Twas a Son of St. Patrick Who Gave
Us One of Our Most Familiar Lincoln
Yarns—The Story of Grant's Whisky
1
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.!
OF ALL the stories told
about Abraham Lincoln
few are more familiar
to the average American than
the famous “Grant’s whisky”
yarn. Yet none of them has
less basis of fact than this
one. According to it, the
Great Emancipator, in re
sponse to a protest that the
general whom he was about
to appoint commander-in
chief of the Union armies was
too much given to drinking
whisky, is supposed to have
replied, “Well, I wish you
would tell me the brand of
whisky that Grant drinks. I
would like to send a barrel of
it to each of my other gener
als.”
There are several versions
of the inspiration for this re
ply. One is that it was “a
member of his cabinet” who
uttered the protest against
Grant’s appointment because
of his alleged intemperate
habits. Another is that “a
delegation of clergymen”
called on the President and
asked him not to put the vic
tor of Vicksburg in high com
mand. In either case Lin
coln’s reply is essentially the
same, and it has been quoted
an endless number of times
by banquet speakers, lectur
ers and others more con
cerned with “getting a laugh”
than with historical accuracy.
For the fact is that Lincoln
never received any such protest
against Grant’s appointment for
the reason given in the story and
therefore did not make the reply
attributed to him. Moreover,
several times, after the yarn had
been widely circulated, he dis
claimed authorship of the quip.
But he did so with such evident
approval of its humor that his
denial helped increase the popu
larity of the story.
The real author of this story,
which was entirely fictitious, was
a "son of St. Patrick," Irish-born
Charles G. Halpine, a corre
spondent for the New York Her
ald during the Civil war, who
signed his dispatches with the
typical Irish name of "Miles
O’Reilly." Halpine was born
near Oldcastle, County Meath,
Ireland, November 20, 1829, the
son of an Episcopal clergyman
ULYSSES S. GRANT
who was also editor of the Dublin
Evening Mail. Entering Trinity
college in Dublin while still a boy,
young Halpine soon gave evi
dence of the literary ability that
ran in his family. Although he
began the study of medicine,
after his graduation in 1846, he
soon gave that up to enter the
more congenial field of journal
ism.
He began contributing to news
papers in Ireland and England,
married young and, believing
that America offered better op
portunities for success, emigrat
ed to this country in 1849. He
went first to Boston where he ob
tained a position on the Boston
Post. Then he sent for his young
wife whom he had left in Ireland
until he established himself in his
adopted country. Soon after her
arrival he became the leading
editor of the Carpet-Bag, a hu
morous magazine which had been
established by Benjamin Shilla.
ber of “Mrs. Partington” fame
and Dr. Shepley.
But the Carpet-Bag proved to
be a failure and in 1852 Halpine
moved to New York where he
wrote for the New York Tribune,
worked for a few months on the
New York Herald and then joined
Henry Raymond on the New York
Times. After a short stay on the
Times he became a partner of
John Clancy in the publication of
th« New York Leader for which
he did his best work. Both his
political articles and humorous
writings were so popular that the
circulation of the Leader in
creased tremendously and it soon
became a political power in New
York.
Joins Union Army.
By this time the young Irish
immigrant was enjoying a large
income, but at the outbreak of
the Civil war he gave this up to
accept a commission as a lieu
tenant in the sixty-ninth New
York regiment, commanded by
Colonel Corcoran. So rapidly did
he master the details of military
life that he was promoted to ma
jor and became adjutant on the
staff of Gen. David Hunter.
When Maj. Gen. Henry W. Hal
leck became commander-in-chief
of the Union armies, Halpine was
transferred to his staff and sta
tioned in Washington. In addi
tion to preparing all of Halleck's
official correspondence, Halpine
began writing again for the New
York Herald.
Under the nom de plume of
“Miles O’Reilly,” he assumed the
character of a private in the
forty-seventh New York regiment
and began writing a series of
amusing articles which became
instantly popular. It was in one
of these articles that Halpine
started the Lincoln-Grant “whis
ky myth” which has persisted to
this day.
