. Grant, Lincoln and the freedmen, reminiscences of the Civil War, with special reference to the work for the contrabands and freedmen of the Mississippi valley . ld to relieve the mosturgent and immediate cases of distress, and to check, in atleast a few instances, elements the most dangerous to thewelfare of our soldiers. But the individual efforts madeby my comrades and myself were futile to cope with thetremendous difficulties of the situation. Some radical stepneeded to be taken. What that step was to be, and howit was to involve relationships with men then unknown tome who were to exerci
. Grant, Lincoln and the freedmen, reminiscences of the Civil War, with special reference to the work for the contrabands and freedmen of the Mississippi valley . ld to relieve the mosturgent and immediate cases of distress, and to check, in atleast a few instances, elements the most dangerous to thewelfare of our soldiers. But the individual efforts madeby my comrades and myself were futile to cope with thetremendous difficulties of the situation. Some radical stepneeded to be taken. What that step was to be, and howit was to involve relationships with men then unknown tome who were to exercise the most enduring influence overour National affairs, I had not the remotest intimation,and when that intimation first came to me, it found mewholly unprepared. Among the most vivid of my memories is a pictureof our camp at Grand Junction on a certain evening ofNovember, 1862. We had just fought the battles of lukaand Corinth, and the troops, though gradually beingmoved toward Vicksburg in small bodies, for the mostpart were passing the time leisurely in drilling and inthe routine duties of the camp. It had been a cool 4 GRANT, LINCOLN, AND THE FREEDMEN. autumn day and the soldiers had amused themselves andkept us all warm by building bonfires here and there at the heads of the severalregiments. The one atthe head of the brigadewas especially camp was in themidst of a primeval forest,and the brilliant firelightand long-drawn shadowsmade visible for a con-siderable distance the grotesque figures of those sittinground the blaze. There was great familiarity and freedomamong the officers, and on this particular evening ColonelFuller of the 27th Ohio, then in command of the brigade,with members of his staff, had been out calling. As we satabout the fire the Colonel and his associates came ridingin. They were in high spirits, and something of theirjokes and laughter seemed to be at my expense. TheColonel was a resident of Toledo — where I had beensuperintendent of scho
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidgrant, booksubjectfreedmen