a commission as brigadier general, and was assigned to the command of the "Distri6l of Southeast Missourri," with headquarters at Cairo, 111. This was a dis- trid: of the first importance in the west, and it gave the young brigadier an independence of a6lion which he retained in his various commands to the close of the war. His first move was the occupation of Paducah, Ky. , at the mouth of the Tennessee river, which gave him command of the embouchure of an artery leading into the vitals of the confederacy. As a strategic movement it gave promise of that foresight and en- ergy which characterized his whole subsequent career. In November, 1861, Grant fought the battle of Belmont, the initial fight of that series of contests which, beginning on the Mississippi, curved around through a dozen states, and closed in North Carolina more than three years afterward, almost within hearing of the surf of the Atlantic. The next important operation in which he engaged was the campaign against Forts Henry and Donelson. It is not necessary to go into a description of these battles, which open- ed up the Tennessee and the Cumberland to the Union armies; but the a6tion at Donelson gives us a further insight into his character as a soldier. When his lines had been driven back with fearful slaughter, and the momentum of the enemy's onset was exhausted, he direded a vigorous advance, and the result IN THE FIELD. 11 was the surrender of the fort. This battle also afforded an illustration of his readiness in penetrating the the plans of his adversary. All the prisoners captured in the rush of the ene- my were found possessed of full haversacks, and his mind leaped instantly to the conclusion that it was the confederates' inten- tion to abandon the fort, and with it necessarily the long line of fortifications constituting- the northern defensive line of the confederacy in Kentucky. Pushing: on at once through the broken line of defense, we find Grant at Shiloh in the early days of April, confronting the confederate army of Beauregard, and Albert Sidney Johnston a few miles in his front at Corinth, Mississippi. Across the breadth of two great states he had marched, and the magnitude of the war had been made apparent to the country. The con- federacy had been almost cut asunder by his bold forward movement, and but the length of one state lay between him and the gulf Whole libraries have been written upon this notable battle, but nothing has changed the fad that it began with a surprise, that its first day was a monumental exhibition of the poltroon- ery of some and the heroic gallantry of the little band that confronted the confederate surge until night and Buell came, and that its second day saw Johnston dead and Beauregard staggering back to his works at Corinth. At no time in his career did Grant's bull-dog tenacity show so strongly as at the close of the first day at Shiloh. Whipped, driven back step by step to a last position on the bank of the river that foamed at his back, he coolly took a survey of the desperate situation and ordered an advance at daylight on the exultant enemy. 12 ULYSSES S. GRANT. Aficr Shiloh the great leader was under a temporary cloud which obscured his prospe6ls until Halleck, who assumed com- niand, (\\v^ liis slow way into Corinth, when Grant was again left at hberty to plan and work out his campaigns. With his eye on Vicksburg as an objective, he incidentally fought the battles of luka and Corinth, and was compelled to fall back temporarily by the capture of his base of supplies at Holly Si)rings, through the cowardice or incompetency of the officer in command at that point. The struggle for Vicksburg was a fine illustration of nearly all the features of Grant's charader which stamp him as a great captain. Comprehensive strategy, celerity of movement, combinations of times and forces, fertility of re- sources, indomitable persistence against apparently insur- mountable obstacles, recuperation from mishaps which would have overwhelmed an ordinary commander, all found a place in his movements on this "Gibraltar of America," and when the sun rose on that Fourth of July which witnessed Lee's retreat from Gettysburg, Grant was marching into a conquered Vicksburg, and the Mississippi ran "unvexed to the sea." After the fall of Vicksburg Grant's command was enlarged to include the departments of the Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee, which covered nine states and portions of states, extending from the Alleghanies to the Mississippi. In Sep- tember, 1862, Rosecrans was defeated at Chickamauga, and retired into Chattanooga, where his soldiers were starved into almost atmospheric thinness by the confederates who occupied the adjacent heights. To this beleaguered point Grant hast- ened with relief, not only in the form of troops, but in the IN THE FIELD. 13 elements within that capacious brain which had solved the problem before he reached the scene of action. At Chattanooga Grant's strategic combinations were rap- idly worked out, and the battles of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge sent Bragg and his shattered army flying across the hills of northwestern Georgia. Thomas had held out, and his lean soldiers were permitted to fat- ten up on full rations. It was now the winter of 1863-4 ari<^ events were ripe for a campaign in the coming summer which should decide the whole contest. There was a feeling in the north that there was a prospecf of success looming up above the horizon, and that in order to achieve it one man should control all the armies. Halleck, at Washington, was a sort of major domo with the title of "General-in-Chief," but nobody suspected him of possessing the capacity required of the man who should guide the million soldiers of the north to permanent vi6lory. As pithily expressed by Grant, the various commands were pulling "like a balky team," and a driver was needed who could make them stretch the traces equally on each side. The only general in the service who had so far induced a belief among the people that he could successfully dire6l the various armies operating on the shrunken periphery of the confeder- acy was Grant, and he accordingly was called to Washington and invested with the necessary authority. At last he had gained supreme command, and it was, perhaps, fortunate for his fame that civilians in high office were given to understand that they must keep their bungling hands off while a soldier did the work. Three years of practical disaster in the neigh- 14 UL YSSES S. GRANT. borhood of Washington had wrought a remarkable conversion in this regard. In the spring of 1864 Grant, now heutenant-general, as- sumed command of all the armies of the United States, and set himself at work upon the difficult problem. While directing the operations of all the armies, he accom- panied in person the army of the Potomac, and intrusted the command of the principal western army to his brilliant lieuten- ant and friend, Gen. Sherman. A number of auxiliary armies were unleashed in various parts of the immense field, among which was that of Banks, which marched up the Red river to Shreveport, and skedaddled back to New Or- leans under its incompetent commander. Another was the expeditionary force of Sigel, in the Shenandoah valley, out of which several confederate irruptions had already been made into the loyal states. But Sigel was soundly thrashed, as was his successor. Hunter, and this back avenue of approach to Washington was not closed until October, 1864, when Sheridan, at Cedar creek and beyond, paralyzed all hope of successful confederate invasion on the line of the Shenandoah. A force under Gen. Butler was dispatched from Fort Mon- roe and Yorktown to operate on the southern and eastern ap- proaches to Richmond, and, if possible, steal a march into the confederate capital. Butler, however, ran himself into a cul de sac at Bermuda Hundred, and, as was neatly expressed by Grant in his final report, was as hermetically sealed as if located in a bottle tightly corked. The vital point of the confederacy was undoubtedly in Vir- IN THE FIELD. 