The life of General Ulysses S. Grant. Containing a brief but faithful narrative of those military and diplomatic achievements which have entitled him to the confidence and gratitude of his countrymen

Front matter

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-oo N oq x

THE LIFE

Preface

ENERAL GRANT is emphatically a man, not of words, but of deeds. His eloquence is the eloquence of action. He will be renowned, through all future time, for the achievements which he has performed, — achievements which, every impartial student of history will declare, give him position among the ablest men the world has known.

"We are, in our day, apt to give undue importance to fluency of speech. There is a charm in popular eloquence which captivates the mind. And one is led to suppose that the man who can give utterance to noble thoughts in glowing sentences, who can soar in dazzling flight upon the wings of imagination, who, with fluency which never fails him, can on all occasions make an apt and taking speech, must. surely be a man of wide reach of intellect, of sound judgment, of executive ability.

But no student of the past, no careful observer of the present, need be informed that such a conclusion may be very erroneous. The voluble talker is often the very inefficient actor. The man who can elicit shouts of applause upon the platform may be the very last man to plan and execute an important enterprise. In fact, speech-making has become the pest of the present day in legislative halls, consuming the time, and clog-

4 PREFACE.

ging the wheels of action. Moses, whom God chose as the ruler of Israel, was " slow of speech."

In these few pages we present the character of a thoughtful, reserved, taciturn man, — a man of tireless energies, of great breadth of comprehension, of the highest order of administrative genius. No man can read these pages without being convinced that General Grant is, in mental capacity, one of the foremost men of the present age.

To lead a charge on the field of battle requires but little save the heroism of courage. But to conduct a campaign like that of Vicksburg, or Chattanooga, or Richmond demands the highest order of intellect. All the resources of which the mind is capable are called into exercise. The man who has thus been tested proves himself qualified for any administrative duty which may be assigned to him.

We speak of General Grant as not being a man of words. And yet there is great power in the few words which he does use. His despatches are models : brief, comprehensive, clear, no man can misunderstand them. The energy with which General Grant grappled with the Rebellion, the self-denying patriotism with which he consecrated himself to the service of the country, and the achievements to which he led the glorious armies of the Republic, giving our nation new renown throughout the world, surely entitle him to the confidence and affection of every American citizen.

JOHN S. C. ABBOTT.

New Haven, April, 1868.

Chapter I. Commencement Op His Career

PAGE.

Parentage.— Anecdotes of his Childhood. — Enters West Point. — Development of Character. — Studies and Rank. — Stationed on the Frontiers.— Ordered to Mexico. — Battle of Palo Alto ; of Resaca de la Palma. — Capture of Monterey. — Joins the Army of General Scott. — Promotions.— Battle of Molino del Rey; of Chapultepec — Conquest of Mexico. — Withdrawal of the Troops H

Chapter II. The Battle Of Belmont

General Grant stationed in Oregon. — Life on the Frontier. — Resigns his Commission. — A Farmer. — A Merchant. — Commencement of the Rebellion.— Raises a Company. — Promoted to a Colonelcy. — A Brigadier- General.— Seizes Paducah. — In Command at Cairo. — Expedition to Belmont. — The Battle. — Its Results 23

Chapter III. The Capture Of Fort Henry, And The March To Donelson

The Military Line of the Rebels.— The Strategic Importance of the Posts. — General Grant's Views. — The Co-operation of Commodore Foote. — The Naval and Land Force. — Plan of Attack. — The Battle and Capture of Fort Henry. — Preparation for the Attack upon Donelson. — Strength of the Works. — Peril of the Attack 35

Chapter IV. The Capture Of Fort Donelson

The March to Donelson. — Investment of the Fort. — The Bivouac. — Commencement of the Conflict. — The Wintry Storm. — Action of the Gunboats.— The Repulse. — Interview between Foote and Grant. — Desperation of the Foe. — The Attempt to Escape. — Energy and Sagacity of Grant. — The Final Conflict. — The Capture and its Results . . . .47

6 CONTENTS.

Chapter V. The Battle Of 8hiloh

PAGE.

