GENERAL GRANT IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
General Grant, having been elected President by a majority of nearly
one million and a-half of votes, was inaugurated on Thursday, the
4th of March, 1869. The national metropolis was crowded with those
who had come to witness the historic event, many of them veterans
who rejoiced in the elevation of their Old Commander to the highest
civic office in the gift of the American people.
The military escort was composed of regulars and volunteers, several
companies of the latter being colored men. Then came President
Johnson and the President-elect in an open landau, drawn by four
white horses, Mr. Johnson looking soured and sad, while General
Grant, displaying no signs of elation, waved his hat in response
to the cheers with which he was greeted all the way from the White
House to the Capitol. Next came the Vice-President-elect, Mr.
Colfax, in a carriage with a member of the Senatorial Committee of
Arrangements, and the civic associations followed. There were the
Tanners, the Invincibles, the Wide Awakes, the Grant and Colfax
Clubs, and the Colored Republicans, each organization with its
band, its banners, and its badges. The Washington Fire Department,
their brightly polished engines drawn by spirited horses, brought
up the rear.
On arriving at the Capitol, the President and President-elect and
the Vice-President-elect were escorted to the Senate Chamber, where,
four years previously, Mr. Johnson had disgraced himself by his
drunken harangue. The Supreme Court was already there, with the
Diplomatic Corps, gorgeously arrayed in their court costumes, and
a number of prominent army and navy officers in full uniform. In
the galleries were ladies gayly dressed, whose opera-glasses had
been turned on the distinguished personages below as they had
successively entered, and who kept up such a buzzing chat that it
was almost impossible for the Senators to transact the closing
business of the expiring session.
At twelve o'clock Mr. Colfax was sworn in as Vice-President, and
afterward administered the oath to the new Senators. Some of those
applying, however, had served in the Confederate army, and were
not able to take what was known as the "iron-clad oath." A procession
was then formed of those present on the floor of the Senate, which
moved through the rotunda to the east front of the Capitol, where
the President-elect was hailed by hearty cheers. He advanced to
the front of the platform, and the oath of office was administered
by Chief Justice Chase, followed by an artillery salute from a
light battery near by, while the whistles of the steam fire-engines
joined in the clangor, the band played, and thousands of voices
cheered.
When silence was restored, President Grant drew from his coat pocket
six or seven pages of foolscap, adjusted his glasses, and with
great deliberation read in a conversational tone his message to
the citizens of the Republic and to the world, a plain, practical,
common-sense document, in which he declared that he should on all
subjects have a policy of his own to recommend, but none to enforce
against the will of the people. Soon after he began to read his
message his little daughter, somewhat alarmed by the clamor and
the throng, ran from her mother to his side, and took hold of his
hand, which she held until a chair was placed for her, when she
sat down, seemingly assured that no harm could reach her. When
the President had concluded he shook hands with his wife, and
afterward received the congratulations of many official and unofficial
persons, who crowded around and greeted him, before he could return
to his carriage and start, escorted as when he came, to the White
House. The interest taken in this occasion by the President's old
comrades in arms was something wonderful. Every soldier hailed
his election as a compliment to the army.
That night General Grant and wife attended the inauguration ball,
which was held in the north wing of the new Treasury Department,
then just completed. There was a great crowd, and the single flight
of stairs proved insufficient for those who wished to pass up or
down, causing great dissatisfaction, especially on the part of
Horace Greeley and others, who found that the best hats and coats
had been taken from the improvised cloak-rooms early in the evening.
General Grant had kept the formation of his Cabinet a profound
secret, and their names were not known until he sent their nominations
to the Senate on the day after his inauguration. The nomination
of Elihu B. Washburne, of Illinois, as Secretary of State, created
some surprise, as it had been understood that he was to be sent to
France as Minister Plenipotentiary. It was soon known, however,
that Mr. Washburne only desired to preside over the Department of
State for a few days, ostensibly for the prestige it would give
him in diplomatic circles abroad, but really that he might appoint
some of his political henchmen to profitable consulates. At the
end of six days' service, Mr. Hamilton Fish was nominated and
confirmed as his successor. Mr. Fish was of orthodox Knickerbocker
stock, and the services of his father, Colonel Nicholas Fish, gave
him a hereditary right to belong to the Society of the Cincinnati,
over the central organization of which he presided as Captain-
General. He had served acceptably in the United States Senate and
House of Representatives, and as a War Governor of the State of
New York he had displayed considerable executive talent. He was
rather a large, British-looking man, with leg-of-mutton side-
whiskers, a stout nose, and a pleasant expression of countenance,
especially when he was chuckling over his success in humbugging
some verdant news-gatherer on diplomatic matters.
