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B&lllaon, 111
MODEL WIFE AND MOTHER
lift Story of ft St. Lom.ii Girl Who Became
Mistreu of the White House.
STIRRING TIMES IN WAR AND PEACE
Hri. JiUi Dent OmBt'i EiprrlcnfM la
the Civil Wa CampilvaUi with
the Geaeral A Inatrno
tlre Ul History.
Probably no woman living bad the knowl
. edge of war and the Intimate acquaintance
.with ita detail that Mra. Julia Dent Grant
possessed, relates the Bt. Lou la Globe
Democrat. She was born on the frontier
for such waa Missouri, even In the vicinity
of Bt. Louia, In 1826. "Whitehaven," the
country home of Colonel F. Dent, who was
a typical southern plantation owner, waa
not far from St. Louis. There Julia Dent
waa born, and, as a child, she early be
came familiar with the Indiana and the
thrilling: events Incident to life amidst the
oenes of those trying days. The proximity
of her home to Jefferson barracks, which.
In those days, waa the principal army post
In the west, brought Miss Dent lato com
.paratlvely close contact with military life.
Later, after her marriage with Lieutenant.
Grant, she followed him through the Mex
ican and civil wars, receiving a letter al
most dally from her husband when absent
from hta side. Many times during the war
of the rebellion Mrs. Orant waa at the
front with the general. Throughout his
career General Grant's closest confidant was
his wlfo, who wm kept closely informed
of everything that waa being done and all
In contemplation. She entered heartily Into
all the plana of the general and knew,
many times before even the members of his
taff. what movements were to be made.
8peaklng of her army experience, Mrs.
Orant, In an Interview given some time
ago, said: "I waa never very far away
from headquarters and alwaya kept myself
Informed of the movements of the army.
My husband wrote to me almost dally, and
when I waa with him would apeak of hla
campaign. I was, from my first acquaint,
anc with Mr. Grant, surrounded by a mili
tary atmosphere. I had letters from Lieu
tenant Orant, to whom I waa engaged, after
all the battlea of Palo Alto. Reseca da la
Palms, Monterey, Buena Vista, Vera Crus
and Scott and Taylor's advance on the City
of Mexico, with its battles of Contreraa,
Cherubueco, Mollno del Rey, the storming
of Chapultepee and the surrender of Mex
ico. General Grant alwaya spoke of Mollno
' del Rey and Chapultepee with the deepest
Interest, notwithstanding the many other
battles In which he took part. He waa the
first to get Into Mollno and at Chapultepeo
scaled the rsstle to the roof with a few
men, where tney capturea a numoer or
Mexican officers.
Campalsalaar Areaad Vlfkaaers;.
"After the war Lieutenant Grant came
to aee me Just as soon aa he could get away.
We were married In 1848. and my aon Fred
waa born In 1850.
"During tb Vlcksburg campaign I re
mained at Cairo, but In the land movement
f the previous autumn, 1861, I waa at
Jackson. Tenn.. and Holly Springs, and then
at Oxford, Miss. ! also remained at the
general's headquarters at City Point.
"I bad an experience la the campaign
after Corinth. When the gencral'a bead
quartets were transferred from Jackson to
Holly Springs. Miss., I went to the latter
place. I remained at Holly 8prtngs while
General Grant, with his army, bad pro
ceeded as far as Oxford, Miss. It was early
In December, 1161. The confederate cavalry
had bee hovering about ua for some time.
One morning X thought I. would take my
on Ulysses and run dow to Oxford. There
wae a military railroad. OS I went. I ar
rived In the evening. The general waa not
expecting me. When be beard X was there
be came out on the porch. He seemed to
be very busy about something, and waa
much surprised to see me. I remember,
after be kissed me, he said In a very
atrange voice: 'Julia, what brings you
here? I am very busy Just now. Make
yourself comfortable!' Then he turned to
my son, and, stroking him gently on the
cheek, said: 'You little soldier, have you
come down to helpT'
"I observed," aaid Mrs. Grant, "an un
usual stir; officers and orderlies galloping
up, dismounting, receiving orders and then
off again. I knew that there waa some
thing going on, ao I kept out of the way,
knowing that my husband would tell me all
about It when the rush was over. After
he had mado 'the disposition of his troops
he came out on the porch and seated him
self by my side. No one would have sup
posed that the enemy had cut bis line of
communication. He took little Ulysses on
bis foot and bounced him up and down aa
If be were completely free from anxiety,
No one would bave imagined that at bis
command fully 60,000 troops were then
shifting positions, and new lines of cam
palgn were being formed, which ended six
months later In the capture of Vlcksburg.
A Kunw Escape.