Opening of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. — Generals Grant and Sherman. — Disembarkation at Pittsburg Landing. — The Situation. — Plan of the rebel General Johnston and its Success. — Valiant Defence.— General Lewis Wallace unjustly censured. — His Vindication. — Prompt Action of Colonel Webster ^61

Chapter VI. The Victory At Pittsburg Landing

Renewal of the Battle. — Retreat of the Rebels. — General Grant's Charge.— Spectacle of the Battle-field. — Testimony of General Sherman. — Grant's Congratulatory Order. — The Unfavorable Impression. — Speech of Hon. E. B. Washburne.— General Halleck assumes the Command. — The Advance upon Corinth. — The Investment. — Impatience of the Troops . . 73

Chapter VII. The Siege Of Corinth, And The Advance To Vicksburg

The Secret Evacuation. — Chagrin of the Army. — General Grant restored to his Command. — His Headquarters at Corinth. — Plans of Price, Bragg, and Van Dorn. — The Rebel Batteries at Vicksburg. — The Advance upon Vicksburg. — Failure of the Canal. — The Lake-Providence Enterprise.— The Moon-Lake Enterprise. — The Yazoo Enterprise ... . . .84

CHAPTER VIH.

RUNNING THE BATTERIES.

Bitter Feeling towards General Grant. — President Lincoln approves his Course. — His Movement upon Vicksburg. — Opposition to Ids Plans. — March to New Carthage. — Self-reliance of General Grant. — Admiral Porter. — Enthusiasm of the Sailors. — Conflict on the River. — Running the Batteries. — Secessionist Revenge 100

Chapter IX. The March To The Rear

Bombardment of Grand Gulf. — Crossing at Bruinsburg. — Friendly Negroes. — Advance upon Tort Gibson. — The Battle.— Repulse of the Foe. — Flight and Consternation. — Grant's Despatches. — His Caution and Danger. — Personul Habits.— Testimony of General Badeau . . . .in

CONTENTS. 7

Chapter X. The Advance Towards Vicksburg

PAGE.

Innumerable Cares of the General. — The March along the Big Black. — Capture of Jackson. — Strategy and Tactics.— Youthful Combatants. — Advance upon Edwards's Station. — Battle of Champion Hill. — Capture of Edwards's Station. — Despatch from General Halleck. — Battle of Black-river Bridge.

— Entire Discomfiture of the Foe 123

Chapter XI. The Capture Of Ticksburg

Crossing the Big Black. — Singular Interview between Grant and Sherman.— The Investment of Vicksburg. — Magnitude of the Achievement. — Progress of the Siege. —Johnston's unavailing Endeavors. — Explosion of the Mine.

— Distress of the Besieged. — The Capitulation. — Rebel "Chivalry." — Letter from President Lincoln 136

Chapter XII. The Peril At Chattanooga

Results from the Fall of Vicksburg. — Humanity of General Sherman. —Peril of the Army in East Tennessee. — Disaster at Chattanooga. — General Grant placed in Command. — His Wonderful Energy. — Opening Communications.

— The Pontoon Bridge. — Movement of Hooker and Howard. — The Repulse

of the Rebels 155

Chapter XIII. Preparations For Battle

Extent of General Grant's Command. — March of Sherman. — Chagrin of the Rebels. — Characteristics. — Peril of Burnside. — Anxiety of Grant.— Grandeur of the Military Movements. — Grant's Despatches. — Position of General Thomas.— Arrival of Sherman. — Meeting of Sherman and Howard. — Assuming the Offensive 168

Chapter XIV. The Battle Of Missionary Ridge

Lookout Mountain. — General Hooker's Advance. — The Battle in the Clouds.

— Retreat of the Foe. — Position of the Armies. — Plan of the Battle.— Characteristics of General Grant. — Movements of Sherman ; of Hooker — The Decisive Charge by Thomas. — The Victory. — Sheridan's Pursuit.

