Cavalry Charger
Major
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2017
Ulysses S. Grant's letter to his cousin, R. McKinstry Griffith, gives an insight into Grant's first impressions of the place that was to become his home for the next several years. I was surprised by the eloquence of the first paragraph of his letter and it is plain to see his abilities as a writer, even as a 17yr old cadet.
"From the window near I can see the Hudson; that far famed, that beautiful river with its bosom studded with hundreds of snow [struck: white] sails. Again if I look another way I can see Fort Putnam frowning far above: a stern monument of a sterner age, which seems placed there on purpose to tell us of the glorious deeds of our fathers. and to bid us remember their sufferings - to follow their examples. In short this is the best of all places - the place of all places for an institution like this."
Clearly enamoured with the location and it surrounds, Grant gives expression to both positive and negative elements of his experience:
"So I will tell you about a few of the drawbacks. First, I slept for two months upon one single pair of blankets, now this sounds romantic and you may think it very easy. but I tell you what coz. it is tremendeus hard. suppose you try it by way of experiment for a night or two. I am pretty shure that you would be perfectly satisfied that is no easy matter. but glad am I. these things are over. we are now in our quarters."
Needless to say it is enjoyable to read Grant's thoughts at this early juncture of his military career. See below for the full transcript:
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/t-03632.pdf
Here is a PDF of the first page of Grant's letter which shows his somewhat detailed and exquisite handwriting which I had not seen before. I took special notice of the flourishing "F" in Fort. Interestingly, he also signed off on this letter as H.U.Grant (Hiram Ulysses Grant) which is of course his name before it became muddled up in the process of his selection to attend West Point.
Reading Grant's impressions of his experiences as a young man ties in nicely with this lecture and its purposes. The introduction also includes the trailer for the History channel production of the "Grant" mini series which has no doubt helped to raise Grant's profile.
"From the window near I can see the Hudson; that far famed, that beautiful river with its bosom studded with hundreds of snow [struck: white] sails. Again if I look another way I can see Fort Putnam frowning far above: a stern monument of a sterner age, which seems placed there on purpose to tell us of the glorious deeds of our fathers. and to bid us remember their sufferings - to follow their examples. In short this is the best of all places - the place of all places for an institution like this."
Clearly enamoured with the location and it surrounds, Grant gives expression to both positive and negative elements of his experience:
"So I will tell you about a few of the drawbacks. First, I slept for two months upon one single pair of blankets, now this sounds romantic and you may think it very easy. but I tell you what coz. it is tremendeus hard. suppose you try it by way of experiment for a night or two. I am pretty shure that you would be perfectly satisfied that is no easy matter. but glad am I. these things are over. we are now in our quarters."
Needless to say it is enjoyable to read Grant's thoughts at this early juncture of his military career. See below for the full transcript:
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/t-03632.pdf
Here is a PDF of the first page of Grant's letter which shows his somewhat detailed and exquisite handwriting which I had not seen before. I took special notice of the flourishing "F" in Fort. Interestingly, he also signed off on this letter as H.U.Grant (Hiram Ulysses Grant) which is of course his name before it became muddled up in the process of his selection to attend West Point.
Reading Grant's impressions of his experiences as a young man ties in nicely with this lecture and its purposes. The introduction also includes the trailer for the History channel production of the "Grant" mini series which has no doubt helped to raise Grant's profile.
Inside the Vault: Ulysses S. Grant | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Inside the Vault: Ulysses S. Grant | Originally broadcast on May 15, 2020, this session of Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection explores the earlies | Originally broadcast on May 15, 2020, this session of Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection...
www.gilderlehrman.org
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