"My husband asked me many question
ana tnen tola roe that I baa made a very
narrow escape; that Van Dome had at
tacked Holly Springs; that Colonel Murphy
of the Eighth Wisconsin hsd surrendered
with 1,506 men without a fight, and that all
of our supplies had been destroyed. He
censured the officer In command, but not
the troops.
"Van Dome captured all my baggage,
horses, carriage, and left me without any
thing but what I had with me. I think
they expected to capture me, too, for I bad
noticed aome very suspicious movements
about the house where I waa quartered. I
afterward heard that, after the surrender,
my quarters were the first searched by the
confederate cavalry. We were cut off from
the north for a whole week, and It was two
weks before we received supplies. My
husband said it only demonstrated the
weakness of a long line of communication.
The land route of attack waa at once aban
doned and the Mississippi route adopted.
In eighteen days after crossing the MiBstc
stppl and fighting Ova or six battlea Gen
eral Grant had hie whole army In the rear
of Vlcksburg. snd. after a siege of forty
seven days, the city, with 55,000 troops and
hundreds of guns, surrendered."
Julia Dent first met Grant In 1843, when
the coming commander of the union armlea
was a brevet second lieutenant of the
Fourth Infantry, thee stationed at Jefferson
barracks, south of St. Louts. At West
Point Grant had for a ciaaaroate and room
mate F. T. Dent, a brother of Julia. The
cadets became great friends, and, after
graduation. Dent visited Ulysses Orant at
his home In Bethel, O.. exsctlog the
promise of a return visit to "Whitehaven
Thus It waa that Lieutenant Orant and
Julia Dent came to know each other. At
that time there were rumors of war with
Mexico, and the drilling and preparations In
anticipation of the conflict made Jefferson
barracks a busy place. It was between
drills that the young soldier waa wont to
make bia visits, riding to and fro between
Jefferson barracks and "Whitehaven" on
horseback. Julia Dent was then a girl of
IT, the eldest of three sisters. She was at
the time of Grant's first visit at school la
St. Louis.
The Old Haseestead.
"Whitehaven," the Dent home, was aa
unpretentious two-rtory farmhouse, with
the wide galleries that southern dwellings
THE OMATIA fAn,Y BEE: SUNDAY, DEO
iru
were noted for. Its surroundings wsre
beautiful. Miss Julia's father, Colonel F.
Dent, did not at first take kindly to tbe
young officer, who seemed to blm quite
commonplace. While tbe father's dislike
Increased as It became evident that Julia
was not averse to Ulysses' attentions, Mrs.
Dent was cordiality Itself. She showed ber
liking for the rather reticent young man
in a motherly way and seemed to read bis
true cbaracter.
Whitehaven, which waa ten mllea or
more St. Louis, was tbe scene of numerous
gatherings of young people, the families
near by, among them the Sappingtons and
Longs, participating, with officers from the
barracks. Hops at the barracks took tbe
young people there, and between the two
places Ulysses and Julia had many oppor
tunities of meeting and form Id the friend
ship that later developed Into love and re
sulted in a nappy marriage. But this is
anticipating. Lieutenant Grant had se
cured a twenty-day furlough and was on
his way to visit bis parents In Ohio when
hla regiment waa ordered to move to Fort
Jessup, La.
For a Wet Holiday
Originality In the choice and making of
drinks Is very rare. There are few habits,
If any, In which people are so conventional.
The Invention, or rather the discovery, of a
new and successful drink la an event. The
number of new drlnka which appear in the
course of a year and live may be counted
on the fingers.
Some persons will say that drinking is a
lost art; in other words, that men nowadaye
drink carelessly, without proper regard for
tbe artlstlo and the consistent In choosing
drinks appropriate to the hour and occa
sion. To be an artistic drinker requires
both a wide knowledge of the history of
beverages and a cultivated taste, together
with wide experience. Drinking Is, there
fore, likely to be merely the gratification
of an appetite Impossible of any delicacy of
expression and with the danger that It be
vulgarized by excess.
It Is evidently a task requiring consider
able experience to plan original drlnka.
There are many complex conditions to sat
isfy. The day Is probably taken up with
three regular meals, breakfast, luncheon
and dinner. The problem, therefore, is how
may drinks be so selected and proportioned
that the appetite may be excited In turn
for each of these meala and the aenses all
satisfied without at tbe aame time In any
way impairing tbe appetite for the dinner
at the end.