— Activity of General Grant. — The great Ability he displayed . . .180

Chapter XV. The Pursuit

Night-Scene. — Grant's Despatches. — The Pursuit. — Destruction of Chattanooga Depot. — Speech of Jefferson Davis. — The Contest at Ringgold. — The Campaign and the Great Battle. — Lincoln's Proclamation and Letter.

— Halleck's Report. — Movements for the Relief of Burnside. — Grant's Despatches ..".,,,,,..,,,, 191

8 CONTENTS.

Chapter XVI. The Belief Of Knoxville

PA6K.

The Siege of Knoxville. — Preparations for Defence. — Rebel Attack upon Fort Sanders. — Bloody Repulse. — Flight of Longstreet. — Arrival of Sherman. — Grant's Congratulatory Order. — His Energy. — Testimony of the Indian Chief. — National Testimonials. — Speeches in Congress. — Medal. — Sherman's Raid. — Exploring Mountain Passes. — Visit to St. Louis . . 202

Chapter XVII. National Honors Conferred Upon General Grant

Revival of the Grade of Lieutenant-General. — Speech of Hon. Mr. Farnsworth. — Of Hon. Mr. Washburne. — Action of Congress. — General Grant nominated by the President. — His Letter to Sherman. — The Reply. — Public Enthusiasm. — Conferring the Commission. — New Plans for the Conduct of the War 217

CHAPTER XVILL

THE BATTLES OF THE WILDERNESS.

The Plan of the Campaigns. — Crossing the Rapidan. — The First Day's Battle. — Picturesque Spectacle. — The Second Day's Battle. — The Third Day's Battle. — Peculiarity of the Conflict. — Terrible Losses. — Battle of Spotteylvania Court-house. — Defeat of the Rebels. — Death of Wadsworth and Sedgwick.— Anecdotes of General Grant 227

Chapter XIX. The March From Spottsylvania To The Pamtjnkey

Scenes on the Battle-field. — General Hancock's Midnight Charge. — The Battle of Spottsylvania. — The Retreat of the Foe. — Grant's Congratulatory Order. — The Mud Blockade. — Advance to Guinea's Station. — The Race for Richmond. — The Pageantry of War. — Magnitude of the Army. — Advance to the North Anna. — Positions of the Two Armies. — Secret March to the Pamunkey. — New Base of Supplies 239

Chapter XX. The March From The Chickahominy To Petersburg

The Union Lines on the Chickahominy. — The Opposing Rebel Lines. — The Desperate Battle. — Days of Intrenching and of Battle. — Preparations for another Flank Movement. — The Wonderful March to Petersburg. — Surprise and Alarm of the Enemy. — Change of Base of Supplies. — Conflicts around Petersburg. — The Siege Commenced 251

Chapter XXI. The Siege Of Petersburg

Investing Petersburg. — The Railroads. — General Birney's Raid. — The Cavalry Raid of Generals Wilson and Kautz. — General Grant's Despatch. — Feelings of the Soldiers. — The Bombardment of the City. — Sympathy between President Lincoln and General Grant. — Ewell's Raid . . .262

CONTENTS. 9

Chapter XXII. Progress Of The Siege

PAGE.

Labors of a Beleaguering Army. —Attack upon Richmond from the North. — The Mine: its Construction, Explosion, Results. — Gregg's Raid to the Weldon Road. — Its Seizure. — Desperate but Unsuccessful Struggles of the Rebels. — Treachery of the Rebels. — Military Railroad. — Tidings of the Capture of Atlanta. — Obduracy of Jeff. Davis. — Immensity of General Grant's Cares 275

CHAPTER XXQI.

grant's battles and Sherman's march.