In its issue of November 26,
1863, the New York Herald car
ried a five-column article, signed
by “Private Miles O’Reilly,”
which was given almost as much
prominence in the paper as the
news story of the victories near
Chattanooga. It was captioned
“Miles O’Reilly at the White
House” and was a wholly ficti
tious account of O’Reilly’s be
ing made a guest of honor at a
large function at the White
House, attended by all the Wash
ington notables, including Presi
dent Lincoln, Secretary Stanton,
General Halleck and Lord Lyons,
the British ambassador.
A Party at the White House.
A part of Halpine’s dispatch,
describing the festivities at the
White House, reads as follows:
“ ‘Colonel Bell, please touch
the bell,’ said Mr. Lincoln, ‘and
let BurgdorfT, my messenger,
send us up the decanters and
things. I have some French
wines sent me from Paris by Sec
retary of Legation Pennington,
whose tongue is so completely oc
cupied in the business of tasting
vintages that he has never had
time to teach it French, though
a resident in Paris many years.
If you prefer whisky, I have some
that can be relied upon—a pres
ent from Mr. Leslie Combs. I
call it “Grant’s Particular” and
Halleck is about issuing an order
that all his generals shall use it.’
" ‘With the news we have to
day from Chattanooga,’ said
General Halleck gayly, ‘I think
the country will indorse the or
der to which Mr. Lincoln has re
ferred. For my own part, I’ll
take some of that whisky—just
enough to drown a mosquito, Kol
ton—and, with the President’s
permission, our first toast will
be the health of Ulysses Grant,
the river-horse of the Missis
sippi.’
“Secretary Stanton seconded
the toast in a neat and spirited
address, Mr. Lincoln frequently
applauding. The health was re
ceived with all the honors, every
one present standing up while the
liquor went down, and the com
pany giving three cheers for
General Grant, and then three
more, and then three after that to
top off with.”
The story spread all over the
country and eventually “Private
Miles O’Reilly’s’’ part in it and
his authorship of it were forgot
ten. People began telling it as
“another good Abe Lincoln
yarn.” Naturally, the friends ol
General Grant, who had been
troubled by rumors of his intem
perance, were glad to spread the
story, since Lincoln's alleged re
mark provided a good excuse foi
his drinking, if it was true that
he was addicted to liquor.
As the story gained currency,
it occurred to some of Lincoln’s
friends to ask him if the story
were true. Among them were the
war department telegraphers, his
“boys" whom he saw nearly ev
ery day when he called at the
telegraph office to get the latest
news from the front. One of
these was Albert B. Chandler,
later president of the Postal Tele
graph company.
Lincoln Denies Authorship.
In 1895 Chandler attempted to
dispel the myth by making this
statement: “Major Eckert asked
Mr. Lincoln if the story of his
interview with the complainants
against General Grant was true,
viz. that he had inquired solici
tously where the general got his
liquor and, on being told that the
information could not be given,
the President replied that he
would very much like to find out,
so that he might get enough to
send a barrel to each of his gen
erals. Mr. Lincoln said that he
had heard the story before, and
that it would have been very good
if he had said it but that he didn’t.
He supposed it was ‘charged to
him’ to give it currency.
“He then said the original of
the story was in King George’s
time. Bitter complaints were
made to the king against his Gen
eral Wolfe (victor over Montcalm
at the Battle of Quebec which
ended the French and Indian
war), in which it was charged
that he was mad. The king re
plied angrily, ‘I wish he would
bite some of my other generals,
then.’
“He then mentioned a bright
saying which he had recently
heard during the draft riots in
New York, in which the Irish fig
ured most conspicuously—‘It is
said that General Kilpatrick is
going to New York to quell the
riot; but his name has nothing
to do with it.’ ”
Similar testimony is given by
Chaplain James B. Merwin, who
was commissioned by Lincoln to
talk temperance to the soldiers.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Merwin stated that Lincoln de
nied authorship of the quip about
Grant and said that the joke was
a hundred years old when he first
heard it attributed to him.