There Is the danger that the drinks may
prove too robust and seriously Impair tbe
appetite for some one of these meals, thus
endangering the real business of the day,
which Is to thoroughly enjoy the dinner
which crowns It. The fashionable holiday
dinner nowadays Is not served before 7
o'clock In the evening, or even later. It is
therefore necessary to make the entire
round of the clock with the bartender with
out a break. Tbe whole problem is, of
course, not to be either too late or ahead
of time with one'e appetite at any hour of
the day.
According to tbe very inviting program
arranged by a drink Inventor the day should
be commenced with a concoction which he
designates as a "salutatory." It Is a short
drink, aerved In a email wineglass. This
first drink Is not advised atrongly, but only
if the oocaalon seems to demand it. The
"salutatory" may be prepared In aeveral
waya, although the general spirit and In
tention of all the aeveral recipes sug
gested are the same. It may constat, for
Instance, of vermouth with three dasbas of
Established 1323
Recalled to bis command, Lieutenant
Orant decided to bring the courtship to an
end and declare bis Intentions. On hla
return to St. Louie the young officer Imme
diately went to Whitehaven, where be
found tbe Dent family on their way to a
country wedding, to which Lieutenant
Grant accompanied them. He rode In a
buggy with Julia Dent, and It was while
crossing tbe swollen Oravols river over a
rickety bridge that he had an opportunity
to put the vital question. The young lady
asked ber escort If be thought the bridge
safe. On being assured that It was, she
Is reported to bave said, "Well, Ulysses, I
shall cling to you If we go down."
Tbe Proposal.
This she did, notwithstanding they
crossed In safety, and then Grant made use
of the Incident, by saying: "Julia, you
spoke Just now of clinging to me, no mat
ter what happened. I wonder If you would
cling to me through life?" Tbe answer
was satisfactory, but the young folks did
not make known the engagement until Just
before the breaking out of the war with
orange bitters, or of some light wine with
bitters, orange preferred. f
Another drink suitable for the same hour,
but with more body to It, may consist of
vermouth, gin or whisky, with three dashes
of orange bitters and one dash of absinthe.
Tbe drink should be taken If it must be be
fore breakfast. It Is claimed for it that it
will be found appetizing, soothing and re
freshing. A light "conversation punch" ia sug
gested for the hour following breakfast. As
its name suggests, this beverage is meant
to fill In the interval when the company
gathers about the fireplace at the home or
the club and in the Interval before tbe real
business of drinking for tbe day has com
menced. It should be taken slowly, and
several glassea may be drunk without In
consistency. To prepare-It first 311 a gob
let with cracked Ice and Into this place tht
Juice of half a lemon, add a little sugsr and
a dash of water. The ingredients should
consist of one-fourth port, one-fourth
whisky, one-fourth Burgundy and one
fourth light wine. This should be well
shaken and then atralned into a fancy
glass.
After breakfast again tbe need is, of
course, felt for a drink which will serve to
prolong the appetite and Insure Its condi
tion for luncheon. To meet this particular
need tbe "life prolonger" Is suggested. In
mixing this first bresk aa egg In a glass and
add sugar to suit the teste. To this add
two pieces of Ice, next one-third port wine
and one-third of some lighter wine; then
shake unusually well and atraln Into a gob
let. Nutmeg may be added If desired. It
Is especially recommended by Its Inventor
that the drink be sipped slowly snd not
swallowed In bulk. By prolonging the
pleasure tbe delicacy of the blend may be
better appreciated.
Following the luncheon again a drink Is
suggested bearing the ambitious title of a
"symphony of moist Joy." It should be
mixed in a fine wine glass filled with
shaved Ice and should consist of one-fourth
maraschino, one-fourth Sauterne, one
fourth Chartreuse snd one-fourth brandy.
This should be covered with ice cream
vanilla for choice and one atrawberr)
placed on top. Still another drink of tbe
same general nature may be substituted if
desired. It consists of maraschino, creme
de rose and brandy In equal parts. It ia
claimed for these drinks that they will In
duce a state of gladness and aoft hilarity.
.The "anticipation." whiea should imme
EMBER 21. 1002. '
Thafe'AHl
Mexico, when Lieutenant Orant came back
from Louisiana on leave, and secured the
consent of Colonel Dent. This, it wax
stated, wae reluctantly given by tbe old
gentleman. Lieutenant Orant went back
to his command and Miss Dent did not
see blm until after the Mexican war, but
she did hear from him. The lieutenant
we an Interesting correspondent, relating
everything that came within his range of
observation. From his letters Miss Dent
learned of his camp life and the cam
paigns, messages of love being Interspersed
with descriptions of the country, the peo
ple and even with discussions of a polit
ical nature. In after years, when Mrs.
Grant was separated from the general, his
letters that came with much regularity
were a great comfort and pleasure.