It was the especial social duty of Secretary Fish to entertain the
foreign diplomats in Washington, to settle their little disputes
on questions of etiquette, and to make them reasonably happy.
Every winter he dined and wined them, and, although his dining-room
in the Morgan House was of goodly size, he was forced to make a
three days' job of it. So on Monday he had the Envoys Extraordinary,
on Tuesday the Ministers Resident, and on Wednesday the Charge
d'Affaires, with a few personal friends to fill up the gaps. The
Senate and House Foreign Committees were next entertained at dinner,
and then the leading members of either House expected to put their
Congressional legs under the Fish mahogany. Meanwhile Mrs. and
Miss Fish had to go the grand rounds to leave their cards on the
wives and daughters of Senators and Representatives, and to be "at
home" every Wednesday to receive visits from them and the rest of
society in turn.
The Secretary of State is considered the "Premier" of the
Administration, but General Grant regarded the Secretaryship of
the Treasury as the most important position in his Cabinet. The
Republic was at peace with other nations, and the military and
naval forces, which had grown to such enormous proportions during
the war, had been economically reduced, but the Treasury was an
immense, overgrown organization, with its collections of customs
and of internal revenue duties, its issues of interest-bearing
bonds and of national bank-notes, the coinage of money, the revenue
marine service, the coast survey, and the life-saving stations,
all of which had been expanded during the war until the clerks and
employees were numbered by thousands. General Grant wished to
place at the head of this establishment a business man who could
prune off its excrescences and reform its abuses. The place was
offered to the millionaire merchant, Mr. A. T. Stewart, of New
York, who accepted it with pleasure, and at once had a suite of
rooms in the Ebbitt House, with a private entrance, fitted up for
his occupancy until he could go to housekeeping. A few days before
the 4th of March he came to Washington and occupied these rooms,
with Judge Hilton as his companion and adviser.
On the day after the inauguration Mr. Stewart was nominated by
General Grant, but Senator Sumner, who had not been consulted as
to the formation of the Cabinet, interposed his objection to the
immediate consideration of Mr. Stewart's nomination. Late in the
afternoon of that day a rumor got abroad that there was a law,
understood really to have been written by Alexander Hamilton while
Secretary of the Treasury, prohibiting an importer in active business
from holding the position of Secretary of the Treasury. A newspaper
correspondent obtained this law and carried to General Butterfield,
who conveyed it to Mr. Stewart and his legal adviser, Judge Hilton.
They consulted Chief Justice Chase, and he confirmed the view which
had been taken of the law by those who first brought it to Mr.
Stewart's attention. Mr. Stewart then proposed to retire from
business and devote the entire profits that might accrue during
the time that he should hold the office of Secretary of the Treasury
to charitable objects. But this was decided to be something which
would not be proper either for him to carry out or for the Government
to accept.
Immediately after seeing Chief Justice Chase, Mr. Stewart and Judge
Hilton drove to the White House, and laid the facts and the opinions
before the President, who, on the next day, wrote a message to the
Senate asking that the law of 1788 be set aside so as to enable
the candidate to hold the office. This the Senate declined to do.
It was a very natural ambition for a man of Mr. Stewart's tastes
and training to desire to be at the head of the Treasury, and it
is not unlikely that the disappointment was a very severe one.
This was the beginning of the "unpleasantness" between President
Grant and Senator Sumner, which finally resulted in open rupture.
