Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs
The Mexican War
Chapter 5
Trip to Austin--Promotion to Full Second Lieutenant--Army of Occupation
When our party left Corpus Christi
it was quite large, including the cavalry escort, Paymaster, Major Dix, his clerk and the
officers who, like myself, were simply on leave; but all the officers on leave, except
Lieutenant [Calvin] Benjamin--afterwards killed in the valley of Mexico--Lieutenant, now
General, [Christopher] Augur, and myself, concluded to spend their allotted time at San
Antonio and return from there. We were all to be back at Corpus Christi by the end of the
month. The paymaster was detained in Austin so long that, if we had waited for him, we
would have exceeded our leave. We concluded, therefore, to start back at once with the
animals we had, and having to rely principally on grass for their food, it was a good six
days' journey. We had to sleep on the prairie every night, except at Goliad, and possibly
one night on the Colorado, without shelter and with only such food as we carried with us,
and prepared ourselves. The journey was hazardous on account of Indians, and there were
white men in Texas whom I would not have cared to meet in a secluded place. Lieutenant
Augur was taken seriously sick before we reached Goliad and at a distance from any
habitation. To add to the complication, his horse--a mustang that had probably been
captured from the band of wild horses before alluded to, and of undoubted longevity at his
capture--gave out. It was absolutely necessary to get forward to Goliad to find a shelter
for our sick companion. By dint of patience and exceedingly slow movements, Goliad was at
last reached, and a shelter and bed secured for our patient. We remained over a day,
hoping that Augur might recover sufficiently to resume his travels. He did not, however,
and knowing that Major Dix would be along in a few days, with his wagon-train, now empty,
and escort, we arranged with our Louisiana friend to take the best of care of the sick
lieutenant until thus relieved, and went on.
I had never been a sportsman in my
life; had scarcely ever gone in search of game, and rarely seen any when looking for it.
On this trip there was no minute of time while travelling between San Patricio and the
settlements on the San Antonio River, from San Antonio to Austin, and again from the
Colorado River back to San Patricio, when deer or antelope could not be seen in great
numbers. Each officer carried a shot-gun, and every evening, after going into camp, some
would go out and soon return with venison and wild turkeys enough for the entire camp. I,
however, never went out, and had no occasion to fire my gun; except, being detained over a
day at Goliad, Benjamin and I concluded to go down to the creek--which was fringed with
timber, much of it the pecan--and bring back a few turkeys. We had scarcely reached the
edge of the timber when I heard the flutter of wings overhead, and in an instant I saw two
or three turkeys flying away. These were soon followed by more, then more, and more until
a flock of twenty or thirty had left from just over my head. All this time I stood
watching the turkeys to see where they flew.--with my gun on my shoulder, and never once
thought of leveling it at the birds. When I had time to reflect upon the matter, I came to
the conclusion that as a sportsman I was a failure, and went back to the house. Benjamin
remained out, and got as many turkeys as he wanted to carry back.
After the second night at Goliad,
Benjamin and I started to make the remainder of the journey alone. We reached Corpus
Christi just in time to avoid "absence without leave." We met no one--not even
an Indian--during the remainder of our journey, except at San Patricio. A new settlement
had been started there in our absence of three weeks, induced possibly by the fact that
there were houses already built, while the proximity of troops gave protection against the
Indians. On the evening of the first day out from Goliad we heard the most unearthly
howling of wolves, directly in our front. The prairie grass was tall and we could not see
the beasts, but the sound indicated that they were near. To my ear it appeared that there
must have Y been enough of them to devour our party, horses and all, at a single meal. The
part of Ohio that I hailed from was not thickly settled, but wolves had been driven out
long before I left. Benjamin was from Indiana, still less populated, where the wolf yet
roamed over the prairies. He understood the nature of the animal and the capacity of a few
to make believe there was an unlimited number of them. He kept on towards the noise,
unmoved. I followed in his trail, lacking moral courage to turn back and join our sick
companion, I have no doubt that if Benjamin had proposed returning to Goliad, I would not
only have "seconded the motion" but have suggested that it was very hard-hearted
in us to leave Augur sick there in the first place; but Benjamin did not propose turning
back. When he did speak it was to ask: "Grant, how many wolves do you think there are
in that pack?" Knowing where he was from, and suspecting that he thought I would
overestimate the number, I determined to show my acquaintance with the animal by putting
the estimate below what possibly could be correct, and answered: "Oh, about
twenty," very indifferently. He smiled and rode on. In a minute we were close upon
them, and before they saw us. There were just two of them. Seated upon their haunches,
with their mouths close together, they had made all the noise we had been hearing for the
past ten minutes, I have often thought of this incident since when I have heard the noise
of a few disappointed politicians who had deserted their associates. There are always more
of them before they are counted.
A week or two before leaving
Corpus Christi on this trip, I had been promoted from brevet second-lieutenant, 4th
infantry, to full second-lieutenant, 7th infantry. [In December Grant received notice he had been promoted from brevet
second lieutenant to full second lieutenant dating from September 30, 1845. Lewis.]
Frank Gardner* of the 7th, was
promoted to the 4th in the same orders. We immediately made application to be transferred,
so as to get back to our old regiments. On my return, I found that our application had
been approved at Washington. While in the 7th infantry I was in the company of Captain
[Theophilus] Holmes, afterwards a lieutenant-general in the Confederate army. I never came
in contact with him in the war of the Rebellion, nor did he render any very conspicuous
service in his high rank. My transfer carried me to the company of Captain [George]
McCall, who resigned from the army after the Mexican war and settled in Philadelphia. He
was prompt, however, to volunteer when the rebellion broke out, and soon rose to the rank
of major general in the Union army. I was not fortunate enough to meet him after he
resigned. In the old army he was esteemed very highly as a soldier and gentleman. Our
relations were always most pleasant.
