to him."At Shiloh, though he was half crippled, and all was turmoil, he moved and went everywhere. His ride to Chattanooga is an epic of energy; men who can create such epics are true heroes. In them is an enormous source of power and Grant was like a hurricane - he was the true thunderbolt on any battlefield. Courage and energy will sometimes sweep a general off his feet; but Grant is master of these forces. At Donelson, at Shiloh and in the Wilderness, in spite of chaos, he has complete mastery over himself. His heart never runs away with his head; wherever he appears, his presence, like ice, allays the fever. Grant was at his best when a tumult surrounds him, because he is unaffected by it, and though he may issue no single order, his presence at once stomps out panic and induces confidence. He had a great number of horses shot out from under him and even had a cigar shot out of his mouth, but his reaction was always minimal. On one occasion a six-pound shell passed his head at three inches, but he didn't flich. He simply said: "Someone get that shell, lets see what kind of ammunition they're using."Seldom has a man possessed so high a sense of duty, and of service to his nation, to those who worked with him, and to those who fought against him. Those who surrounded him at once found that he was very human and very sensitive. He treated everyone politely and was a gentleman, all around. There was little vindictiveness in his character and he had boundless capacity to forgive and forget. His gentleness was almost woman-like, and he was able to weep in front of strangers without embarrassment. These are but a few of the simple things which Grant can teach us, and a few of the reasons why Grant is the immortal American hero. ...