15 ginia, and recognizing this fa6l, Grant placed himself at the head of the Army of the Potomac, and inaugurated the cam- paign which stands without parallel in military history. His antagonist was Gen. Robert E. Lee, than whom the con- federacy produced no abler commander. Among the generals whom he had out-maneuvered and out-fought were McClellan, Pope, Burnside, and Hooker. It is true Meade had success- fully resisted Lee at Gettysburg, but in strategy, in tactics — with the one error of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg — there was no comparison between the two commanders. On the other hand, Grant had shown himself superior as a general to Pillow and Buckner at Donelson, to Beauregard and Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, to Pemberton and Joe Johnston at Vicksburg and Jackson, and to Bragg at Chat- tanooga. There was a dramatic harmony in the decree of fate which brought face to face at the close of the war the two gen- erals who had, of all others, maintained their own against all opponents. So at the opening of the spring in 1864 we find Grant on the Rapidan, with a veteran army of some 120,000 men look- ing across that yellow stream at the confederate army, and planning for its destru6fion. It is not belittling Sherman to say that the campaign which that gifted commander conduced was a secondary affair to the titanic struggle in Virginia. The heart of the confederacy was in the " Old Dominion," and here the crucial test was to be applied. In pursuance of his policy of fighting the war out in this campaign. Grant directed his subordinate commanders to Iti UL YSSES S, GRANT. " keep the enemy in sight all the time," and this was the key- note of the operations of the armies. On the 4th of May, 1864, the Army of the Potomac moved to and across the Rapidan, turning Lee' s right flank. Promptly availing himself of the opportunity of entangling his opponent in the gloomy ravines of the " Wilderness," Lee struck at the marching column and the desperate struggle began. Two days of slaughter in the wilderness resulted in a drawn battle, and in accordance with established precedent the northern army should have withdrawn. On the contrary, when Grant discovered that the enemy had been fought to a stand-still, he directed the army forward into the carnage of Spottsylvania. This was the beginning of that series of flank movements which finally shut the confederate army up in Petersburg, from which it emerged only to surrender. Keeping the enemy "constantly in sight" Grant moved forward through the terrific campaign, flanking and fighting through the battles on the North Anna, Tolopotomy, and at Cold Harbor, until the immediate defenses of Richmond were reached. The desperate fighting of the confederate army at every point demonstrated the fact that "hammering" was the correct solution of the problem. In no other way could resistance be crushed. From Cold Harbor he moved south across the James, and drew his lines about Petersburg, where Lee was found with his whole force. In the overland campaign Grant had lost some sixty or eighty thousand men, and had inflicted on the enemy a loss of, perhaps, forty thousand. The " cat-tail " policy was being IN THE FIELD. 17 worked out, and its correctness was exhibited in the thin lint^s with which Lee was compelled to man his fortifications. At this point the engineer element in the southern army was brought forward, and behind triple rows of abattis, chevaux de frise, and earthworks, where one man was equal to a dozen in the open field in front, Lee bade defiance to his merciless an- tagonist. Months of thrust and parry followed, carrying the siege through 1864 and into the spring months of 1865. In the meantime Sherman had forged across Georgia to sea and wheeled to the north in that magnificent march, and his drums and bugles were heard pealing out their loud chal- lenge in the forests of the Carolinas. Raids up the Shenandoah valley to the rear of Washington had failed to loosen Grant's grip on the throat of the confederacy ; propositions to super- sede him by Sherman and others had drawn from the silent soldier no word of remonstrance ; the impatient clamor of the populace fell on his inattentive ear, because he knew he was throtding the larynx of the rebellion at Petersburg, and, hav- ing done all that mortal man could do, he was content to abide the issue. Confident in his genius, grim as the King of Ter- rors in the execution of his plans, knowing he was right, he left all else to Providence and the eternal justice of the cause of which he was the acknowledged champion. There is hardly in history — except the spectacle of the blind, uncomplaining Belisarius — a parallel with the patience and fortitude exhibited by General Grant during the siege of Petersburg. On the one hand Sherman came marching through states as if they were mere townships, and the populace, without the military knowledge which could comprehend the whole situation. 18 ULYSSES S. GRANT. clamored for commensurate adion by Grant. On the other hand, Grant stood charged with not only the protedion of Washington, but the permanent overthrow of the confederate armies which menaced it, and in the popular view he had ac- complished nothing more than McClellan had accomplished in 1862 in his fruidess campaign against Richmond. Under these circumstances an ordinary commander would have dashed his soldiers at the impregnable fortifications and died as the ratdesnake dies — by heroic suicide. But Grant was ol a higher order of genius and patriotism. As silently as he bore obscuration after Shiloh, he would have endured removal at Petersburg, and fortunate it was for him and the country that Lincoln never doubted him after Vicksburg. The winter months of 1864-5 wore on and there was no emergence from the dead-lock at Petersburg, but in the public mind was visible a dim appreciation of the possibilities which might grow out of the gigantic struggle in Virginia. With Lee held in that terrible hug, and Sherman driving before him to the north the scattered resistance of the confederacy, men began to look forward to a time when organized rebellion would be crushed. ^ The plans which the great leader had made a year before were bearing fruit, and no one knew so well as the taciturn chieftain at City Point how near was the end. In the last days of March, 1865, Lee made a desperate lunge at the union works which hemmed him in, but the breach was quickly repaired, and Grant began the final movement which overthrew the rebellion. When he turned Lee's right flank at Five Forks and crumbled up that wing of the confederate IN THE FIELD. 