TOBACCO LEAVES 



is customary, had his cigars passed. My 

 father took one and was smoking it when 

 he went ashore. There he was met by a 

 staff officer, who told him that there was 

 a sortie and the right wing had been 

 struck and smashed in. Then my father 

 started for the scenes of operations. He 

 let his cigar go out, naturally, but held it 

 between his fingers. 



" He rode hither and yonder, giving or- 

 ders and directions, still with the cigar 

 stump in his hand. The result of his ex- 

 ertions was that Donelson fell after he 

 sent his message of ' unconditional sur- 

 render ' and ' I propose to move imme- 

 diately upon your works.' The message 

 was sent all over the country that Grant 

 was smoking throughout the battle, when 

 he only carried this stump from Foote's 

 flag-ship. But the cigars began to come in 

 from all over the Union. He had eleven 

 thousand cigars on hand in a very short 



164* 



