Grant Grant Article

With the usual disclaimers, especially since this is from a newspaper, kind of a what, funny, I guess, ( whatever it is, just got a kick out of it ) article on Grant, from a New York paper, 1863. It wasn't possible to ascertain which paper since it seems to have been scanned from some inner page which had no identifying top notation- just came up under an ' 1863 ' search.

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JPK YOU are related to GRANT if I remember right!! gee that must be soooo exciting to be able to study him. I bet this is where you got your horsemanship skills from,, its in your blood!!!!!!!
 
Are you booting me out of a closet or WHAT? It's very nice in here.

This was always so odd- was horse-crazy like so, so many little girls but without the least encouragement. Whose parents on a budget would encourage that? Still- found a way like most kids do, by the time Jr. High rolled around had a serious job at a barn, paid for things. I guess I'd known after awhile Grandpop was ' horsey', in point of fact, ran away to join the Cav. only was underage and his mother finally found the poor kid, dragged him home from Ft. Meade. Did NOT know Grandpop's grandfather was 6th US Cav during the Civil War, my grgrgrandfather.
 
Are you booting me out of a closet or WHAT? It's very nice in here.

This was always so odd- was horse-crazy like so, so many little girls but without the least encouragement. Whose parents on a budget would encourage that? Still- found a way like most kids do, by the time Jr. High rolled around had a serious job at a barn, paid for things. I guess I'd known after awhile Grandpop was ' horsey', in point of fact, ran away to join the Cav. only was underage and his mother finally found the poor kid, dragged him home from Ft. Meade. Did NOT know Grandpop's grandfather was 6th US Cav during the Civil War, my grgrgrandfather.
yup ..pulling you out of the Genealogy closet!!!.... I think its awesome your related to General Grant!!!!President Grant !!! All tho I do have a bone to pick with you, about him sending Custer off on his fairwell tour!!! NO just KIDDING!!!!! Be proud!!!!!!! gees I would brag even if I was a direct descendant to Mr. Potato head ummmm I"ll have to check into that!!
 
ohno.

You are SOOOO funny!! I totally deserved that- when I said I didn't care, don't think it occured to me you mean the FORUM, thought you were talking about a PERSON. And it's not direct. Grandparents are direct. OH my gosh, you're so funny, I'm going back into the closet, getting under the bed in there and putting a pillow over my migraine. Crying, laughing so hard, CL, you are a kick!
 
Don't know - Grant was sensitive about social place. Didn't think much of pretense. Too often he'd been made fun of because he wasn't dressed to the nines. During the Mexican War, Scott made him go get a clean uniform before he reported Mexican positions - Scott's aide Robert E Lee had to tell the muddy lieutenant. Fast forward to Appomattox - Grant is again meeting Lee in a muddy uniform! He was self-conscious but it turned out he didn't need to be - Lee didn't remember him, let alone the incident.
At Appomattox, Grant wasn't immediately self-conscious. At first, it didn't occur to him; he had other things on his mind! He greeted Lee and immediately started reminiscing about the Mexican War. He charmingly says in his memoirs that he got so caught up in pleasant conversation with Lee that he momentarily almost forgot the task they were meeting for!

His having muddy boots and not being dressed well on that solemn occasion was not because he intended any disrespect to Lee, but rather, because the wagon containing his baggage had not caught up to where he was; it was miles behind on the road. When Grant got the news that Lee was ready to talk to him, he just dashed off in the only clothes he had at that moment, which were the clothes he was wearing.
 
With the usual disclaimers, especially since this is from a newspaper, kind of a what, funny, I guess, ( whatever it is, just got a kick out of it ) article on Grant, from a New York paper, 1863. It wasn't possible to ascertain which paper since it seems to have been scanned from some inner page which had no identifying top notation- just came up under an ' 1863 ' search.

JPK, this is a little treasure! Thanks so much for sharing it!
 
At Appomattox, Grant wasn't immediately self-conscious. At first, it didn't occur to him; he had other things on his mind! He greeted Lee and immediately started reminiscing about the Mexican War. He charmingly says in his memoirs that he got so caught up in pleasant conversation with Lee that he momentarily almost forgot the task they were meeting for!

His having muddy boots and not being dressed well on that solemn occasion was not because he intended any disrespect to Lee, but rather, because the wagon containing his baggage had not caught up to where he was; it was miles behind on the road. When Grant got the news that Lee was ready to talk to him, he just dashed off in the only clothes he had at that moment, which were the clothes he was wearing.