Athough Halpine’s chief claim
to fame seems to rest upon his
authorship of this story which be
came a favorite “Lincoln myth,”
he had other distinctions which
should make his name memor
able. For, as the popularity of
his “Private Miles O’Reilly at the
White House” demonstrated, he
had a genius for imaginative writ
ing. He had proved that early
in his career as a New York jour
nalist. To win a bet he produced
a long account of the resuscita
tion of a pirate named Hicks, who
had been executed on Bedloe’s
island, and this hoax, which was
believed by many people, caused
a great deal of excitement in New
York.
Upon his return to New York
he served on the staff of Gen.
John A. Dix and during that time
wrote a series of articles expos
ing the corruption of the city gov
ernment which attracted the at
tention of the Citizens’ associa
tion. As a result he was offered
the editorship of the Citizen, the
organ of the reform movement
which was inaugurated at that
time. Soon afterwards he
bought the paper and plunged
into politics to fight “Boss”
Tweed. He scored his first vic
tory when a coalition of Demo
crats and Republicans elected
him to county register by a large
majority and this was followed
by other political triumphs.
During all this time, Halpine
had continued with his literary
labors and his constant writing
made him subject to insomnia
for which he took opiates. The
result was a tragic end to his
career—through the mistake of a
druggist he took an overdose of
chloroform, when attacked by a
severe pain in his head, and died
on August 3. 1868.
Reference has been made pre
viously to Halpine’s part in en
rolling the first regiment of Negro
soldiers. This was a subject
which caused a great deal of dis
cussion early in the Civil war.
Of course, the Confederates were
horrified and threatened all sorts
of reprisals against Union of
ficers who enlisted or command
ed Negroes.
Even in the North there was
considerable opposition to the
idea, since it was held that “only
white men should be allowed to
fight for the Union.” Halpine
took notice of this discussion in
one of his most famous poems:
Sambo’s Right to Be Kilt
Some tell us ’tis a burnin’ shame
To make the naygers fight;
An’ that the thrade of bein’ kilt
Belongs but to the white:
But as for me, upon my sowl!
So liberal are we here,
I’ll let Sambo be murthered in
stead of myself,
On every day of the year.
On every day of the year, boys,
And in every hour of the day;
The right to be kilt I’ll divide
wid him,
An’ divil a word I’ll say.
In battle's wild commotion
I shouldn’t at all object
If Sambo’s body should stop a
ball
That was cornin’ for me direct;
And the prod of a Southern
bagnet,
So ginerous are we here,
I’ll resign, and let Sambo take it
On every day in the year.
On every day in the year, boys,
And wid none o’ your nasty
pride,
All my right in a southern bagnet
prod
Wid Sambo I’ll divide!
The men who object to Sambo
Should take his place and fight;
And it’s betther to have a nay
ger’s hue
Than a liver that’s wake an’
white.
Though Sambo’s black as the ace
of spades,
His finger a thrigger can pull,
And his eye runs sthraight on the
barrel-sights
From undher its thatch of wool.
So hear me all, boys darlin’,
Don’t think I’m tippin’ you
chaff,
The right to be kilt we’ll divide
wid him,
And give him the largest half!
Among Halpine’s published
works after the war were “Lyrics
by the Letter H,” “Life and Ad
ventures, Songs, Services, and
Speeches of Private Miles O’Reil
ly, 47th. Regiment, New York
Volunteers” and "Baked Meats of
the Funeral: a Collection of Es
says, Poems, Speeches, and Ban
quets by Private Miles O’Reilly."
Among the poems in the latter
volume is one which has often
been reprinted. In some re
spects, its theme was curiously
prophetic of the “Last Man” ban
quets held by Civil war veterans
during recent years. It reads as
follows:
The Thousand and Thirty-Seven
(April 20. 1864 )
Three years ago, today,
We raised our hands to Heaven,
And, on the rolls of muster,
Our names were thirty-seven;
There were just a thousand
bayonets,
And the swords were thirty
seven,
As we took the oath of service
With our right hands raised to
Heaven.
Oh, twas a gallant day,
In memory still adored,
That day of our sun-bright nup
tials
With the musket and the sword!
