#acw

"Big Trouble" Ben Bishop (ACW)

what were your thoughts on john aaron rawlins, your late chief of staff & secretary of war? his life unfortunately met a tragic end, and i am sorry if this question is hard for you.

Good afternoon, young man. Thank you for your visit, and for understanding the pain of my loss, even over a decade on. Major General Rawlins was a close personal friend of mine before the late War of the Rebellion. He overcame great adversity in his earlier years, and I admire him deeply. He was devastated by the loss of his first wife, and I felt for him. When he fell ill, we were both terrified, but he fought both the war and his disease with great courage, despite his lack of military training.

Dear Anonymous #4,

Thank you for writing to me. I'm always glad to open a friendly letter.

I began to grow out my beard when I was stationed in California from '52-'54. To start, it was a matter of misery, if I may write candidly. My separation from my wife and our then two sons, one who was born soon after I had to leave for California, made me miserable.

Nor did I shave when I had to resign my commission and attempt to scratch a living from the land in St. Louis, nor when I had to abandon that prospect and work in my father's shop in Galena. My beard grew quite long in this time.

However, soon after I had been promoted to Brigadier General during the late War of the Rebellion, I realized the length of my beard had become unpractical. I decided to trim it to a more suitable length, but not to shave entirely, as a fresh-shaven face is nearly impossible to maintain in wartime due to the frequency with which one must shave to maintain such appearance.

Thank you for your visit, It is always wonderful to have a visitor.

The story of my name is a most interesting one. When I was born, I was given the name Hiram Ulysses Grant. Hiram is a Biblical name, as my parents were devout Methodists. However, everyone always called me Ulysses, or "Lys".

Since I was already known by my middle name, my first name was not widely known. When I went to the Academy at West Point, an "S" was erroneously entered as my middle initial, likely after my mother's maiden name of Simpson. When I explained and asked for the erroneous "S" to be replaced with the correct "H", this was denied. Until I graduated, I continued to sign my name as U. H. Grant, before finally giving in.

- 🐎 anon

Dear Horse Anonymous,

Thank you for writing to me, it means a lot to hear kind words from an interested party, whomever and wherever you may be, particularly on a topic so close to my heart.

You are correct in assessing that I could never feel badly towards a horse. They were merely animals, and their behaviors were responses to stimuli and to past experiences. I could never fault them or take their actions personally, as they were wholly sincere and never pointed in all that they did, which is part of why I get on with horses more easily than people.

As for trouble, I have certainly had trouble. Despite former rebel General Longstreet (a close friend before and since the late War of the Rebellion) asserting that I could ride anything, I have had experience with some particularly difficult horses (though no fault of the horses, merely fault of their previous masters).

During the aforementioned War, my first horse during said conflict was named "Jack". He was simply not suited for combat use, for which I do not blame him, as combat is not for what he was bred.

I also had a pony, captured from the South, called "Jeff Davis". He never gave me any trouble, but he tended to bite and kick stablehands, and anyone else who bothered him. He was nothing but sweet to me.

I have also had some bad experiences with horses that were not mine. I do not blame the horses, for they were not properly broken, but I do blame their masters for given me unbroken horses without prior warning simply due to my repute as a horseman, I am only human, and there is only so much I can do in such a short frame of time.

Good day, young man, thank kindly you for your visit. I take it you are fond of the theater, a most cultured interest.

General Sherman and I have gone to the theater together a few times. He even tried to get me to appreciate opera, which is in a language I do not speak in multiple ways, as I am completely tone-deaf (the language of music, and the Italian language). I have never seen Mr Booth perform (nor either of his brothers for whom acting is a shared pursuit), this I would surely remember. I like Shakespeare's works as much as anyone else, though I do not have the sensitive nature nor the education to appreciate his Tragedies, nor the fine and subtle acting that Mr Booth is known for.

He is a friend of General Sherman, and a former friend of Brevet General Badeau. From what I heard from General (then Colonel) Badeau at City Point, Mr Booth, who had nursed him to health in his Baltimore home during the Draft Riots, following his injury at Port Hudson, was of a very gentle and somewhat nervous temper with a deeply sensitive nature. I never met the man, though I am sure he would be good company. General Badeau seemed to think so, indeed, he spoke of him at great length. From what I've heard, one of Mr Booth's brothers, a rather intense sort, was also present at Mr Booth's home during the Draft Riots, as was a Black man unfamiliar to any of the three to whom Mr Booth had offered his home as refuge from the Riots. From this and all else that I have heard regarding him, Mr Booth seems to be a good man.