True! He also mentioned he'd been wearing the same shorts for a week. Too much information! :x3:
 
My compliments Major Diane. Grant's pedigree from the United States Military Academy would indicate he knew how to polish brass and apply bootblack. As a result, I'm not inclined to think he was careless in his appearance, but consciously sending the message that he was "in the fight."
His having muddy boots and not being dressed well at Appomattox was not because he intended any disrespect to Lee, but rather, because the wagon containing his baggage had not caught up to where he was; it was miles behind on the road. When Grant got the news that Lee was ready to talk to him, he just dashed off in the only clothes he had at that moment, which were the clothes he was wearing.
 
That would have made Lee remember him, all right! Grant did a ride that would have earned him serious dough if he'd done it for Barnum and Bailey - he took a message through a battle and avoided getting shot by sliding from side to side on the horse, even laying along his neck. Not bad at a gallop!
The way I understood it was that he hung down on one side of the horse the way the Comanches made famous, that is, with one leg lopped over the back of the horse and then his whole body hanging down on the other side, away from the direction the enemy fire was coming from -- like the Comanche in the foreground here:
http://blog.hmns.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Riders-hanging-from-horse.jpg
 

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Lee never saw him ride, apparently.
One more Grant horse fact: He set an equestrian high-jump record at West Point that stood for a quarter of a century.
On the other hand, Robert E. Lee set a West Point record that I believe has not been broken yet: Not a single demerit during his whole time there. Of course, I'll take Grant. ;-)
 
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My compliments Major Diane. Grant's pedigree from the United States Military Academy would indicate he knew how to polish brass and apply bootblack. As a result, I'm not inclined to think he was careless in his appearance, but consciously sending the message that he was "in the fight."
In his memoirs, we see that he was not always so dismissive of spit'n'polish. When he came back home after his first year at West Point, he duded up in his uniform to impress the townfolk -- the girls especially, I imagine. Some of the town kids poked fun at him for, as they saw it, putting on airs. He frankly admits that his dislike of military pomp dates to that occasion.

Also, down in the Mexican War, he saw the contrast between the leadership styles of Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor. While he admired Scott, he admired Taylor even more -- and Taylor was as casual about things as Scott was formal. Many scholars have said that Grant consciously imitated Taylor's laid-back style. At the least, I think we can say it influenced him.
 
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LOVE the tidbits- always, always interesting to see why our historical figures were the way they were- I'd heard the story on having been made fun of for peacocking around in the new uniform.

It's not incredibly close, on the other hand close enough that our family at the time knew it- families in those days, especially some, kept their long tentacles out, keeping tabs, didn't matter whether or not someone was famous. We share grgrgrandparents with Grant, he's a 3rd cousin on the Simpson side, and no, have zero intention of proving it to anyone. It's one reason not to say a word- the genealogical snots out there sharpen their pencils, start digging into YOUR family, it's absurd. We always knew, not something someone bumped into on Ancestry. The Grant family website will tell you that his mother's side of the family is not very well documented, and no one knows much about them, which is pretty dismissive if you ask me! Also incorrect, so why does it say that? Like ' Grant' would be the only half which mattered. It is in fact extremely well documented.
 
In his memoirs, we see that he was not always so dismissive of spit'n'polish. When he came back home after his first year at West Point, he duded up in his uniform to impress the townfolk -- the girls especially, I imagine. Some of the town kids poked fun at him for, as they saw it, putting on airs. He frankly admits that his dislike of military pomp dates to that occasion.

Also, down in the Mexican War, he saw the contrast between the leadership styles of Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor. While he admired Scott, he admired Taylor even more -- and Taylor was as casual about things as Scott was formal. Many scholars have said that Grant consciously imitated Taylor's laid-back style. At the least, I think we can say it influenced him.
"Old Fuss & Feathers" vs. the guy with the straw hat.
 
Grant was the first (maybe only) sitting President to get a speeding ticket.
http://www.wtop.com/41/3067836/DC-police-once-arrested-a-US-president-for-speeding

.... Ulysses S. Grant liked to drive himself around the city — and the president liked to go fast through Georgetown.

"He actually was racing his buggy on M street, where he was taken into custody," says Cathy Lanier, today's D.C. police chief. "We seize his horse and buggy."

Lanier says it wasn't an isolated incident for Grant.

"The metropolitan police department actually stopped and cited Ulysses S. Grant three times for speeding," she says.

After police hauled the president down to the police station, they were unsure if they could charge a sitting president if he had not been impeached.

"They ended up letting him pay a fine and walk back to the White House," Lanier says.
 
On the other hand, Robert E. Lee set a West Point record that I believe has not been broken yet: Not a single demerit during his whole time there.
The guy who graduated ahead of Lee in the class of 1829, Charles Mason, didn't have any demerits, either.

However. Graduating with no demerits does not necessarily mean a cadet received no demerits. Demerits could be "walked off" with extra guard duty. Just a thought.
 
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