Maybe Grant's background as a quartermaster was one key to his successes.
I like Oregon, I can see why he liked it better than Northern Calif.Grant actually has a warm place in the hearts of Oregonians. There's a Grant street in nearly every town, Grant County, etc. He may have been very depressed in California, but he liked Oregon and wanted to relocate there, bringing out his family and starting up a farm. Nature sure didn't cooperate! Didn't sour him on the state but he didn't get to move. He did visit Portland a couple times. When the Cal-Ore railroad was completed, he came out on it to visit Portland, formerly Stump Town. Sailor's Diggings - sailors deserted ships at Crescent City to head for the gold fields around Jackson Creek - had changed its name to Waldo. Waldo was a scheduled stop, having formerly been a stage stop, and they were very excited about Grant's visit. Bands, potlucks, best hotel rooms, all banners and frills! And...the train was behind schedule but it slowed down so Grant could come out on the back end and wave as he...passed on by. So, Waldo was renamed Grant's Pass!
Is that a true story? If not, it sure should be!Waldo was a scheduled stop, having formerly been a stage stop, and they were very excited about Grant's visit. Bands, potlucks, best hotel rooms, all banners and frills! And...the train was behind schedule but it slowed down so Grant could come out on the back end and wave as he...passed on by. So, Waldo was renamed Grant's Pass!
Heck, I'm not even convinced that he was a true alcoholic. What I've gathered is that Grant "couldn't hold his liquor" -- in other words, it took very little to get him drunk. So, ironically, Grant drank much less than many if not most other officers in the Civil War. And with rare exceptions, those other guys never seem to get taken to task for it. Here's a typical scene: "Union Soldiers Pictured Playing Cards and Drinking 'Old Red Eye'", courtesy of the National Park Service. Notice all those bottles on the table!The one interesting aspect of Grant that not one historian, to my knowledge, has ever been able to successfully prove is that he drank to the point of drunkiness during any battle in which he was the commanding officer. Even Halleck was never able to successfully prove Grant's drinking at any point during the civil war.
KF- sometimes I get the weirdest feeling you like Grant.
Guilty as charged!This thread should be retitled, "General Grant and the Ladies Who Love Him".
Guilty as charged!
I consider it my personal mission to help rehabilitate the reputation of a good man unjustly maligned lo these many decades.
Is that a true story? If not, it sure should be!
Grant was stationed at Fort Vancouver on the north side of the Columbia, then part of Oregon Territory. This became part of Washington Territory in 1853. Despite the boundary down the middle of the river, communities along the Columbia up as far as the Okanogan near the Canadian border were more oriented to Portland that to Puget Sound where the territorial and state capitol was at Olympia. Today, tens of thousands of Vancouver residents work and shop in Oregon (no sales tax).he liked Oregon and wanted to relocate there, bringing out his family and starting up a farm. Nature sure didn't cooperate!
Grant was stationed at Fort Vancouver on the north side of the Columbia, then part of Oregon Territory. This became part of Washington Territory in 1853. Despite the boundary down the middle of the river, communities along the Columbia up as far as the Okanogan near the Canadian border were more oriented to Portland that to Puget Sound where the territorial and state capitol was at Olympia. Today, tens of thousands of Vancouver residents work and shop in Oregon (no sales tax).
Pickett built a house there for his family, think it's still called the Pickett House.
I lived in the Seattle area for 16 years-went down to Oregon frequently--and they came up to us! Beautiful country, both. If you want a farm, there's plenty of rain for it!
You might enjoy this: http://www.granthomepage.com/grantequestrian.htmI've heard Grant was an animal lover and had almost a supernatural understanding of horses.
Robert Redford had nothing on Grant--they say he was the "horse-whisperer of his times.I've heard Grant was an animal lover and had almost a supernatural understanding of horses.