19 army, the southern commander at once evaculated Petersburg and Richmond and set out on the despairing race which ended at Appomattox. From a state of patient waiting in front of the confederate fortress Grant passed at once into a condition of tremendous a6fivity and prosecuted the merciless chase with an energy that never tired. The 9th of April came, and when the ragged remnant of the army of northern Virginia moved out for its last day of marching and fighting, they found General Grant's troops stretched across their line of retreat. It was the end. 20 UL YSSES S. GRANT. HEN the volunteer armies were disbanded, Gen- eral Grant established his headquarters at Wash- ington, and on July 25, 1866, he was commis- sioned by Congress General of the United States Army, an exalted rank created especially for him. When President Johnson suspended Stanton from the post of Secre- tary of War on the 12th of August, 1867, ^^^ appointed Gen- eral Grant ad interim Secretary of War, which place he filled until January 14 of the following year, when, the Senate hav- ing refused to sandion the removal of Stanton, the office re- verted to the latter. Grant's reticence on political matters was such that the country was completely in the dark as to his opinions, but it was well known to some of his intimate friends that he was a republican in principle. He was gen- erally looked upon, however, as the coming man, and on May 21, 1868, he received the nomination for President at the hands of the Republican National Convention, in session at Chicago. He defeated his democratic competitor, ex-Gover- nor Seymour, of New York, by a decided majority, and was inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1869. The regular Republican Convention at Philadelphia, June THE WHITE HO USE. 21 5th, 1872, renominated General Grant by acclamation, and put Henry Wilson on the ticket for Vice President. A brief letter of acceptance was dated June 10, in which the candidate for President said : " If elected in November and protected by a kind Providence in health and strength, I promise the same zeal and devotion to the good of the whole people for the fu- ture of my official life as shown in the past. Past experience may guide me in avoiding mistakes inevitable with novices in all professions and all occupations." He expressed the hope of leaving to his successor, whether at the end of that or another term of office, "a country at peace within its own borders, at peace with outside nations, with a credit at home and abroad, and without embarrassing questions to threaten its future prosperity." He received a popular majority at the eledion in November of 762,991, and the Eledoral votes of all the States except Georgia, Kentucky. Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. The principal measure of his administration was the settle- ment by arbitration of the claims against England on account of the depredations of the confederate cruiser Alabama. Dur- ing his incumbency an attempt was made to secure a naval station for the United States on the island of San Domingo, but Congress refused to ratify the .purchase. Soon after the expiration of his last term as president he made a tour of the world, and was received by monarchs and people with the honors due to his fame as a military commander and ruler. On his return to America his name was pressed as a candidate for a third term, but he was defeated in the presidential con- vention of 1880, and retired to private life. Engaging in bus- ')•) UL YSSES S. GRANT. incss in New York, his name was brought prominently before the public through the rascality of his partners, but the old hero's fome was unsmirched. A short time before his death he was retired on full pay as general of the army, as a reward for the distinguished services he had rendered his country ; and going down into the dark valley the last words that came to his dulled ears were those of his grateful countrymen — "Well done, good and faithful servant." AROUND THE WORLD. 23 RESIDENT GRANT'S last term of public service expired March 4, 1877. For sixteen years he had been incessantly engrossed with military or national ^ affairs, and with extreme relief he laid aside his weighty responsibilities. To gratify a long-cherished wish he decided to seek relaxation in foreign travel. After being- accorded high honors at various cities, he sailed from Phila- delphia on May 17, accompanied by Mrs. Grant and their son Jesse. At the moment of his departure he received a telegram from President Hayes wishing him safety and good fortune. He closed his reply by saying that he "hoped to return to his country to find it prosperous in business, and with cordial feelings renewed between all sections." The vessel upon which he sailed was escorted to deep water by a flotilla ot steamers and sailing craft, many of the most distinguished men of the nation being on board. On May 23, Secretary of State Evarts isued a circular letter to the diplomatic officers ot the United States in every part of the world, notifying them of General Grant's departure, and requesting them to show him ' ' that attention and consideration which is due from every officer of the government to a citizen of the republic so signally 24 UL YSSES S. GRANT. disting-uished both in official service and personal renown." On May 27 the vessel arrived in Oueenstown harbor, where a delegation of Irish crentlemen came on board and welcomed General Grant to Ireland with the most sincere cordiality. He was welcomed to the shores of England by the mayor of Liverpool, who declared himself proud of the privilege of extending hospitalities to " so distinguished a citizen of the United States. ' ' Wherever he halted public receptions were tendered him, and every evidence of respect and esteem were manifested. After receiving many exceptional honors, the ex-president and his family were invited by Queen Victoria to visit Wind- sor castle. They arrived there on the 26th of June, and were welcomed by the queen and her court in a becoming manner. After visiting many points of interest in London and vicinity. General Grant and family took a run over to Belgium. The municipal and military authorities of Ostend congratu- lated him on his arrival, and at the king's command a special train awaited to convey him to Brussels. At that city he was called upon at his hotel by the king. At Geneva he officiated in laying the corner stone of the American Episcopal church, in compliance with a request to that effect, assisted by the vice president of the council of state of Switzerland. A visit to Mont Blanc succeeded, which was illuminated in honor of the occasion, and the wonderful scenes of that grand moun- tain region were viewed to unusual advantage. The party then crossing the Simplon pass, made a tour of the northern part of Italy. On the 31st of August they reached Edinburgh and were received by the lord provost. In the Free Assembly AROUND THE WORLD. 25 hall, in the presence of thousands, the general was presented with the freedom of the city. Subsequently he visited all the interesting places in and about that beautiful metropolis. He strolled through those parts of town that have become familiar to all readers of Scott's prose and poetry, as well as visited the castle and Holyrood palace, meeting many distinguished military men and noted civilians. An excursion followed to Dundee, Tayport, Melrose, and Abbotsford. On Sept. 4 the general was the guest of the duke of Sutherland at his stately home near Dunrobin; and at Castle Grant was the guest of the earl of Seafield, the traditional head of the Scottish clan of Grant. After a visit to the home of Burns, the general was the guest of the duke Argyll at Inverary castle, and formed a great friendship for that humane and intelligent nobleman. The general visited the home of Shakspeare, and other his- toric scenes, and then set out for Paris. He was welcomed by President MacMahon. His reception was extremely cordial. The marshal greeted him as a comrade and a fellow-soldier, and the interview was so pleasant that many subsequent and informal ones occurred. After sojourning a month at the French capital and visiting its many objects of grandeur, the distinguished tourists set out for the south of France, and on Dec. 17 cast anchor in the beautiful bay of Naples. An ascent of Mount Vesuvius and an excursion to Pompeii having been accomplished and many attentions having been extended by the Italian authorities, a voyage was made to Palermo. He passed Christmas day on board the Vandalia, and the crews of German and English ships loudly cheered him as they sailed by. After various delightful wanderings along the shores of the 26 UL YSSES S. GRANT. Mediterranean, the Nile was ascended, and on Jan. 5. 