422 



GRANT, ULYSSES S. (His MILITABY CAEEER.) 



from New York with his regiment for Cali- 

 fornia via the Isthmus of Panama. While the 

 troops were crossing the Isthmus, cholera broke 

 out and carried off one seventh of the com- 

 mand, Lieut. Grant was left behind in charge 

 of the sick, on Chagres river, and displayed 

 great skill and devotion in caring for them, 

 and supplying means of transportation. On 

 arriving in California he spent a few weeks 

 with his regiment at Benicia Barracks, and 

 then accompanied it to Fort Vancouver, Ore- 

 gon. Aug. 5, 1853, he was promoted to the 

 captaincy of a company stationed at Humboldt 

 Bay, Cal., and the next September he pro- 

 ceeded to that post. 



He resigned his commission July 31, 1854, 

 and went to live on a small farm near St. Louis. 



on July 3 he went with it from that place to 

 Palmyra, Mo., thence to Salt River, where it 

 performed the duty of guarding a portion of 

 the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, and 

 from there to the town of Mexico, where Gen. 

 Pope was stationed as commander of the mili- 

 tary district. On July 31 Grant was assigned 

 to the command of a sub-district under Gen. 

 Pope, his troops consisting of three regiments 

 of infantry and a section of artillery. He was 

 appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers on 

 Aug. 7, the commission being dated back to 

 May 17, and was ordered to Ironton, Mo., to 

 take command of a district in that part of the 

 State, where he arrived Aug. 8. Ten days af- 

 terward he was ordered to St. Louis, and thence 

 to Jefferson City. Eight days later he was di- 



BIBTHPLACB OF ULYSSES 8. GRANT, POINT PLEASANT, OHIO. 



After an etching in Grant's " Memoirs," by permission. 



He was engaged in farming and in the real- 

 estate business in St. Louis until May, 1860, 

 when he removed to Galena, 111., and there 

 became a clerk in his father's hardware and 

 leather store. When news was received of the 

 breaking out of the civil war, a public meeting 

 was called in Galena, and Capt. Grant was 

 chosen to preside. He took a pronounced stand 

 in favor of the Union cause and a vigorous pros- 

 ecution of the war. A company of volunteers 

 was raised, which he drilled and accompanied 

 to Springfield, 111. Gov. Yates of that State 

 employed Capt. Grant in the Adjutant-Gen- 

 eral's department, and appointed him muster- 

 ing officer. He offered his services to the Gen- 

 eral Government, in a letter written on May 

 24, 1861, but no answer was ever made to it. 

 On June 17 he was appointed colonel of the 

 Twenty - first Illinois Regiment of Infantry, 

 which had been mustered in at Mattoon. The 

 regiment was transferred to Springfield, and 



rected to report in person at St. Louis, and on 

 reaching there found that he had been assigned 

 to the command of the District of Southeastern 

 Missouri, embracing all the territory in Missouri 

 south of St. Louis, and all southern Illinois, 

 with permanent headquarters at Cairo. He 

 established temporary headquarters at Cape 

 Girardeau, on Mississippi river, to superin- 

 tend the fitting out of an expedition against 

 the Confederate Colonel Jeff. Thompson, and 

 arrived at Cairo on Sept. 4. The next day he 

 received information that the enemy was about 

 to seize Paducah, Ky., at the mouth of Ten- 

 nessee river, having already occupied Colum- 

 bus and Hickman in that State. He moved 

 that night with two regiments of infantry and 

 one battery of artillery, and occupied Paducah 

 the next morning. He issued a proclamation 

 to the citizens, saying, " I have nothing to do 

 with opinions, and shall deal only with armed 

 rebellion and its aiders and abettors." Ken- 