In 1848, when the war ended and Captain
Grant was 26 years old, he was at liberty
to return and marry the faithful little girl
who had waited his coming so long. He
had by reason of his bravery In several
engagements been breveted captain. After
a quiet wedding at Whitehaven on July 2,
1848, the young couple went for a visit to
Drink Artist's Program
for the Feast.
diately precede tbe dinner. Is especially
recommended. As an appetizer it Is said to
be unequalled, and even after the 'jalf
dozen or more drinks which precede Its
magical effect upon the appetite is said to
be unfailing. It should be mixed In a gob
let of fine ice, and consists of vermouth,
sherry and sbslnthe In equal parts. The
whole should be frapped under cover for
two minutes and served In a cocktail glass.
The preceding program may be Inter
spersed by several drinks of a lighter and
simpler nature, such, for example, aa
Cbablia, ale, a small whisky or even cham
pagne. The special creation of a five dollar mint
Julep Is also intended for the afternoon.
Only wines of rare vintages are used In It.
The drink Is served In a long glasa, topped
with flowers and surmounted with Ice
cream.
The choice of drinks for the dinner itself
Is also, of course, a matter of the first Im
portance. Ignorance upon this subject is
probably less general and dense than con
cerning tbe preliminary drinks, but It Is a
queatlon on which any one may read up be
fore the holidays with profit. The asms
authority previously quoted suggests there
should be Just eight drinks In this set,
and the order suggested Is, first, sherry and
bitters. Moselle wine, Rhine wine claret.
Burgundy, a heavy port, then champagne
and afterward a cordial.
The epicure who has thua tar followed
tbe drlnka prescribed with even reaaonable
fidelity will. It ia believed, crave Just one
more drink, and this is (supplied In the
great Christmas punch. The lsst beverage
is Intended to serve aa a grsnd finale to
the symphony of drinks which precedes It.
It is called the "punch of the world at
large." It la Interesting to know that It
costs to prepare it about 150. The Ingre
dlents consist of two qusrts Sauterne wine
(1834), two quarts old port, three quarts
Chateau Yquem (1874), four quarts Chi
teau Montrscbet (1668), two quarts Cha
teati Laflte Bordeaux (1(80) and two quarta
fine brandy (1818). Since these liquors
cost from 110 to liO a bottle, the expense
Is. of course, unusual. Some call it the
"Coast Defense" or "Harveylxed Punch.'
To this base is added two glasses ef
maraschino, two of Chartreuse and flvs
bottles of extra dry champagne. In this
should be placed two sliced pineapples, one
dozen oranges and six boxes of strawber
rlea. The punch should be aerved In a
china bowl suxTounaed with, ice.
tbe Oranta at Bethel and friends In George
town, O.
Those wbo saw the bride at that time de
scribe ber aa a falr-aklnned and vivacious
little woman. For some time Orant was
stationed at either Detroit or fiaokette
harbor, where be kept a very quiet estab
lishment. In Detroit Orant rented a mod
est little cottage near the outskirts of
town, as the accommodations at Fort
Wayne were not suitable for a lady. Hla
tastes were very domestic and he and Mrs.
Grant found great pleasure In their little
home, where the captain spent much of bis
time reading aloud to her.
In 1851 Captain Grant waa ordered to
Sacketts harbor and In the following year
his regiment, the Fourth Infantry, was
transferred to the Pacific coast, via Pan
ama. At this time Mrs. Grant could not
make the hazardous trip and she departed 1
for Bethel, the home of Jesse Orant, her
husband'a father. It was while living
there that their second son, Ulysses, Jr.,
was born. Frederick D., the first son, was
then nearly 2 years old. During Captain
Grant's stay at Vancouver barracks, for
several months at a time, his wife did not
hear from him nor he from her. This bo-
came unbearable after a time and Captain
Grant resigned July 31, 1854, and returned
east to his wife and family. In the mean
time Jesse Grant and his family bad moved
to Covington, Ky., whither Mrs. U. S. Grant
and her children accompanied tbem. There
Captain Grant found tbem.
After a short stay In Ksntucky Grsnt
moved bis family to St. Louis and took up
farming on an olghty-acra farm given them
by Colonel Dent. That waa in 1856. The log
farmhouae erected that year by the former
army officer and occupied by hla family
still stands In the suburbs of St. Louis.
They lived there several years, tbe future
genersl cultivating the land and teaming,
making a somewhat precarious living. Mrs.
Grant was accompanied by her husband to
many of the qulltlngs and other of the
neighborhood social affairs. Although Orant
never took part In the dancea, he Invariably
escorted his wife there. Once, It is related.
tho couple went to a quilting bee on horse
back, with a child perched behind each.