Disappointed in not having the services of Mr. Stewart, General
Grant appointed George S. Boutwell, ex-Governor of Massachusetts,
who had had great legislative experience, as Secretary of the
Treasury; General John A. Rawlins, who had been his chief of staff
and military adviser, was made Secretary of War; Adolph E. Borie,
a retired Philadelphia merchant, Secretary of the Navy; J. D. Cox,
an Ohio lawyer, with a good military record, Secretary of the
Interior; John A. J. Creswell, an ex-Senator from Maryland, Postmaster-
General, and Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, a gifted Massachusetts lawyer,
endowed with keen wit, but possessed of most unpopular manners,
Attorney-General.
The Cabinet was regarded as a strong one. In Congress, Vice-
President Colfax presided over the Senate, and James G. Blaine was
Speaker of the House. Every State was again represented, and the
Republican Administration had the support of a decided majority at
either end of the Capitol. It was hoped by the Republicans that
their party was about to enter upon a new career of usefulness.
General Grant carried with him into the White House his army habits
of regularity and two of his staff officers, Generals Porter and
Babcock. He used to rise in the morning about seven o'clock, read
the Washington papers, and breakfast at half-past eight with his
family. He would then light a cigar and take a short stroll,
walking slowly, with his left hand behind him, and sometimes holding
his cigar in his right hand. Ten o'clock found him in his office,
ready for the reception of visitors and the transaction of executive
business. On Thursdays and Fridays the Cabinet met, and members
of Congress always had precedence over other visitors. He would
listen attentively to all that was said to him by those who called,
but he was silent or non-committal in his replies. As the day
advanced his secretaries would bring him letters which required
answers, and would receive instructions as to what replies should
be made.
At three o'clock the official business of the day was ended, and
General Grant almost invariably visited the White House stables,
for he was very fond of his horses. Among them were "Cincinnatus,"
his dark bay charger; "St. Louis" and "Egypt," two carriage-horses
of fine action; a buggy horse named "Julia;" Master Jesse's Shetland
ponies, "Billy Button" and "Reb;" "Jeff Davis," a natural pacer;
"Mary," Miss Nellie's saddle-horse; "Jennie," a brood mare, and
three Hambletonian colts. Five vehicles were in the carriage house
--a landau, a barouche, a light road-wagon, a top-buggy, and a pony-
phaeton for the children.
From the stable, if the weather was pleasant and the walking good,
General Grant would often take a stroll along the north sidewalk
of Pennsylvania Avenue, occasionally stopping to exchange a few
words with an old comrade. He returned all salutations, as had
been his custom before becoming Chief Magistrate, and always lifted
his hat when bowing to lady acquaintances.
Dinner was served at the White House promptly at five o'clock, and
every member of the family was expected to be punctual. General
Grant's favorite dishes were rare roast beef, boiled hominy, and
wheaten bread, but he was always a light eater. Pleasant chat
enlivened the meal, with Master Jesse as the humorist, while Grandpa
Dent would occasionally indulge in some conservative growls against
the progress being made by the colored race. After coffee, the
General would light another cigar and smoke while he glanced over
the New York papers. About nine o'clock, a few chosen friends
would often call, sometimes by appointment, but business matters
were generally forbidden, and offices were not to be mentioned.
The children retired at nine o'clock, Mrs. Grant followed them
about ten, and between ten and eleven General Grant sought his
pillow.
[Facsimile]
U. S. Grant
ULYSSES S. GRANT was born at Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio,
April 27th, 1822; graduated from the Military Academy at West Point
in 1843, and was commissioned as a Brevet Second Lieutenant in the
Fourth United States Infantry; served in the Mexican war, receiving
the brevets of First Lieutenant and Captain; resigned his commission
in 1854; carried on a farm near St. Louis; was commissioned Colonel
of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, June 16th,
1861; was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, May 17th,
1861; of Major-General, February 17th, 1862; of Lieutenant-General,
March 1st, 1864, and as Commander of the Armies of the United
States, March 24th, 1864; received the surrender of General Lee at
Appomattox Court-House, April 9th, 1865; was inaugurated as President
of the United States, March 4th, 1869; was again inaugurated March
4th, 1873; traveled around the world with his family, May 17th,
1877 - December 16th, 1879; died at Mount McGregor, July 23d, 1885,
and was buried in the city of New York.