1878, the tourists arrived at Alexandria, Egypt. At Cairo the khedive placed a palace at their disposal, and omitted nothing to render their stay in his dominions a bright page in the annals of their lengthy journey. After doing the sights of Egypt thoroughly, the Holy land was next visited. The an- cient town of Jaffa was decorated in their honor, and at Jeru- salem a formal reception awaited them. On the 5th of March they reached Constantinople, where the sultan vied with pre- ceeding rulers in tendering graceful hospitalities. Greece, Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan successively gratified their curiosity. Everywhere honors were freely accorded, much in the manner that had characterized their arrival at other scenes. The opening of the Paris exhibition on May 11 found Gen. Grant among the dignitaries present, after which he made a tour of Holland, and thence proceeded to Berlin, where he met Prince Bismarck. "Glad to welcome President Grant to Germany," exclaimed the famous chancellor, shaking his hand cordially. "There is no incident in my German tour," replied Grant, "that is more interesting to me than meeting Prince Bismarck." Grant remarked to a friend : "I am glad I have seen Bismarck. He is a man whose manner and bearing fully justify the opinions one forms of him." During the stay of the party in Berlin many public demon- strations took place in their honor. Fully satiated with European scenes and excitements, they passed through the Suez canal and enjoyed a prosperous voy- age to Calcutta viewing the glories of the orient under pecul- iarly advantageous circumstances. At Rangoon, the princi- AROUND THE WORLD. 27 pal city of Burmah, two British men-of-war were found riding at anchor with yards manned and decorations displayed. The official reception was novel and magnificent. After visiting the Golden Pagoda and other renowed localities, the ex-pre- sident and his family sailed dire6l for Hong Kong. On June 14 they reached the city of Pekin. The general was immediately waited upon by the members of the Chinese cabinet in a body, accompanied by the military and civil governors of the miv- nicipality. The emperor being a child of 7 years. Prince Kung, the prince regent of the empire and brother of the late em- peror, dispatched a deputation to invite Gen. Grant to an audience. The following afternoon was named. Attended by a party of friends the general appeared at the palace. Prince Kung awaited with his ministers and saluted his guest in Tartar fashion by looking at him for a moment with an earnest, curious gaze, as though he had formed an ideal of some kind and was anxious to see how far it was realized. He had evidently ex- pected a person in gaudy .uniform with a lion-like air ; but in- stead found a self-possessed, middle-aged gentleman in even- ing dress. A great feast soon followed. At every point in China he visited he was the recipient of most courteous atten- tions. Arriving at Yokohama, Japan, on the 3d of July, a remarkable pageant was presented in the harbor. Vessels of war from almost every civilized nation flung their bunting to the breeze and volleys of artillery rent the air. An imperial barge conveyed the party to the shore, and they were received by the princes, ministers, and high officials of the empire. A special train was in readiness, and in an hour they reached the city of Tokio, the capital, where a palace was assigned for UL YSSES S. GRANT. their occupancy. With a refinement of courtesy, the Japanese had timed his arrival at Yokohama on the 3d of July, in order that Gen. Grant might be received by the emperor on the anniversary of American independence. Bands played the national airs of the United States. At the audience that fol- lowed the emperor shook hands with the general, an honor heretofore unknown to the ancient customs of the empire. The empress and Mrs. Grant also exchanged compliments in a formal manner. After most enjoyable experiences in Japan, Gen. Grant and family sailed from Yokohama to San Fran- cisco on the 2d of September, 1879. SOUVENIRS. 9f) i0iitteiiir^. HE following is a list of the various mementos of the military and official career of General Grant, together with the addresses and objects of value and art presented to the General during his triumphal trip around the world : Mexican onyx cabinet, presented by the people of Pueblo, Mexico. Aerolite, part of which passed over Mexico in 1871. Bronze vases, presented by the Japanese citizens of Yokohama, Japan. Marble bust and pedestal, presented by workingmen of Philadelphia. "Gen. Grant and Family," painted by Coggswell. Large elephant tusks, presented by the king of Siam. Small elephant tusks, from the maharajah of Jehore. Picture of Gen. Scott (by Page), presented by the City of New York. Crackleware bowls (very old), presented by Prince Koohn, of China. Chinese porcelain jars (old), presented by Li Hung Chang. Arabian bible and Coptic bible, presented by Lord Napier, who captured them with King Theodore, of Abyssinia. Sporting rifle and sword of Donelson, presented to Gen. Grant after the fall of Fort Donelson by officers of the amy, and used by him until the end of the war New York sword, voted to Gen. Grant by the citizens of New York, at the fair held in New York. Sword of Chattanooga, presented to Gen, Grant by the citizens of Jo Daviess county. Galena, 111., after the battle of Chattanooga. Roman mug and pitcher, silver menu and card, farewell dinner at San Fran- cisco, Cal. Silver menu, Paris dinner. Horn and silver snuff" box and silver match box used by Gen. Grant. 80 UL YSSES S. GRANT. Gilt tii))l(.'. inofU'lcd after the table in Mr. McClean's house, in which Gen. R. E. J.,ce sifrncd tJie articles of surrender. This was presented to Gen. Grant by ex-con- fcderate soldiers. CJold cipir case (enameled), presented by the celestial king of Siani. (iilt cij^'ar case (plain), presented by the second king of Siam. Gilt-handled knife, presented by the miners of Idaho territory. Nine pieces of Jade stone, presented by Prince Koohn, of China. Silver trowel, used by Gen. Grant in the laying of the corner-stone of the Amer- ican Museum of Natural History. Knife, made at Shetlield, England for Gen. Grant. . Embroidered pictures, cock and hen, presented to Gen. Grant by citizens of .hii>an. Field-glasses, iised by Gen. Grant during the war. Iron-headed cane, made from the rebel ram Merrimac. Silver-headed cane, made out of wood used in the defense of Fort Sumter. Gold-headed cane, made out of wood from old Fort Duquesne, Pa. Gold-headed cane, presented to Gen. Grant as a tribute of regard for his humane treatment of the soldiers and kind consideration of those who ministered to the sick and woiuided during the war. (; old-headed cane, used by Lafayette, and presented to Gen. Grant by the ladies of Baltimore, Md. Carved-wood cane, from the estate of Sir Walter Scott. Uniform of general of the United States army. Fifteen buttons, cut from coats worn during the war. Hat ornament used at Belmont. Hat ornament, used at Fort Donelson. Shoulder-strap (brigadier-general's), cut from the coat used by Gen. Grant in the campaigns against Richmond and Petersburg and Lee's army. Shoulder-strap (lieutenant-general's), cut from Gen. Grant's coat. Pair of gilt straps, cut from the coat of Gen. Grant, used after the war. Medal from the American congress (gold), for the opening of the Mississippi. Gilt medal, from Pliiladelphia. Badges, army and corps. Twenty-one medals, gilt and silver, and ten medals, silver and brass, sent to (ren. Cirant at different times. Fourteen medals, in memory of events. Silk paper, Louisville Commercial, printed for Gen. Grant. Silk Daily Chronicle and Burlington Hawkeye, printed for Gen. Grant. Collection of .Japanese coins. This is the only complete set, except one, which is in the Japanese treasury. The value of this set is $5,000. Presented by the gov- ernor of Japan. All the military commissions of Gen. Grant. SOUVENIRS. 