Ulysses S. Grant (no conclusion)
...life was fertile ground for discussion. He wrote in his Memoirs, " I had gone into the battle of Palo Alto in May, 1846, a second lieutenant, and I entered the city of Mexico 16 months later with the same rank, after having been in all the engagements possible for any one man." Grant was a quartermaster in Mexico, and was an intense observer of all things, especially scenery, fellow officers or the native people. His letters are full of lush descriptions of the world around him and his infatuation with the landscape of Mexico. There are few eyewitness descriptions of Lieutenant Grant in Mexico, but the drum major of the Fourth Infantry, J.D. Elderkin, did talk about his friendship with the retiring junior officer. Elderkin knew Grant closely in Mexico and for several years thereafter. Here are his recollections, written in the late 1890's: "My first remembrance of Captain Grant was at Corpus Cristi, in the army of occupation in 1846. He was a quartermaster at that time, but he took an active part in every battle. He was always a very mild-spoken man, he spoke like a lady almost. His general character was of a quiet, inoffensive man. He spoke but few words to anybody but he loved to ride on horseback. I remember the march from Camargo to Monterey and that was the first fight we were in. He was always up with he regiment and his services as a quartermaster were splendidly done and he was even complimented form the War Department for his services. He would have everything ready for the regiment each night; cattle to kill and wood for the campfires, for he was always prepared. When the regiment got there at night, they would have nothing to do but pitch their tents. he bought all his supplies from the Mexicans and paid for them too.” Throughout his life, Grant was slow to make friends and had few intimate relationships. A sure sign that he was fond of a person was if he teased them. J. Russell Jones' was a close friend of Grant and this was something he had to say about him: “It's hard to d...