General Grant's Report. — General Butler's Movement upon Richmond.— March to the South-side Railroad. — Midnight Bombardment. — Renewed Attempt upon the South-side Railroad. — President Lincoln's Second Inaugural. — Sherman's Wonderful March. — Ravages of the March. — Capture of Savannah 286

CHAPTER XXIV. THE final victory

Pride of the Rebels. — Anxiety of the North for Peace. — Sherman's March through the Carolinas. — The Ravages of War. — Grant's Comprehensive Plans. — Continued Battles. — Lee's Plan of Escape. — The Last Struggle. —Lee's Utter Discomfiture. — His Flight. — The Surrender. — Overthrow of the Rebellion. —Grant's Farewell Address .297

LIFE OF GENERAL' GRANT.

Chapter I. Commencement Of His Career

Parentage. — Anecdotes of his Childhood. — Enters West Point. — Development of Character. — Studies and Bank. — Stationed on the Frontiers. — Ordered to Mexico. — Battle of Palo Alto ; of Besaca de la Palma. — Capture of Monterey. — Joins the Army of Gen. Scott. — Pi-omotions. — Battle of Molino del Bey ; of Chapultepec. — Conquest of Mexico. — Withdrawal of the Troops.

PON the banks of the Ohio River, about twenty-five miles above the city of Cincinnati, there is the little village of Point Pleasant, containing three or four hundred inhabitants. It is a pleasant point of the beautiful stream (la belle riviere, as the French call the Ohio), and lies on the northern or Ohio side, in what is now known as Clermont County. Not quite half a century ago, a very worthy young man of Scotch descent drifted to that remote region on the tide of migration which was then, as now, sweeping, with ever-increasing flood, towards the setting sun. He had brought with him from his Pennsylvania home the Bible in his chest, and its principles in his heart, and became a respected member of the Methodist persuasion. He found him a bride in an excellent maiden who had accompanied her parents to this frontier settlement from Pennsylvania.

On the 27th of April, 1822, a son was born to them, who received the baptismal name of Ulysses S. Grant. The babe was scarcely a year old, when the parents removed about twenty miles up the river, to Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio, about seven miles back from the stream. Here the little family found themselves in a more progressive region, and in the midst of a more energetic, intelligent, and thriving community. Ulysses was sent to the village school, where he obtained the rudiments of his education. He developed at that early period no qualities which indicated that he was destined to distinction. He was a good boy, — faithful in his duties, peaceably disposed, of sober character, and solid endowments. A few incidents have been gleaned from parents and friends, so few and so trivial as only to prove, that, in those early years, there was nothing particularly to distinguish him from the other farmers' boys who were his companions and friends.

We are told, that, when the child was but two years old, his father was one morning holding him in his arms, in a public part of the village, when a boy came along with a loaded pistol. Curious to see how the babe would stand the fire, the boy asked the father of the child to let Ulysses pull the trigger. They curled the tiny finger around it. The child pulled, and the charge was exploded. Delighted with the loud report, the little fellow shouted, " Fick it again ! " One standing by said, " That boy will make a general." None will question but that the prediction has been verified.

The father of General Grant, in an account of his childhood published in " The Ledger," gives the following interesting narrative : —

" The leading passion of Ulysses, almost from the time he could go alone, was for horses. The first time he ever drove a horse alone, he was about seven and a half years old. I had gone away from home, to Ripley, twelve miles off. I went in the morning, and did not get back until night. I owned, at the time, a three-year old colt, which had been ridden under the saddle to carry the mail, but had never had a collar on. While I was gone, Ulysses got the colt, and put a collar and the harness on him, and hitched him up to a sled. Then he put a single line -on to him, and drove off, and loaded up the sled with brush, and came back again. He kept at it, hauling successive loads, all day ; and, when I came home at night, he had a pile of brush as big as a cabin.

" At about ten years of age he used to drive a pair of horses alone, from Georgetown, where we lived, forty miles, to Cincinnati, and bring back a load of passengers.

"When Ulysses was a boy, if a circus or any show came along, in which there was a call for somebody to come forward and ride a pony, he was always the one to present himself, and whatever he undertook to ride he rode. This practice he kept up until he got to be so large that he was ashamed to ride a pony.

