Grant and taking his sword to the other side?

Via Nancy

 

Almost everybody knows the Grant quote about taking his sword to the other side if the war were about slavery. That quote has been much pooh-poohed because it could not be sourced. But now, that may no longer be true. According to the book "The Democratic Speakers' Handbook" by Augustus R. Cazauran (the pen name of Matthew Cary, Jr.) published in 1868, on page 33 the author reveals that Grant was interviewed by the Randolph Citizen. At the time Grant was the commander of that county's militia and in the interview (which appeared in the Spring or Summer of 1861), Grant called himself a Democrat (it was a heavily Democratic area) and stated that if the war were to free the slaves, he would take his sword to the other side. This information was reprinted in a host of other newspapers so the idea that this quote is a fiction is itself a fiction.

The book is available on Amazon.

--Valerie Protopapas
New York