31 Commission as honorary member M. L. A. of San Francisco. Commission as member of Sacramento Society of Pioneers. Commission as member of the Royal Historical society. Commission as member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. Commission as member of the Aztec chib. Certificate of election as president of the United States of America. Certificate of Re-election. Certificate as honorary member of the Territorial Pioneers of California. Certificate as honorary member of St. Andrew's society. Certificate of election as LL. D. of Harvard College. Certificate as honorary member of the Sacramento Society of the Pioneers of California Certificate as honorary member of the Mercantile library of San Francisco. The freedom of cities in England, Ireland, Scotland, including London, Edin- burgh, Glasgow, and Dublin, and other parts of the world. Addresses to Gen. Grant from various chambers of commerce and worlvingmen's societies all over the world. Resolutions of the Territorial Pioneers admitting Gen. Grant to membership. Resolutions of the Caledonian club, of San Francisco, admitting Gen. Grant as honorary member. Resolutions of the citizens of Jo Daviess county in presenting to Gen. Grant the sword of Chattanooga. Resolutions of the Washington camp, of Brooklyn, L. I. Resolutions embodying the first thanks of the congress of the United States. Resolutions inviting Gen. Grant to visit the house of representatives of the commonwealth of the state of Pennsylvania. Resolutions embodying the second thanks of the congress of the United States. Letter from the citizens of Jersey City thanking Gen. Grant for his Des Moines (Iowa) speech on the question of the public schools. Resolutions at the presentation of the silver medal by the Union League club. of Philadelphia, for gallantry and distinguished services. Resolutions accompanying the vote of thanks by congress to Gen. Grant. Other resolutions and addresses presented to Gen Grant on his receiving the freedom of the city. 32 UL YSSES S. GRANT. £xl:rcBct5 fVam #^^if iflties # J^H^agE^^. I There are many men who would have done far better than I did under the circuinstances in which I found myself during the war. If I had never held com- mand ; if I had fallen ; if all our generals had fallen, there were 10,000 behind us who would have done our work just as well, who would have followed the contest to the end and never surrendered the union. Therefore, it is a mistake and a reflec- tion upon the people to attribute to me, or to any number of us who held high com- mands, the salvation of the union. We did our work as well as we could, and so did hundreds of thousands of others. We deserved no credit for it, for we should have been unworthy of our country and of the American name if we had not made every sacrifice to save the union. — Speech at Hamburg. When one gets to see the nations of the world he begins to appreciate the ines- timable value of our broad acres and the great energy of our people. It affords me very great satisfaction and pleasure to receive the gentlemen who were, long ago, opposed to us, and I hope if this country ever sees another war Ave shall all be to- gether, under one flag, fighting a common enemy.— To Confederate Soldiers at San Francisco. We will not deny to any of those who fought against us any privileges which Ave claim for ourselves ; on the contrary, Ave Avelconie all such Avho come forAvard in good faith to help build up the waste places, and to perpetuate our institutions as brothers in full interest with us in a common heritage ; but Ave are not prepared to apologize for the part we took in the wkr.— Speech at Des Moines, 1875. With the expression of a desire to see a speedy healing of all bitterness of feel- ing betAveen sections, i)arties, or races of citizens, and the time when the title citi- zen carries Avith it all the protection and privileges to the humblest that it does to the most exalted, I subscribe myself, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. Grant.— Letter of Acceptance, 1872. Let us all labor to add all needful guaranties for the more perfect security of free thought, free speech, and free press, pure morals, unfettered religious senti- ments, and of equal rights and privileges to all men, irrespective of nationality, color, or religion.— >>frc/t at Des Moines. EXTRACTS. * 33 The present system of appointments does not secure the best men, and often not even fit men for public place. The elevation and purification of the civil service of the government will be hailed with approval by the whole people of the country.— ^Second Annual Message, 1870. What saved the union was the coming forward of the young men of the nation- They came from their homes and fields, as they did in time of the revolution, giving everything to the country. To their devotion we owe the salvation of the union.— Speech at Hamburg. The humblest soldier who carried a musket is entitled to as much credit for the results of the war as those who were in command. So long as our young men are animated by this spirit there will be no fear for the union.— Speech at Hamburg. I, Ulysses S. Grant, call attention to the act of congress and direct that no re- duction be made in the wages paid to workingmen and mechanics on account of the reduction of the hours of labor. — Proclamation, Mag 11, 1872. It is my conviction that the civilized world is tending toward government by the people through their chosen representatives, and that our own great republic is destined to be the guiding star to all others. — Second Inaugural. A piire, untrammeled ballot, where every man entitled to cast a vote may do so, just once, at each election, without fear of molestation, or proscription on account of his political faith, nativity, or color. — Second Annual Message. Although a soldier by education and profession, I have never felt any fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace. — Heply to the Lord Mayor of London. I call your attention to one abuse of long standing which I would like to see remedied by this congress. It is a reform in the civil service of the country. — Second Message, 1870. A nation that cannot give protection to the life, property, and all guaranteed civil rights of the citizen is a failure. — Letter on South Carolina Affairs, July 26, 1876. When education is generally diffused we may feel assured of the permanency and perpetuity of our institutions.— .Sjjc^'c/i at Oakland. The free school is the promoter of that intelligence which is to preserve us a free nation. — Speech at Des Moines, November, 1875. We are a republic whereof one man is as good as another before the law. — Sixth Annual Message. Among the many writings of the dead General during his long illness the following remarkable document had been kept 84 UL YSSES S. GRANT. religiously secret by Dr. Douglas until July 26, when he con- sented to its publication, explaining- that General Grant wrote it in his presence on Thursday, July 2. I ask you not to show this to any one, unless to the physicians you consult with, \nUil the oiul. Particularly I want it kept from my family. If known to one man the pajters will get it. It would only distress them almost beyond endurance to know it, and by reflex would distress me. I have not changed my mind materially since I wrote you before in the same strain. Now, however, I know that I gain strength some days, but when I do go back it is beyond wliere I started to improve. I think the chances are very decidedly in favor of your being able to keep me alive until the change of weather toward winter. Of course there are contingencies that might arise at any time that would carry me off very suddenly. The most probable of those is choking. Under the circumstances life is worth the living. I am very thankful (for "thankful" "glad" was written, but scratched out and "thankful" substituted) to have been spared this long, because it has enabled me to practically complete the work in which I take so much interest. I cannot stir up strength enough to renew it and make additions and subtractions that would suggest them- selves to me, and are not likely to suggest themselves to any one else. Under the aljove circumstances I will be the happiest the most pain I can avoid. If there is to Ije any extraordinary cure, as some people believe there is to be, it will develop itself. 