Shrill rang the fifes, the bugles
blared,
And beneath a cloudless
heaven
F'ar flashed a thousand bayonets,
And the swords were thirty
seven.
Of the thousand stalwart bayo
nets
Two hundred march today;
Hundreds lie in Virginia swamps,
And hundreds in Maryland
clay;
While other hundreds—less hap
py—drag
Their mangled limbs around,
And envy the deep, calm, blessed
sleep
Of the battlefield’s holy ground.
For the swords—one night a week
ago
The remnant, just eleven—
Gathered around a banqueting
board
With seats for thirty-seven.
There were two came in on
crutches,
And two had each but a hand,
To pour the wine and raise the
cup
As w*e toasted “Our Flag and
Land!”
And the room seemed filled with
whispers
As we looked at the vacant
seats,
And with choking throats we
pushed aside
The rich but untasted meats;
Then in silence we brimmed our
glasses
As we stood up—just eleven—
And bowed as we drank to the
Loved and the Dead
Who had made us Thirty-seven!
After Halpine’s death which
Robert B. Roosevelt, uncle of the
President, called “a national
calamity,” Mr. Roosevelt edited
a volume of his poems and issued
them as “The Poetical Works of
Charles G. Halpine.”
Plain Twills, Checks, Plaids
Are Top’ Wools for Your Suit
a
By CHERIE NICHOLAS
AS A starter to the new spring
wardrobe one can make no bet
ter move than to invest in a stunning
suit tailored of the perfectly gor
geous wools that are bringing glory
to the fabric realm this season. Not
that the word suit limits in any
way, no indeed, not with the no
two-alike look that designers have
contrived to achieve in the multi
plicity of types that run the gamut
all the way from the simple jacket
and-skirt classic to the new long
jacket effects with pleated skirts, the
softly styled bolero models, the
smart long-coat ensembles, the cas
ual sports two-piece with its flaring
skirt and interchangeable jacket of
vivid wool stripes or plaids.
Whipcords, twills or wool crepe in
navy blue is outstanding suit news
for spring. Navies with white lin
gerie accents are having a stupen
dous success. Latest word is white
hats with the navy outfits, some of
which are trimmed with navy or the
order may be reversed—navy hah
with white trim. Chic, too, to wear
with your navies are the hats car
ried out in red, white and blue color
schemes.
Centered in the picture is one of
those simple classy suits that women
of discriminating taste dote on.
Tailored of fashionable navy twill (it
is also available in black) its sophis
ticated simplicity bespeaks style per
sonified. Of course it takes on the
inevitable white touches that fashion
insists upon this season, which in
this instance are expressed in terms
of white pique cuffs and collar. To
tune to dressier mood lace or be
frilled organdy will take the place
of the pique. Then, too, for a pretty
feminine gesture most likely a
dainty lingerie blouse with a frothy
jabot will grace this suit. Her
white flower toque is not rushing the
season for flower hats are coming
out in endless parade, in answer to
fashion's call.
A characteristic feature of tweeds
this spring is that they present a
finer, smoother texture and are light
er in weight. Their colorings take
on new lure. The smart note this
spring is the use of complement
tweeds. The suit to the right inter
prets the idea. Here handsome
tweed in gray and white herring
bone weave is used for the suit.
The topcoat is of gray and white
plaid (huge plaid’s the thing this
spring) that gives it definite color
relation to the suit.
This idea of wools in “families,”
so to speak, is being promoted
throughout current suit styling.
Suits of color-related and weave-re
lated wools go so far as to give you
a skirt done in tweed, topped with
either a flannel or wool jersey blouse
in vivid color contrast and for the
long cape (cape suit is a last word
fashion) or the topcoat that ensem
bles with the suit you are given your
choice of a monotone luxurious wool
or that which is strikingly new a
wool in big, bold plaid that picks up
the colors in blouse and skirt.
Illustrative of the new vogue for
check used with plain, note the
fetching suit to the left in the group.