Withal? their life on the little farm Is said
to have been very pleasant. After the
death of Mrs. Dent the colonel moved to
St. Louis to live and the Grants took
charge of the farm at Whitehaven, staying
for a time In the house where Julia Dent
was born.
Success did not attend Grant's farming
and be went Into the real estate business
In St. Louts with Harry Boggs. Despite
this want of success, Mrs. Grant bad all
faith In her husband, over whom she had
a great Influence, and she predicted a bril
liant future for him. After a year's stay
in Bt. Louis, during which bis earnings
were small. Orant decided to moke another
change. Tbe growing bitterness of those
who favored secession toward everything
northern probably had something to do
with the move to Galena, III., where Jesse
Grant was then engaged In tbe leather
buslneaa with hla two other sons. Mrs.
Orant, whose desire to stay near her fam
ily, had kept them In Missouri thus far,
consented to accompany her huabaod north
when be told ber of the necessity for his
going.
Then followed tbe opening of the civil
war, when Grant bad a bard time to secure
service with tbe government. His rapid
rise, when once appointed, bore out the
predictions of his loyal wife, who, during
the four years of the war, was by bis side
whenever tbe opportunity offered. Mrs.
Grant's belief In her husband was amply
rewarded In after life. Her devotion to
blm, In success and disaster, in health and
sickness and In life and death haa endeared
ber to tbe bearta of tbe American people.
Tbe Family Heme.
Mra. Grant, whose lllnesa recently caused
as much aeoreheasloa throughout the
country, lived In Washington, D, 0., where
lbs bad a beautiful boms on Massaohusette
avenue, beyond Dupont Circle, In addition
to being one of the handsomest rnsldoncee
In Washington, It la the best known In that
city of magnlfloent homes. It Is built of
pressed brick,- trimmed with brown stone.
While It contains much of interest In the
life of Oeneral Grant, the presents given
him on bis Journoy around tho world nre
not to be found there. In 1885 the Grant
relics were presented to tbe United States
and are to be seen in the national museum,
where they are viewed by thousands every
year.
In addition to $5,000 a year received from
the government, Mrs. Grant had a larre
Income from tbe royalties on her husband's
memoirs. This has, it Is stated, reached
(500,000. Mra. Grant, before her death,
was writing a book of recolloctlous, which
was nearly completed, and which will un
doubtedly prove interesting. Vivian and
Rosemary, tbe daughters- of Nellio Grant
Sartoris, and their mother lived with Mrs.
Grant. Vivian was her grandmother's
favorite and almost constant companion.
Mra. Grant also had a summer home. It
Is located In Coburg, Canada, where, sev
eral months during each year were spent.
It is somewhat of a coincidence that the
bouse of Mrs. Grant is located next to that
of Mrs. Jefferson Davis, widow of tbe pres
ident of the confederacy. The widows of
two of the leading characters of the civil
war were the best of friends, and during
the last summer spent considerable time
In each other's company.
PRATTLE OF THE YOUNGSTERS.
Tommy (after he has been to church for
the first time) What did you get out of the
funny silver plate, mamma? I only got a
dime.
"I always do as I please when papa and
mamma are dressed up," said little Willie.
"Why?" quorled smaller Elmer.
" 'Cause they can't punish me then for
fear of mussln' their clothes."
"Mamma," said llttlo Bessie, "has gov
erness any right to punish me for some
thing I have not done?"
"Of course not. dear," replied the mother.
But why do you ask?"
"Because," replied Bessie, "she punished
me when I didn't do what she told me to."
Jack, who Is 6 years old, came home one
day last week crying that another boy had
hit htm.
"Why didn't you tit him back?" be was
asked.
"I did," be answered. "I bit blm back
first."
It waa tbe man wbo dilates on the prin
ciple of political economy and the like,
heavy, ponderous subjnets, that Increase
the size of the hst. But tbe speaker was
his son. In knickerbockers, so hs hastened
to obey.
"Come here, pop," spoke the lmperator.
"Hold out your hand. I'm going tc tell
your fortune."
Pop held out his hand with a prompt
ness that recognized higher authority.
"Now give a Dime to each finger."
"Mary, Hannah, Louise, Carrie, Chris
tina." "Now nod once to Mary."
The dealer In public opinion nodded with
a vigor that could not have been sur
passed had bis life been dependent
upon It.
"Now nod twice to Hannah."
He nodded twice. He nodded thrice to
Louise and four times to Carrie and five
times to Christina. Then be looked down
upon bis progeny to hear the dictum of
fate. And the anawer came:
"The Indications ars that you bave pleat
of rubber ia your neck-"
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