1 would say, therefore, to you and your colleagues, to make me as comfort- able as you can. If it is within God's providence that I should go now, I am ready to obey His call without a murmur. I should prefer going now to enduring my l>resent suifering for a single day without hope of recovery. As I have stated, I am thankful for the providential extension of my time to enable me to continue my work. I am further thankful, and in a greater degree thankful, because it has en- a]>led me to see for myself the happy harmony which has so suddenly sprung up Ix-tween those engaged but a few years ago in deadly conflict. It has been an in- estimable blessing to me to hear the kind expressions toward me in person from all parts of our country ; from people of all nationalities, of all religions and of no re- ligion ; of Con federates and national troops alike; of soldiers' organizations; of mechanical, scientilic, religious and other societies, embracing almost every citizen in the land. They have brought joy to my heart, if they have not eflfected a cure. So, to you and your colleagues, I acknowledge my indebtedness for having brought me through the valley of the shadow of death to enable me to witness these things. Mount McGregor, x\. Y., July 2, 1885. U. S. GRANT. PERSONAL AND PRESS OPINION. 35 James G. Blaine, in his "Twenty Years in Congress," thus speaks of General Grant : He had entered the service with no factitious advantages, and his promotion from the first to the last had been based on merit alone— without the aid of political influence, without the interposition of personal friends. Criticism of military skill is but idle chatter in the face of an unbroken career of victory, and Gen. Grant's campaigns have varied in their reqiurenaents, and, but for the fertility of his re- sourses and his unbending will, might often havcTesulted in disaster. Courage is as contagious as fear, and Gen. Grant possessed in the highest degree that faculty which is essential to all great commanders— the laculty of imparting throughcnit the rank and file of his army the same determination to win with which he was always him- self inspired. One peculiarity of General Grant's military career was his constant readiness to fight. He wished for no long periods of preparation ; lost no opportu- nity which promptness could turn to advantage. He always accepted, without cavil or question, the position to which he might be assigned. He never troubled the War department with requests or complaints, and when injustice was inflicted upon him he submitted silently and did a soldier's duty. Self control is the first requisite for him who seeks to control others. In that indispensable form of mental discipline General (^rant exhibited perfection. When he was appointed Lieutenant General and placed in command of all the armies of the union he exercised military control over a greater number of men than any other general since the invention of firearms. In the campaigns of 1S(V1 and 1S65 the armies of the union contained in the aggre- gate not less than a million of men. The movements of all the vast forces were kept in harmony by General Grant's comprehensive mind, and in the grand consumma- tion, which insured union and liberty, his name became inseparably associated with the true glory of his country. I wish to do simple justice to General Grant when I say that his adion toward my army is without a parallel 3G UL YSSES S. GRANT. in the annals of nations. When my poor soldiers, with fam- ished faces, having neither food nor raiment, hungry and foot- sore, came before liim in the hour of surrender, it was then that General Grant gave the humane order that forty thousand rations should be given to them. And that was not all. I was giving orders to one of my subordinate officers, who was making out a list of the things to be surrendered, and told him to include the horses. At that very moment General Grant, who seemed to be paying no attention to what was going on, quickly rose from the camp-stool and said : "No, no, General Lee, no surrender of the horses. Not one, not one. Keep them all. Your poor people will need them for the spring crops." It was a scene never to be forgotten. There was much in Napoleon to awaken admiration, but his humanity was not to be compared to Grant's. Napoleon's chief glory was glory, mere glory. Grant's action is distin- guished by his simplicity and strong sense of duty. Napoleon did not hesitate to sacrifice thousands of lives for his own per- sonal gratification. General Grant seems to be a man of self abnegation, having no end in view but the safety of the cause he detends. The courage of Napoleon cannot maintain a minute's comparison with the calm heroism and sublime mag- nanimity exhibited by General Grant toward my troops and myself There is one thing about General Grant which I have noticed as peculiar to himself He never complains of adverse and unmanageable circumstances, but seizes the materials as they are presented and masters \}[\^m.— Ge^ieral R. E. Lee. PERSONAL AND PRESS OPINION 37 To the litany of suffering and sorrow which in his last sad experience he was called to repeat, came from North and South and East and West the prayerful, tearful, sympa- thetic response. And as it came the cloud was lifted, and back again into his life came the brightness of hope, and confidence, and joy in God. Out of the fierce furnace fires came fortli the pure gold of his marvelous chara6ler. The clouds gathered about him as clouds about a post- meridian sun, seeming almost to obscure its glory, but shot through and through with its inextinguishable splendor, they became royal retainers, flaming with crimson and gold, to ac- company it on its triumphal departure. So the clouds changed about him before his full-orbed descent below life's line. Great while living, he was greater while dying. The peoples' gratitude and admiration to him while in health deepened into warmest love during these last painful months. "Go, then, illustrious commander, comrade, brother, to thy rest and thy reward. Thou hast fought the good fight, thou run thy course, thou hast kept the faith ; go, then, and re- ceive the crown which God the righteous Judge will place upon thee. — Bishop Eallozvs, at Lake Bluff, July 26. He was very kind of heart, and it always deeply pained him to be charged with unfeelingness. "They call me a butcher," he said to me once, "but do you know, sometimes I could hardly bring myself to give an order of battle? When I contemplated the death and misery sure to follow, I stood appalled." It was only devotion to duty that enabled him to overcome his natural tenderness of heart. His love for the 38 UL YSSES S. GRANT. comrades who stood with him in battle was deep and far-reach- ing. He used to receive hundreds of letters from old soldiers asking for aid, and none were ever slighted. Soldiers wor- shipped him. As to this latter point, while I was looking af- ter the Grant retirement bill, nothing touched me so much in connedion with that matter as the thousands of letters I re- ceived from maimed soldiers in all parts of the country, south as well as north, thanking me for my part in the work. — Satn- 2tcl J. Randall. r That R. E. Lee Camp of Confederate Veterans with pro- found sorrow and sincere regret receive the announcement of the death of Ulysses S. Grant ; that the people of Virginia will ever revere and cherish the memory of Ulysses S. Grant as an American soldier and citizen ; that the people of the South, and especially the people of Virginia, will always hold in grateful memory his uniform and unvarying