Ulysses Grant and Julia Dent Grant is a real love story. He first met her through her brother, a room mate of his at West Point and a fellow soldier at Jefferson Barracks. When he first rode up he was so young and slim that Julia's little sister thought he was as 'pretty as a doll'! They all went for him but it was immediately clear that only one sister had a chance and that was Julia! She believed in him no matter how much he failed or how poor he was. She likely saved his life after Lincoln's assassination. She had seen a strange 'dark, pale' man following her and riding by the carriage she and Grant were in. (Later she learned this man was John Wilkes Booth.) When the Grants got on the train, she insisted on locking their doors, even though Grant had guards posted outside. Later, Grant received a mysterious unsigned note from someone who had been assigned to kill him but had failed because his train doors were locked! In the White House, Grant always brought her breakfast in bed and set aside about a half hour just for her. Nobody was to disturb that half hour even if the White House was on fire! And, he spent quite literally almost his last day on earth finishing his memoirs - the proceeds from their sales saved Julia from spending the rest of her life in poverty.
Nathan Bedford Forrest and Mary Ann Montgomery is a long term love story! He was a difficult man to be married to, for sure, but she was a very strong personality herself. He had not known of her before he found her and her mother stuck in the creek, but she had undoubtedly heard of him. They met just after he had the big shoot-out with the Matlocks in the street in front of his uncle's business. He proved a number of things by fishing her out of the creek - he was decent, he was a gentleman (unlike the jokers standing by watching!), and he was strong. He put his shoulder under the wheel and hefted it up, loaded carriage and all! After seeing them safely on the road again, he came back to the two men watching - all muddy and dripping wet - and laid into them but good. They left and he then turned to Mary's mom and asked politely to see her daughter. Well, you bet you can! When he arrived for his date he saw the same two men sitting in the living room. They snickered, saying Mary wasn't going to pick him - she was a cultured lady and he was a hillbilly. That was evidently the end of the conversation, and when Mary did finally come down she found one man sitting on the couch waiting patiently for her. It was the one she figured on! Forrest promptly proposed to her. He was not the romantic type and didn't know what else to say, so he gave her his basic resume - I'm working, I've saved some money, I've got a little property and I'm a big galoot. I can provide for you and protect you. What do you say? She didn't say anything. So, he said, "Coming back tomorrow. I'll have the marriage license with me." Being as he was also the constable of De Soto County, that wasn't hard! He did return, with the papers done, and they were married directly. By all accounts it was a good marriage. Many who met Forrest and his wife during the war were surprised at how deferential he was to her. She always managed to be as near to her husband and son as possible. He had tried to leave her in Memphis but after being badly wounded at Shiloh, he gave in to her insistence that she be near. Whenever he was wounded he didn't fail to tell her, nor did he make light of it. The only thing they argued about was his gambling. Mary did not like it one bit and often told him so. After the war, Forrest made the mistake of vouching for a friend's loan. The friend defaulted, which meant Forrest suddenly owed around $5,000. He came up with all of it but $1000. This was due in the morning. Forrest and the wife sat at the dining table looking at their last $10 in all the world. "Won't you let me find a game of draw?" he asked. "Gambling is a sin," Mary replied. "No good comes of sin!" "Mary, this is a matter of honor." "Then I will be waiting for you, with a Bible on my lap!" Forrest went off with the $10 and found him a game. He turned the $10 into $1200. He then got up, put the winnings in his hat, and started to go. The other players stopped him, saying he should give them a chance to get their losses back. "No, gentlemen," said Forrest. "My wife is sitting at home praying for me and reading the Bible. This is my last game." As far as anyone knows, it really was his last game! He considered her his 'guardian angel' and truly believed he had survived the war due to her constant prayers.
Forum Host
Bringing the