The CHEMAWA AMERICAN
Page 4
GENERAL
17.
S. GRANT
(Continued from page 1)
until he went to West Point, at the age of seventeen,
he performed all the farm work which could be done
with the assistance of horses, such as breaking the
land, furrowing, plowing, hauling the. crops and fire
wood, tending three horses and a couple of cows, and
a number of other chores. “ For all this,” he writes,
‘‘I was compensated by the fact that there was no
punishment by my parents, not even a scolding. There
was no objection to rational enjoyment, such as fishing,
'goingto the creek to swim, taking a horse, skating or
sleighing when there was snow on the ground.”
Senator Morris wrote to Grant’s father at Christmas
time in 1838. Grant was attending school at Riply,
ten miles away. ‘ ‘Father read the letter to me, ’ ’ writes
the General, “ and after reading it said, ‘Ulysses, I
believe you are going to receive the appointment.’
‘What appointment’? I inquired. ‘To West Point,’
was the reply. ‘But I won’t go ,’ I said. His reply
was was, ‘I think you will go!’ and after a moment’s
reflection I thought so, too.”
Grant passed the examination, but he was not keen
for a soldier’s life. After two years he was made a
sergeant, but lost this office after a few weeks on ac
count of indifferent work. He graduated in 1843 as a
private and was assigned to Jefferson Barracks, St.
Louis, Missouri, as a second lieutenant. In 1845 he
went with his regiment to New Orleans. The yellow
fever was then raging there. He tells us: ‘ ‘The streets
p i the city had the appearance Of a continuous well
observed Sunday. One morning about daylight I hap
pened to be awake, and hearing the discharge of a rifle
not far off, I looked out to ascertain where the sound
came from. I observed several small crowds of men
nearby, and learned afterwaids that it was nothing
but a couple of gentlemen deciding a difference of
opinion with rifles at twenty paces. ’ ’
The army that was used in the war with Mexico
was being assembled at Corpus Christi and we next see
Grant there with General Zachery Taylor in command.
Grant writes: ‘ ‘A morfe efficient army for its numbers
and armament I do not believe ever fought a battle
t h an th e one now commanded by General Taylor.”
General Grant did not think the Mexican War a just
one on the part of the United States. Of this war he
said: “ We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was
essential that Mexico should commence it. It was
very doubtful whether Congress would declare war,
but if Mexico should attack our troops then the Presi
dent could take matters into his own hands by declar
ing that a State of W ar existed through the act of
Mexico, and that is exactly what happened, and
Congress was forced to take action.”
Grant’s regiment was sent to Vera Cruz for duty
with Scott who was to take Mexico City. Grant took
part in all the events leading to the surrender of the
City.
_
In 1848 Grant returned to the United States and
was stationed in Mississippi. In the same year he
journeyed to St. Louis, “ On Leave,” and married
Miss Julia Dent of that city. When his “ Leave” ex
pired Grant and his bride went to New York where he
served less than a year when he was ordered to Detroit,
Michigan. Here he served two years.
In 1852 he was ordered to the Pacific Coast. Grant,
was now a First Lieutenant, He traveled to California
via Panama. One of the experiences of the trip was
an epidemic of cholera. Late in 1852 we find him in
Vancouver. There were no Indian wars but “ during
my years on the Columbia River the smallpox exter
minated one small remnant of a band of Indians entire
ly, and reduced others materially. ’ ’
Grant was then thirty years of age. The excitement
in California was high. Nearly all food products were
shipped there. Army officers maintained theniselves
with difficulty On their salaries. Grant had left his
wife with’relatives and in order to make some extra
money sothat he could send lor her, he decided to
raise a crop of potatoes. Of the experiment he writes:
“ I, with three other officers, concluded that we would
raise a crop of potatoes for ourselves, and by selling
the surplus realize something handsome. I bought
a pair of horses that had crossed the plains that sum
mer and were vety poor. They recuperated rapidly,
however, and proved a good team to break up the
ground with. I performed all the labor of breaking
up the ground while the other officers planted the
potatoes. Our crop was enormous. Luckily for us,
the Columbia River rose to a great height from the
melting of the. snow in the mountains in June, and
overflowed and killed most ot the crop. This saved
digging it up, for everybody on the Pacific coast
seemed to have come to the same conclusion at the
same time that agriculture would be profitable. In
1853 more than three-quarters of the potatoes raised
were permitted to rot in the ground, or had to be
thrown away. The only potatoes we sold were to
our own mess.”
(C ontinued n ex t issue)
It is our sad Mission report the death of Jack
Ratzburg about a week ago at Mill City, Oregon, of
appendicitis. Jack was ayouug man, 18 years old, and
was a favorite with every one. For a long time he
clerked in the store of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, his
uncle and aunt. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs Fred
Ratzburg, Mr. Ratzburg benig an employe at Che-
mawa. Our sympathy is extended to the bereaved
relatives.