kindliness of purpose toward this people, and the constancy with which he maintained the inviolability of the parole which he had grant- ed to General Robert E. Lee and his soldiers at the termina- tion of the late civil strife. — Resolutio7i adopted at Richmond, Va., July 2S, '8s. I am not here to speak for General Grant. No man with his consent has ever mentioned his name in connexion with any position. I say what I know to be true when I allege that every promotion he has received since he first entered the service was moved without his knowledge or consent. He admonishes me now that he has been highly honored al- PERSONAL AND PRESS OPINION 39 ready by the government, and does not ask or desire anything more in the shape of honors or promotion. — Washburne, in the House, March 2, 1864. You are Washington's legitimate successor, and occupy a position of ahiiost dangerous elevation ; but if you continue, as heretofore, to be yourself — simple, honest and unpretend- ing — you will enjoy through life the love and respect of friends and the homage of millions, who will award you a large share in securing to them and their descendants a government of law and stability. — Sherman to Grant, March, 1864. To Major-Gen. Grant : I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowl- edgment of the almost inestimable service you have done the country. — Abraham Liyicoln, July ij, i86j. His work had been perfe6led. Few men, soldiers or states- men, have ever seen so complete a finish made of their labors. Not only had he completed all the public duties to which he had been assigned by his countrymen, both in the field and in the cabinet, but he had written a history of his wars, which, however much its conclusions may be questioned, or even its statements challenged, must always remain the most valuable contribution to history that any adlor on either side could by any possibility have made. — Cificinnati Post. The silent, imperturbable, undramatic man who quietly bided his time ; patient, unhasting, observant ; making his 40 UL YSSES S. GRANT. dispositions and completing his preparations with so httle of demonstration, with so much of reticence, that not seldom his friends were only less surprised than the foe when the denoue- ment came. Only the truly great can fully comprehend and appreciate greatness. But even Lincoln himself wrote, "I now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right and I was wrong." — Chicago News. The character of General Grant was the most transparent of any of our eminent Americans. No man since Washington has been less moved than he by personal ambition. No citizen has been more thoroughly and unselfishly a patriot. Like Washington, he did his duty because it was his nature, almost his religion to do so. General Grant was incapable of deceit, or envy, or malice, or uncharitableness. — Bostoii Herald. In the death of General Grant the country loses Its most illustrious citizen and the world one of its most distinguished soldiers. He was a man single of purpose, incapable of deceit and so warm in his friendships that nothing turned him from them. The work which occupied the closing hours of his life gave him an opportunity to display a fortitude higher than the courage of the battle-field. — St. Louis Republicayi. He lived long enough to witness the waning of old animos- ities, and to find himself the center of a regard which knew no sedional or party limitations. His fame is secure, and his monument is the Union which he helped to preserve. — Boston Journal. PERSONAL AND PRESS OPINION 41 Taking him all in all, from his boyhood to his declining- years, he was an American of whom all Americans might well be proud. He was brave and generous and faithful. He never turned his back on either friend or foe. His services were great. There were great honors conferred upon him, and now that he is no more all his countrymen, North, South, East and West, mourn him. — Galveston News. In our opinion, not only is his " One of the few immortal names that were not born to die," but his is one of the still fewer names that are entitled to immortality upon earth. He is not only one of the immortals, but he is one of them by right. He was an Agamemnon — a "King of Men." — Rich- 7no7id Gazette. Brethren of the North and South, let us join mournful hands together around that newly-opened grave, remembering that while all earthly goods are evanescent, honor, truth and love are eternally secure. — New Orleaiis Picayune - The name of General Grant will be remembered by Ameri- cans as that of the savior of their country in a crisis more ap- palling than any it has passed through since the United States became a nation. — New York Times. The foremost man of the nation has closed a career second to no other in the history of the republic. The faults of others which he shouldered through life, fall from him at the grave. — Nezv York Tribu7ie. 42 UL YSSES S. GRANT. No man since Lincoln in our time and Washington in a former epoch will be so deeply mourned. — Sayi Frayicisco Call. He was the radiant produd of American civilization — ours to love, honor, and imitate. — San Francisco Post. A view of General Grant's participation in the unfortunate business complication in New York is given below : There are a good many things about this Wall street affair that are not generally known. As a matter of fact, General Grant thought that he was simply a special partner to the extent of $50,000 with Ward. To a friend who warned the general that Ward's scheme was visionary, and that no business could yield such profits as Avere promised, Grant repeated that he was liable only to the extent of the amount mentioned, and added: "There are able and experienced business men who are engaged with Ward. They would not be likely to take part in any foolish scheme. Ward has a smelting-machine in Colorado, too, that yields large protits." It was discovered, afterwards, that the smelting enterprise was a mytli, and the monthly accounts rendered with regularity were manufactured in Ward's office. The hold that Ward got upon General (irant was so absolute as to seem almost incredible. He robbed not only the general but the general's family and relatives as well. When the crash came the Grants had been so completely bled that they had less than $100 in cash among them. General Grant has been subjected to a good deal of criticism on the supposition that he willingly went to Vanderbilt, knowing that his firm was on the eve of failure, and borrowed $150,000 from him. The facts, as given to me by an intimate friend of the general, are these : Ward, the Sunday preceding the fail- ure, told the general that the firm had $750,000 on deposit in Fish's Marine Bank ; that he had $150,000 in his pocket and wished the general to raise $150,000 more, so that the fh-m would have on deposit altogether $1,000,000. "Thus," Ward reasoned, "the bank can make a strong showing, as they very much desire to do, and as they have always been very kind to us I wish to oblige them." The general did not ap- PERSONAL AND PRESS OPINION 43 predate all this, nevertheless, he drove first to Victor Newcombe's house to get the money. Mr. Xewcombe was at church. The general then drove over to the resi- dence of Mr. Randall, father-in-law of Commodore Garrison, but Mr. Randall also was out, and General Grant drove back home. After that Ward suggested a visit to Mr. Vanderbilt. "I do not wish to borrow any money of Mr. Vanderbilt," said the general. " I have had no business transactions with him." "But it is not borrow- ing," continued Ward. "You will simply exchange checks with him, and, as we have three-quarters of a million on deposit your check will be just the same as cash, will it not?" This seemed altogether plausible, and it was thus deceived that the general called on Vanderbilt for the money. When the failure came he was almost dazed, and then began the agony of mind that never left him. Fortunately he had insisted on securing Mr. Vanderbilt. To the minds of those who know the general well his trust in Ward to the very last was not surprising, no matter how incompre- hensible it may be to others. Implicit and unshakable faith in those in whom he put his confidence was one of the striking notes of his character, and to have his trust betrayed always grieved him deeply. Indeed, a gentleman once asked him what of all things pained him most. The general answered : " To be deceived by a friend."