" Once, when he was a boy, a show came along in which there was a mischievous pony, trained to go round the ring like lightning, and he was expected to throw any boy that attempted to ride him.

" < Will any boy come forward and ride this pony ? ' shouted the ring-master.

"Ulysses stepped forward, and mounted the pony. The performance began. Round and round and round the ring went the pony, faster and faster, making the greatest effort to dismount the rider. But Ulysses sat as steady as if he had grown to the pony's back. Presently out came a large monkey, and sprang up behind Ulysses. The people set up a great shout of laughter, and on the pony ran ; but it all produced no effect on the rider. Then the ring-master made the monkey jump up on to Ulysses's shoulders, standing with his feet on his shoulders, and with his hands holding on to his hair. At this there was another and a still louder shout, but not a muscle of Ulysses's face moved. There was not a tremor of his nerves. A few more rounds, and the ring-master gave it up: he had come across a boy that the pony and the monkey both could not dismount."

We are told, that, when he was twelve years of age, his father sent him to a neighboring farmer to close the bargain for a horse which he was wishing to purchase. Before Ulysses started, his father said to him, —

" You can tell Mr. Ralston that I have sent you to buy the horse, and that I will give him fifty dollars for it. If he will not take that, you may offer him fifty-five ; and I should be willing to go as high as sixty, rather than not get the horse."

This is essentially an old story, probably having a mere foundation in fact ; but the peculiarity in this case was, that when Ralston asked Ulysses directly, " How much did your father say you might give for the horse ? " he did not .know how to prevaricate, but replied, honestly and emphatically, —

" Father told me to offer you fifty dollars at first ; if that would not do, to give you fifty-five dollars ; and that he would be willing to give sixty, rather than not get the horse."

" Well, I cannot sell the horse for less than sixty dollars," Mr. Ralston replied.

" I am sorry for that," was the rejoinder of young Grant, in a tone of decision which satisfied the farmer that he meant what he said ; " for, since I have seen the horse, I have determined not to give more than fifty dollars. If you cannot take that, we must look elsewhere for a horse."

Mr. Ralston took the fifty dollars ; and Ulysses rode the horse home.

A brother of Ulysses' father had settled in Canada. As there was no school in his settlement, he sent his son John, who was about the age of Ulysses, to Georgetown, to board with his uncle, and to go to school with his cousin. We are told, that, on one occasion, John, who was imbued with British prejudices, said, —

" Your boasted Washington was a rebel and a traitor. He fought against his king."

" Repeat that," said Ulysses, " and I will whip you."

The pluck of both boys was roused. There was a fierce battle between the American Eagle and the British Lion. Though the eagle suffered severe handling, and had its pinions ruffled, and showed some crimson spots, the lion was compelled to retire from the field smothered with bewildering blows. It is said, that, many years afterwards, the two cousins met in Canada, when stalwart young men. As they were m pleasantly talking, John suddenly exclaimed, —

"I say, U. S.,do you remember the thrashing you gave me at school for calling Washington a rebel ? "

" Yes," Ulysses replied with a quiet smile ; " and I should do the same thing again under a similar provoca-

In the year 1839, Ulysses, then seventeen years of age, entered the Military Academy at West Point as a cadet. His progress here, as at school, was steady, not rapid ; his qualities solid, not brilliant. Whatever he gained in advancement he kept, never falling back. He was faithful in every duty ; securing the approbation of his teachers, and the affection of his associates. The four years passed at West Point were four years of intense application, devoted to the attainment of all those sciences, and all that knowledge, which pan be rendered available in the art of war. He was led through the various branches of a thorough English education ; studied the French and Spanish languages, chemistry, experimental philosophy ; was taught the essential art of drawing ; received instruction in ethics, and in constitutional, military, and international law ; in mineralogy and geology ; and was thoroughly drilled in infantry and artillery tactics ; in the use of rifled, mortar, siege, and seacoast guns ; in small-sword and bayonet exercise ; in the construction of field-works and fortifications, and in the fabrication of munition and materiel of war. Thus he became, by long and severe training, a highly-accomplished man, well prepared to meet the emergencies and great struggles which lie across every one's path through life.