* Afterwards General
Gardner, C.S.A.
The preparations at Corpus Christi
for an advance progressed as rapidly in the absence of some twenty or more lieutenants as
if we had been there. The principal business consisted in securing mules, and getting them
broken to harness. The process was slow but amusing. The animals sold to the government
were all young and unbroken, even to the saddle, and were quite as wild as the wild horses
of the prairie. Usually a number would be brought in by a company of Mexicans, partners in
the delivery. The mules were first driven into a stockade, called a corral, inclosing an
acre or more of ground. The Mexicans--who were all experienced in throwing the
lasso--would go into the corral on horseback, with their lassos attached to the pommels of
their saddles. Soldiers detailed as teamsters and blacksmiths would also enter the corral,
the former with ropes to serve as halters, the latter with branding irons and a fire to
keep the irons heated. A lasso was then thrown over the neck of a mule, when he would
immediately go to the length of his tether, first one end, then the other in the air.
While he was thus plunging and gyrating, another lasso would be thrown by another Mexican,
catching the animal by a fore-foot. This would bring the mule to the ground, when he was
seized and held by the teamsters while the blacksmith put upon him, with hot irons, the
initials "U. S." Ropes were then put about the neck, with a slip-noose which
would tighten around the throat if pulled. With a man on each side holding these ropes,
the mule was released from his other bindings and allowed to rise. With more or less
difficulty he would be conducted to a picket rope outside and fastened there. The delivery
of that mule was then complete. This process was gone through with every mule and wild
horse with the army of occupation.
The method of breaking them was
less cruel and much more amusing. It is a well-known fact that where domestic animals are
used for specific purposes from generation to generation, the descendants are easily, as a
rule, subdued to the same uses. At that time in Northern Mexico the mule, or his
ancestors, the horse and the ass, was seldom used except for the saddle or pack. At all
events the Corpus Christi mule resisted the new use to which he was being put. The
treatment he was subjected to in order to overcome his prejudices was summary and
effective.
The soldiers were principally
foreigners who had enlisted in our large cities, and, with the exception of a chance
drayman among them, it is not probable that any of the men who reported themselves as
competent teamsters had ever driven a mule-team in their lives, or indeed that many had
had any previous experience in driving any animal whatever to harness. Numbers together
can accomplish what twice their number acting individually could not perform. Five mules
were allotted to each wagon. A teamster would select at the picket rope five animals of
nearly the same color and general appearance for his team. With a full corps of
assistants, other teamsters, he would then proceed to get his mules together. In two's the
men would approach each animal selected, avoiding as far as possible its heels. Two ropes
would be put about the neck 3 of each animal, with a slip-noose, so that he could be
choked if too unruly. They were then led out, harnessed by force and hitched to the wagon
in the position they had to keep ever after. Two men remained on either side of the
leader, with the lassos about its neck, and one man retained the same restraining
influence over each of the others. All being ready, the hold would be slackened and the
team started. The first motion was generally five mules in the air at one time, backs
bowed, hind feet extended to the rear. After repeating this movement a few times the
leaders would start to run. This would bring the breeching tight against the mules at the
wheels, which these last seemed to regard as a most unwarrantable attempt at coercion and
would resist by taking a seat, sometimes going so far as to lie down. In time all were
broken in to do their duty submissively if not cheerfully, but there never was a time
during the war when it was safe to let a Mexican mule get entirely loose. Their drivers
were all teamsters by the time they got through.
I recollect one case of a mule
that had worked in a team under the saddle, not only for some time at Corpus Christi,
where he was broken, but all the way to the point opposite Matamoras, then to Camargo,
where he got loose from his fastenings during the night. He did not run away at first, but
staid in the neighborhood for a day or two, coming up sometimes to the feed trough even;
but on the approach of the teamster he always got out of the way. At last, growing tired
of the constant effort to catch him, he disappeared altogether. Nothing short of a Mexican
with his lasso could have caught him. Regulations would not have warranted the expenditure
of a dollar in hiring a man with a lasso to catch that mule; but they did allow the
expenditure "of the mule," on a certificate that he had run away without any
fault of the quartermaster on whose returns he was borne, and also the purchase of another
to take his place. I am a competent witness, for I was regimental quartermaster at the
time.
While at Corpus Christi all the
officers who had a fancy for riding kept horses. The animals cost but little in the first
instance, and when picketed they would get their living without any cost. I had three not
long before the army moved, but a sad accident bereft me of them all at one time. A
colored boy who gave them all the attention they got--besides looking after my tent and
that of a class-mate and fellow-lieutenant and cooking for us, all for about eight dollars
per month, was riding one to water and leading the other two. The led horses pulled him
from his seat and all three ran away. They never were heard of afterwards. Shortly after
that some one told Captain [W. W. S.] Bliss, General Taylor's
Adjutant-General, of my misfortune. "Yes; I heard Grant lost five or six dollars'
worth of horses the other day," he replied. That was a slander; they were broken to
the saddle when I got them and cost nearly twenty dollars. I never suspected the colored
boy of malicious intent in letting them get away, because, if they had not escaped, he
could have had one of them to ride on the long march then in prospect.