The simplicity of General Grant's nature, his frankness in all his
intercourse with his fellow men, his freedom from duplicity were not
touched unfavorably in any degree by his rapid advancement from the
ordinary pursuits of ordinary men to the highest places in military
and civil life. There was never in his career any ostentatious display
of power, never any exercise of wanton or unnecessary authority.
He disliked controversy even in conversation, and his reticence when
not in the company of habitual companions and trusted friends was due
in part to his rule of life on this subject.
From the many years of my acquaintance with General Grant I cannot
recall an instance of a reference to theological opinions upon
controverted topics of faith.
The humanitarian side of his nature was strong, but it was not
ostentatiously exhibited--indeed it was concealed rather than
proclaimed. It was made known to me by his interest and by his lack of
interest in appointments in the Treasury Department.
Of salaried places he controlled the appointment of General Pleasanton
as commissioner of internal revenue, and of that only.
On several occasions he suggested the designation of a person named for
employment in some menial and non-salaried service. The person named
was in every instance the widow or daughter of some soldier of the war.
At intervals, not widely separated, he would bring the subject to my
notice. Thus, without a command, I was forced to follow his suggestion.
The purity of his conversation might have been a worthy example for the
most carefully trained person in etiquette and morals. My intercourse
with General Grant was intimate through many years, and never on any
occasion did he repeat a story or a phrase that contained a profane
remark or carried a vulgar allusion. He had a relish for untainted wit
and for genial humor, and for humor he had some capacity. He was not
an admirer of Mr. Sumner and a trace of irony may be found in a remark
attributed to him: When some one said: "Mr. Sumner does not believe
in the Bible," General Grant said: "No, I suppose not, he didn't write
it."
General Grant was attracted by a horse driven by a butcher. He
purchased the animal at the cost of five hundred dollars. He invited
Senator Conkling to a drive behind the new horse. The Senator
criticised the animal, and said: "I think I should prefer the five
hundred dollars to the horse." "That is what the butcher thought,"
said General Grant.
He was sincere and devoted in his friendships, but when he discovered
that his confidence had been misplaced, a reconciliation became
impossible. With him there could be no genuine forgiveness, and his
nature could not tolerate any degree of hypocrisy. All voluntary
intercourse on his part had come to an end.
There was a time when a demand for my removal from office was made by
some Republican Senators and by the New York _Herald_, to which he gave
no attention.
The imperturbability of spirit which was indicated in his conversation
and movements was deep-seated in his nature. I was with him in a
night trip to New York; when the train was derailed in part. As the
wheels of the car struck the sleepers, he grasped the back of the seat
in front of him and remained motionless, while many of the passengers
added to their peril by abandoning their seats.
On a time General Grant received a pair of large roan horses from his
farm in Missouri. He invited me to take one of the horses and join him
in a ride on the saddle. I declined the invitation. I was then invited
to take a seat with him in an open wagon. When we were descending a
slight declivity one of the horses laid his weight on the pole and
broke it, although the parts did not separate. General Grant placed
his foot upon the wheel, thus making a brake and saving us from a
disaster. General Grant's faculties were at command on the instant
and under all circumstances.
When the Ku Klux organizations were active in the South, the President
gave members of Congress to understand that he would send a message
with a recommendation for punitive legislation. Upon reflection he
came to doubt the wisdom of the measure, especially as the use of the
military forces at New Orleans and elsewhere had been criticised in the
country. While the subject was thus undisposed of, I received a
message from the President which ended with a request that I should
accompany him to the Capitol. On the way he informed me that he
doubted the wisdom of a message and that he intended to so inform those
to whom he had given encouragement. At the interview which followed
several members who were present urged adherence to the original policy.
While the discussion was going on, the President returned to his
original opinion and wrote a message which was transmitted to the
Congress after one or two verbal changes that may have been suggested by
Secretary Fish or Secretary Robeson.
General Grant's sense of justice was exact and he did not spare himself
in his criticism. He said to me in conversation, what is indicated in
his Memoirs, that he assumed some responsibility upon himself for the
removal of General Warren at Five Forks. He had known that General
Warren was disqualified by natural defects from command in the field,
and hence that it was an error on his part that he had not assigned
Warren to duty at a station.
Again he said to me that his final campaign against Vicksburg was the
only one of his campaigns that he could not criticise adversely when
tested by reflection and experience.
During my term of service an appointment of some importance was made by
the collector of New York. The appointment was approved by me. In the
meantime some opponents of the appointee approached the President. Upon
his suggestion the appointment was suspended. After a delay I received
a letter from the President dated June 28th, 1869, in which he says:
"If it should still be the pleasure of Mr. Grinnell to confer the
appointment before tendered, let it be so, so far as I am concerned.
I am not willing knowingly to do anyone injustice as I now am led to
believe I may have done in the case of General Egan."
In the month of December, 1884, there were paragraphs in the newspapers
which justified the apprehension that General Grant was suffering from
a cancer. In the late days of the month, I called upon him at his
house in New York. He was then in good health, apparently. I found
him in his library engaged in the preparation of articles for the
_Century Magazine_. In the days of our more intimate acquaintance he
had said to me that it was his purpose to leave the history of his
campaigns to others. He referred to that remark and said that his
financial embarrassments had forced him to change his purpose. As I
was about to leave, he referred to a difficulty in his throat that he
had noticed for about six months. He expressed the fear that he had
neglected it too long. I avoided any serious remark in reply. Soon
after my return to Groton my daughter received a letter from him, which,
in photographic copy, I here give. It contains his parting words to
me and my family. It is a precious souvenir of my acquaintance and
service with a man who was great and good above any estimate that the
world has placed upon him.
I called upon him in the month of June. He rose to receive me. His
power of speech was much impaired, and our interview was brief. The
final parting was a sad event to me.
[Facsimile]
New York City,
January 3d, 1884;
My dear Miss Boutwell:
Many thanks for your New Year welcome, just received. There is no
family that I have ever known whose friendship I prize more highly than
that of your father. I wish for him and his family many returns of
new years, and that all of them may find him and his in the enjoyment
of good health and peace of mind.
Very truly yours,
U. S. Grant