Such are the legends which have floated to us from Grant's early years. We do not vouch for their accuracy. They merely show the general character which Ulysses S. Grant had established as a boy, for patriotism, firmness, and unboastful bravery. He graduated in June, 1843, standing in rank about the middle in his class, and immediately entered the United-States army as brevet second lieutenant of infantry. He was despatched as a supernumerary lieutenant to join a company of infantry stationed far away on the frontiers of the Missouri Territory, to watch the Indians. The region was then a wilderness, which civilization was just beginning to penetrate. The Indians, exasperated by the treatment which they were continually receiving from vagabond white men, had become very menacing and dangerous. Ignorant, degraded, and brutal, they knew not how to discriminate between the innocent and the guilty. In retaliation of their wrongs, they often inflicted vengeance upon the families of the peaceful settlers, — vengeance the recital even of which causes the blood to curdle in one's veins.

Nearly two years Lieutenant Grant passed in these distant and dreary solitudes, far removed from the intellectual and refining influences of civilized life. But there was a cloud gathering in our southern horizon. A war with Mexico was manifestly approaching. Quite a little army of United-States troops was gradually being concentrated in Texas. The boundary-line between Texas and Mexico was disputed.

The American troops took possession of Corpus Christi, an important Texan post upon the Gulf of Mexico. In the year 1845, Lieutenant Grant was sent, with his regiment, to this place, commissioned as full second lieutenant of infantry. The anticipated struggle soon commenced in Texas, without any declaration of war. The hostile troops were facing each other upon the opposite banks of the Rio Grande. There was a small garrison of American troops at Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras. After a severe bombardment, the Mexicans crossed the river, six thousand in number, to attack the fort in front and rear. General Taylor was at Point Isabel, twelve miles distant. Major Brown, in command of the fort, signalled his peril by firing, during the night, eigh teen-pounders at stated intervals. Lieutenant Grant was then with General Taylor. Early on the morning of the 8th of May, 1846, they commenced their march, with about twenty-two hundred men, for the rescue of their comrades. As they pressed eagerly and anxiously along, the thunders of the Mexican bombardment rolled heavily over the prairie, proclaiming that their comrades must be sorely beleaguered.

It was nearly noon when the American troops encountered the Mexicans, drawn up to meet them, in line of battle, on the field of Palo Alto. General Taylor promptly formed his line at the distance of half a mile from the foe. Thus the two hostile forces, nearly equal in number, faced each other on a vast plain, where the prairie-grass waved densely around them, and where not a hillock, a tree, or a shrub obstructed the view. The battle soon commenced ; and, as the forces were too far distant for musketry to be effective, it was mainly conducted by artillery on each side. The Americans had the best gunners, and the heavest weight of metal. With this advantage, our round-shot, grape, and shell tore through the Mexican ranks with great slaughter. The American infantry threw themselves upon the ground. Some of the Mexican shot passed over their heads, though most of it fell short in its range. It was a very foolish affair ou the part of the Mexicans. They stood stubbornly at their post, to be slaughtered by our guns ; while the Americans were almost entirely out of the range of theirs. Probably they were not aware of the inefficiency of their fire ; for the prairie-grass was soon in flames, rolling along in fiery billows ten feet high, and enveloping the contending hosts in dense and suffocating smoke.

Night closed the scene. Neither party knew what had

COMMENCEMENT OF HIS CAltEEK. 19

been the effect of its cannonade upon the other. But the Mexican loss had been two hundred and sixty-two. The Americans had lost but four killed and thirty-two wounded. This was Lieutenant Grant's first battle. There could be but little opportunity for any display of gallantry upon such a field.

