Mosby, John S. (1833-1916) to Sam Chapman
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03073 Author/Creator: Mosby, John S. (1833-1916) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 August 1914 Pagination: 2 p. ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy
Says he has published an article defending Ulysses S. Grant against attacks by Adolphus Richards. Sends a copy of the article, which he has had published anonymously. The article also criticizes General Custer, whom Richards had defended. Discusses a book written on "our command" which both he and Chapman belonged too. The book was written by Bennet Young. Mosby would later refuse to let Young write his biography, GLC03921.56. An artist for the G.A.R. asked Mosby to if he could paint a portrait of him and his officers in June of 1914, GLC03921.46.
Sam Chapman was one of the Rangers who fight under John Mosby.
The Infernal printer
mutilated my article_______
The Alamo. Washington,
August 22d. 1914.
Dear Sam:
I sent you a marked paper with an anonymous piece I wrote but put my initials so that you wd. know who wrote it. I intended it as a defense of General [inserted: Grant]. You [inserted: know] Dolly Richards made an attack on him some years ago in a speech at Front Royal & it is a complete answer to Mr. Dolly - It was a coincidence that on the morning my piece was published I got a letter from Dolly - I sent him a marked copy also for the piece was really a rebuke to him. I can't conceive how a man with any honorable feeling who belonged to our command could have any but kind feelings for Grant after the way he treated us from the close of the war until on his dying bed he penned a tribute to me, wh.was really as much a tribute to my men as personally to me. He came to Virginia believing that we were outlaws like Quantrell's gang. Dolly's attack on his memory was a small thing & sticks in my craw. I see they are now accusing the Germans of committing all the outrages that we were charged with. I am unanimously French. The real reason - for Dolly's attack on Grant [struck: was] & defense of Custer was that Custer was a bitter Democrat. A few weeks before Custer was killed, I was at the White House & saw Grant. When I came out of his room Crook [strike out] remarked [2] to me that General Grant had treated me in a very different way from the way he treated Genl: Custer a few days before. He said Custer had come to the White House & sent in his cord to Grant & that Grant refused to see him. The Life of Custer refers to the incident. I was really glad of the excuse [struck: of] for writing the piece as it puts Grant as well as our command in a true light. I sent Hugh a copy. I wish you [inserted: wd] write to Hugh - Tell him that I sent you a copy - & ask him if I sent one to him. I don't suppose Hugh is a very strong Woodrow man since Woodrow turned him down in the post office matter. I wish you wd. show my piece to Rivercomb. (if you haven't lost it.) I asked Hal to tell Colonel William (Josie) that I said you & he wd. have to draw straws for the picture in the group. Hal wrote me that Colonel Wm. (Josie) said that he supposed he wd. be out of it "as Sam [struck: was] [inserted: is] Colonel Mosby's favorite." Dolly is itching to sit for his. I wrote him that I was told that a book about our command [struck: was] had just been published. He is evidently ashamed of it & he has made no allusion to it. Donnington at the Congressional Library told me about it. It is by that fellow Bennett Young of Ky. who was concerned in the attempt to burn N.Y. City. He wrote to me over a year ago - I wd not reply to his letter. He then came to Washington - sent me a request through a Dr. Lewis for an interview - I declined - The book has Dolly's picture - the only one. He does not mention you or Josie. Send this letter to Willie before you lose it.
Yours Truly,
Jno: S. Mosby
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