— Phikuleljjhki Times. 44 UL YSSES S. GRANT. *■ J. X\ ,i~ti \^m^ ^ttnt I <~~«r^ FTER many weary months of painful suffering and heroic struggle with a fatal malady, death achieved a brilliant victory and the soul of a mighty warrior was at peace. As the morning sun strug- gled vainly through the heavy mists which overhung the now historic mountain in New York, a grief-stricken fam- ily were gathered around the death-bed of one of the grandest characters in American history. At precisely eight o'clock and nine minutes, on Thursday, July 23d, 1885, in the modest little cottage on Mount McGregor, surrounded by those whom he had loved, and amid the tears of wife and children. General Ulysses S. Grant passed peacefully out upon the boundless sea of eternity. A heart that never quailed before mortal foe was still, an iron will was broken, and a hero and a statesman lay cold in death. Death could hardly come to any man in form freer from terror than it came to him. All who were dearest to him were at his side. His hand was fast clasped in that of his faithful wife ; his daughter looked over her moth- er's shoulder into his face, and his brow was gently pressed by the hand of his oldest son, Frederick, who through all the painful months of the illness had been devotedly at the suffer- CLOSING SCENES. 45 ers's side. His three physicians stood a little back from the family group. Harrison Tyrrell, his devoted body servant, leaned dejectedly against the door, and Henry, the nurse, sat in a distant corner. The little grandchildren had not been called, and were fast asleep in their beds. It was nine minutes past eight by the clock. Not a leaf stirred on the trees, in the warm morning air without, and there was not a cloud in the sky. A splash of red midsummer sunlight came in through the open window, and had been falling full upon a portrait of kindly-faced Lincoln which hung on the wall just over the bedstead, and side by side with one of the dying man himself, and it was just as the last of this warm light crept from the frame of the picture to the wall that the great man ceased to breathe. At that moment Dr. Newman arrived. He had been has- tily summoned, and only got to the bedside at the final mo- ment. It was Dr. Shrady who first spoke after the soul had taken its flight. Seeing the fluttering breath had ceased to come, he bent his head and said, "At last." Dr. Douglas — haggard-worn with anxiety — chokingly murmured, "All is over." There was a silence for several moments, broken oc- casionally by a subdued sob, as the family bent their heads with handkerchiefs to their eyes. There were no excessive demonstrations of grief The event had been so long hanging over the heads of all as inevitable that its advent was calmly received. None who had witnessed the dead man's long ag- ony could wish to see it hopelessly prolonged. Of all, none was calmer than Mrs. Grant, though it was feared she would be most prostrated. She wept but litde, and soon raised her 46 UL YSSES S. GRANT. head and walked quietly, escorted by Dr. Newman, to the sofa. Then the physicians and the family crept one by one from the room; and the end of Grant's brave struggle for life had indeed come at last. The General's death was through sheer exhaustion. Dr. Shradv had said some weeks before that there would come a time when the General would be unable longer to take nour- ishment, and that the end would then be near at hand. The General had reached that point two days before, and from that time on went steadily down, with no hope of saving him. The moments he was conscious during this last relapse he knew that death was ne-ar, but he did not fear it in the least. He had not in fact from the first showed any fear of death, his only apprehension having been that the end would be accom- panied by extreme pain. His doctor assured him that he should not suffer, and thereby took measures that he did not. His dissolution was absolutely painless. From midnight until the moment of his death he never made a motion, except in opening his eyes and in now and then faintly stirring his lips when moisture was applied to them. The news of the sad event was received in all parts of the country with profound sorrow, bells being tolled, flags hung at half mast, and the emblems of mourning displayed from public and private buildings. President Cleveland issued a proclamation testifying to the magnitude of the national loss, and ordering the payment of appropriate honors to the mem- ory of the deceased by the several departments of the govern- ment. The Georgia legislature passed resolutions of regret CLOSING SCENES. 47 and at once adjourned for the day, and similar action was taken by many municipal bodies, commercial organizations, etc., in all sections. The room in which the body lay temporarily was 20 ft. by 16, with doors opening from the end and the side on to the veran- da, the openings north and east. On the floor a pearl-gray carpet, a few easy chairs of cane, an etching of Millet's " An- gelus ' ' on one wall, and a rough water-color on the other. In the northwest corner of the room, a few feet from each wall, stood a catafolque, its frame of dark wood underneath its can- opy of black broadcloth, a cofhn over which the American flag was laid, the union at the head of the bier. An undertaker's assistant drew away the flag and the face of the great chieftain was revealed. Some oak leaves surrounded his head, on the foot of the coffin some sprigs of green held by smilax formed a quaintly shaped letter " G," but by these symbols the eye was held only a moment, and turned to the face of the dead. There was a tinge of color in the cheeks ; certainly they were not so white* as the forehead and temples. The sparse gray hair was combed back, the beard trimmed closely and evenly around, and the mousta:he, longer and carefully trimmed at the ends, drooped over the firm mouth, in life so silent, but now silent indeed and forever. There was no suggestion of pain ; noth- ing was conveyed by whatsoever of expression there was on that calm face but peace. Sleep could not dispose the features of its finest-minded subject as those were. The eyebds were drawn over the eyes, and the flesh-color was lifelike, and the lines from their corners, so well known in life, were gone. ^. 48 UL YSSES S. GRANT. There was no suggestion of weariness, only that of rest. The casket is of oak, and hned with copper. The covering a dark shade of purple silk velvet, and the lining a cream sat- in, tufted with a cream-satin pillow to match. The casket is open its full length, with plate-glass top, the handles extension bars of solid silver, to run the full length of the casket. The inscription-plate is of solid gold, six inches long by four inch- es wide, and contains only the name, "U. S. Grant." At the burial the casket will be encased in a red cedar box, polished and lined with lead. This will be sealed hermetically and put into an oval shaped steel box, which will be riveted together. 7 » :3> r » ^^ - ^ »>u> ^2»> >^5i: 3:> .!>> :^ ^3 .» ■:>i>_: ^--^ : ^«-3> ^o~>o ^r 3> 3> .^r*. >~3 ^1I> ^^s> -:j>2S: -^>a5::^»» :)^ >5> ■3:7> ^ .;5r>~:>;D^F;>;^^>^g> ^l^X> orsDo:::^^ • :3>■ ::qZ> 3 1> - i> 32:5^ ^:::^^.2>i> ^ ^ ^ ., '>3*>:>.:-3_f5:_:^» :3»'.22> ,.j::>:::2»»:^> "£> ■ 7^ ' - " - ^3-T . _3 3&l:> ^ >^Z^Z :^ .^-^^^ ■ .;*^ y-^ "■^^- LIBRARY OF CONGRESS y 013 788 028 3 m^- X.