Here you see a bright checked but
ton-up tweed bolero topping a black
circular skirt with insets of the check
introduced to give it the desired
flare. This typically spring 1940
model comes in several color com
binations. The hat of matching
wool fabric is a smart item this
season.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
Pocket Belt
Pockets, pockets everywhere, and
style at high tempo in every one!
Straight from Paris to America
sweeps the pocket fashion, and pres
to! the pocket rage is on. The
young woman pictured is keyed up
to the ’nth degree on the pocket
theme. She begins with two decora
tive pockets on the blouse of her
rayon shirtmaker frock. Then what
does she do! She does just as fash
ion would have her do—buys one of
the new cash and carry belts, de
signed by Criterion, to complete her
pocket ensemble. For your satisfac
tion we are telling you that within
the recesses of this practical pocket
attached to its matching belt, there
; is plenty of stowaway space for
hanky, keys, money and other fem
! inine gadgets. With such perfectly
good arguments in its favor as being
I supremely smart at the same time
! that it is as utilitarian as can be,
! small wonder that this new “cash
! and carry” belt is registering rec
! ord sales.
Do It With Mirrors
An evening bag that is a circle of
silver metal cloth is given a jew
eled look by the application of mir
rors.
Collarbone Accents
Go in for Whimsy
You’re going to have lots of fun
this spring with the collarbone ac
cents—this year’s name for what
used to be called lapel gadgets. You
can wear them on the lapel of your
new spring suit or set them near the
collarline of your frock (winter or
spring).
Consider these: A big green
enameled frog with goggling rhine
stone eyes (set on springs to make
them jiggle), an enameled rooster,
whose wing is set on a hinge to
make it stand out, or a white lamb
with “ruby” eyes and gold chain
“fleece” swinging from its back.
Other tricks are jewel-breasted
gold robins and gold rooster heads
with enamel combs.
_
Black With Color
For College Wear
Black frocks with accents o!
bright color are excellent selections
with w’hich to replenish the college
girl’s wardrobe at this time of year.
Some, made of heavy black crepe,
have wide, flared skirts with shirred
border details around the hems,
while others have simulated collars
and cuffs of white beads. Short vel
vet skirts can be teamed with plain
shirred velvet tops, and black wool
skirts have white sweater tops em
broidered in colored raffia.
Background Dress
Is Best in Colors
Because they combine with so
many other fabrics, satins or
smooth-surfaced crepes seem to be
the most successful materials for
the background dress for evening
wear. With a satin background
dress one can wear jacket or bolero
tops in crepes, wool, velvet, fringe,
feathers, marabou or beads. Dork,
rich shades of satin—garnet red,
deep sapphire, pine green—are
smartest; or, in a light shade, gold.
TREES
—
TREES—SAVE Mi ON CHINESE ELM.
windbreak. Agents wanted. Write
CARMAN NCR8ERY, Bridgeport Nltl,
BABY CHICKS
BABY CHICKS INIiHHhvIm! No ( BB QA
Cripples! No Culls! We guarantee W JU
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ATLAS CHICK CO., St. Leals. Me. ^^yipelS
Frock or Housecoat
For the Little Girl
JV/IAKE your school-girl daugh
^ -* ter an every-day frock and
housecoat both, with this one sim
ple pattern—8633. Buttoned down
the front, made with a princess
skirt and gathered bodice sections
that suggest a bolero line, it’s ex
tremely becoming to immature
figures.
Easy to make, to put on and to
iron, this pattern is just as useful
and practical, in both its guises,
as it is charming. For the win
try weather remaining, make it
up in challis or flannel. For Spring
it will be adorable in chintz, ging
ham or percale. It’s really a style
she’ll enjoy the year-round.
Pattern No. 8633 is designed for
sizes 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 years.
Size 8 requires 2% yards of 39-inch
material in frock length, with
short sleeves: 3% yards in house
coat length with long sleeves; 3%
yards with short sleeves without
nap; 1% yards trimming.
Send order to:
i--I
SEWING CIRCLE PATTERN DEPT.
Room 1324
211 W. Wacker Dr. Chicago
Enclose 15 cents in coins for
Pattern No.Size.
Name .
Address .
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_
Headed for Fame
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