At night, the Mexicans retired, and stationed themselves in a new and more formidable position, a few miles in the rear, called Resaca de la Palma. They had left behind them their dead and many of their wounded. General Taylor pressed cautiously on, and soon found them posted in a ravine surrounded by dense and almost impenetrable thickets of dwarf-oaks. Again the battle was opened with artillery ; but it was soon followed up with charges of infantry and cavalry. The Mexicans fought with great pertinacity. But the Americans, more intelligent and better disciplined, fired more rapidly and with surer aim, and gained a far more signal victory than that of the day before. The Mexicans were soon seen on the rapid retreat, having lost, in killed and wounded, a thousand ; while the American loss did not exceed a hundred and fifty. This was Lieutenant Grant's second battle.

The army marched up the left bank of the Rio Grande a distance of one hundred and forty miles', and then crossed the river, and marched upon Monterey. The city was garrisoned by ten thousand Mexican troops. General Taylor led an army of six thousand two hundred and twenty men. On Sunday morning, Sept. 20, our army arrived before the city. A careful reconnoissance showed that it was strongly fortified, and that its ramparts and bastions were armed with heavy guns. After a terrible and bloody conflict, which lasted,- with few intermissions, until the 24th, the city capitulated.

While at West Point, young Grant, who, from his vigorous constitution and frame, excelled in all athletic exercises, acquired the reputation of being one of the boldest riders in the school. He lost none of this faculty in his experience with the Indians on the boundless plains of the West.

At the battle of Monterey, the brigade, with which Lieutenant Grant served, had exhausted nearly all of its ammunition. They were in the heart of the city, from which there was no egress but through a narrow street, the houses on one side of which were held by the Mexicans, who fired from the windows and the roofs. Some one must be sent through this street to Walnut Springs, a distance of four miles, for ammunition. It was so perilous an adventure, that the general in command hesitated to order any soldier to go upon it. He therefore called for some one to volunteer. Lieutenant Grant stepped forward with the offer of his services. Throwing himself upon a fleet horse, and adopting an expedient which he had learned of the Indians, he caught his foot in the crooper of his saddle, and, grasping the flowing mane with his hands, he hung upon the side of his horse, so as to be shielded by his body from the shots of the Mexicans, and then, spurring the animal to its utmost speed, safely ran the gantlet. In an hour he returned with a wagon-load of ammunition and an escort.

The loss of the enemy at Monterey is not known : it must have been dreadful. Our balls and shells swept their thronged streets with awful carnage. The American army also Jost heavily. Twelve officers, and one hundred and eighty men, were killed ; and thirty-one officers, and three hundred and thirty-seven men, were wounded. This was Lieutenant Grant's third battle.

Thus was Providence preparing him for the great events in which he was subsequently to attract the attention of the world.

During all these movements, Lieutenant Grant had retained his connection with the Fourth Infantry, the regiment with which he had commenced his career in the wilds of the Missouri Territory.

General Scott had landed at Yera Cruz. A portion of General Taylor's force on the upper Rio Grande was sent down the river to co-operate with him. Lieutenant Grant accompanied the Fourth Regiment, which was a part of this detached force. Yera Cruz was besieged and captured. Lieutenant Grant was very efficient in this great military achievement. His rank was, however, too humble, thus far, for him to take any part so conspicuous as to attract the eyes of the nation. Still, it is evident that he was gaining constantly in the confidence and esteem of his fellow-soldiers.

As the army was preparing for its march into the interior, to the halls of the Montezumas, Lieutenant Grant received the honorable and important appointment of quartermaster of his regiment. This office brought him more prominently into the view of his commanding officers. Though not necessarily called into the field, he was ever eager for active service whenever he found that he could be useful. At the battle of Molino del Rey, fought on the 8th of September, 1847, his gallantry in the field caused his promotion to a first lieutenancy. In the fierce strife at Chapultepec, on the loth, he won the high approval of his superior officers by his bravery and the sagacity of his tactics while under fire. He was consequently promoted to the brevet of captain.